Why is it important?
on December 15, 2011
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This is a
report about one of the most important, complex, and fragile institutions in
twenty-first century Christian life—the theological seminary.
We believe most of these changing
features of the environment are actually quite hopeful and positive for
seminaries that are prepared for them.
Why is the
seminary important? Because it is complex—it holds together an impressive
number of roles serving a diverse set of constituencies, now more than ever in
its history. Why is it fragile? Because it is complex. Nearly every system in
which the seminary plays a role is itself undergoing rapid change—from local
churches to denominations, the educational system to the world of philanthropy.
Prospective students come from a wider range of backgrounds, and enter a wider
range of occupations after their seminary education, than ever before.
In this report
we will highlight some of the most important changes seminaries must anticipate
in order to thrive in the coming years. We believe most of these changing
features of the environment are actually quite hopeful and positive for
seminaries that are prepared for them. But we also believe that seminary
leaders—faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees—need to recognize the
fragility of the current moment. Some bold choices are necessary on the way to
the “seminary of the future.”
We should
quickly qualify the phrase “seminary of the future.” “It is difficult to make
predictions,” Yogi Berra may or may not have said, “especially about the
future.” We do not aim in this report to venture many predictions about the
future, of seminaries or anything else. Who can successfully predict a future
for education when Facebook, one of the defining features of student life in
2011, was not founded until 2004? Rather, we seek to accurately describe the present—the
web of institutions, relationships, and media that define current reality for
seminary administration, faculty, and students—because most institutions, for
better and for worse, operate implicitly on models of reality that are years or
decades out of date. Simply describing the present clearly is challenge enough.
And as we describe the present, we hope to lay out a set of challenges and
opportunities in the present that will define whatever the seminary of the
future may become.
This report
originated through the generosity of a Fuller Theological Seminary board
member. Many, though by no means all, members of the focus groups we engaged
had a connection to Fuller. But we hope this summary report will be useful to
many other institutions and will contribute to decisive and creative choices.
It is not itself a set of final recommendations for Fuller or any other
institution; instead, it is a map of the terrain through which every seminary
is traveling.