Central’s faculty spent concentrated time at Conception
Abbey this past weekend. Our annual
faculty retreat is the time when we take stock of all the ways we are pursuing
the academic mission of the seminary.
Our Provost and Associate Dean plan well and find ways to maximize the
time as we gather for business and for prayer with the Benedictine monks at the
Abbey. Leaders from other sites of
Central attend, and it is a constructive way to integrate our system more
fully.
Central’s
mission is to prepare leaders for seeking God, shaping church, and serving
humanity. It is an ambitious mission,
and one faculty member remarked that it seemed more like a movement than a
narrow academic pursuit. Our mission
statement deliberately articulates that seeking God undergirds ministry--in all
its forms. Spiritual formation is at the
heart of theological education, and the faithful witness of faculty members
models what seeking God looks like over a life time of Christian vocation. Every challenge is ultimately a question
about God’s presence and agency.
“Shaping church” reminds us that
the Body of Christ is a dynamic reality, and old forms must give way to the
transformation the Spirit evokes.
Baptist theologian McClendon taught us that doctrine is “what the church
needs to teach NOW in order to be the church.”
Thus, shaping church is about more than conserving “the faith once
delivered”; it is discerning the way the Gospel may take shape in the discrete
contexts of congregations, at this time. Our graduates enter ministry at a time
when many question the relevance of churches; their understanding of the how
congregations can be instruments of grace within God is larger mission is
essential.
“Serving humanity” takes many
forms, and ministry extends far beyond the walls of the church. In older days, the only persons who came to
seminary were preparing to be pastors, chaplains, or missionaries. Many of our
graduates will continue to serve in professions such as pharmacy, law,
occupational therapy, business, engineering, and education. They believe that their calling is to be
Christian in the workplace, and they shine their faith throughout their professional
lives. In addition, they provide the
leadership for churches who cannot afford to call a full-time pastor. These
leaders serve their communities in varied ways.
One of the strategic priorities for
Central is to hire and retain qualified and diverse personnel. As I looked around the room at the varied
ethnicities of our faculty, my heart rejoiced.
We are beginning to look like the global Body of Christ, as well we
should. God has set before us remarkable opportunities to fulfill our mission. Since 1901, God has continued to lead us to
prepare persons for Christian ministry in an ever-changing world. We pray for wisdom and courage “for the
facing of this hour.”
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares leaders for
seeking God, shaping church, and serving humanity.
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