The Alban Institute Releases Special Report on Transition into Ministryby Staff
September 9, 2008
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- For years religious leaders have debated the strategies for effectively preparing seminary students for ministry. Even though congregational (or clinical) work in pastoral ministry is widely regarded as invaluable to pastoral formation, academic study and established curricula remain the primary context for thinking about the teaching and learning of ministry.
A new report from the Alban Institute in Washington, D.C. calls attention to a promising set of recent experiments conducted by the Fund for Theological Education's Transition into Ministry Program (TiM). Began in 1999 through funding from Lilly Foundation Inc., the TiM initiative seeks to reshape the preparation of pastors for the challenges of 21sth century ministry by supplementing the seminary training received in the M.Div. program with a focused apprenticeship in a "community of practice."
In 2005 the Alban Institute, which has worked on this challenge of helping new pastors make the transition from seminary to pastoral leadership since the 1980's, was invited by Lilly Endowment Inc. to look over the shoulders of more than more than 30 project teams, 700 beginning pastors, a variety of denominational and judicatory leaders, several seminaries, thousands of congregation members, clergy and staff, evaluators, and program coordinators involved in this initiative to learn more about this effort and to share early discoveries with religious leaders.
Based on the assumption that pastors will be better prepared to lead congregations when they have had the opportunity to become reflective participants in a local community of practice, the TiM studies seek to counter a two- centuries-long trend of viewing pastoral preparation as something that is largely completed upon graduating from seminary.
This Alban Institute's special report, Becoming a Pastor-- Reflections on the Transition into Ministry, written by James P. Wind and David J. Wood identifies some of the motivating concerns that gave rise to this effort and highlights significant discoveries that can lay the groundwork for long-term, systemic change in the way people are prepared for practical pastoral leadership.
About the Transition into Ministry InitiativeThe Transition into Ministry initiative is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and coordinated through the Fund for Theological Education. Visit
www.transitionintoministry.org to learn more about the individual Transition into Ministry programs and explore resources that support new pastors and their mentors. To download a copy of the Alban Institute's report visit
www.alban- transitionintoministry.org.
Authors
Reverend Dr. James P. Wind is president of the Alban Institute and a prominent voice in the wider conversation about the role of religion in America and the value of congregations.
David J. Wood has been the coordinator of the Fund for Theological Education's Transition into Ministry Program since January 2002 after completing a three- year term as associate director of the Louisville Institute, a Lilly Endowment program for the study of American religion based at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
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