Summer 2004 Quarterly Review - Theological Resources for Ministry

8/9/2019 Summer 2004 Quarterly Review - Theological Resources for Ministry

1/113

MMER 200 400

Quarterly ReviewLO GIC AL RESBIErRCES FO R MINISTRY

! c o D n i n c

r i i ( c r r n j - C i O i1 LU !_I I I I M K

U P ^. < _ ^ i ^ i ^ .

r D n l O U J

liUki


2/113

QUARTERLY REVIEWEDITORIAL BOARD

T E D A . C A M P B E L L

Garrctt-Evangclical Theological Seminary,Evanston. IL

M I N E RVA G . C A R C A S I OMetropolitan District. Portland. OR

P A T R I C I A F A R R I S

First United Methodist Church. Santa Monica. CA

G R A N T I I A G I Y A

Los Angeles District Office, Los Angeles, CAJ E R O M E K I N G D E L P I N O . C H A I R

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry,The United Methodist Church. Nashville. TN

M A R Y A N N M O M A N

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry,The United Methodist Church. Nashville, TN

T H O M A S W . O G L E T R E E

The Divinity School, Yale University,New Haven. CT

R U S S E L L E . R I C H E YCandler School of Theology, Atlanta. GA

L I N D A E . T H O M A SLutheran School of Theology at Chicago,Chicago. IL

T R A G I C , W E S TThe Theological School, Drew University,Madison. NJ

D AV I D K . Y E M B AFaculty of Theology. Africa University.Mutare, Zimbabwe

I L \ R R I E T T J A N E O L S O N

The United Methodist Publishing House,Nashville. TN


3/113

Quarterly ReviewA J O U R N A L O F T H E O L O G I C A L R E S O U R C E S F O R M I N I S T R Y

Volume 24 , Number 2S u m m e r 2 0 0 4

A Publication ofthe General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

and The United Methodist Publishing House


4/113

Quarterly Review (ISSN 0270-9287) provides continuing education resources for scholars, Christian

educators, and lay and professional ministers in The United Methodist Church and other churches.QR intends to be a forum in which theological issues of significance to Christian min istry c a n beraised and debated.

Editorial Offices: 1001 19th Avenue, South. P.O. Box 340007, Nashville, T N 37203-0007. Manuscriptsshould be in English and typed double-spaced, including notes.

QR is published four times a year, in March, June, September, and December, by the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church and The United Methodist

Publishing House. Periodicals postage paid at Nashville, Tennessee.

Subscription rate: $24 for o n e year; $44 for two years; and $60 for three years. Students: $16 for one year;$30 for t w o years. For al l subscription orders, single-copy orders, and changeK)f-addrcss information,contact Cokcsbury toU-frcc (800) 672-1789. M-F 7:00 A.M. -6 :30P - M . C S T and Saturday 8:00 A . M - 4 : 0 0P . M .

CST. Inquiries m a y also be sent in writing t o t h e Cokesbury Subscription Services, P.O. Box 801,

NashviUe, T N 37202-0801.

Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to The United Methodist Publishing House, P.O. Box 801,

Nashville, T N 37202- 0801.

QR is printed o n acid-free paper.

Lections are taken from Revised Common Lectionary (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992).

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, arc f r o m the New Revised Standard Version Common Bible,copyright 1989 b y t h e Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of

Christ in the USA, and a re used b y permission.

Quarterly Review

Summer 2004

Editor: Hendrik R. Pieterse

Email: hpietcrset^gbhem.org

Website: http://www.quarterlvreview.org

Copyright 2004 by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

and The United Methodist Publishing House
http://www.quarterlvreview.org/http://www.quarterlvreview.org/


5/113

Volume 24, Number 2 ^ Summer 2004

C o n t e n t s

Editorial

Learn ing for a Change 115

ISSUETHEME:Learning for the Twenty-first Century

How Can Continuing Theological Educa tion Serve the Church? 117D. Bruce Roberts

Rejoicing in the Truth 131Charles M. Wood

Nurturing a Learned Clergy: A Survey of theUnited Methodis t Clergy Probat ionary Process 142Lovett H. Weems,Jr.

For Excellent Purposes: Aspects of Lay TheologicalEducation in The United Methodis t Church 153Susan Willhauck

From the 3Rs to the 3Ws: Continuing Educationin a Digital Age 168Thomas R. Hawkins

Outside the Theme

The Global Nature of The United Methodist Church: WhatFuture for the Branch outside the United States? 181Patrick Ph. Streiff

The Church in Review

General ConferenceGrant Hagiya 194Robert C. Schnase 194


6/113

A W o r d o n T h e W o r d

L e c t i o n a r y S t u d yJudith A. Stevens 201

Issues In: Interrel igious DialogueM Thomas Thangaraj 211

B o o k R e v i e w s

Lucien Richard, O.M.I. ,Living the Hospitality of God(New York: Paulist , 2000)Reviewer: He ndrik R. Pieterse 219

Kerry Walters,Jacob's Hip: Finding God in an Anxious Age(Maryknoll , NY:Orbis , 2003)Reviewer. Hen drik R. Pieterse 219


7/113

E d i t o r i a l

Learning for a Change

An important a spect of Joh n W esley 's of t -quoted aim to uni te "knowledge" and "vital piety" was his desire to situate theological knowledgeat the intersect ion of scholarship and minis try. For him, in the f inalanalysis , theological educat ion s tands in the service of the formation ofpassionately committed Chris t ians who are at the same t ime intel lectual lyand theological ly competent and ar t iculate in represent ing the mystery ofthe faith in an astonishingly diverse, complex, and increasingly pluralisticworld. This is an extraordinarily difficult and delicate challenge. While theyshould n ot be "dis joined," knowledg e and piety (fai th)necessarilyexist in atensive relat ionship. Dissolving the tension resul ts in ei ther idolatrousacquies cence to the s ta tus quo or reck less and unaccou ntab le theo logica liconoclasm. For Wesley, as for us, avoiding the Scyila of intellectual idolatryand the Charybdis of theological iconoclasm cal ls for an educated andeducating clergy and for a learned laity.

For a var iety of reasons r ooted d eeply in our his tor y-in ter tw ined as i t iswith the his tory of Western cul ture-United Methodists have always s t ruggled properly to locate the place of this tension and then to honor it inevery aspect of our li fe together. Mor e of ten th an n ot , we have tende d torelax this tensive relationship in favor of "vital piety" or "experience" or"practical ministry," thus uncoupling theological reflection from its basis inthe life of faith and eviscerating the rationale for faith seekingunderstanding.

At least two deleterious effects follow from this severing of "knowledge " and "piety." (1) It leads to a lam entab le con fusio n and unc ertaintyabout the nature and place of theology in the context of minis try. (2) The

exp ectat io n that U nited M etho dist leaders , c lergy and lay, wil lcontinue tohone their intel lectual and theological ski l ls beyond their formal t ra ining-as a discipline integral to their calling as leaderssimply is not valued as itshould be. The essays in this volume concentrate on the second issuetherat ionale , scope, and chal lenges ofcontinuing educationin ministry. Yet, the


8/113

Hendrik R. P ieterse is the editor ofQuarter ly Review.

f irst issuethe mean ing and place of theological learning in the co ntex t ofministrylurks just below the surface in all five articles and is taken upexplicitly by Charles Wood in his essay. For him, a comprehensive vision ofthe role of learning in minister ial leadership mu st be ground ed in no thing

less than th e church 's cal l ing to Word, Sacram ent , and Order.Drawing on his rich experience in the work of continuing theological

education, Bruce Roberts chronicles the historical development of continuingtheological education and then asks the provocative question: Vhat are thealternatives for lay and clergy continuing theological education that will buildnew skills for transforming congregations, increase competence, and produceinnovative explorers?" Drawing on recent research in ^'emotional intelligence,"Rob erts argues for new a paradigm of continu ing educ ation involving form sof "self-directed learning" em bod ied in clergy peer group projects.

Lovet t Weems si tuates his discussion of continuing educat ion in thecontext of a recent survey of the United Methodist c lergy probat ionaryprocess, undertaken by the United Methodist General Board of HigherEducat ion and Ministry As the period designed to help nurture the disciplines that make for "effectiveness in ministry," the probationary process isa cr i tical co m po nen t in the clergyperson's cal l ing to l ifelong learning. Th esurvey suggests a deep commitment to ongoing theological ref lect ion onthe part of probat ioners and an equal ly sustained interest in integrat ingtheology in the p ract ice of m inistry.

In her article, Susan Willhauck surveys the history and present state oflay theological educat ion in The United Methodist Church and, drawing onour Metho dis t com mitm ent to the theologica l educa t ion ofall Chris t ians,argues passionately for what I would call the "theological reenfranchise-ment of the laity." Obstacles remain, but theology, as a practice "intersecting faith and life,"can be practiced in the church and in the world bythe laity "for excellent purposes."

Thomas Hawkins explores the possibi l i t ies and pi t fal ls of continuingtheological educat ion in a digi tal age. Online learning opens up enormousopportuni t ies and resources for continuing theological educat ion. Yet

cyberlearning also poses important theological quest ions that continuingtheological educators will ignore at their peril .


9/113

m m

I s s u e T h e m e

Learning for the Twenty-first Century

How Can Continuing TheologicalEducation Serve the Church?

D . B R U C E R O B E R T S

Adult and Continuing EducationWhere We've Been

Som etim e toward the m iddle of the twentieth centu ry it began to beevident that earning a degree in preparation for ordination and ministrywas not enough to sustain creative activity through a whole career. Whatbrought about this awareness is probably a number of social factors.

O ne factor was the adul t education mov emen t i tself . Th e A me ricanAssociation for Adult Education (AAAE) was founded in 1926^ and the firstHandbook of Adult Educationappeared in 1934. In 1951, the D epartm ent of

Adult Educat ion of the National Educat ion Association and the A AA Emerged into the Adult Education Association. By the mid-twentieth century,there was a strong adult education movement; and by 1970, with the publication of the fifthHandbook,it was estimated "that in 1974 we shall have for thefirst t ime more adults engaged in vocational and adult education than youngpeople attending the formal system at all levels."^ By then, millions of adultswer e engaged in both formal and informal learning activities.

An other fac tor in the deve lopm ent of cont inu ing educa t ion was thepace of social change. Wri t ing in 1970, Malcolm Knowles est imated that the

pace of key cul tural changes in the past required several generat ions,whereas in the twentieth century several cul tural revolut ions have alreadyoccurred, and the pace is accelerat ing. Under this new condit ion, knowledge gained by the t ime a person is twenty-one is largely obsolete by thetime he or she is forty years old.^


10/113

This 1970 projection of a nineteen-year turnover in knowledge is

dangerously quaint in our time! Now it is not unusual to hear that knowl

edge and computers are out of date in four to five years or lessi The philoso

pher Alfred N. Whitehead anticipated this situation in 1926 when he wrote,

"The fixed person for the fixed duties, who in older societies was such agodsend, in the future will be a public danger."'* Continuing education has

become a necessity rather than a luxury for naturally curious personalities.

Where has the church been in this educational revolution? Kenneth

Stokes quotes a 1962 article by Malcolm Knowles suggesting that religious

institutions were not keeping up with other institutions in the education of

adults .5 Although the churches may have been slower in picking up on the

need for adult and continuing education, Connolly Gamble published a

study titled "Continuing Theological Education of the American Minister"

in 1960 that found "that 95 seminaries, 35 colleges and universities, 15

conference centers, and 10 pastoral institutes offered some sort of contin

uing education programs for clergy."*^ Gamble's data would have been gath

ered in the late 1950s; so we know that continuing education for ministry

was being offered by significant numbers of ecclesiastical organizations at

least by the decade of the 1950s.

The Department of the Ministry of the National Council of Churches

was concerned enough about continuing theological education to call

together a consultation on the subject in 1964. A committee on continuing

education was formed that year that eventually morphed into the Society for

the Advancement of Continuing Education for Ministry (SACEM) by 1967^

By the early 1960s, therefore, there was a growing consensus in

churches that basic seminary education was not enough for a lifetime of

service. Mark Rouch reports that in "the 1960s and 1970s, the major

denominations all had at least one full-time staff person in continuing

education, and, in a few cases, more than one."^ Rouch was one of the first,

if not the first. Director of Continuing Education in the pre-merger

Methodist Church Board of Ordained Ministry.

In a groundbreaking book. Competent Ministry, Rouch defines lifelong

learning and continuing education for ministry and offers a guide todesigning a "learning program which begins when basic formal education

ends and continues throughout a career and beyond." He goes on to

suggest that the "primary aim of continuing education is to produce

growing competence."^'


11/113

Rouch's pr imary aim for cont inuing educat ion for minis try raises aprovocat ive quest ion : af ter mo re than f i f ty years of working at cont in uingtheological educat ion, where are we in improving the competence andeffect ivenes s of c lergy and lay minis try in co ngregat ions ?

At my f i rs t SACEM meeting in 1981 (and at every meet ing s ince) . Iheard directors of cont inuing theological educat ion ask whether there isany evidence that what is done in cont inuing educat ion has any posi t iveimpact on leadership in congregat ions and other church organizat ions, Iof ten have the suspicion that what we do is more a kind of enter tainmentthan t ransformative educat ion. I have frequent ly joked in my inst i tut ion,only somewhat facet iously, that the development or advancement department should contr ibute heavi ly to the cont inuing educat ion budget , s incethe brochures and events are a constant advert isement for the seminary.Most of the research on cont inuing educat ion for minis try has beenconcerned with who does and who does not do i t and for what reasons. Iknow of vir tual ly no evidence suggest ing that t radi t ional approaches tocont inuing educat ion have much i f any effect on the actual pract ice ofminis try and cer tainly l i t t le evidence that i t improves competence.

In a recent publ ication, Robe rt E. Reber. former D ea n at Aub urnTheological Seminary in New York, suggests that the value placed on continuing education has been declining in recent years. Part of the evidence forthe decline is the decrease in staffing at denominational levels.

Consider that fifteen years ago most mainline denominations had a full-timestaff person responsible for continuing education for ministry at the nationallevel. Now only one . .. has a full-time person. In addition, directors of continuing education continue to be the last hired and the first to go at many semi-naries.^o

What has happened s ince the 1960s when , as Mark Rouch noted , mos tof the major denominat ions had ful l - t ime nat ional directors of cont inuingeducat ion? Is the decrease in s taff ing for cont inuing educat ion related to

the lack of information about effect iveness? If we could show without adoubt that cont inuing educat ion effor ts were making a difference inchurch leadership and that par t ic ipants were growing in competence,would cont inuing educat ion s t i l l be marginal ized in denominat ions andseminar ies?


12/113

Where Should We Go Now?Certainly there is s t i l l a pressing need for cont inuing theological educat ion!"Mainl ine," or "oldl ine," Protestan t chur che s are s t ruggling with decl iningmembersh ips . Many observers agree wi th Loren Mead, congrega t iona l

consul tant and founder and past President of the Alban Inst i tute ,

that the storm buffeting the churches is very serious indeed. Much moreserious than we have admitted to ourselves, and much more serious than ourleaders have yet comprehended. The problems are not minor, calling for adjustments or corrections. They are problems that go to the roots of our institutionsthemselves. What I am describing here is not something we fix. It is a state ofexistence in which we must learn to live even as we seek new directions forfaithful response The storm is so serious .. . that it marks the end of "busi

ness as usual" for the churches and marks a need for us to begin again buildingthe church from the ground up. ^

Mead suggests that church leaders at all levels need to face the realityof the s torm and mobil ize al l avai lable resources toward improving leadership. He wants to see " the s t ructures that surround congregat ionsthe judicator ies , the nat ional s t ructures , the seminaries , and educat ional inst i tut ionsbuilding ski lls in new ways, ready to help t rans form congre gat ionsfrom what they are to what they must be as centers of apostol ic minis try."!^

W hy i s th i s no t happening? What i s h inder ing th e deve lopm ent of newkinds of leadership? Edwin Friedman suggested that what is needed insi tuat ions of uncertainty and high anxiety is explorat ion:

Conceptually stuck systems cannot become unstuck simply by trying harder.For a fundamental reorientation to occur, that spirit of adventure which optimizes serendipity and which enables new perceptions beyond the control ofour thinking processes must happen first. This is equally true regarding families, institutions, w hole na tions, or entire civilizations.

We need leaders who are wil l ing to r isk exploring new social construct ions of real i ty, new ministr ies , and new ways of creat ing energy in congregat ions. Mead and Friedman raise a pr imary quest ion for cont inuing theological educators: what are the al ternat ives for lay and clergy con t inuing


13/113


14/113

mining what they want to learn, in planning learning activities, and in evalua

tion as a process of deciding what to learn next.^^

An example of research coherent with these characteristics is reported

by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee in their recent

book Primal Leadership, written for the purpose of articulating and

advancing a new concept of leadership. The authors suggest that the

"fundamental task of leaders . . . is to prime good feeling in those they

lead," because "the primal job of leadership is emotional,"!^

This is a very provocative study for continuing theological education

(and, indeed, for all of theological education generally), because it chal

lenges the paradigm of leadership development inherent in most contin

uing education programs and curricula. To discuss the Goldman group's

educational proposals, some summary of their research is necessary.

The glue that holds people together in a team, and that commits people to an

organization, is the emotional resonance they feel with and for each other.

The key . . . to making primal leadership work to everyone's advantage lies in

the leadership competencies of emotional intelligence

These competencies can be learned and are:

1) Personal competence: a. Self-Awareness, and b. Self-Management;

2) Social competence: a. Social Awareness, and b. Relationship Management.

To discover the personal capabilities that were key to outstanding lead

ership, the authors analyzed nearly five-hundred competence models in

government, business, and not-for-profit organizations (including a reli

gious insti tution).19 They were interested in the role that three categories ofcapabilities played in good leadership: technical skills, cognitive abilities,

and emotional intelligence.

What they discovered is stunning. "Our rule of thumb holds that EI

(emotional intelligence) contributes 80 to 90 percent of the competencies

that distinguish outstanding from average leadersand sometimes more ."20

My guess is that most professional continuing education programs and

theological schools assume just the reverse of this.


15/113

The good news in this wel l-documented s tudy is that the competenciesthat dis t inguish outs tanding leaders can be learned. However, the learningmu st happ en in ways that are different f rom the ways t radi t ional s choo lsusually employ. According to the s tudy, em otiona l intel l igence,

involves circuitry that runs between the brain's executive centers in theprefrontal lobes and the brain's limbic system, which governs feeling, impulses,and drives. Skills based in the limbic areas, research shows, are best learnedthrough motivation, extended practice, and feedbacL^i

Al though the neocor tex- tha t par t o f our bra ins tha t make us un ique lyhumanis a quick learner and capable of learning from reading, computerprograms, hearing lectures, etc. , the limbic brain

is a much slower learnerparticularly when the challenge is to relearn deeplyingrained habits. This difference matters immensely when trying to improveleadership skills, habits learned early in life. . . . Reeducating the emotionalbrain for leadership learning, therefore, requires a different model from whatworks for the thinking brain: It needs lots of practice andrepetition.22

The educa t iona l research conducted by Goleman and co l leaguesconcludes that the competencies most important for effect ive leadershipare best learned through what they term "self-directedlearning."23 W h a t

they mean by self-directed or self-motivated learning looks a lot l ike whatUnited Methodists for many years cal led "Laboratory Training" and whatMalcolm Knowles calls "Androgogy."^'*

According to the Goleman research, self-directed learning involves f ivemovements . The f i rs t is answering the quest ion. Who do I want to be? Thesecond involves an assessment of who and where I am now and comparingthat to the answer to the f i rs t quest ion. The third movement is es tabl ishinglearning object ives that address the gap between where I am and where Iwant to be. The fourth movement is the act ion of pract ic ing new behaviorsto the point of mastery. The f i f th movement must be s imultaneous withthe f i rs t four and involves developing a com m unity of support and challenge where honest assessment feedback makes change possible .^^

Primal Leadershiphas thir ty-seven pages of notes documenting claims,with many references to empir ical research s tudies . The book also has


16/113

narrat ive accounts of personal change and t ransformation from the use ofthe f ive-movement , self-motivat ing learning process and fol lows withaccounts of organizat ional change in the second half of the book. The bookis a provocat ive chal lenge for cont inuing theological educators interested

in preparing leaders for the church in general and for congregat ions inpart icular. A couple of quest ions come to mind.

Firs t , are we prepared to envision and experiment with educat ionalalternatives that grapple with the results of research suggesting that only10 to 20 percent of good leadership involves technical skills (knowledge ofBible, theology, church history, etc.) and cognitive abilit ies (native thinkingcapaci ty) , while 80 to 9 0 perc ent of effect ive leadership draws on learnedemotional intel l igence?

Secon d, if em otional intel l igence is learned s lowly through com mu nit iesof trust involving opportunities for practice and feedback, what changes willwe need to make in our programs to help pastors learn creative leadership?

Recent Experiments in Continuing EducationA number of c lergy peer-group projects have formed in several s ta tes , somefunded by the Li l ly Endowment . Although sl ight ly different a t points , theseprojects a l l involve church leaders in the development of peer communit iesthat design their own study plans over a per iod of two to three years . Theexper iments incorpora te the bas ic f ive movements advoca ted by Golemanand col leagues and are consis tent with the character is t ics of energy- and

exci tement-producing adul t educat ion. Elsewhere. I have descr ibed one ofthese peer pro jec t s , the Methodis t Educa t iona l Leave Soc ie ty (MELS) .

In 1985, The Dixon Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama, began experimenting with the creation of clergy peer groups aimed at improving preachingin the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist C hurch. Edwin M.Dixon started the project after finding a peer group program for businessleaders extremely helpful to him personally. Early in 1996, The FCP Faculty(Facilitator/Convener/Process Person) of The Methodist Educational Leave

Society (MELS) asked Dean Robert E. Reber to design an evaluation processfor MELS to determine whether the program had been effective over ten yearsand to develop recommendations for the future. Bob Reber subsequentlyinvited me to help w ith the evaluation.

The usual MELS pattern was for peer groups to gather themselves together


17/113

(they were self-selecting) into groups of six to eight pastors. Peer groups wereassigned a "facilitator" who would assist the group in deciding what theywanted to learn, in developing plans for the learning, creating and submitting aproposal to the MELS Board, executing the plans, making applications oflearnings in individual ministry practice, and evaluating at every step. Most ofthe groups ranged from 3 to 6 years in duration and met between 10 and 15days per year, so there was a planned and sustained search for appropriateresources, experimentation in practice, and accountability in a lively community of conversation. The role of the facilitator was an important aspect of theprogram; FCP's were responsible for holding the process, for conflict managemen t, and for asking critical questions at every point.

From what we heard in the evaluation interviews and read in the surveys,there is little doubt that the peer group process improved preaching in generalas well as helped to create new energy in pastoral leadership. One spouse saidof her husband, "When he got involved (in MELS) it was like someone built afire under himf" A participant summed up many other perspectives saying, "Ibelieve that MELS has been the most transformative educational experience ofmy life. Through my MELS experience, I have been forced to reexamine thefoundadons of myself, my ministry, and my future." Some of the judicatory-level leaders were convinced that MELS had improved the preaching in thewhole North Alabama Conference, and one person reported that lay committees were now making participation in MELS one of the criteria in reviewingpossible pastoral appointments to their churches.

When we asked MELS participants what had been most effective for theirlearning, there were two primary responses. First we heard, "my favorite andbest instructors were the other folks in my group. We taught each other byinteraction, honesty, critique, and love. They were by far my best teachers, thetrue experts." Secondly, participants mentioned about six resource persons inpreaching who were considered to be excellent teachers primarily because oftheir style of teaching: "collegial, interactive, challenging, enthusiastic, upbeat,and passionate."^^

Th e s tudy of M EL S c lear ly docum ents tha t a peer group approachcreates en ergy and inn ovat ion in part ic ipants . Cri t ical factors involved wereself-select ion of groups; t ra ined leadership; development by part ic ipants ofa three-year study plan with goals and objectives; built-in accountability;support f rom church and family; and recognit ion,


18/113

Based upon the MELS model , the Li l ly Endowment funded an exper iment in Indiana in 1999 with a second grant to expand and extend i t in2 0 0 1 .The purpose of the Indiana Clergy Peer Group Study Program(PGSP) is to provide leadership consul tat ion and to furnish resources for

local congregat ions through the formation of c lergy peer groups that focuson leadership in minis try. Clergy develop learning plans for a three-yearperiod that involve developing learning object ives , s tudy, experimentat ionin their congregat ions, assessment of resul ts , and creat ion of new object ives from the experience of learning in pract ice. Peer groups meet regular ly for worship, planning, s tudy, repo rt ing on congre gat ional expe rim ents ,and ident i fying new learnings and direct ions in minis try. Meet ings involvepastors in theological ref lect ion, communal planning processes , sharedleadership, t ravel, and peer ref lect ion.

The PGSP peer group model ut i l izes special ly selected and t rainedLearning Consul tant /Faci l i ta tors (LCF) who are responsible for helpingpee r groups ident i fy learning need s, develop learning object ives , discoverand util ize resources appropriate to identified learning objectives, carry outlearning activities in an atti tude of experimentation and anticipation of newlearning, engage in theological reflection, and gather feedback for evaluationof resul ts . Th e peer groups mo nitor each me m ber 's experim ents in min is tryso that ther e is bo th direct learning and learning by associat ion v^th others .

In la te No vem ber 20 02 , PGSP reach ed capaci ty, wi th four teen peergroups , a ll with approved p roposals , involving 105 pastors and over 100congregat ions in Indiana. As of October 2003, twelve groups haveapproved proposals , two groups are working on proposal revis ions, andtwo groups have completed the three-year s tudy.

We have been working to learn what impact the project has had on thepastors and the co ngreg at ions. Altho ugh i t is st il l too ear ly to draw anyfinal conclusions, we do have idiosyncrat ic evidence that the peer groupsare making a difference. For example, a par t ic ipant in one of the ear l iestgroupsa group that has s t ruggled with several confl ic ts over the th reeyearsrecent ly responded to th i s ques t ion on our Every M eet ing Feed back

Form: "From what you have experienced, what are you going to te l l othersor use in the l i fe of the congregat ion between now and the next meet ing?"The part ic ipant wrote:

That community is worth the effort to build! Eight individuals who, in many


19/113

ways are very different, can develop trust, affection, and a common purpose.We are a microcosm of life in the church asI believe Jesus intends it to be.

Th e f i rst peer group com pleted i ts three-year project in June, and we

have som e of the f inal evaluat ions. All mem bers reported that the exp eriences were t ransformative. As one member put i t , "Most of the experiences we've had will be with me for the rest of my ministry, as well as mylife. I t has deepened my sense of commitment to doing everything we canto minister to those in need."

Six of the seven part icipants mentioned their t r ip to Mexico City asparticularly moving. Here is what two persons said about it .

We had an opportunity to meet and talk to some of the women and children

in "Cartonlandia" while in M exico City. At the close of our time we gathered ina circle for prayer. It was as sacred a time as I have experienced. I was deeplymoved by the incredible faith of these folks who had so little materially, butyet were incredibly rich spiritually. Despite the many ways we're different,there was a deep sense of oneness as the people of God. The vision of us allgathered there is forever etched in my mind.

It would be hard for anyone on that trip to not come back home transformed.I witnessed poverty like I had never seen before. Yet in the midst of that, Iwitnessed hope that transcends the circumstances. The positive effect for me

is that I have a greater appreciation for the blessings I have, as well as howsome of our country's practices affect other nations,

Five of the seven also mentioned a t r ip to Oregon to meet with aretreat leader and therapist on family systems leadership as particularlyhelpful . In response to a quest ion about how part icipat ion made a differenc e in congregat ions, the part icipan ts had similar answers, Severalmentioned that they were more confident and mature in their leadership.One stated that the peer group support made i t possible to s tay in thecongregat ion through confl ict that led to change. Another ref lected on achang ed leadership s tyle toward partnership in m inistry with the congregat ion. All ref lected on th e power of the supp ort in the group and the necessity of finding that kind of help in the future.


20/113

D . Bruce Roberts is Director ofthe Indiana Clergy Peer Group Study Program

(PGSP) and Professor of Congregational Education and Leadership at ChristianTheological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.

ConclusionThe challenge before us is clear. Are we willing to move away from tradit ional continu ing educ at ion "events ," which of ten em bod y the lone-ranger,shotgu n appro ach for which there is li t tle evide nce of effect iveness? Are wewilling to be innovative and move toward programs that involve participants in identifying learning directions, planning learning activities, andsustaining work and evaluat ion over t ime?

The peer group experiments are only one possibi l i ty among otheral ternat ives that embody a growing understanding of the kind of educat ionwhich, evaluat ion has shown, produces energy, competence, and change inpart icipants and congregat ions. Another pi lot project that is underway atthe Center for Applied Chris t ian Leadership at Methodist TheologicalSchool in Ohio involves development of special ly educated and trained

coaches who meet with pastors over a period of eighteen months. Thepurpose is to assist leaders in identifying what they need to learn, todevelop a learning plan, to learn and practice new behaviors, and to findho nest feed back. Prel iminary indicat ion s are that this will be an effect iveprocess for assis t ing leaders in developing leadership competencies thathelp bui ld energized congregat ions.

We are learning how to do more effect ive continuing theologicaleducat ion through a variety of experiments and pi lot projects . Most ofthese projects are consis tent with educat ion that produces energy, posi t ive

change, and increased competence. However, many of these experimentshave special funding. Wh at remains fo r us to do is to com plete th e evaluat ion of these projects and experiments , compile our learnings, and thendetermine how to fund and suppor t competence-bui ld ing cont inuingeducat ion for ministry in denominat ions, seminaries , and conferencecenters . I am bet t in g that dem onstrated effect iveness from careful evaluat ion research will unlock mo tivat ion and fund ing for fur ther innovat ions.


21/113

Endnotes1. Robert M. Smith, George F. Aker. and J.R. Kidd, eds..Handbook of AdultEducation (New York: Macm illan. 1970), xvii.2. Ibid., xxviii,3 . M a l c o l m S . K n o w l e s ,The Modern Practice of Adult Education: FromPedagogy to Androgogy (Chicago: Asso ciat ion Press , 1970), 38.4. Alfred N. Whitehead,Science and the Modern World(New York: Ma cmil lan,1926).5. Kenneth Stokes, "Religious Inst i tut ions," in Smith, e t . a l ,Handbook ofAdult Education, 3 5 3 .6. Mark Rouch, "From Yesterday to Today in Continuing Educat ion," inALifelong Call to Learn: App roaches to Continuing Education for Church Leaders,ed. by Robert E. Reber and D. Bruce Roberts (Nashville: Abingdon, 2000), 19.

7. See ibid..20-21.8. Ibid., 28.9. Mark Rouch,Comp etent Ministry: A Guide to Effective Continuing Education(Nashville: Abingdon, 1974), 29, 33.10. Robert E. Reber, "Educat ing Out of the Future," in Reber and Roberts ,ALifelong Callto Learn, 41 .11. Loren B. Mead,Transforming Congregations for the Future(Washington,D.C.: Alban Institute, 1994), ix.12. Ibid., 119.

13. Edwin Fr iedman,A Failure of Nerve: Leadership inthe Age of the Quick Fix(Bethesda , MD : Edwin Fr iedm an Es ta te /Tru s t , 1999) , 38 .14. For specific ways to learn from practice, see Kathleen A. Cahalan,ProjectsThat Matter: Successful Planning and Evaluation for Religious Organizations(Washington, D.C.: Alban Institute, 2003 ).15. Ronald M. Cervero. "Professional Pract ice, Learning, and ContinuingEduca t ion : An In t eg ra t ed Pe r spec t ive , "International Journal of LifelongEducation 11/ 2 (Ap r i l -June 1992) , 92-98 .16. D. Bruce Rober t s , "Mot iva ted Learn ing and Prac t ice : A Peer GroupModel ," in Reber and Roberts ,A Lifelong Call to Learn,117-18.17 Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee,Primal Leadership:Realizing the Power of Emo tional Intelligence(Boston: Harvard Business SchoolPress, 20 02 ), ix.18. Ibi d, 20. 6. 39. and 25 4ff.


22/113

19. Ib id . 249 .20. Ibid.. 25 1.21. Ibid., 102.22. Ibid., 103.

23. Ibid., 109.24. Knov^les,The ModernPractice of Adult Education,37-49.25 . Golem an. et al.Primal Leadership,111-12.26. D. Bruce Rober t s , "Mot iva ted Learn ing and Prac t ice : A Peer GroupModel ," in Reber and Roberts ,A Lifelong Call to Learn,116-18. The MELSprogram has been replaced by the Institute for Clergy Excellence (ICE), whichis a new peer program funded jointly for five years by The Dbcon Foundation,The North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church, and theLilly Endowment. The Lilly Endowment has also funded over 25 peer groupprojects across the nat ion through their "Sustaining Pastoral Excel lence"p rog rams ( see Lilly Endowm ent An nual Report[ Ind i anapo l i s : The L i l l yEndowment, Inc..2002] ,49-52 , 79).


23/113

Rejoicing in the Truth

C H A R L E S M . W O O D

H is tor ically, M ethod ist rat ionales for continuing edu cat ion for m inisters , as for ministerial education in general, have tended toward thepractical. Knowledge is meant to inform practice, and the value of knowledge is in its positive effects upon practice. A thoroughgoing practice-oriented approach to this subject may not only be in l ine with some character is t ic tendencies of Methodist thought but may also have real benefi t .Inform ed by an adequ ate vis ion of what pract ices are and of wh at part icipation in a practice involves, such an approach might yield a very produc

t ive understanding of on goin g edu cat ion for minister ial leadership.^But pract ice-oriented appro aches are not always so informed . At th eir

worst , such pract ical rat ionales b ec om e m erely technoc rat ic: to '*doministry" is to deploy a set of skills that can be learned more or lessdiscretely (in intensive short-term training modules, say) and that can berefreshed or s t rengthen ed thro ugh further t raining. At their best , perhaps,practical rationales have historically embraced or at least verged upon aprofessional m odel for ministry. O n suc h a model , the professional ident i tyand professional competence of pastoral leaders and others in special ized

ministry rest upon a body of specialized, role-specific knowledge, initiallygained through an extensive educational process (e.g., a professionaldegree program) leading to initial certification. This knowledge base needsto be augmented constant ly to take account of developments in the f ieldand of changes in the context in which the profession is exercised. Here,the techn ocrat ic im pulse is overcom e, at least to som e extent , by considerat ions of suc h things as professional iden t i ty and public responsibi l i ty andby an awareness of the l imits of professional knowledg e and com petence.^

Despite a number of difficulties with it , especially in face of the

changing character of ministerial leadership today, I am not prepared simplyto reject a professional model for ordained ministry-or yet to embrace onewholeheartedly. I suspect that the work of church leadership is more than aprofession in some respects and less than a profession in others; but, in anycase, there is, I think, much to be gained by thinking through the ways in


24/113

In a Wesleyan u nderstand ing of hu m an being s, knowledge, like love andjoy, is one of the things we are born for. Wesley's "presupposed theology,"as Joh n D esch ner ca l led i t - t h e doc t r ina l subs tanc e tha t Wesley absorbedand appropriated and that informed his preaching and pract iceincludedthe principle that the ima ge of Go d in which w e are created is a t r iune

which m inistry and the (other) professions share com m on ground.^ This ist rue not least wh en i t com es to issues having to do with appropriate mo desof educat ion for minister ial leadership, including continu ing educat ion.

M ost of the major proposals for rethinking theological educat ion that

have been produced in the past couple of decades have not centered on aprofessional m odel . Indeed, they have avoided o ne in order to ground theenterprise m ore deeply in the character of theology i tself. Th e con seq uen treorientat ion of theological s tudy has involved some n ew app roaches to th enature and aims of education for church leadership in which its l ikenessesto and differences from various sorts of professional educat ion may be see nin new light.'* In an early and influential c on tribu tion to this li terature ontheological study, Edward Farley observed that "[t]he more the externaltasks themselves are focused on as the one and onlytelos of theologicaleducat ion, the less the minister bec om es qual if ied to carry them out."^Variations on his observat ion ca n be foun d in recent t reatmen ts of professional training in other fields. The warning carries implications for continuing edu cation as well as for one 's initial prepa ration for service. It may wellbe worthwh ile to t race out tho se implicat ions for continu ing educat ion inministry, in conversation with similar undertakings in other fields.

Interesting and productive as that may be, my aim in this article is notto explore a professional ly oriented rat ionale for continuing educat ion.Instead, i t is to pursue a mo re radical and m ore co m preh ensive vis ion ofthe role of learning in minister ial leadership-a vis ion that may informm ore part icular conv ersat ions and exp lorat ions. This vis ion is , I bel ieve,thoroug hly W esleyan in character, thoug h in develop ing i t here I will begiving relatively lit t le attention to Wesley's specific observations on eitherlearning or ministry. My app roach wil l require m e instead to work ou tsome relevant features of a Wesleyan understanding of church, ministry,and learning from st i l l -more elemental sources in Wesley 's thought . Webegin with what life is all about.


25/113

image, an imago trinitatis. We "correspond" to God in our God-givencapacity to know God and God's creation, as well as in our capacities tolove God and fellow-creature and to rejoice in what is thus known andloved. In ou r knowing, we res po nd to (or even, in a way, parta ke in) theintelligibility of God and of all that God has made; we resonate with theLogos that is one of the ways God is God and that informs all of creation.In our loving, we respond toor, better, find ourselves caught up intothelove of God, the love that God is and "that moves the sun and the otherstars."^ Our joy and thanksgiving are evoked by the sheer gift of all this,and are a response to its ultimate source in the reality of God. The relationsamong these three capacitiesknowledge, love, and joy (or, with CharlesWesley, "wonder, love, and praise")are relation s of m utua l indwelling andreciprocity that mirror in creaturely reality theperichoresisof the threePersons of the Trinity. Each requires and sustains the others. Their

common exercise const i tutes the freedom in which our l ives f ind theirfulfillment, their true end.^ At least, this is how things are supposed to be.

According to an early sermon of John Wesley's on the image of God,^ inthe state of integrity hu m an und erstand ing w as "just," "swift," "clear," and"great." Apparently, we (or, rather, Ada m and Eve) had n o trou ble apprehending and honoring reality: seeing things as they are, thinking clearly, andreaching sound judgm ents . The y were eager to grow in knowledge; theydelighted in the truth. In Wesley's reconstruction of the Eden scenario, i twas not an inordinate thirst for knowledge that led our first parents astray.

There is no suggestion in his account that they (and we) would have beenbetter off had they only downplayed their intelligence, switched off theirbrains, and asked no more questions. Their free choice of evil over goodrema ins, for Wesley, a mystery; but there is the strong im plication th at ifthey had thought things through when the forbidden fruit was proffered,using the intelligence they had been given, they would not have sinned.^

The Fall devastated our capacity for knowledge, along with ourcapacity for love and for joy. Think of the opposites of those adjectives withwhich Wesley described human understanding in the s tate of integri ty:

now, post-Fall, our knowing is unjust, unclear, slow, and small. Rather thanwelcoming and delighting in reality, we fear it . We hide from it . We deny ordistort the truth, constructing and cherishing lies in its place. We bear falsewitness against our neighbor. We suppress inconvenient facts and subvertthe processes of discovery that may bring us face to face with them. We


26/113

Discussion of the church is often helped if we keep in mind a distinctionbetween two com m on references of the te rmchurch.^'^On the one hand,churchmay b e use d to refer to the totality of tho se w ho a re being saved, i .e.,who, by the grace of God in Christ and in the Holy Spirit are being restoredto right relationship with God and fellow-creature. The church in this sense

create modes of inquiry that will (we hope) enable us to define and dealwith reality on our terms, to make it serve our desires. Even if we shoulddecide that we really want to see things as they are, our fears and our il lusions gen erally get the bet ter of us. W e live, as Wesley says, in "igno ranc e

and error." largely self-imposed.God's remedy in Jesus Christ for this state of foolishness, lovelessness.

and misery in which we find ourselves is a healing and restoration of thosecreated capacities that have gone wrong, a healing that includes our renewalin knowledge. One aspect of the Holy Spirit 's work in regeneration is"opening the eyes of our understanding."^" A recovery of our intelligenceproceeds along with the recovery of our capacities for true love and for truejo y and is inextrica bly linked with the se. It is th e disclosure of the realityand love of God in Christ that enables the opening of "the eyes of our

understanding" and that simultaneously evokes our love and our delight.Had he know n her work, Wesley might have recognized a kinship in th ewri t ing of the thir teenth-century Beguine myst ic Mechthi ld of Magdeburg,although she thought and wrote in a decidedly un-Wesleyan idiom:

I cannot dance. Lord, unless you lead me.If you want me to leap with abandon,You must intone the song.Then I shall leap into love,From love into knowledge.From knowledge into enjoyment,And from enjoymen t beyond all human sensation

In any case, i t is clear that Wesley resonated strongly with Paul 's statement in 1 Cor. 13:6, binding the three together: "Love . . . re joices in thetruth." Exemplifying and bearing witness to this possibility of "loverejoicing in the truth" is the task of the church.


27/113

is the "community of salvation." On the other hand,church may be used torefer to the totality of those who know about this saving activity of God andwho are bearing witness to it explicitly in word and action. The church inthis sense is the "community of witness," or, if you prefer, the "sign-commu-

nity."i3 Ideally, these two communities coincide, and in the fullness of timeperhaps they will; but in our experience and history, they are probably bestportrayed as overlapping. The community of salvation may be presumed toinclude many wh o are not part of the explici t com mu nity of witness ,though they m ay in fact bear witness in other ways to the Go d we kno w inJesus C hris t, to their neighbo rs ' benefi t . At the sam e t ime, the com mu nityof witness may include persons who have not (yet) accepted the grace ofsalvation, or who have ceased to accept it . Further ambiguities mark bothcom mu nit ies . The co mm unity of salvation is the total ity of those wh o are

being restored to their purpose in creation, as well as those who (as the"communion of saints") have been so restored. And the community ofwitness bears more or less genuine and effective witness, the degree ofgenu ineness and effectiveness depend ing on a great ma ny factors . Th etheologian H. Richard Niebuhr 's remark that " the l ine betwe en ch urch andworld does not run between souls, but through each soul" could be appliedwith both these senses ofchurch in mind.

At its best, the church, as it is found in a local congregation, denomination, or ecclesial tradition is "church" in both these senses. It is a particularcommunity in whose members the image of God is taking shape and inwhich that process is being manifest in some explici t and public connection with the gospel. Paul 's favorite image for the church"the body ofChrist"seems meant to convey all this, as does his way of expressing whatneeds to happen among the "foolish Galatians": "My litt le children, forw ho m I am again in the pain of chi ldbir th unt i l Chris t is forme d in you . . ,"(Gal. 4:19). We might say the church is coming to be wherever, and to whatever extent , this renewal and man ifestat ion are h appenin g.

Part of what is going on wherever the church is happening is a recoveryof reason: people are coming into their right minds. This is not easy orsimp le. It is a matter of loss o r relinquish men t, as well as of gain andenha ncem ent , Com ing into our r ight minds involves leaving behind the l iesand dis tort ions with which we have s imu ltaneously com forted an d trappedourselves. It involves overcoming our fear of and consequent hostili tytoward the truth. Bad habits in our thinking need to be broken, and good


28/113

As the reference to Word, Sacrament, and Order above may imply, and forreasons that may also be obvious by now, I find this threefold scheme for thescope of the church's ministry not merely useful but also compelling. It has asignificant history and a cogent theological rationale. It enables us to seesom e connect io ns b etween th e church 's ministry and a Chris t ian account ofsuch things as what human life is meant for. what has gone wrong with that,what God is doing about it , and what the church has to do with what God is

doing. Furthermore, i t is a point on which many different ecclesial traditionsare apparently finding "convergence" (to use the term of the 1982 Lima document , Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry)A N ot least in its favor, it is, I think, o fgreat practical value as a guide to our thinking about the scope and coheren ce of the ch urch's min istry over the long haul and in any given situation. It

ones learned. At the same time, this recovery of reason is a gift , intimatelyconnected with the gift of the love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

Dealing with all this is a large part of the church's ministry of theWord. Th e m inistry of the Word is not just abou t proclaiming the gospel .i^

I t is a lso abo ut bein g brough t into a posi t ion to hear and understand thegospel and then learning to convey that good news to others honest ly inways that offer some chance of their hearing and understanding as well .But it goes even deeper. Basically, i t is about being truthful. The church'sministry of the Word is the church 's car ing for the t ruth, and for hum ancapacity not only to endure the truth but also to flourish in it and to let i tflourish. The church exercises its ministry of the Word as, individually andin community, i ts members recover by God's grace their human vocat ionto understand and bear witness to the t ruth. Linked with a ministry ofSacrament , which is about the rebir th and growth of joy and thanksgiving,and a ministry of Order, which is about the reb ir th and growth of act ivelove toward Go d and neighbor, there is this ministry wh ose focu s is the gif tof understanding. I ts typical expressions within our own United Methodisthis tory include such things as founding and support ing schools , col leges,and universi t ies; sustaining a publishing ho use; working to foster goodcondit ions for intel lectual growth in the public educat ional system and toinsure educat ional opportuni ty for al l ; and defending freedom of inquiry,as well as providing an environment in the local congregat ion that encourages the renewal of the mind.


29/113

was used to advantage (and definitely with an eye toward future possibilitiesof ecumenical rapport) in official United Methodist statements on ministryprior to 1996. It was then rather abruptly abandoned in the 1996Book ofDisciplineand its terms incorporated into other configurations, in the attempt

to establish separate spheres of responsibility for deacons and elders.A discussion of the current ordering of ministry in The United

M etho dist C hurch is outside the p urpo se of this essay, Any such structurehas its strengths and its l iabilit ies, and it may take quite some time for theconsequences of the 1996 legislat ion, both posi t ive and negat ive, tobe co m e clear to us. In the me antim e, I think i t would be u nfortun ate i f wewere to lose sight of the older triadic (or trinitarian) scheme just because itis absent from our current official language. Its value as a conceptualinstrument for thinking comprehensively about ministry has not yet beenexhau sted. What I wish to sketch here by way of an und erstanding ofministerial leadership is compatible in principle with a great variety of polit ies, including some that do not recognize this terminology at a l l .

The first point to be made is that the ministry of Word, Sacrament, andOrder is first of all the general ministry of the church. It is not to be identif ied s imply with the special ized m inistry of the orda ined. O rdaine dministry has this shape becau se i t is the shap e of the ministry of the w holecommunity in which Chris t is being formed, and ordained ministry existsto serve that.

A sec ond , related poin t to keep in mind is that Word, Sacramen t , andOrd er are not to be regarded as separate funct ions . Althou gh dist inct, theycannot be separated. Each involves the others, "perichoretically." Further,they are not m erely funct ion s. The y are perhap s closer to pract ices in astrict sense of the term, and as such each involves "knowing" and "being,"as well as "doing."!^ In a way, this fact only underscores the point abouttheir inseparability. There is a sense in which the church's ministry of theWord is centered on knowing,i ts ministry of Sacrament onbeing,and itsministry of Order ondoing. But there is a "being" and a "doing" pertinent tothe ministry of the Word and a similar relation of all three factors in each

of the other aspects of ministry.The task of the special ministry of church leadership, however it is

configured or "ordered," is to assist the whole church to receive, affirm, andexercise its threefold ministerial vocation. The task of church leadership isnot to minister on behalf of (or in place of) the people.^^ It is to empower


30/113

and lead the people in ministry. In her preaching and teaching, for example,a pastoral minister is (we would hope) both exemplifying the ministry of theWord and equipping her hearers to carry it out themselves. She is helpingthem to become bearers, as well as hearers, of the Word. She is enabling

them to develop an understanding of God and the gospel that is pert inentto their l ives and also helping them to learn what it means to awaken understanding in others. Her leadership in this regard is effective insofar as boththe substance and the manner of her teaching and preaching serve thiscomplex end. This will require of her not only knowledge and skill but also aset of dispositions appropriate in one committed to "rejoicing in the truth."It will require in h er habits of self-criticism, self-transcen den ce, hosp itality tonew information and new insights, and radical faith.

IVIn light of these considerations having to do with the nature and aims of thechurch 's ministry, perhaps th e mo st apt form of continuing educat ion forministerial leadership is to participate with the laity in theological study. Bytheological study, I mean inquiry that is aimed at the knowledge of God andat understanding everything else in relation to God. Theological study inthis sense can have a vast range of particular "subjects" (the Bible, Christiando ctrine , ou r cou ntry's foreign p olicy, hu ma n sexuality, religious diversity,etc.) and a correspondingly wide a ssortm ent o f potent ial texts or othermaterials.

Teaching is of ten a very effect ive way to learn. This phe no m eno n isacknow ledged acro ss man y f ields, and i t plays an increasingly im portan trole in many forma l programs of s tudy, including m any in theology. Weoften come to understand something more ful lywhether the "something"is a concept, a principle, a hypothesis, or a historical eventby explaining itto someone else. Their quest ions, object ions, tentat ive inferences, and thelike will often reveal the gaps in our own present understanding, willsuggest new possibilit ies we had not considered, and will give us new waysof looking at the subject . We become teachers and learners together,

engaged in a common inquiry into the subject matter. Good teaching oftencomes down to providing an environment and structure in which that sortof discipl ined conversat ion can proceed. Opportuni t ies for teachingbecome opportuni t ies for learning, not only insofar as the one who is toteach must of ten extend or deepen his or her grasp of the subject before-


31/113

Charles M. Wood is the Lehman Professor of Christian D octrine at Perkins Schoolof Theology, Southern Methodist Un iversity, in Dallas, Texas,

Endnotes1.1 am thinking here of the attention given to practices and practical judgmentin recent social philosophy, especially since Alasdair Maclntyre'sAfter Virtue(Notre Dame; University of Notre Dame Press, 1981). See, for example, Joseph

Dunne , Back to the Rough Ground:Practical Judgment a nd the Lure of Technique(Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993).2. For a thoughtful treatment of these issues, see William F. May,BeleagueredRulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional(Louisville: Westminster JohnKnox, 2001).

hand so as to be able to teach but also in that the event of teaching itself isan occasion for learning.

But it is not only on account of i ts effectiveness in this way that" learning by teaching" in a congregat ional se t t ing is to be co m m en de d as a

m od e of cont inuing edu cat ion for minis ters . A st il l -more impo rtant reasonis i ts contr ibut ion to the general minis try of the church. Wh en, for example,the pastor and the members of the congregat ion are engaged in theologicalinquiry together, sharing quest ions and insights with one another, they arebui lding on e an other up in the m inis try of the W ord, and, therefore, in th eothe r aspects of minis try as wel l. No t only are they learning ab out whateverthe part icular subject m atter may b e - a d octr ine, a bibl ical text , an issue insocial e thics- they are also learning how to learn and how to teach; and intheir interact ion with one another and with the subject matter they are

learning and s trengthen ing th e disposi t ions required in a l ife that hon orsthe truth. Carried out in this way, in this context, the pastor 's learning isi tself an engag em ent in m inis ter ial leadership.

There are other forms and other contexts of learning-in sol i tude, withcol leagues, in formal academ ic programsand the se are not to be n eglected.Each is valuable in its own way, and each may be more suitable than thecongregat ional set t ing for cer tain ed ucat ional purpo ses. However, leadingthe congregat ion in theological s tudy is both an uncommonly r ich and anunduly neglected opportuni ty in learning, and one that might commenditself particularly to the people called Methodists.


32/113

3. See, for example, Paul F. Camenisch, "Clergy Ethics and the ProfessionalEthics Model," inClergy Ethics in a ChangingSociety, ed. by Jam es P. W ind, et. al.(Louisville: W estminster Joh n Knox, 1991). 114-33.4. For an overview of these developments, see Charies M. Wood, "Theological

E d u c a t i o n : C o n f e s s i o n a l a n d P u b l i c , " a v a i l a b l e o n t h e I n t e r n e t a thttp://ww w.resourcingchristianity.org/essay_detail.asp?essay_id==77. 5. Edward Farley, Theologia: TheFragmentation and Unity of Theological Education(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1 983). 128.6. "My will and my desire were turned by love, / The love that moves the sunand the oth er stars"the last lines of D ante'sDivine Comedy(here in the Sayers-Reynolds translation).7 I have sketched out Wesley's trinitarian theology and anthropology a litdefurther, but by no means extensively, in an article, ' 'Methodist Doctrine: AnUnderstanding," Quarterly Review 18/2 (1998): 167-82.8. Joh n W esley, "The Image of G od," inThe Works of John Wesley, ed. by Albert C.Outler (Nashville: Abingdon, 1987), 4: 292-303 (hereafterWorks).9. Wesley returns to the subject several decades later in a sermon "On the Fallof Man"(Works, 2: 400-12), to much the same effect.10. Ibid.. 410. As is common with Wesley's sermons, an interweaving of scriptural passages lies behind his wording, in this case Luke 24:45 and Eph. 1:18.11. Mechthild of Magdeburg,The Flowing Light of the Godhead,trans, and introduce d by Frank Tobin (New York: Paulist Press, 1998), 59 .12.1 am indebted to Schubert M. Ogden for the terms of this distinction.13. The latter term is favored by the Roman Catholic theologian Juan LuisSegundo. building on the Second Vatican Council's portrayal of the church as asacrament of the salvation of the whole world; see hisThe Community CalledChurch,trans, by John Drury (Maryknoll. NY: Orbis, 1973).14. It might also be true to say that it is just about proclaiming the gospel, withall that that entails.15. Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry,Faith and Order Paper No . I l l (Geneva:World Council of Churches, 1982).16. On the concept of a pract ice in this connect ion, see Craig L. Dykstra ,

"Reconceiving Practice," inShifting Boundaries: Contextual Approaches to theStudy of Theological Education, ed. by Barbara G. Wheeler and Edward Farley(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1991), 35-66. Among the relevant featuresof pract ices as Dykstra portrays them, drawing on the work of AlasdairMaclntyre and others, are these: practices are cooperative and socially estab-
http://www.resourcingchristianity.org/essay_detail.asp?essay_id==77http://www.resourcingchristianity.org/essay_detail.asp?essay_id==77http://www.resourcingchristianity.org/essay_detail.asp?essay_id==77


33/113

lished; the goods they generate are inherent in the practice itself; and practices"bear epistemological weight," in that through them "we may come to awareness of certain realities that outside of these practices are beyond our ken"(45).On the triad of knowing, being, and doing in education for ministry, see

Gordon T. Smith and Charles M. Wood, "Learning Goals and the Assessmentof Learning in Theological Schools,"Theological Education 39 (2003): 17-29.17 There are circumstances in which it may be appropriate for an ordainedminister to "represent" the church and to engage in some aspect of ministryexplicitly on its behalf, These circumstances may, however, be more rare andmore limited than we are at first inclined to think, influenced as we still are bythe centuries-old model in which the "clergy" really are the church, and the"laity" the obje cts rather than the agents of ministry.


34/113

Nurturing a Learned Clergy:A Survey of the Uni ted Methodist Clergy

Probationary Process

L O V E T T H . W E E M S , J R .

In 1996, the Gene ra l Co nfer enc e of Th e Uni ted M ethodis t Churchapproved a new probat ionary process of a t least three years for candidates seeking ordinat ion in the denominat ion. Under the new legis lat ion,a candidate seeking ordinat ion would be commissioned fol lowing thecomple t ion of educa t iona l and o ther requi rements . The commiss ioned

minister then enters a probat ionary period of a t least three years , and upto sbc years , und er the superv is ion and gu idance of the person 's an nualconfe rence board of o rda ined m in ist ry.

The concept of a probat ionary period is not new in United Methodism.In 1996, the s tandard probat ionary period was two years . A major emphasisof the advocates of the 1996 legis lat ion was for a "new" understand ing ofthe prob at ionary period , not m erely the adding of an addi tional year to th ecurrent probat ionary period.

A key component of th i s new unders tanding of the proba t ionary

process was found in what was expected to take place during the three ormo re years of p roba t ion . Th e cur ren tBook of Discipline of The U nitedMethodist Church describes the probat ionary process as fol lows:

TI317.Probationary Service ofCommissioned Ministers-All persons who arecommissioned ministers shall be appointed by a bishop (T[430) and serve aminimum of three years as a probationary member of the annual conference.During the probationary period, arrangements shall be offered by the board ofordained ministry for all commissioned ministers to be involved in acurriculum that extends theological education by using covenant groups andmentoring to support the practice and work of their ministry as servantleaders, to contemplate the grounding of ordained ministry, and to understandcovenant ministry in the life of the conference. The specialized service ofprobadonary members shall be evaluated by the district superintendent and


35/113

the board of ordained ministry in terms of the probationary member's ability

to express and give leadership in servant ministry.^

Probationary Process Research ProjectIn 2002 and 2003 a research project was conducted on behalf of the Division

of Ordained Ministry of the United Methodist General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry through a Lilly Endowment-funded Program to

Improve the Quality of Congregational Pastoral Leadership at Saint Paul

School of Theology .2 For a number of years following the approval of the

1996 General Conference legislation, candidates could move to ordination

with two years of probationary status because they began their process

under the previous (1992) Discipline. Therefore, it took several years before

the three-year probationary process was the pattern for all candidates

moving toward ordination. By 2002, a significant number of clergy had beenordained following the completion of the new probationary process.

The purpose of this research project was to learn from the experience

of those who have gone through the new probationary process in order to

assist annual conferences in developing probationary programs more likely

to assure that probationers would move from readiness for ministry at the

beginning of the probationary period to effectiveness in ministry by the

end of the period.

In March 2002 the Division of Ordained Ministry requested from

conference board of ordained ministry registrars the names and contactinformation of persons who completed probation and became full-member

clergy in 1999,2000, and 2001. A survey instrument, developed in consulta

tion with a taskforce named by the Division of Ordained Ministry and

including deacons, elders, staff, directors, annual conference board of

ordained ministry representatives, seminary representatives, and district

superintendents was sent to each of the clergy named. Eight-hundred

names and address were received, with 250 persons completing and

returning the survey instrument.

The original plan was to base the research findings only on thoserespondents who indicated that they had been in the probationary process

for at least three years. However, since there was a substantial number of

respondents who noted that they had been on probation for only two

years, a comparison was done of the two-year respondents with the three-


36/113

year or longer respon den ts . This process sh owed vir tual ly no differences inthe pat terns of responses between the two groups. I t became clear that thislong af ter 1996 , in almost all annu al confe renc es, everyon e ( two-yearpeople under the 1992Disciplineand three-year or longer people) was

expected to part icipate in the same probat ionary process developed af ter1996;and, thus, the two-year people were responding to the same processwith the ex ceptio n of bein g in it for less t ime.

Therefore, because of the s imilar i t ies in responses and to improvestatistical reliability, the results in this article reflect information based on(1) the names of persons submit ted by their annual conferences, (2) whoreturned the survey, and who (3) indicated tha t they had bee n in the pro bationary process for at least two years. The breakdown is as follows: three-year or longer resp ond ents . 162; two-year respon dents , 88 ; for a total of 2 50

respondents .Overall O bservationsWhile there are no key differences in results among the five jurisdictions,there are variations in results among the various annual conferences. Thereare no key differences in resul ts between m en and w om en probat ioners . Theonly difference between younger and older probationers is that the youngerare somewhat more likely to have a mentor, and the mentoring is more likelyto be a positive and growth experience for them. Probationers generallyaccepted the three-year length of the probationary process. The survey did

not ask a specific question regarding the length of the probationary period;however, am ong th ose wh o spent thre e years or longer in the process o nlyseven na m ed the len gth as a co nc ern (six as a negative and one as a positive)through the open-ended quest ions.

There are no key differences between respondents that spent more thanthree years in the probat ionary process and those who spent three years orfewer. Approx imately 30 percen t of those ordained in the three years und erreview (and who returned surveys) spent more than three years in theprobat ion ary pro cess. While the survey generated a fair am ou nt of overall

negat ivi ty about the p robat ion ary exp erience, i t a lso captured deep ap preciat ion by many pro bat ioners for the formative value of the expe rience. Inaddition to their growth in effectiveness in ministry, many probationersreported that the probationary process was a time of spiritual growth andcenter ing, especial ly through retreats and covena nt group s.


37/113

Key Them es

T r u s tTh e establ ish men t of t rust am ong all part icipants is found at ional for a posi

t ive and formative probat ionary experience. Where t rust is establ ished,program s are viewed as helpful . W ithou t t rust, anxiety and fear do m inatethe experience. Factors inhibi t ing t rust between probat ioners and boardsof ordained ministry are (1) lack of direction to the process; (2) inconsistency in dealing with candidates; (3) failure to name, train, and holdaccountable the leaders; and (4) lack of regular communicat ion with probat ioners . The board interview p rocess i tself was found to be helpful for so m ebut problematic for many probat ioners .

L e a d e r s h i p

After the establishment of mutual trust, the quality of the leadership of thevarious com pon ents of the probat ion ary p rocess is cr i tical. This is mo st t ruefor mentors but also for covenant group facilitators, continuing theologicaleducation leaders, interview team leaders, and district superintendents.Selection of the right leaders for the right tasks is essential. More trainingand different training are needed. For example, virtually all mentorsreceived training by their boards of ordained ministry. Yet, survey responsesindicate that this training needs to be supplemented. It appears that trainingis most needed for those functioning in a supervisory (district superintendent, board of ordained ministry) or mentoring role. More guidance, direct ion, and structure are needed for covenant groups. Probat ioners want m ostand exp ect three characteris t ics from those fu nct ioning in any type ofsupervisory or mentoring role: caring, availability, and accountability.

P r a c t i c a lProbat ioners want the probat ionary process to engage and ut i l ize theiractual ministry experiences during those years . This is a consis tent theme.Some examples of pract ices aff i rmed by probat ioners include having thedistr ict superintendent and board of ordained ministry representat ives

spend t ime in the pastoral set t ing to observe the probat ioner interact ingand funct ioning there; having specif ic topics for each mentor meetingrelated to the prob at ioner 's pract ice of m inistry; and sharing in covena ntgroups about events and topics emerging out of their actual pract ice ofministry for ref lect ion and feedback by other probat ioners .


38/113

R e l a t i o n s h i p sBuilding a community of support and fr iendship is seen as one of the mostsignif icant resul ts of the probat io nary years . Retreats and coven ant group sare repeatedly named as occasions for sustaining relat ionships to be estab

l ished and developed. Important and last ing relat ionships with mentorsand dis tr ict superintendents are often establ ished during these years .

The Four Components of the Probationary ProcessThe General Board of Higher Educat ion and Ministry through i ts Divisionof Ordained Ministry was charged with establ ishing the recommendedguidel ines for annual conference boards of ordained ministry to use indeveloping their respect ive probat ionary programs.Principles and Guides forAnnual Conferencesrecom me nds four d imens ionssuperv ision , cont inuingtheological educat ion, mentoring, and covenant groups.

Probat ioners report experiencing these four components as dimensionsof their probationary experience as follows: supervision by district superintendent and board of ordained m inistry88 percent , cont inuing theologicaleducation71 percent , m entoring69 percent , and covenant groups58percent . A different picture emerges w hen probat ion ers are asked theextent to which each component contr ibuted to their growth toward effect iveness in ministry. Probat ioners who had experience with the components indicated that the components contr ibuted "a great deal" or "somewhat" to their growth as follows: continuing theological education87percent, mentoring80 percent, covenant groups74 percent, supervisionby distr ict superin tenden t and board of ordained ministry66 percent .

S u p e r v i s i o nSupervision by a dis tr ict superintendent and board of ordained ministry isthe component most consis tent ly present in the probat ionary process (88percent) . However, supervision ranks last of the components in the extentto which i t contr ibuted to the probat ioner 's growth and success. Wheresupervision does contr ibute, f requency of supervision was the most important factor in determining supervision 's impact on the growth and successof the probationer. Also statistically significant but less important werekeeping a clear dis t inct ion between the supervision by the dis tr ict superintendent and the board of ordained ministry and the annual reviews by theboard of ordained ministry. Comments indicate a desire for the dis tr ict


39/113

Lovirrr H, WHEMS.JR.

superintendent to be more involved with the probat ioners and the probat ionary process .

C o n t i n u i n g T h e o l og i c a l E d u c a t i o nMost annual conferences include cont inuing theological educat ion in theirprobat ionary programs (71 percent ; second only to supervis ion) . Thosewh o exp er ience con t inu ing theologica l educa t ion f ind i t to be , amo ng thefour recom me nde d co mp onen ts , the m os t he lpfu l in the i r g rowth (42percent say "a great deal" and i t increases to 87 percent when "somewhat"is added) . Where cont inuing theological educat ion does contr ibute , themost important factor in determining i ts impact is the extent to whichopportuni t ies are avai lable . Continuing theological educat ion opportunities are available (86 percent "frequently" or "sometimes"). Yet, 56 percentof probat ioners par t ic ipate in cont inuing theological educat ion only once ayear or less f requent ly. Having t ime off for cont inuing theological educat ion helps, and church es do al low t ime away for this purpo se (95 percent) .Frequency of par t ic ipat ion in cont inuing theological educat ion was not astat is t ical ly s ignif icant predictor of impact . Comments tend to indicate asat isfact ion with sem inary ed ucat ion bu t a reluctan ce to repeat the the ological discipUnes during the probationary period. Virtually all the suggest ions for content focused on funct ional aspects of minis try.

M e n t o r i n gWorking with a mentor during the probat ionary process is fa ir ly common(69 percent ) . Mentor ing ranks second among the four components in theextent to which i t contr ibuted to the probat ioner 's growth and success .However, i t is c lear f rom the comments that , for many, good mentoring wasthe mos t impor tan t d imens ion of the proba t ionary process . Mentor inggenerated by far the most comments for the quest ion about what par t ofthe process was most formative. At the same t ime, mentoring generatedthe same d ispropor t iona te number of comments about changes theywould recommend. Mentor ing i s c lear ly impor tan t . Where mentor ing doescontr ibute , the most important factor in determining the impact of

mentoring on the growth and success of the probat ioner was the clar i ty offocus o n previously ident i f ied issues. A no the r s ta t is t ical ly s ignif icantpredictor for success of mentoring was frequency of contact with theme ntor. Som ew hat less s ta tis t ical ly s ignif icant is the providing of an ann ualreport by the probat ioner and mentor to the board of ordained minis try.


40/113

Younger probat io ners (whether defined as youn ger than 3 0, 34, or 35) aresomewhat more l ikely to have a mentor and to experience the mentoringexperience as a process of growth.

C o v e n a n t G r o u p sPart icipat ion in a covenant group is the least consis tent ly present component of the probat ionary process (58 percent) . Covenant groups rank thirdamo ng the four com pon ents in the ex ten t to which they cont r ibuted to th eprobat ioner 's growth and success. Where covenant groups do contr ibute,the most important factor in determining the covenant group's impact onthe growth and s uccess of the pro bat ion er is the qual i ty of the faci l i ta tion.Somewhat less significant is focusing on a specific topic. Virtually allcovenant groups meet monthly. Meeting more frequently does not appearto make a difference. Factors that are not statistically significant predictors

of successful covenant groups are having probat ioners assume a leadershiprole in the group and having a wri t ten covenant . Where covenant groupsare ut il ized, they are appreciated. W here they are absent , prob at ionersexpress a desire for them . Diversi ty within c oven ant group s is desired.

Summary and ImplicationsTh e establ ishm ent of t rust am ong al l part icipants is foundat ional for a posit ive and formative probat ionary experience. The bui lding of t rust amongall participants must be the initial primary goal for the process since all else

depends on such trust . A system to measure improvement in the t rust levelis needed. A part of the initial trust building is devoting adequate time tointerpret ing the proba t ionary pro cess as "a jou rne y from readiness to effect iveness," so that candidates come to see the process as something "forthem." From the beginning of the process, a l low probat ioner input into thecontent of the program. Test every aspect of a conference 's program by thestandard of moving candidates from readiness to effect iveness, thusviewing every component from the perspect ive of the probat ioners . Boardsof ordained ministry need to monitor these key elements of t rust bui lding:(1) sense of car ing and encou ragem ent th rough stress on qual i ty of relationships, (2) consistent quality in all aspects of the process, (3) regular andfrequent communicat ion, and (4) holding al l leaders accountable.

The qual i ty of the leadership of the various components of the probationary process is critical. This is most true for mentors. Selection of the


41/113

r ight leaders for the r ight tasks is essent ial , a long with m ore adeq uatetraining. Probat ioners want most and expect three character is t ics f romthos e func t ion ing in any type of superv isory or me ntor ing ro le -car ing ,avai labi l i ty, and accou

Documents

Summer 2004 Quarterly Review - Theological Resources for Ministry