Description:
At the 2015 ICETE triennial international consultation, global institutional leaders presented their contextual research, forming the chapters of this volume, offering new insights into societal ministry needs and bold changes already made.
Brief description: STUART BROOKING is Executive Director of Overseas Council Australia, one of five organisations in the Overseas Council network dedicated to assisting the development of theological education in the Majority World. Stuart has degrees in five fields with doctoral studies in Theological Education from the University of Sydney, Australia. He also contributes to the training of women and men for gospel ministry in his own context, as Head of Department of Ministry and Practice at the Australian College of Theology in Sydney.
Review Quotes:
The fast-changing world we are living in is facing unprecedented challenges: economic, technological, social and personal. Meeting these challenges calls for new educational priorities or even new paradigms of education. This book helps us to rethink how to develop our curriculum in view of our socio-cultural context and challenges us to establish educational priorities in fulfilling the mission of the church. The generous sharing of these theological education institutions and various leaders involved in curriculum revision has opened our eyes to see the importance of sensitivity, openness, innovation, and collaborative efforts in bringing the needed changes. This book is definitely an invaluable resource book for institutions determined to have impact in this age.
Rev Luke Cheung, PhD, Professor in Biblical Studies, Vice-President, China Graduate School of Theology, Hong Kong
Is It Working? extends the reach of the stimulating presentations and discussions on impact assessment at the ICETE 2015 Consultation in Antalya. It provides theological institutions with a helpful framework for assessing the effectiveness of their training programs and in implementing a "research-driven curriculum revision" to strengthen their impact on the church and in society. Several examples from the field were presented to flesh out the concept. These serve as an inspiration for theological schools to take on the challenge of investigating the impact of their graduates and making the necessary curriculum change informed by research data. Furthermore, this book calls accrediting agencies to focus more on the assessment of outcomes and impact in their accreditation of programs. This invaluable resource is a must for all leaders and educators serious about maximizing the impact of their training programs!
Theresa Roco-Lua, EdD, General Secretary, Asia Theological Association
What a great initiative to make this book available - an ideal tool and resource based on the last theological educators forum (ICETE 2015). The continuous development of methods and approaches will bring tremendous benefits for the global church through theology studies.
Márcio Matta, President, Associação Evangélica de Educação Teológica na América Latina (AETAL)
This book argues that theological education benefits when we dare to ask the question: Is what we are doing working? As the leader of SAIACS and one of the participants in the research-based curriculum review process that led up to
the ICETE 2015 conference, I agree whole-heartedly. The testimonies show each institution learned unique and valuable things.
I began with some qualms - Should usefulness be the criterion of impact? Are we humans responsible for kingdom outcomes? Does action trump contemplation? To echo Marven Oxenham's fine article, does "Martha" trump "Mary"? I decided that such research-based review needn't fall into these traps, and it sure beats keeping our eyes shut! In fact, in SAIACS' case, we discovered employers and alumni both wanted more "Mary" emphasis on spiritual formation.
This book will encourage more theological education institutions toward confidence they are meeting their goals. It certainly helped SAIACS towards "excellence for the sake of mission."
Ian W. Payne, PhD, Former Principal, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), Bangalore, India