The one year seminary

Every once is a while (like last month, in fact) I get a call from a church leaders wanting guidance and ideas about creating a mini-seminary in their congregations. While that idea is driven by a desire to make Christian education more meaningful and effective in their congregations I am always suspect of that approach. I believe that any congregation will be well-served by taking Christian education more seriously, and, by go about its practice in more intentional ways. But I also believe that a seminary is one thing and a church another—and when it comes to educating in faith, the two should not be confused.

However, I appreciate the well-intentioned efforts of those who want a more rigorous “school of faith” in their congregations. For those, here’s a sample curriculum for “The One Year Seminary” (click on the chart for a full-sized view). As with any schooling approach, this model focuses on understanding core concepts and uses a course approach (classroom or seminar).

For those who appreciate the more communal nature of the church and its need to educate in faith beyond a schooling model, I have a book coming out soon, co-authored with Marty Canaday, titled, Planning and Organizing for Christian Education Formation: A Faith Community Approach (Chalice Press). Watch for its release sometime next year.