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Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary Teams with BILD to Announce New Doctoral Program in Global Education With Lifework Studies Track

Program Founder Jeff Reed Calls It "The Best of Two Paradigms"

South Essex, Massachusetts -- Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS), a leading evangelical seminary, is partnering with BILD, an international, non-formal leadership development organization, to offer a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program in "Global Church-Based Theological Education" (GCBTE). Because most professional doctoral programs, such as the D.Min., are ministry-based and practically-oriented, this partnership might be called the best of two paradigms.

The program is designed to help strategic leaders working in and outside of the church to think through the paradigm issues associated with church-led theological education. This is important because:

• Biblical illiteracy, lack of theological understanding, and spiritual immaturity in churches indicate a need for church leaders to do much better in developing the people in their churches.
• Church-based theological education is increasingly important for equipping leaders and establishing churches, especially in parts of the world where the church is growing in a manner that cannot be well-served by traditional formal schools.
• Solid foundations are necessary to assure that the church-based theological education movement is not just pragmatic but built on theological understanding and hermeneutical sophistication.
• Partnership with the BILD network helps Gordon-Conwell to be at the forefront of service to the emerging church worldwide, in places such as Africa and South America.

The GCTS faculty approved the proposal thanks to the leadership of Helixx client Jeff Reed and his colleague Steve Kemp, who leads BILD's outreach into the academic community. In essence, this Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree is an academic version of BILD's Paradigm Transformation Project, enhanced by some aspects of the BILD certification process (involving lifework development processes and various educational development workshops).

Students will proceed together as a cohort through three "residencies" (two consecutive weeks, once per year for three years) to complete coursework. The residencies will consist of interactive discussions, presentations by experts, case studies, participant reports, and individual consultations. The classroom sessions will be congenial in style and stress learning as a community, with special consideration of the ministry and lifework contexts of the students.

Facilitation of the residencies will be led by Reed, Kemp and other BILD staff as well as Walt Kaiser, Gary Parrett and others from the Gordon Conwell staff. Additional facilitation of education workshops will be provided by Ted Ward, Professor Emeritus of International Studies and Educational Research at Michigan State University. Several other GCTS faculty will participate in numerous aspects of the program to bring their unique expertise into the discussion.

Since personal development of the leaders in the faith community is so integral to the program and it is so oriented toward one's "lifework" (addressing all areas of life and ministry according to God's purpose and design), Jim Van Eerden, Managing Director of The Helixx Group, has stated that "the program is likely the first doctoral program in the world to offer a defined a 'Lifework Studies' track. It is indeed unique in its academic rigor, its customization to ministry contexts, its focus on church-based theological education. But its developmental "lifework" orientation, which helps the student contextualize his or her learning in relation to their individual giftedness and calling, applies a new model in education that we believe will become increasingly normative over time."

The ideal cohort of students enrolled in the program includes strategic church and cultural leaders of various types:

• Pastors of North American churches
• Strategic leaders of indigenous church networks throughout the world
• Theological educators who desire to help bridge the gap between formal and non-formal education
• Thought leaders in the education and lifework arena
• Pioneers in leadership development programs who desire a program of study based on a "lifework" orientation with a church development emphasis

Potential students interested in the program may obtain an application from the GCTS website (www.gcts.edu/dmin/admissions.php). Applications should be submitted directly to the GCTS Admissions Office for consideration. If you would like further information, please contact Steve Kemp at the BILD Office at 515-292-7012.

Each cohort in the D.Min. program to be "global." Many national leaders have already indicated that this is exactly the sort of education they need, in terms of content, format, and the increased influence associated with a professional doctoral degree from an internationally school. No other program like this is available anywhere in the world.

Indeed, this Doctoral program represents the "best of two paradigms" coming together. Gordon Conwell President Walt Kaiser summarizes the potential when he noted: "Many people will be watching this Doctoral program and its students because it is a breakthrough in theological education."

05 January 2009