We pick up the series evaluating Driscoll’s 18 obstacles to effective evangelism in Australia:
11. You call the trained not train the called. The Holy Spirit makes you elders over the flock. Other elders are to test and approve leaders. Ministry should begin with callin from the Holy Spirit. If anyone desires the office of overseer it is a noble task. Part time training options are better. 4 years at Moore College will only work for some and can lead to an idealism and self righteous criticism by those who don’t know what ministry is. Colleges need alternative delivery system for theological education. SOmetimes (ie when you are learning from real life ministry) you don’t know what you know then you are more teachable. [these are my notes from the day - please do listen to the talk]
I think Driscoll is wrong with his ‘calling’ language – I share the same kind of concerns as Sandy Grant at Sola Panel where this very issue is discussed at length.
I think theological education is very important for ministry – if they are not formative for your minister then something is very wrong with your college of your minister. Churches and denominations can go badly off track when their colleges stop training people with sound doctrine.
Driscoll is right in calling for flexibility in how that vitally important education is delivered though. This would also let us think about recruiting people from different backgrounds who may find it difficult to train full time for four years. Moore College has changed remarkably over the years as has the enviroment graduates minister to – but more reform is needed.
Another huge impetus for reform of theological education is the new global online learning enviroment. Could we help GAFCON & the communion by putting training online?
October 19, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I think people have got too hung up on his “calling” language. I’m pretty certain his point was this –
When there is a ministry gap we find someone who has been trained and put them there. Instead, we should find the right guy for the job, and provide him with the additional training that he needs to get the job done (training the called).
October 19, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Well, I didn’t want to add to what was already much discussed.
I do think he means more by it than you suggest. I think I’m being fair to Driscoll to say he would see the Holy Spirit’s call to ministry in a particular setting as essential to confirm your equipping and sustain you for the long run. So he talks about how God told him audibly that he was to marry Grace, start a church, train young men… & that without that calling he wouldn’t still be doing it. He wouldn’t say it has to be audible for everyone but he would look for that subjective call.
While I wouldn’t for a moment deny MD’s experience of the call, I would question whether Scripture sets it up as a necessary pre-condition for everyone to do ministry.
October 20, 2008 at 5:31 am
Personally I thought nitpicking about his calling language was a way of diluting his impact and showed a rather petty defensiveness; and I was disappointed with that post, though when I said that on solapanel my comment wasn’t accepted. NEver mind.
Michael: in what ways ought Moore reform? What specifically ought we do to get going on this? Love to hear it!
October 20, 2008 at 8:46 am
How should Moore reform? Driscoll is on the money when he talks about flexibility for the sake of the mission. So the 4 year track will work well for many & shouldn’t be compromised. But there needs to be greater flexibility.
Let me make 3 suggestions on the flexibility line:
1. Do whatever it takes to train Mandarin speakers – this would make an enormous difference on the ground. I don’t know what changes that requires but talk to the Chinese powers that be and find out how to do this
2. Give a part time option for some (church planters/early retirees) which uses the existing lectures but takes longer to complete. Maybe entry to 2nd year on basis of Greek & Hebrew exam & PTC (like how Youthworks can get in now), a 2nd & 3rd year spread out over 4 years & then a part time 4th year/Masters. The argument against this is the loss of communal learning. I don’t buy that – there isn’t enough accomodation for it to be residential – people form their own networks regardless of residence.
3. Release some lectures/materials online & make it free.
October 20, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Whilst I do think we should “sure-up” our terminology, I’m also concerned that as we do so others will be out there saying,
Or maybe it might be an excuse for people to not do anything,
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Looking at the larger, missional picture: I’m not sure Moore College needs to reform…
To me “reform” suggetsts they might be doing something wrong, where I fear they might only be guilty of being diluted. There is a “shadow of a stigma” around training for ministry that there is only “one kind” and unless you have trained for it at Moore then you might be considered “second best”. Now, I have no doubt that Moore themselves would be the first to stand against such nonesense. But perhaps there is “something” in that feeling. Could it be that we are asking too much of Moore? Are all our eggs going in to 1 basket?
I see a huge void between doing a 2WTL (etc) training courses and a 4 year Degree. I think we’re at risk of “over qualifying” God’s people for the task God has laid out for all his people. Instead, I might suggest we leave Moore as it is so it can continue to be an excellent Anglican Clergy training facility. And let’s invest in building other training “capacities” that might better meet the large need that is out there. What about Diploma and Certificate-level training (assuming we actually need a “piece of paper” to do God’s work). What about 1,3 or six month courses. What about taking the PTC (as it used to be known) and turn it in to something to train people locally in Churches and Bible Studies/Home Groups(like missionaries do). What about online courses that people can complete in their own time.
There’s a world of opportunity to explore, let’s not just rely on “ol’ Faithful”…
October 20, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I guess we need to look at who is not being trained and why not. Leave the current system as is – we beneftit from the leadership and teaching every day. Our church (in Canberra) is blessed with gifted and capable leaders who have natural abilty and good, strong training (mostly from Moore, although we are not Anglican). I agree with Cliff about the chasm between the ‘trained’ and ‘non trained’. I would love the opp to study the PTC in a formal way with others (tried doing it alone but that type of learning doesn’t work for me:) ). I’d love to use ‘my time’ (which is all God’s anyway) to learn alongside others…but some of the impetus could be on me to get a group together or ask my pastoral staff. We can only spoon feed opportunities so much… One of our probs here in Canberra is that (deep breath) if you want a sound theological education, you need to leave. Taking PTC out to the ‘masses’ in Canberra, Bathurst, Blayney, Mount Isa, Young, Cootamundra and on and on…would be an effective way for remoter areas to train their people without losing them (like missionaries train the people where they are..).
October 29, 2008 at 9:41 am
Sorry, I also posted this in another post. And as I don’t know how to remove it from there I’ll jusr add it here as this is where it would be “more at home”…
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In my readings I came across this “organisation” (for lack of a better word).
Now, I don’t know exactly how it works, or how our “theology” might cope with such an idea but I thought at least this is one way of creatively tackling the problem…
Anyway, see what you think: http://www.wordandworld.org/
November 17, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Well I hadn’t heard that little aphorism before, though I’ve been advocating it for 40 years, and Roland Allan was advocating it 60 years before that.
Of course you need to train the trainers as well.
November 17, 2008 at 5:44 pm
[...] to Comments In a post on evaluating Driscoll’s 18 obstacles to effective evangelism in Australia, Michael Kellahan writes (paraphrasing Driscoll): You call the trained not train the called. The Holy Spirit makes you [...]