Could this week get any busier at Central?! We have representatives from the Department
of Education here to review the school’s compliance in areas of student loans,
security on campus, recruitment, records, and financial services--to mention
some of the prominent areas.
At the same
time we are hosting the Association of Theological Schools for a comprehensive
accreditation visit. (We pray that don’t
have to come back for ten years!) Every aspect of the seminary is under
review. The visiting team assesses
Central according to the following standards:
1.
Purpose, Planning, and Evaluation
2.
Institutional Integrity
3.
Theological Curriculum: Learning, Teaching, and
Research
4.
Library and Information Resources
5.
Faculty
6.
Student Recruitment, Admission, Services, and
Placement
7.
Authority and Governance
8.
Institutional Resources
In addition, the team reviews the educational and degree
standards of the whole school, including the sites where Central is offering
excellent ministry preparation.
I consider this
an exercise in faithful stewardship.
Students, faculty, board members, alums, and field supervisors all give
accounting of Central’s fidelity to its mission and its effectiveness for
churches and communities.
The Hebrew Bible lectionary reading for Sunday recounts the
departure of Naomi and Ruth from Moab as they head toward a more hospitable
land to sustain their lives. Familiar to
us all is Ruth’s wonderful declaration of fidelity to her mother-in-law:
Where
you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my
people, and your God my God.
Ruth is willing to risk for the sake of keeping good-faith (hesed) with the
bonds she has forged with Naomi. Without knowledge of the horizon she is
embracing, she travels toward her providential intersection with the purpose of
God.
Central
is on such a journey of faith, also. We
believe that God has called us to new horizons in theological education, which
require new competencies for ministry.
As the ecclesial landscape growing ever more challenging, Central is
finding ways to equip learners to keep faith with congregations struggling to
find missional relevancy.
Practicing
fidelity requires that we not be “risk averse.”
Anything God calls us to is larger than we can accomplish in our own
strength. We lean into the wonderful
provision of God as we continue to form leaders for churches and communities
who make God’s care known in a groaning world.
We want “our God” to be welcomed through our faithful witness. Like Ruth, we trust God’s purpose will
continue to unfold in the life of Central.
Molly T.
Marshall
To learn more about Central as a formative, creative, and
progressive school of ministry, continue
visiting our website.
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