As a promising direction for the future of theological education, Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) has been both enthusiastically and critically received. While still early in its development and recognition, several accreditors, churches, agencies, and their seminaries have begun to embrace CBTE in the hopes of a brighter future for…

Seminaries in the United States have for more than two centuries sought to equip ministerial leaders for service within the community of faith. And yet these institutions have traditionally been the focus of very little quantitative research. This lack of data is particularly noteworthy given the existential crises many seminaries currently face,…

This article explored the state of the industry of graduate theological education using three key measures: accessibility, affordability, and financial sustainability. Access was analyzed with respect to educational modality (i.e., in-person, distance) and student populations (i.e., by demographic category). Affordability was investigated by…

This study explored the alignment between the self-reported needs of the religious workforce and the ways theological schools are addressing these needs. Analyses of the 2022 ATS Alum/Mapping the Workforce Survey, MDiv curricula, and teaching areas of theological school faculty suggest there are significant gaps and even larger misalignments based…

The member institutions of the Association of Theological Schools share a legacy of collaboration. Recently, a renewed urgency for such partnerships has emerged. In this article, the collaborative tradition is revisited, longstanding approaches are scrutinized, and emerging models are explored. The historical motivations for…

Drawing from research in the field of higher education more broadly, this article describes how graduate theological education continues to experience a seismic shift. The in-person, residential college experience is no longer the only option for students today, and many are gravitating toward taking courses and programs online. However, there is…

This paper uses a critical pedagogical lens for evaluating North American theological education within Black and Brown communities. A Latin American epistemology, exemplified in Freire's (2000) concept of "conscientização," is highlighted throughout. Four major pedagogical themes from Latin American Liberation Theology are applied to…

Although some scholars have explored the experiences of racially minoritized doctoral students in large research universities, few have studied the racial dynamics of doctoral education in smaller institutions. Evangelical seminaries, graduate-level schools that train people for religious vocations, have become the subject of racial criticism in…

Reconciliation is often understood as only having to do with our broken relationship with God. Yet we are alienated not only from God, but also from other people and the natural world. So we need help. Our brokenness extends to all things, thus we need to be put back into right relationships with all things. Such is the good news of Scripture: God…

Institutions of higher learning are located within the context of neighborhoods. But to what degree do they see themselves as neighbors? What does it mean to be an engaged institutional neighbor? Inspired by this question, I utilize place-based community engagement principles, combined with self-study research methods, to trace the development of…

The increasingly pronounced distinction between educational institutions that retain their ecclesial identity and those that jettison religious commitments reflects a bifurcated educational landscape in which institutions are characterized either as a "church-related" or a "Christian college and university." This development…

Studies of the human mirror neuron system demonstrate how mental mimicking of one's social environment affects learning. The mirror neuron system also has implications for intercultural encounters. This article explores the common ground between the mirror neuron system and theological principles from the Tower of Babel narrative and applies them…

As the funding environment for higher education and theological education changes, an increasing number of graduate theological students hold student loan debt that will follow them well into their postgraduation working lives (Delisle, 2014). This study reports the attitudes about money voiced by master of divinity students at one mainline…

This article examines today's functioning of Christian seminaries. In contemporary America, the overwhelming percentage of seminaries focus on student intellectual development and theological accuracy. The author observes, however, that such an emphasis is a major departure from seminary historical practices in the United States and is contrary to…

We are currently experiencing a global revolution in Christian higher education. As chronicled in Carpenter, Glanzer, and Lantinga's 2014 volume titled "Christian Higher Education: A Global Reconnaissance," Christian universities are expanding rapidly around the globe. My institution, Cornerstone University, has been involved in this…