Tara Bentall King, co-ordinator of student recruitment at the Vancouver School of Theology, recently attended a conference on spirituality in the Pacific Northwest.
“The areas around Vancouver and Washington State are becoming increasingly secularized, with no specific religious affiliations,” she says. “At the conference, we discussed it in terms of an emerging trend. As religious educators, this is an exciting thing really.”
She adds that if the West coast is a cradle for a more secular spirituality, it presents VST with an opportunity to engage students in the fine art of working in a society that is increasingly non-Christian, while remaining true to the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
It's a challenge facing all schools in the 21st century, says Dr. John Vissers, principal of Presbyterian College in Montreal, and faculty lecturer in Theology in the McGill University faculty of Religious Studies. In addition to studying in a richly diverse collegial setting, third-year ministry students take a mandatory seven- to 10-day mission trip so they can experience the church in a different culture.
This year, the group will study at a seminary in Cuba.
“As they interact with the students and faculty there, we get them to think about what it means to see the church in a different context,” he says. “Most of them find the experience valuable. For some, it becomes the touchstone of their preparation for ministry, for the way they frame their vision of the church in the world. It is a practical lesson in mission—that it is not so much what we do in the world, but what God is doing in the world.”
And it helps them understand the role of the church in a society that this not necessarily Christian.
“This is certainly part of the college's discussion, curriculum and planning,” he says. “The school itself is situated in a bilingual, multicultural and multifaith university, and the work the students are doing brings them up against the reality that Christianity is no longer the dominant religion in Canadian society. We see this as a vibrant post-Christian context.”
At Knox College in Toronto, students are also exposed and engaged in a richly diverse environment, says Dr. Dorcas Gordon, principal and associate professor of Biblical interpretation.
“The students learn the traditions of the Presbyterian church, as well as the skills they will need for congregational and public ministry. There is racial and ethnic diversity in every class, and the rich diversity at the University of Toronto is such a dynamic opportunity to broaden an understanding of the ministry in the world.”
It is, she adds, a far cry from an old time Religions of the World course, which often only scratched the surface of religious diversity—looking at entire belief systems in abstracts and out of meaningful context.
“The students who will work in ordained ministry will be working in incredibly religiously diverse settings, and so we want to prepare them to understand the religious diversity in your neighbourhood, in the context of daily life.”
The schools focus on preparing students of all aspects of ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church, including Biblical studies and pastoral skills. The face of the student body is changing—there are fewer wrinkles.
“About 10 to 15 years ago, the average student was a women in middle age studying for a second career,” says Bentall King. “More and more, we are seeing younger people. But even there, there is diversity. In some classes, there are 24-year-olds and 60-year-olds. It poses a challenge, but it is also an excellent setting for learning.”
Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, VST prepares students for leadership in the Anglican Church of Canada, the United Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, along with other denominational churches.
VST offers degree, diploma or certificate programs for those seeking training for ordination, expanding gifts for lay church leadership or exploring personal faith.
In addition to a Master of Divinity; Native Ministries MDiv by Extension; MA in Theological Studies; Master of Theology; PhD (in conjunction with the University of Wales); there are also diplomas in Christian studies, denominational studies and spiritual direction.
Bentall King notes summer school programs are also becoming increasingly popular, for those who want to spend their summer holidays learning. The Chalmers Institute at VST offers continuing education courses and workshops throughout the year and at a four-week summer school in July.
VST's visiting distinguished scholar program invites guest lecturers from around the world for engaging and enlightening seminars and workshops.
“Last summer (2006), at summer school, we had Dr. John Dominic Crossan as our visiting scholar,” she says. “Next year, our visiting distinguished scholars will be Dr. John Cobb Jr., Dr. Rosemary Ruether, Father Thomas Keating, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault and the Very Reverend Alan Jones.”
The school also conducts periodic pilgrimages to various sites around the world. Next summer, the pilgrimage will be to the Rhine Valley and southern England.
“It is called “Singing Heart,” and it runs for two weeks in the middle of the summer,” says Bentall King. “It is also possible for it to be taken for degree credit with added readings and assignments.”
The Presbyterian College is a theological College of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, a member of the McGill University Consortium of theological colleges, and affiliated with the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University. Both are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Dr. Vissers says that in addition to increasing enrolment, there is also an increase in the number of people doing distance learning through the college.
“The lay education program is continuing to do well,” he says. “We have had a group of lay people from Cape Breton studying with us. They have come here, and faculty have gone there. This is helping them prepare to be effective lay leaders in rural areas that may not have paid congregational leadership.”
Congregations benefit from an educated and engaged laity, says Dr. Gordon. At Knox, the Ewart Centre for lay education offers a certificate in Christian faith and life. An undergraduate degree is not required. The courses are offered for interest or the certificate.
“The programs were developed for those who may not feel called to the ministry of word and sacrament, but want to explore other possibilities, to deepen their understanding of the Christian tradition in order to live their faith more effectively,” she says.
The continuing education component extends to those who are also working in ordained ministry.
“We expect our students to be life-long learners, so from time to time we offer workshops, seminars and lectures in conjunction with Emmanuel College,” says Dr. Gordon. “There is so much need for education in clergy care, congregation health, and these events give us the opportunity to learn new things and try new approaches.”
As the world continues to change, and where faith is portrayed as a divisive force in the human condition, theological schools are working hard to prepare students who are agents of positive change.
“We are learning things that are beginning to change our understanding of ourselves,” says Dr. Gordon. “We are living in a big world and we are called to be ministers in new and different ways.”
