01.07.2024 / Volker Glissmann
Imagine if theological education were available and accessible to everyone-everywhere! Imagine the whole earth filled with intimate knowledge of God (Habakkuk 2:14). Not just knowledge of the head but knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the hands. Image a church that walks in step with the Spirit of God, to restore and heal and love through all the people of God in all places and circumstances.
Image a church that views ministry not just for those seeking ordination but as a call for the many, for everyone. Image a church where every member is empowered to fully participate in God’s mission with their God-given talents, gifts, and skills to build the church and the kingdom of God.
Imagine if we could strengthen all Christians today and would not wait for everyone-everywhere to be filled with God’s intimate knowledge after God’s reign on earth is established. Imagine if we worked together with God to make this a reality here on earth even before God fully restored humanity.
Imagine if all pastors were empowered – independent of where they live, independent of their prior schooling, independent of the size of the congregation, independent if they live in remote rural communities or urban environments, independent on which continent they live, independent if they can read or write, independent of them having finishing secondary schooling and independent of them having money to pay for their studies, independent if they live in a free or a restrictive society. Imagine if all obstacles to accessing quality theological education could be removed for everyone-everywhere. Imagine if access to theological education would not depend on how close one lives to a theological school. Imagine if all ranges of theological education would be equally available to those living in the capital and the province, the cities and villages, in ancient settlements and refugee camps, on big and small islands, in places with electricity and water and those without, in areas where the church is strong and vibrant and where it is new or struggling, to speakers of majority languages and minor vernaculars.
Imagine if everyone called by the Spirit of God to serve God would receive adequate quality theological education and training so that they respond with God’s heart, God’s wisdom, God’s care, God’s grace, and God’s love to touch their congregation in their manifold needs as well as the communities built around the love and care of God.
Imagine elders, deacons, evangelists, Sunday school teachers, and youth workers were all equipped theologically and methodologically to impact each generation with the deep knowledge and love of God. Imagine if every family and every Christian would learn all there is about God’s love for human beings and his creation. Image, families, marriages, and communities built on love and care and are well-equipped to respond to life’s multiple challenges.
Imagine if every Christian – independent of geography, age, gender, class, economics, or prior schooling, could fully participate in God’s call on their lives to be unto him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:8, 5:2; 20:6).
Imagine if theological education were open to anyone independent of if they wanted to train for an academic theological degree or just study their faith more deeply. Imagine if theological education were available to those God gifted with ministry skills despite not attending school.
Imagine if churches and schools had the vision to extend theological education to everyone-everywhere. Imagine if this were a higher priority for the church and training instutions. Imagine if viability would not only be looked at through economics but also through what is spiritually viable. Imagine if our priorities differed and we would invest more in people than buildings and structures. Imagine if we all would work together to achieve this. Imagine theological education extending to everyone-everywhere!
Imagine if the call to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), which is central to the covenant at Sinai and the new covenant (1 Peter 2:5, Revelation 1:6, 5:10), would deeply influence how we as church saw and trained all members (everyone). Imagine if all church members were deeply rooted in the liberating presence of our God, who desires all humans to flourish on this earth. Imagine if everyone would know and relate to God because they themselves experience what Jesus describes as “my Father and your Father, … my God and your God” (John 20:17).
Imagine a church where every member knows intimately how to comfort the grieving and suffering, look after the sick, comfort the discouraged and struggling, challenge oppression and raise families grounded in love and service to each other. Imagine a church where all members, not just the pastor, are equipped to minister to others and proclaim God’s love. Imagine if theological education would be at the heart of empowering the church. Imagine if every culture and language would have theological reflection available for their contexts. All of the above require not an ad hoc approach but systematic, comprehensive training for the life and ministry of the whole church. Imagine if access to quality theological education is not limited to those who can study theology and the Bible.
A few years ago, TEEM (Theological Education by Extension in Malaw), the orgnaisation that I worked for was approached by a small “denomination” of predominantly African-initiated rural churches. None of their 30 pastors had finished secondary school and many stopped shortly after their primary school education. None spoke very good English. All of them were part subsistence famers and part part-time pastors. The General Secretary was visiting the city where our office was and just walked in one day to find out if he could join our accredited Diploma course as he had finished secondary schooling. He was very surprised to hear when we present him with the option of doing ministerial theological education for everyone of his pastors, whereever they were lving. The language was not a barrier, we did training in the vernacular, the lack of formal education was not a problem, we had non-accredited training’s material for pastors with primary school education, the pastor’s residence in the interor rural area was not a hindrance, as they were able to meet regulary in rural clusters with a church facilitator that we trained to go over their self-study workbooks, their questions and disucss the implementation of theology to life and ministry. After a year and a half of weekly meetings, the whole group graduated and it was the most joyful graduation that I have ever attended. Two things came together – a group of learners that never had imagined to be able to study theology because of their lack of formal schooling and because they lived in the rural interior where training too often is not available. They had arranged to come the day before the graduation so that they could practice their great entrance and the songs they were going to sing.
Now imagine that everyone-everywhere has access to quality theological education for life and ministry. Imagine if we would do that and how it could change things.