wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Study of seminary education finds that it's not just

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Note #9037 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05642
Dec. 2, 2005

Hands-on and how-to

Study of seminary education finds
that it's more than just 'book learning'

by Toya Richards Hill

LOUISVILLE -The ideal education for ministry combines classroom learning with
practical experience.

	That's the major finding of "Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices and
Pastoral Imagination," a three-year study of 18 seminaries, including the
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (LPTS).

	The research was undertaken by the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching to answer the question: "How do seminary educators
foster ... a pastoral, priestly or rabbinic imagination?"

	Foundation researchers examined institutions ranging from
Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, to the Associated Mennonite
Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN, looking for programs integrating "knowledge
and skill, moral integrity and religious commitment" in preparing students
for careers in ministry.

	The study included surveys, classroom observations, focus groups and
interviews with faculty, students and administrators.

	Those who train prospective clergy today have four principal
"intentions," according to the Rev. Lawrence A. Golemon, a member of the
research team: to develop students' interpretation skills; to help them
understand professional contexts; to contribute to their character formation;
and to cultivate performance in ministerial roles. Those, Golemon said, are
"the trademarks of clergy education today," for Christians and Jews alike.

	The Rev. David C. Hester, the dean and vice president for academic
affairs at LPTS, said it is "striking" how the Louisville seminary's program
emphasizing those four characteristics.

	Training people for ministry is not just a matter of developing their
cognitive skills, Hester said. It also must address issues of leadership and
character and moving candidates toward "a mature spirituality." 

	The researchers' report is available online at
www.carnegiefoundation.org.

	Clergy learning takes place "at the intersection between classroom
and community," said Golemon, who directs the Sacred Vision and Social Good
Program at Dominican University. He and his fellow researchers found that
exercises in day-to-day ministerial issues - simulations, case studies, field
placements and clinical pastoral education - are widespread in today's
seminaries.

	The trend is for clergy to be trained "as generalists," Golemon said,
because they will have to deal with issues of sexuality, ethics, family life,
war and peace and spirituality.

	At the same time, he said, the study found that many graduates feel
ill-equipped for the management, administration and financial roles they take
on.

	Some alumni said they felt unprepared for parish administration,
pastoral counseling and responding to "critical human crises" such as divorce
and death, said researcher Barbara Wang Tolentino.

	Hester said LPTS has just revised its curriculum for fall 2006, and
"the kind of expectations we identified ... match very well with the kind of
conclusions the research found."

	Helping students develop identities "as persons in ministry," speak
articulately about matters of faith and interpret scripture are among the
common goals of seminaries, he said.

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