Religion & Spiritual

At the 2015 ICETE triennial international consultation institutional leaders from a diverse global background presented journeys of research in their own contexts in relation to theological education. These reports make up the chapters of this volume and provide new insights to actual ministry needs in society as well as how changes have been boldly made to educate students to minister in Christ’s name in a relevant way.

This book brings together theological insight and educational research in support of practical methods that align with transformative ends. The authors’ experience with Global Associates for Transformational Education workshops, testifies that this is not a mere call for change, but a tested methodology crucial to theological education.

Theological schools are often led by teachers with minimal administrative experience or training. Excellence in Theological Education is designed to help leaders of theological schools, especially within the Majority World, to affirm the excellence of their own training institutions, and where excellence may be lacking, to discover ideas that will strengthen the quality of administration and education provision.

This handbook is about the leadership and curriculum development of theological education. Written primarily for those in leadership roles at theological schools and training institutions, this work intends to lay a theoretical foundation as well as give practical suggestions for the formation and design of theological education.

Throughout the Majority World, evangelical theological education is experiencing unprecedented growth. As its impact reverberates through the Church, a central factor is the emergence of evangelical doctorate programs. This book includes resources for these programs emerging from ICETE’s Doctoral Initiative, including the Beirut Benchmarks for Research Doctoral Programs (2010), the Beirut Benchmarks for Professional Doctorates (2011), and a set of best practice guidelines applying the Benchmarks. Pursuing excellence which honours God and serves His Church, this work will benefit many.

For several decades concern has been expressed about the need for greater integration and contextual significance in the curricular design of theological education. In addition there has been a growing awareness of the role theological schools should play in strengthening the missional vision and practice of local churches. For the past five years the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon has engaged in an ongoing experiment in the design and implementation of an integrated and contextually driven curriculum. Drawing on lessons learned from this experience, and from the wider discourse currently taking place in higher education and especially in theological education, Transforming Theological Education provides theoretical foundations and practical principles for purposeful curriculum design, as well as tools for integrated and contextually significant learning in the classroom.

This book provides an integrated biblical, theological, and educational rationale to in- form theological educators of the place of hospitality in enhancing their quest to create more effective learning environments for the holistic formation of students. Dr Davina Soh explores key elements of hospitality such as inclusion, presence, care, and reciprocity, which when combined, can deliver the best possible educational experience for theological students and transform an entire institution.

This book is the first of three publications to accompany and support the IPAL seminars and provide wider access to the principles required by academic leaders for institutional development. The contributing chapters are all aimed to share the expertise and understanding the authors have of leading evangelical academic institutions and are organised under four sections of foundations for theological education, academic leadership’s characteristics and responsibilities, administrative practices, and leadership practices.