The Church and Theological Education1

Panel Discussion 59th Church Workers Convocation

Silliman University Divinity School, Dumaguete City

by Hope S. Antone2, EdD

Greetings of wellness and shalom to everyone! I am grateful for this opportunity to

join you in the 59th Church Workers Convocation of the Silliman University Divinity
School. Let me begin with my story of why and how I decided to enter the Divinity
School.

1. Looking Back – My Personal Story

After graduating from high school, forty-three years ago, I had a hard time deciding
on a field of study in the university. The reason was because I was interested in a few
fields. With the help of my sister who was a guidance counselor, I took a test at the
Guidance Center of Silliman University. The results showed that I was highly interested in
writing (journalism), religion (theology), and teaching (education). Thinking about it now,
several factors must have influenced my interests: (1) I was the editor of The Horn, the
Negros Oriental High School paper; (2) I was a Sunday Church School teacher at the
Dumaguete City UCCP; and then (3) I was the main writer and editor of Ang Kahayag, the
newsletter of the Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) of the UCCP-Negros District
Conference. I found meaning and satisfaction in these involvements that I wanted to
pursue the fields related to them.

However, I think my interests did not fit the criteria of a normal “calling” to the
ministry when I took the pre-enrolment interview at the SU Divinity School (SUDS). But I
was happy with the dean’s gentle advice for me then: “Why don’t you pursue a degree in
mass communication first, and then come back for the Master of Divinity program after

1
This presentation is for 31 August 2020 of the 59th Church Workers Convocation of the Silliman
University Divinity School.
2
Hope S. Antone earned her Doctor of Education (EdD) major in Religious Education from the Union
Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, USA; Master of Theology (MTh) major in New Testament
Studies from the Presbyterian Theological College and Seminary in Seoul, Korea; Master of Divinity (MDiv)
from the Silliman University Divinity School; and Bachelor of Mass Communication from the Silliman
University School of Communication. She has taught at Silliman University’s School of Communication and
Divinity School; Union Theological Seminary in Cavite; Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong; and
Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She served as executive secretary for Faith, Mission and Unity of
the Christian Conference of Asia and as editor of CCA News and CTC Bulletin. She was also a long-serving
editor of In God’s Image, a feminist theological journal of the Asian Women’s Resource Centre for Culture
and Theology. She is currently the Director of Faculty Development at the United Board for Christian Higher
Education in Asia, based in Hong Kong.

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that?” That advice by Dr. T. Valentino Sitoy, Jr. helped me to decide: I enrolled in the
School of Communication, and four years later, I enrolled in the Divinity School. Thinking
about it now, Dean Sitoy’s advice gave me plenty of time to reflect on and clarify my
interests and sense of ‘calling’.

I shared my story for three reasons. First, my story affirms the importance of
partnership between the local church and the seminary. We know that the seminary-local
church partnership is clearly shown through the support that home churches provide for
their students – e.g., through nomination/endorsement of students and scholarship
subsidies for their theological education. The partnership is also evident through the SUDS
Field Education Program where students are assigned to help/assist in the local church’s
ministry while they learn from their immersion in and experience of the church’s life. I
would add that the seminary-local church partnership actually goes long before the formal
theological education of the student begins. The partnership starts as the local churches
expose young people to various areas of the ministry. In my case, the Christian Youth
Fellowship and the Sunday Church School gave me opportunities for meaningful service
which sharpened my sense of purpose to the point that they influenced my interests and
career choices. Apart from the local church exposure to different areas of ministries, I
would also add that the families have a very important role in encouraging and supporting
the young people to develop and pursue their interests in view of serving the wider
community, i.e., for the greater common good.

Second, my story shows that ‘calling’ can be much broader than is traditionally
understood. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines calling as “a strong inner
impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of
divine influence.”3 The word ‘calling’ has been generally understood as the inner prodding
of the Holy Spirit to a life of vocation, i.e. the ordained pastoral ministry. Needless to say,
ensuring the succession of people for the ordained pastoral ministry is very important. In
my case, however, I felt urged to pursue Religious Communication and Christian
education which did not readily or necessarily lead to ordination. I remember seeing an
SUDS prospectus at the time, listing Religious Communication as one of the major areas,
but when I inquired about it I was told that the double-degree programs had been
discontinued. I later learned that one of the reasons for scrapping the double-degree
programs was because many of the graduates with double degrees ended up working in
areas other than the local church ministry. I served two local churches on a part-time
capacity while I was engaged in full-time teaching ministry at the university. Later I joined
the Christian Conference of Asia, a regional ecumenical organization, where I continued to
do Religious Communication and Christian Education not in a local church setting but in
the wider ecumenical movement. Through publications and various training programs for
3
Definition from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calling was accessed on 14 August
2020.

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church people and theological education students, I worked on communicating the wider
ecumenical vision of living together in God’s pluralistic household in Asia.

Some people pursue various areas of service before going into full-time church
ministry, which is like a second career for them. There are also some people who, after
serving in the ordained pastoral ministry, end up pursuing other areas of service (e.g.,
teaching, law, business, etc.). There are other people who prefer to serve in the ministry
without any thought or desire of getting ordained.

After my time with the CCA, I moved to working with a higher education institution,
and then to the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. Still I continue to be
involved in preaching at a local church, in doing Bible studies and providing ecumenical
training for various organizations. I believe that even though the paths are not the same for
everyone, the ministry is broad enough to include different gifts and services that different
people, lay or clergy, bring (e.g., I Corinthians 12:4-8; Acts 6:2-4), depending on the
opportunities that are presented to them.

Third, my story illustrates the value of doing theological education within a

comprehensive university setting. If the SU Divinity School had remained a stand-alone
Bible School, its program offerings would not have to be aligned with higher education.
Then theological education would not have been enriched by the general education
provided by the other disciplines. The introductory courses in the arts and sciences, the
pure and social sciences, and the extra-curricular activities – sports, student organizations,
volunteer programs that brought seminary students into contact with students from the
other colleges – constitute the basic foundation of a well-rounded liberal arts education.
Additionally, in my case, while I was doing undergraduate studies in mass communication,
I chose elective subjects in Religious Communication which brought me into contact with
a few Divinity School students. When I was in the MDiv program, a course called
‘Communication in Christian Education’ reconnected me to resources at the School of
Communication. Those experiences, academic and extracurricular, within my home school
or across the schools, were like the dots that slowly got connected and which prepared me
for deeper engagement in my chosen area of ministry. They were not so clear to me then
when I was a student. But looking back now, I can appreciate the breadth of a liberal arts
education in a comprehensive university. After all, theological education is part of the total
education for life – it has something to give to as well as take from the other disciplines
that are offered by the university as a whole.

2. Moving Forward – Expanding Church-Seminary Partnership

In thinking of moving “towards a century of faithful service,” I would like to propose

that we broaden our understandings of partnership, calling, and being a part of the
university.

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 ▪ The partnership between local churches and seminary remains vital. The local
churches’ role of selecting, inspiring and supporting students for the ministry remains
important. Before all that, however, we must recognize that the local churches are already
preparing, encouraging, and mentoring young people for various areas of the ministry
through the different programs and activities of the Christian Youth Fellowship, Sunday
Church School, Daily Vacation Church School, Bible Study, Choir, other interest groups,
etc. Aside from the local church, the families also play a major role in guiding the young
people to engage in activities that help them pursue their interests. Many families are
probably providing their young people in pursuing hobbies and extra-curricular activities.
But intentionally relating these to discipleship or living out the faith in service to the wider
community and for the common good may still be lacking.

Moving forward, our understanding of partnership needs to be broadened from just a

bilateral partnership between the local church and the seminary. It has to include the
seminary, the church, and the wider community. After all, the church is part of the
community which includes families, schools, business enterprises, GOs, LGUs, NGOs,
ethnic communities, faith communities, the natural environment, etc. The wider
community provides the realities of life that the church must be attending to as it is called
to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

A broadened church-community-seminary partnership signifies that theological

education does not happen at the seminary alone. Rather, theological education also
happens right in the field of life, in the midst of the people right where they are. This
means that the mentoring of seminary students is not the sole responsibility of
theologically trained academics. It is a shared responsibility with the practitioners in the
field, the leaders of the community, and the different stakeholders of education. This
broadened partnership affirms that the church exists not to serve itself but to serve the
wider community (John 3:16). Understanding the social issues in the community, and
knowing the assets and resources that are there to address the issues, is part of ministerial
formation. Indeed, the church alone cannot address issues and problems of the community.
The church must work with others in the community (Galatians 6:2) to address the shared
issues and challenges.

Universities in the network of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in
Asia (United Board) have realized the importance of campus-community partnerships,
knowing that learning does not only happen within the walls of the classroom. In fact,
universities have realized the importance of building partnerships with the local
communities and the industries as important training grounds for the students’
development. I think the seminary can learn from this. I wrote the following in an article
last year on ‘Synergizing Higher Education and Theological Education:’

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 “There is a need for synergizing higher education and theological education because
the challenges affecting the wider society are impacting education and all the
stakeholders – i.e., the institutions, the students and their families, the government
and related agencies, the communities and non-government groups, etc. Education is
not only the function of educational institutions but of the whole society.”4

▪ If our understanding of partnership is broader, then our understanding of calling

will also have to be broadened. The ordained pastoral ministry will remain important for
the life and work of the church. But it will not necessarily be the only path to the ministry.
Recognizing the different areas of service in the wider community, theological education
can demonstrate that lay ministry could be seen not only as the opportunity for the
unordained theologically trained person to be part of the church ministry within the church.
It could also be seen more broadly as the conscious engagement of the lay people in living
out their Christian discipleship in their own homes and families, their work places, and the
wider community. Let us think for a moment – what would happen if everyone consciously
thought of their own career or engagement as part of a calling to live out one’s faith
beyond the walls of the church? What would happen if the church engages in other areas of
ministry like interfaith ministry, peace and justice ministry, and health ministry, etc. that
could involve more lay members? With the emergence of new issues and challenges like
Covid-19 that we are facing right now, there may be more areas of ministry in which the
lay people could serve through their careers or their volunteer work. I am thinking of
ministries related to ecological sustainability, food security, or of cyber ministry, as
examples.
Moving forward, the seminary and local churches need to recognize and value the
different gifts and interests of young people who may wish to engage in areas other than
the ordained pastoral ministry. If the seminary and local churches could affirm these
various areas of service as part of the church’s multifarious ministry in the community,
then they could help encourage and guide young people to discern their calling. Nowadays,
career choices are often based on what profession gives the most pay. Program offerings in
the universities and colleges are also driven by the demand of the market – e.g., the
hospitals, the industries, etc. The building of God’s kindom (a relationship based on
kinship rather than that of a king and his subjects) on earth, exemplified through the life
and work of Christ Jesus, needs the contribution of those who follow Christ’s way, truth
and life. Affirming the diverse opportunities through which young people could serve
would help them clarify their interests and discern career choices. Becoming the best
farmer, fisherfolk, nurse, doctor, caregiver, lawyer, businessperson, engineer, teacher,

4
Hope S. Antone, “Synergizing Higher Education and Theological Education,” Ministerial Challenges in
Contemporary World: Toward a Transformative Theological Education, eds. Limuel Equina and Wati
Longchar, PTCA Study Series No. 19 (2019).

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parent, computer programmer, what have you, that is ever possible, is also a calling – to a
life of commitment as a follower of the Christ Jesus. Striving to be one’s best in whatever
field of service one is in as a way of living out one’s faith and discipleship is definitely a
noble calling.

▪ There is more to having the seminary as a part of a university. Doubtlessly, being

physically located on the university campus and being a part of the university structure and
budget are important. Having the degree program from an accredited university is an added
value. But more importantly, theological education could be a unique presence with special
contributions to the other units of the university. Perhaps, theological education can serve
as a resource on embedding faith, ethics and spiritual values in the various disciplines; or
on discerning one’s ‘calling’ to different fields of service or careers. At the same time,
theological education can be enriched by the other disciplines and their unique
contributions – e.g., psychology can deepen the understanding of human behavior and
inform pastoral care and counseling; the sciences can deepen the understanding of the
human body and better inform theologizing and counseling on life and death; finance
administration can help train would-be church workers to be better administrators cum
stewards of church properties, etc.

However, this mutual enrichment of disciplines is missing when departments remain

in their disciplinary silos. And unfortunately, this phenomenon of disciplinary silos that
characterizes higher education is also there in theological education. According to Ashish
Chrispal, today’s theological education is the product of the 18th century Enlightenment
which follows the paradigm of German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher who worked
hard for the church ministry education to be recognized by the university. “Acceptance by
academia led to the compartmentalized silos of Old Testament, New Testament, Theology,
History of Christianity, and Practical Theology, with a dimension of the study of
religions,” Chrispal wrote.5 Chrispa’s words affirm not only the existence of a silo
mentality but also a sense of hierarchy among the so-called departments. Isn’t it true that
those “departments” (subject areas) cited in Chrispal’s quote have more credit
requirements than those lumped together under the ‘Practical Theology’? Coming from the
Overseas Council of the United World Mission, Chrispal has bemoaned:

“The real danger we face in evangelical theological education today is that it is being
overtaken by academia, without the vision for mission and ministry. In many
countries such as Indonesia, South Korea, Philippines and Thailand, governments
have forced theological education to move into higher education or university

5
Ashish Chrispal, “The need for transformative pastoral training in the majority world,” in Restoring
Missional Vision in Theological Education, Lausanne Global Analysis (September 2019), Vol. 8, No. 5.

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 frameworks. This has dragged it further into academia, with an over-emphasis on
cerebral learning….”

In our work at the United Board, however, we see colleges and universities veering
away from an over-emphasis on cerebral learning to promoting whole person education.
The United Board describes whole person education as developing the person
intellectually, spiritually and ethically. Moving forward therefore, theological education
can learn from the new trends in higher education today. More educators are expanding
from the strictly discipline-based courses to interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
approach to teaching. More educators have realized that certain courses need to be
recalibrated to be more problem-based or phenomena-based. For example, a module on
“Resilience amidst a Pandemic” invites perspectives from many disciplines. The focus on
resilience could potentially equip learners to address not only the current problem but also
similar crises in the future. A statement by Dr. Cornelia Soto, an educator at Ateneo de
Manila University, at the Whole Person Education Academy is a good reminder: “Life is
multidisciplinary – so why is learning compartmentalized?”6

During this Covid-19 pandemic, the shift to online teaching is making universities
rethink their teaching delivery in view of the following realizations: (a) knowledge is now
available in everyone’s pocket, accessible 24/7; (b) production of knowledge is not
centralized in the university anymore; (c) dissemination of knowledge is not only through
in-person interaction anymore; (d) science, statistics, digital and other literacies are
important especially in view of the proliferation of fake information on social media. 7
Indeed, knowledge is readily available now for free in everyone’s pocket or gadget.
Seminaries and universities do not have the monopoly as sources or venues of knowledge
anymore.

As of now, we do not know when this pandemic will be over or when a vaccine will
be successfully discovered. But as many thinkers have said, the mode of online learning
will most likely continue into the future. Converting face to face teaching, worship, Bible
study, etc. into an online mode has its own challenges. Seminary educators need to work
together with other university educators in addressing such challenges.

3. Conclusion

6
Cornelia Soto, during the Whole Person Education Academy, a program of the United Board for
Christian Higher Education in Asia held at the Ateneo de Manila University, October 2018.
7
Factors a, b, c, and d were shared by Prof. Iwan Pranoto of Bandung Institute of Technology in
Indonesia in a webinar on “Integrating Whole Person Education in Online Environment” held on 12 August
2020.

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 I shared my story of why and how I entered the Divinity School as a springboard for
my suggestion to broaden our understandings of partnership, calling, and being located
within the university in order to move “towards another century of faithful service.”
Expanding church-seminary partnership to church-community-seminary partnership
acknowledges the role of many more stakeholders in the education of our young people.
Recognizing the role of the wider community will help us overcome the tendency to be too
church-centric in our ministerial formation and theological education. Broadening our
understanding of calling to be more inclusive of different types of ministry apart from the
ordained pastoral ministry opens more possibilities for our young people to be engaged in
various forms of service as part of living out their faith and discipleship. Being a part of a
comprehensive university places the SUDS in a unique situation where it can make its
presence and contribution more accessible to the other units in the university. At the same
time, the SUDS can also be enriched by the unique contributions from the other fields of
disciplines in the university and from the trends in higher education as a whole.

Mabuhay ang Silliman University Divinity School!