National Summit: Reimagining Theological Education
09-17-2015
Hosted by McCormick, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Month by month the momentum is building for leaders to address the challenges to theological education in a decisive manner. Very few people seem satisfied with the status quo. Seminaries are initiating major innovations in curriculum, mode of delivery, staffing, and even mission. Every week we receive reports of new experimental programs that are springing up all over the country — sponsored by seminaries, denominations, churches, nonprofits, or none of the above — that seek to “reinvent” ministry education.
For registration information, visit theoedu.org.
Options are available for the full weekend
or for Saturday only.
Join us for the first National Summit on Reimagining Theological Education, featuring some of the most innovative and out-of-the-box programs in theological education. Leaders of these programs will be present to share what is groundbreaking about their curriculum, how they teach and market it, and what kinds of leaders they are seeking to develop. The National Summits are the first open forum where all involved in theological education can share ideas, discuss challenges and successes, and collaborate on new ways to train faith leaders for a just, sustainable, and generous world.
The rapidity of the change, and the boldness of the experiments, further underscore the urgency of the National Summit that takes place this October 9-11 in Chicago. The meeting will feature two dozen of the most important innovations and re-inventions from around the country. Stephen Graham from ATS will present initial results from their major Lilly-funded work on “Educational Models and Practice.” The Forum for Theological Exploration will host a chunk of Saturday afternoon, focusing on the “multiple pathways” to ministry, complete with case studies.
Most important, there will be multiple opportunities for workshops, panels, fishbowls, and informal networking. Saturday evening is organized as a relaxed gathering for brainstorming. Several seminary presidents will discuss their vision for the future of theological education and what they are doing about it now, and leaders of some of the newest and most experimental programs will share their experiences in launching completely new types of programs.
For registration information, visit theoedu.org. Options are available for the full weekend or for Saturday only.