wfn.org | Theological education critical for the church's mission

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Curriculum development featured in LWF global consultation

ROME, Italy/GENEVA, 8 September 1999 (lwi) - Teaching theologians from
Lutheran and ecumenical theological institutions world wide consider
theological education as the critical and valued guide in developing
language that is God-pleasing, confessionally faithful, ecumenically
engaging and culturally compelling.

In a message issued at the end of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Global Consultation on Theological Education, meeting in Rome, Italy
from 23 to 27 August, 1999, the theologians, drawn from teaching
institutions in 33 countries throughout the world, said they would
encourage the churches, theological institutions and the LWF to continue
the process of revisioning theological education for the sake of God's
mission.

Following is the full text of the message from the global consultation:

August 27, 1999
Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church, Rome, Italy

Dear friends and colleagues in theological education:

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the
participants in the Lutheran World Federation Global Consultation on
Theological Education, meeting in Rome, Italy, from August 23 to 27,
1999. In our commitment to theological education, we serve the church as
it participates in God's mission in the world, trusting that it is God
who leads us and guides us.

Under the theme Revisioning Theological Education, this consultation has
been planned by the Lutheran World Federation team on theological
education and convened by the Department for Mission and Development.
Teaching theologians from Lutheran and ecumenical theological
institutions in 33 countries throughout the world were invited to begin
a process of revisioning and re-thinking theological education. This is
the second global consultation on theological education among LWF member
churches since 1970, although there have been numerous national and
regional consultations in the last 30 years. During those years,
theological education and theological institutions have been greatly
strengthened especially in the south which is now home to 60% of the
world's Christian population.

At the same time, the context for theological education and the church's
mission has changed dramatically. These changes are often referred to by
the term globalization which describes world-spanning changes in
technology, politics, economics, migration, pluralism, secularism and
the privatization of religion, to name a few. Also, since 1990 the LWF
has been exploring practical implications of our affirmation that the
Lutheran World Federation is a communion of churches who are united in
pulpit and altar fellowship, thus changing even more the context for
theological education.

In this message, we present some highlights from our discussions and
reflections, so that the process of revisioning theological education
may include the full community of churches, theological institutions,
teachers, administrators and students. When finalized, the formal report
of proceedings from this consultation will include a summary of our
conversations, our identification of issues and challenges, as well as
recommendations for consideration by churches, institutions and the LWF.

Our starting point considered Lutheran Messages and the Challenge of
Contextualization, which emphasized that theological reflection must
discern the burning issues of the context in order to make theology
meaningful in that context. Lutheran identity is shaped by its focus on
the power of the living Word of God in the midst of God's created world.
In consequence, theological reflection and education should stay with
the tensions of intellectual and experiential; confessional and
ecumenical; and the prophetic and servant roles in theology. The tension
of the contextual and the global is particularly significant in our era
of globalization. It is our assessment that the present situation calls
for a re-affirmation of the need for contextualized theological
education which is at the same time attentive to the interrelatedness of
all contexts. In reflecting the universal address of the Christian
message, and the true nature of our koinonia, theological education
should contribute to constructing a more inclusive global community.

 Three additional focuses informed our deliberations. The first,
Networking in Theological Education, described a functioning
international network of six cooperating theological institutions on
five continents. Areas for cooperation include student and staff
exchanges, curriculum planning, research and publication, and the
establishment of computer and information links. Thus, networking
enables theological education to interconnect contextual experiences in
finding its way between contextualization and globalization.

The second focus,  Feminist Theology: A Re-thinking of Theological
Education emphasized that feminist theological approaches relate
education closer to social reality, and bring a necessary and productive
focus on relationships. Feminist theological approaches enable students 
and faculty to find theological interpretations for the realities of
diverse lives, and assist the church in addressing gender issues. It was
also affirmed that advocacy for the full inclusion of women in church
leadership and ministry must continue, and support to women theologians
in qualifying for research and teaching positions must be strengthened.

The third focus, Theological Education: A Tool for Transformation,
corresponded to a recommendation of the LWF Consultation on Churches in
Mission (Nairobi, 1998) to further the study of transformation as an
emerging mission imperative. We have begun a conversation about
transformation as a theological concept, suggesting that transformation
points to the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit among and through God's
people. In the context of theological education, transformation refers
to the curriculum process through which students, faculty and
institutions come to know the will of God, incarnate God's will in their
lives (spiritual formation), and do God's loving and liberating will in
the world (social transformation).

This consultation also addressed four particular topics: ecumenical
education, curriculum, contemporary theological education and
spirituality. Ecumenical Education is affirmed as essential for programs
of theological education in our churches. Leaders in ministry must be
knowledgeable about particular aspects of ecumenical relations that
include ecumenical history, ecumenical participation and cooperation,
ecumenical dialogue and ecumenical commitments. Ecumenical education
must also include experience in particular ecumenical activities.

In the area of curriculum, institutions are encouraged to work closely
with churches as curriculum is developed and reviewed in order to be
grounded in the realities and needs of church and society, and to
identify and encourage future teachers in theology. Going into the next
century, curriculum development should be especially attentive to issues
of contextualization, spirituality, the insights provided by feminist
and other liberation perspectives, transformation and ecumenics.

In the area of contemporary theological education, the LWF is encouraged
to facilitate and coordinate various links among theological
institutions and faculty, including attention to networks, Internet
discussions, library resources, and directories of faculty, programs and
publications. Theological institutions are encouraged to develop online
courses for continuing education for both clergy and laity, and to study
gender issues.

 The emphasis on spirituality in theological education seeks to recover
our Lutheran and ecumenical spiritual traditions, to encourage
development of contemporary spiritual practices, and to promote
inclusion of spiritual aspects inherent to each discipline across the
full curriculum. Such an effort would contribute to theological
education and faith formation, and would complement attention to
spirituality in all aspects of church life.

This consultation concludes with a deeper appreciation for the
challenges and contexts we share, and a renewed vision for the essential
role that theological education serves within the Lutheran communion and
our ecumenical relationships to develop leadership for mission. Our
commitment to study, learning, networking and transformation will be
enriched by deeper appreciation of contextualization, feminist and other
liberation theologies, and spiritual disciplines.

As the consultation ends and we leave Rome to return to our local
contexts, what language shall we use when we study, teach, talk, pray
and then witness in our communities? We have come to appreciate again
that theological education is our critical and valued guide in
developing language that is God-pleasing, confessionally faithful,
ecumenically engaging and culturally compelling. We carry our
conversations home, and encourage the churches, theological institutions
and the Lutheran World Federation to continue this process of
revisioning theological education for the sake of God's mission.

Peace be with you.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council
which meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented
does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various
units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (lwi), the
material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

*       *       *
Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/