Chicago 2004 International Theol

Chicago 2004-2006
International Theological Education for the 21st Century
21st Century Theological Education

Following the Ward Consultations in Nairobi (June 2004), Chicago (September 2004), and the Czech Republic (June 2005), the challenges and opportunities of international theological education have become increasingly apparent. In particular, there is persisting concern about the relationship of theological education and the church; while there is urgent concern about leadership development, there seems a lack of consensus around what sort of leaders are needed for today’s church and its mission in the world; former and existing practices in theological schooling are generally accepted as insufficient, in themselves, for today’s challenges; emergent initiatives around the world (in both formal and nonformal modes of education) seem similar in their core values and basic strategy; many administrators and faculty in theological schools are willing to consider the challenge and/or opportunity presented by nonformal education, and to explore partnership with such initiatives; and a premature shift to new institutional or programmatic forms, before inherent problems, principles, and values have been clarified, is apparent.

The Ward Consultation Chicago 2005 will target nonformal theological education as a way to get at issues that affect both formal and nonformal education. The Consultation will exploit the experience and expertise of participants over two days in active work groups. A core of about 15-20 leaders with particular expertise in relevant areas will provide the guiding energy for the groups.

Any broadening of the definition of theological education beyond schooling will inevitably shift the focus from instruction to learning and expand the ways in which we think about the next generation of efforts in instructional design, assessment for learning, organizational evaluation, and even accreditation; and create a different set of partners invested in theological education.

Participants at the Ward Consultation Chicago will focus on several issues related to the future of nonformal theological education. For instance: As nonformal initiatives seek credentialing through association with theological schools, they run the risk of losing sight of their founding purposes, and may fail to see the distinctive differences between formal and nonformal modes of education. If schools ignore the possibilities of equitable partnerships with nonformal initiatives, they may lose the opportunity to clarify the particular contribution(s) of an academic center and the potential benefits of a true community of scholars. As nonformal initiatives mature, leadership conflict may develop, and the need to rethink existing structure and educational design becomes more urgent. Many in nonformal and formal education are considering new structures, exploring new relationships, and seeking new ideas to enhance learning. These challenges of development create a willingness, at least, to interact with leaders from other organizations, to learn from what others are doing, and to propose and try experiments in organizational and economic practices and educational design. As formal and nonformal education dance around each other, the possibility exists that more productive styles of learning, assessment, and yes, even accreditation, may emerge.

The Ward Consultation Series in 21^st Century Theological Education (2004-2006), seeks to connect leaders from many countries and cultural contexts who have expertise and experience in various areas important to the future of leadership development for the church and society. Participants in the Ward Consultation Chicago will engage the following:

1. Demonstration: Participants from specific nonformal initiatives will identify what they consider to be the most significant characteristics, values, and strategies in their organizations, name persisting problems in development and in relationships with other organizations.

2. The Next Generation of Nonformal Education: Participants will make informed predictions about the next generation of nonformal education, describing possibilities in organization, educational strategy, and assessment. Evaluative tools for feedback in curriculum design and leadership functioning will be examined.

3. Alternative Learning Designs: Participants will develop (with the possible involvement of foundation representatives) one or more concrete proposals for experiments in learning design strategies in nonformal and formal contexts.

4. Organizational Collaboration: Participants will identify troubling difficulties in fostering relationships between formal and nonformal education. They will propose reasonable solutions to these difficulties and offer constructive suggestions as to how formal and nonformal theological education can interact for their mutual benefit, and for improved leader development for the church and society.

1. Organize to Optimise (see abstract and link below)
2. Impressions, Values and Strategies (doc)
3. Excerpts from Theological Education Matters: Leadership Education for the Church (pdf)
     (soon to be published in its entirety)
4. Being Where? Culture and Formation in Ministry Training: A Response to Being There (pdf)
5. Church Based Ministry Training Presentation by Jeff Reed ACCESS 30th Annual Conference at Moody Bible
     Institute Jan 19, 2001.
6. Theological education and the Crises, Distinctions and Goals of Professional Education: A literature review, by
     Tasha Chapman Aug 2005.

ABSTRACT: There is growing pressure among administrators and faculty to meet the growing, global demand for postsecondary qualifications. Can higher education institutions as presently organised on the model of research universities efficiently deliver mass postsecondary education whilst ensuring student learning outcomes? Can this be done by institutions organised as loosely connected disciplinary silos designed for elite, in residence students and faculty research? The authors argue no. Most colleges and universities are composed of disciplinary silos that poorly facilitate navigation across organisational boundaries to achieve core functions. Attempting to provide mass postsecondary education through institutions designed to resemble research universities handicaps the educational effort and diminishes the research university; neither is optimised. Postsecondary institutions organised horizontally are better positioned to enhance student learning, but are optimised when they operate as organisms or complex adaptive systems. This reports urges educators to explore how they might move towards organising postsecondary institutions as organic systems to maximise throughput and ensure quality outcomes.

The article ("Organise to Optimise: Organisational Change & Higher Education") by John Harris et. al was originally published by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education 2005. It is made available here with their permission and must not be further reproduced without permission of the Observatory. The Observatory currently has over 130 institutional subscribers from more than twenty countries. For a list of current subscribers, and details of how to subscribe, please visit http://www.obhe.ac.uk/subscriptions