Preparing for enabling the ministries of the Church: Where are we and where do we want to be?

Abstract

For Martin Scott one of the main challenges for the Church of Scotland lies in the integration of the intellectual, practical and spiritual aspects of ministry formation with structured theological reflection that is both ecumenical in outlook and mindful of its Reformed origins. However, theological training patterns of the present and future will be distinctively different in structure – the reflective and formative components will require to be much more collaborative. A theological education of this kind will seek to foster a learning community engaging in education for mission and leadership. There will also be a recognition of the importance of lifelong training as an entitlement. Dr Scott writes of this type of theological reflection as ‘connecting head, hands and heart’ in a seamless integration with ongoing learning and development. This, he argues, is how the Gospels portray Jesus Himself – as offering a foundation in discipleship for His followers and modelling life for those who minister in His footsteps.