“do you realize that the only change we have had in this school in the last decade is a change in...

“Do you realize that the only change we have had in this school in the last decade is

a change in our phone number?”

Conceptualizing Training:Asking the

Right Questions(Perry W.H. Shaw 2011)

“It is easier to change the

location of a cemetery, than to change the school

curriculum.”(Woodrow Wilson)

What are we trying

to do anyway?

The Calling: The Kingdom of God

“Please, Lord, give us a sign!”

The Calling: The Kingdom of God

The Challenges: Internal and External

The Need: Leaders

The Mandate of our Training Programs:to train men and women who are

capable of leading the church to be effective in fulfilling the mission of

having Christ acknowledged as Lord throughout the earth

Getting First Things FirstThe Kingdom of God

is served by

Effective Missional Churches led by Effective Missional Leaders

which are served by The Purpose and Values of your Ministry Training Program

as a Wholeis served by

Each Course and Activity in the Ministry Training Program (Purpose Statement)

is specified through

The Desired Learning Outcomes of the Courses and Activities

are measured and nurtured through

The Learning Tasks of the Courses and Activitiesare facilitated by

The Presentation – Both Content and Methodology

The Pilgrimage of a Leader

The Emerging Leader’s Time With Us:

Where?

When?

Who are the Facilitators?

Who are they when they

come?

What might they be when they leave?

How might we prepare

them for lifelong growth?

What do we long for them to be? Effective leaders for

an effective church.

Our Curriculum

The Right Questions1. What is the Ideal Church in Our

Context? 2. What are the Contextual Challenges? 3. What Might an Ideal Christian Leader

Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners? 5. Where Do the Students Go? 6. When? The Time Frame. 7. Where? The Learning Context. 8. Who Will Facilitate the Learning? 9. What and How?



Look Like?

Unpacking Your Purpose Statement

• What are the characteristics of a mature and effective Church in your local context?

• What are the major challenges confronting the Church in your local context that hinder its calling to be an agent of transformation?

• What are the characteristics of an effective Christian leader in the context of the your local context – one who can help the Church overcome the challenges and be an agent of transformation?

Example: 2009 ABTS Graduate Profile

• What are the most important attitudes that we need to develop in our students? (the Affective domain of learning)

• What are the most important skills that our students need to be effective? (the Behavioural domain of learning)

• What knowledge and reflective abilities do our students need to be effective? (the Cognitive domain of learning)

• To what extent is our curriculum balanced between the affective, behavioural, and cognitive learning domains? (striving to Dispositional transformation)



Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners?

Who are the students you teach in your

classes?

Report from ABTS Retreat (March 2008)A variety of students were asked to complete a questionnaire before the retreat which Martin (Academic Dean) reported on. Family Background: Raised in generally typical families in average household sized of 7-8 members (up to 43), generally living in a large house, with a broad diversity of relational cultures, and high value placed on education.Social background: Mostly urbanites or from larger towns, where Christians were a minority.Church background: They come from fairly traditional churches, both in size and format, whose average size is about 100 people, fairly educated. The pastor is usually perceived as a shepherd and teacher, and most seem to have experienced a participatory and satisfactory type of church life that engaged with society.

Future ministry involvement: a substantial number of our students are likely to be involved in ministry that focuses on Muslims, and ABTS seems to be encouraging a culture of further educationFuture focus group: The populations served will be of quite diverse economic status, with a strong bias towards an urban, educated and technologically savvy middle class.Socio-cultural identity of the focus group: The focus groups served by our students will generally reflect a deeply religious world view, combined with openness to the West and an awareness of the rest of the world primarily through the media. The local churches will play an important role in raising awareness about spiritual things and providing means to grow spiritually.

Internal challenges: Reintegration after a long study absence, the communication of what was learnt at seminary into the church, the development of a clear and comprehensive vision, openness to change, cultural diversity within the church, integration of those from a Muslim background into the church, women in ministry, Relationship of our churches with other denominations, Perception of the church as a foreign body that is a source of material gain, The inability to attend traditional church as a Muslim.External challenges: Reintegration after a long study absence, government and social pressure on those from a Muslim background, Effective service of society in words and works that contributes to the development of society, providing a faithful witness in society, The ability to witness as a Muslim in a Muslim society, The state of war and social perceptions of Christianity after the American invasion of Iraq, both by Muslims and by historic Christians who fear sheep stealing.

Curricular issues raised: • Theological training for ministries of all sorts, not just pastoral

ministry. • We need to break down the secular/sacred divide. • No evidence of special concern for the poor and marginalized. • Are we training leaders or professors? • Growing MBB percentage. The mission statement of ABTS

doesn’t take into account the MBB population. • Graduates every year feel a nervousness about what they are

going back to. • We need to help graduates to be bi-vocational. • We need to explore ecclesiology. • We need to change the mentality about ministry in the workplace.

Missional church involving all members, in the workplace, and not just as professional church/mission workers.

• Different courses for pastors and for bi-vocational missionaries.

• Need to research students about perception of church and mission.

Who are the students you teach in your classes?

• socio-economic and educational background

• the sort of community from which they come (urban, suburban, or rural; mono-cultural or multi-cultural)

• the level and type of religiosity of their upbringing

• the sort of church(es) they come from

Do it!



Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners? 5. Where Do the Students Go?

• What kind of roles do your alumni have?

• What sort of people do they serve?

Are they wealthy, middle class, or poor?

Level of education?

Urban, suburban, or rural?

Individualistic or communal?

Religious or areligious?

• What do your alumni describe as being some of the greatest challenges they have faced?

Do it!



Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners? 5. Where Do the Students Go? 6. When? The Time Frame.



Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners? 5. Where Do the Students Go? 6. When? The Time Frame. 7. Where? The Learning Context.

What messages do the following

classroom arrangements

deliver?

blackboard

teacher

• What is the presumed role of the teacher in a class like this?

• What is the role of the student? • What is likely to be the primary

instructional methodology? • What is the expected relationship between

teacher and students? • What is the expected relationship between

the students one with the other? • Who sets the agenda for what will be

studied and how it will be studied? • What sort of mood is normal in classes

like this?

Teacher







like this?

Teacher







like this?

The Learning Environment• Describe in detail the physical environment of this

room. Be as thorough as possible, including colours, decorations, and types of noise.

• In what ways does the room contribute to our learning purposes? In what ways does it undermine our learning purpose?

• Describe in detail the physical environment in which you teach. Be as thorough as possible.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the educational environment of the typical classroom at your school – especially in light of the school’s Purpose Statement?

The Learning Environment• Recognising the severe financial limitations of

your training programme, what could be done to enhance the learning environment of where you meet to teach and learn?

• Why do we feel more comfortable with the traditional schooling classroom model?

• To what extent do these reflect the training structures used by Jesus and Paul in their leadership training models?

• What do we train our students about leadership through our preferred classroom arrangement?



Look Like? 4. Who are the Learners? 5. Where Do the Students Go? 6. When? The Time Frame. 7. Where? The Learning Context. 8. Who Will Facilitate the Learning? 9. What and How?

Your curricular shape should serve the

purpose!

You do NOT have to do what has always been

done!

The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary

Pilgrimage

Vision StatementTo see God glorified, people reconciled, and communities restored through the Church in the Arab world.

Mission StatementTo serve the Church in our region as it realizes its Biblical mission of having Christ acknowledged as Lord by offering specialized learning resources and equipping faithful men and women for effective service.

Seven Foundational Values at ABTS• Authentic worship• Missional church• Christ-like leadership• Empowerment• Reflective practice• Community cohesion• Personal and spiritual

development

God – Community - Individual

Biblical:Careful exegetical work of key passages related to the central issue of the course – Exegesis

of the Biblical Text

Sociological-Cultural:

How do the issues interface with the surrounding society –

Exegesis of Culture

Personal-Ministerial:How might the issues in the

course be formational in the life of the student, and how might the student help others to be

formed by the content – Exegesis of Self

Historical-Theological:Reflection on great theological themes as they relate to the central issue of the course –

Exegesis of the Church

Ministry Project

Vision Statement To see God glorified, people reconciled, and communities restored through the Church in the Arab world. Mission Statement To serve the Church in our region as it realizes its Biblical mission of having Christ acknowledged as Lord by offering specialized learning resources and equipping faithful men and women for effective service.

Authentic worship Missional church Christ-like leadership Empowerment Reflective practice Community cohesion Personal and spiritual

development

Integrative Courses: Biblical Historical-Theological Sociological-Cultural Personal-Ministerial

First Year

Foundations for Integrated Theological Formation

60 Credits

“Induction into Theological Education at ABTS” (2) ABTS <=> Student

Getting to know one another Affectively-Behaviourally-Cognitively

“Survey of Bible, History, and Doctrine” (6) Foundational Cognitive Knowledge

Bible-Theology-History

“Introduction to Biblical Interpretation” (6)

Foundational Cognitive Skill Knowledge-Understanding-Application

“Reading the Church and Society” (6)


“Communicating the Message” (6) Foundational Skills

Behavioural

Middle East Conference (3)

Mentoring and Discipleship Groups (2)

Practicum(s) (9) Reflective Practice

English for Theology (5)

Arabic for Christian Ministry (3) Chapel (3)

Service and Reflection

“Biblical and Historical Theology” (6)


“Introduction to Islam” (3) Foundational Cognitive Skill Knowledge-Understanding-

Application

Second-Third Year Integrated Theological Formation

(120)

Middle East Conference (2x3)

Mentoring and Discipleship Groups (2x2)

Practicum(s) (12) Reflective Practice

September Diagnostic (2x1)

Specialist

Track (18

)

English for Theology (2x5)

Arabic for Christian Ministry (2x3)

Chapel (2x3) Service and Reflection

Integrative Learning Plan (2x1)

God “The Nature of God” (6)

Community “The Restored Community” (6)

Individual “Lifelong

Discipleship” (6)

God “The Kingdom

of God” (6)

Community “The Missional

Church” (6)

Individual “Empowering

Servant Leaders” (6)

Year A: Inside-Out Essence

Manifestation

Year B: Outside-In

Manifestation Essence

Electives

(18

)

So What Are You Going to do About It?!• On a fresh clean sheet of paper write down the

following: What (if anything) was the most important

thing you heard in this session? Why was it important for you?

State as clearly and specifically one realistic action you could take during the next month to put into practice some of the points raised in this session. If possible give names, places, and times.

• If you are willing, sign your paper and have your neighbor read what you have written and sign it also – as a form of covenant.

• Pray together about the commitments you have made.

“do you realize that the only change we have had in this school in the last decade is a change in...

Documents

effective church

local context

ideal church

curriculum slide

learning context

methodology slide

earth slide

effective christian