I was sitting in my office in mid-May, writing thank you letters to donors, when the phone rang.
“This is Jordana Hochman from Morning Edition. I was referred to you by the Association of Theological Schools.”
“Well, what can I do for you?”
“I have a question. Depending on your answer, I may want to interview you.”
“So?”
The essence of her question: “Well, since the mainstream churches are dying–declining, at least– and not hiring new clergy, what are your graduates going to do?”
“First, our graduates will do what they have always done–the great majority will go and serve and lead as pastors, educators, and scholars for local churches, many of which by the way are thriving. God’s Word and God’s work are being faithfully proclaimed and engaged, just as in every generation since the resurrection of Jesus.”
“Is there a disconnect between congregations and seminaries? Isn’t your enrollment declining?” she asked.
“No. On both counts. Our faculty members are all deeply involved in local church life. Members of the faculty ordained as pastors who have joined us since 1994 when I arrived have an average of nine years of experience leading local congregations. That is more experience on average than when I was a student here in the mid-sixties!
“We will have 104 degrees received–that’s more than average for the last score of years at least. I understand several of our partner seminaries in the Presbyterian Church have increased enrollments and graduations now, too.”
I proceeded to tell her about some of the recent graduates and some of the congregations they serve. I spoke of the heavy requirements in this and many other Presbyterian seminaries–both Hebrew and Greek language, lots of Bible, theology, history, ethics, worship, mission, and focus on skills for ministry such as teaching, evangelism, leading worship, and giving pastoral care.
People come to seminary because God calls them, and about half those in our basic training for pastors in Richmond are first career, about half come for a second career, as does the majority in our other programs including the new extension, Union-PSCE at Charlotte, and the extensive Christian education program we offer now both in Richmond and in Charlotte.
She called back and we talked a longer time–about the fact that Union-PSCE has over recent years become more selective in admissions, and women as well as men have entered all forms of ministry at every level, how faculty members here are highly productive and teach academically demanding courses, and how the men and women who come for school here could easily make more money in other professions, but sense God’s call to serve the church. I explained that we were not unique in these achievements, and indeed most other Presbyterian seminaries and a number of schools that prepare ministers and educators are thriving.
We talked about congregations in which students and graduates serve. Some are not as big as once they were, but many are growing in numbers as well as in the life of the Spirit. I explained that most Presbyterians join a congregation now, not a denomination. Many Presbyterian congregations have had, and others are developing, a sense of mission appropriate to their contexts–engaging in outreach and evangelism, social witness and pastoral care with zeal and effective outcomes.
We even talked about the Seminary Board of Trustees, how they continue excellent governance handed on from previous generations of leaders. I told her about the challenges Board members gave me when I arrived–to merge schools and start new programs, how we are doing what we can to reform curricula, offer extension and other modes of delivery.
It’s a complex story of growth and decline in demography and geography; and a wonderful story of flourishing churches, and seminaries vibrant and efficient in preparing men and women to lead the churches.
At Union-PSCE, the number of students preparing as pastors and educators has increased more than 20% in the past five years, the percentage of racial minority students even more than that.
“Look,” I told her in conclusion, “Thanks for the conversation. I hope you can get this story, because it’s not the one that is told.”
“We do want to interview you on Morning Edition,” she told me. We set the time two days later and reserved space at the local radio station. The next morning she called again to cancel. “The producers say this is not a national story.”
Now this meditation is not a complaint about the media today. Lord knows Morning Edition and all the rest of CPB has its hands full right now! And they try to do a responsible job of getting stories to us, even if they are about the fact that Sherpas can carry more than they weigh, features on the “tear downs” in Cape Cod–things like that.
It’s rather a plea for us to reframe consideration of the meaning and visibility of Reformed theological education and seminary programs (not to mention Presbyterian church life more broadly). Media, even responsible media, cannot fit us in their “stories” the way they used to do. Even the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denominational offices can no longer locate us properly, for we are concerned with global ministries, national ministries and congregational ministries, all three divisions of assembly work.
Reformed theological education at its best is providing today what it has always provided–serious study concerning the Bible (requiring competence in, if not mastery of, both Greek and Hebrew), serious theology both from Reformed thinkers and those in other parts of the Christian family, and deep explorations of preaching, ethics, teaching, history, pastoral care, evangelism, worship, mission, church leadership, and other areas of knowledge and skill.
Seminaries provide preparation for ministry for pastors and educators, chaplains and missionaries. We also provide excellent sustenance for those in ministry who call upon our resources–excellent libraries, first-rate educational events, and professional degree and certification programs. Our faculties are resource-full for the Church and the churches, as I tried to tell the reporter. And seminaries are extremely knowledgeable of and vitally interdependent with local congregations throughout the denomination.
Presbyterian seminaries are thriving. Reformed theological education is healthy. Of course severe challenges confront the seminaries as well as the church. What else is new?
Louis B. Weeks is President of Union Theological Seminary-PSCE, in Richmond, Va.
