Anderson, Kenton C., and Gregory J. Henson. Theological Education: Principles and Practices of a Competency-Based Approach. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel, 2024. Pb. 144 pp. $21.99. Link to Kregel
Competency-based theological education (CBTE) for ministry preparation is a hot topic for Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries as they try to find a way to continue their mission in a rapidly changing educational environment. What’s the problem? Education is very expensive, and the ministry does not pay very well. This means fewer people are interested in traditional theological education. Seminaries are competing for fewer students. Traditional models of theological education require people to attend two or three years of graduate work on a physical campus. Many people who want to enter ministry today are “second career” rather than young and fresh out of an undergrad program. They do not want to uproot families to move to study at a seminary. Unfortunately, many churches have lowered their standards for theological education. Gone are the days when an M.Div. was required for ordination. Many churches seek ways to train laypeople to serve in the church rather than sending them off to a traditional seminary. Why go into debt for a theological degree when you can watch seminary-level videos and learn the same material?
Competency-based theological education offers a possible solution to these problems. Anderson and Hanson describe this as reverse engineering traditional education. In the past, students sat in classrooms, accumulated credit hours, and eventually entered a ministry context. In CBTE, students remain in their ministry context, utilizing computers and online resources and only occasionally entering a classroom (likely online). One of the first institutions I heard of using CBTE was Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. They call their program Deploy. It uses subscription-based billing, so graduates finish the degree nearly debt-free. Both authors are leaders at Christian Universities. Anderson is President of Providence University College and Theological Seminary (formerly Winnipeg Bible College), and Henson is President of Kairos University. Both institutions offer programs using innovative billing methods and CBTE.
Anderson and Hanson outline six principles for CBTE (ch. 2) and six organizational practices (ch. 3.) CBTE assumes partnerships with local churches to train leaders for local churches. This is a collaborative mission since the seminary and the church have the same goals. Educators are reluctant to put theological education into the hands of the church, and churches are reluctant to put theological education into the hands of the ivory tower. CBTE tries to bridge this gap (or address the suspicions) by allowing learners to do some or all their education in the context of a local church. If the missions and the outcomes are the same, what is the problem? CBTE creates a team that includes denominations, seminaries, and churches. Since CBTE is highly customizable, students can learn the things they need to do in their local context to do ministry in that local context.
Concerning organizational principles, CBTE creates affordable programs using new tuition models (often subscription-based). Students pay a flat monthly fee and take as many classes as they want. To make this work, unified systems must remove old departmental lines, leading to cross-disciplinary integration. This also creates the opportunity for collaborative governance. Partner organizations are part of the conversation on what education looks like. This is important since people doing the ministry should know what is required for those preparing for ministry.
CBTE requires flexible technology, with an emphasis on mobile technology. Anderson and Hanson warn against the old LMS, which is very expensive, usually comes with a long-term contract, and is difficult to customize. They prefer stackable solutions (a range of mobile apps to meet specific needs). They recommend several software packages that can help students learn within the context of CBTE. Since the program is extremely flexible, it allows for continuous improvement. Traditional programs also assess and continuously improve, but the authors claim that CBTE is data-driven and allows for micro improvements.
Anderson and Hanson’s proposal in this book is not an online seminary but a partnership with local churches to train people for ministry collaboratively. I will confess that, as someone who has worked in higher education for more than 25 years, I get defensive when I hear administrators talking about CBTE. I enjoy teaching in a classroom and interacting with students. I do not look forward to a time when I sit in my office grading reflection papers, only interacting with mentors and local churches who are actually doing the education. To their credit, Anderson and Hanson never complain that traditional theological education is wrong. The main problem with traditional theological education is that it does not address the cultural and technological context of the modern world.
Some types of theological education are difficult to do outside of a classroom. Sometimes, it is necessary for a student to sit down in a classroom and learn the content of the Bible and theology, not to mention the biblical languages. However, that classroom does not need to look like a seminary in 1950. Some classes, such as preaching or counseling, cannot effectively be taught online. “People skill” classes need interaction between people. That can happen in a local church through CBTE.
Conclusion. Anderson and Hanson provide a basic overview of the principles behind Competency-based theological education. Although they offer some advice on what CBTE looks like in real life, this is a brief introduction and not a fully developed methodology. Since CBTE is highly customizable, no two CBTE programs will look identical. This book should be required reading for people teaching in traditional institutions looking for ways to adapt their educational mission for the real world of the twenty-first century. The next step is to attend a CBTE conference.
NB: Thanks to Kregel Academic for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.
Excellent approach – seems to mirror Jesus’ approach with disciples and the 72….