The Future of Theological Education

In Word and Work: An Intersection, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer talks all things seminaries and theological education with Dr. Daniel Aleshire, former executive director of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), one of the Seminary’s accrediting agencies. Aleshire is the author of the new book, Beyond Profession: The Next Future of Theological Education. The two men talk about the history of theological schools in the United States and what the future looks like for them. “Pastors need more education now than they ever have,” Aleshire says. “The job is harder. The task is more complex. There is complexity within congregations as well as within the culture about religion. But there is less time and money to get an indefinite amount of education.” He also notes the continuing education aspects of theological education. “Theological education can’t be a one and done anymore,” Aleshire says. “Too much is changing over time. What prepared you to begin in ministry is not going to prepare you for 10 years into ministry or 20 years into ministry.”

You can download the episode in video (mp4) or audio (mp3) format at the Word and Work Scholar page: https://scholar.csl.edu/wordandwork/100/.