Theological Education

An Excerpt from an Interview with Kitty Blackburn, Dean of Keymark Theological School (www.christianleaders.org)

Ed: What is wrong with the obvious goal [for theological schools] of making ministers? Isn't that why most students come to seminary, to become religious leaders of some kind?

KB: Well, that is what Edward Farley means by the "clerical paradigm." The clerical paradigm refers to the notion that the best way to teach ministers to be ministers is to teach them to be proficient at the skills and activities that make up a pastor's life. So, you teach them to preach, to counsel, to run a meeting, and to teach the Bible. And you assume that to the extent that they do each of these well they are good ministers. The problem, as Farley shows in tremendous detail, is that the paradigm does not actually work. If you only teach skills, you get lousy ministers. They have no heart. They are automatons that can go through the check-list and, say, preach a technically pleasing sermon. But they have, in the end, nothing to say. There is no depth of thought, no working through the crises of faith that make faith strong. They end up like the seed planted in rocky soil. They prosper initially but soon wither under the heat of ministry.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lay people have known for years that something was wrong with modern theological education, but they didn’t know how to articulate it. It usually came out as some variation of “our pastor is not very spiritual.” Pastors tended to hear this as a judgment on their more liberal theology and to react negatively. Both parties were wrong.
I think Ms. Blackburn has named the problem in the structure of theological education. This is an issue primarily in Protestant seminaries. Catholic seminaries have known for years that the spiritual formation of the pastor is a critical part of the process of preparing for ministry. When I started as a student at United Theological Seminary (Dayton) 37 years ago UTS was a pioneer in making “formation” part of the program. Although it was more psychological than spiritual in those days, the process was in place.
Today the concept of spiritual formation for clergy (and laity) has gained traction across many denominations and theological education continues to evolve. We have not yet reached perfection.

Overcoming Fear

I see churches paralyzed with fear because their numbers have been dwindling for years and they don’t know what to do about it. I see pastors and lay people frustrated because they have tried many of the quick-fix programs which don’t work. Quick fixes don’t work, but appropriate education and training for clergy and laity do.

We in the Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation, www.united.edu/pohlycenter are trying break the cycle of fear by coming along side congregations in consultation and in providing meaningful training to enable both clergy and laity to work together more effectively. See especially our Principles and Practices of Supervision July 21-25 http://www.united.edu/institute/rwsupervision0708.shtml and our Equipping Leader program July 28-Aug 1 http://www.united.edu/institute/rwequippingleaders1p0708.shtml

Reflections on Church Leadership

As you can see from my bio I am a United Methodist pastor (retired). I spent 22 years in active service and another 10 hanging around doing good things. Before coming to UTS I spent 4 years co-teaching a series of 3-year leadership courses at Bethany UMC in Austin Texas. The program was developed by John Robertson (LeadershipID.com and PrepareGodsPeople.com) and also co-taught by our senior associate pastor, Rev. David Minnich. Because we are Methodists our program is Christian leadership grounded in the Wesleyan tradition. As a result of that work, in 2007 I was asked to head up the “leadership formation” portion of the work at The Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation which is part of The Center for Applied Theology which is part of United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio. (It’s not quite as impressive as it sounds.) After almost 30 years in Texas, this was an opportunity to return to my home town and the seminary from which I graduated in 1975.

I bring a varied background to my work in leadership. In this blog I will share my unique reflections on the subject including books I am reading and have found helpful and quotes from various authors. My particular focus is the vital connection between good leadership and spiritual maturity. My friend Alan Goldsberry, (ServantLeaderFramework.com) developed a simple XY graph to illustrate the relationship of these two factors.



I have suggested to pastors that they use this as a tool to begin the conversation with a member or staff person about personal growth. Simply ask the person where they see themselves on this graph and then ask them in what area they want to grow next.

Enough for now.