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The
Urbacad Philosophy of Education
WHY uRBACAD?
Standard, institutionalized
theological education has been and continues to be greatly beneficial to
the life of the church in North America. But there are several weaknesses
inherent in our present system of Christian Education that are addressed
by the Urbacad model, making it a vital alternative for the Christian
community.
1. Seminaries are
capital intensive in terms of their...
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physical plant: the
need for buildings for classrooms, libraries, etc.
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financial cost to
students: Poor students have great difficulty in availing
themselves of the excellent seminary programs which exist, simply
because of the high tuition and fees.
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need for highly trained
faculty: In order to teach all the necessary disciplines, a
seminary must make a large financial investment to attract an adequate
teaching staff.
As a result, our seminaries
serve only a relatively few students, but at a greater cost per student.
2. Seminaries train on an
educational level which, by its nature, excludes many otherwise
able church leaders. All too often, such Christian leaders do not have a
bachelor’s degree, the typical educational prerequisite for seminary
training. This is especially true in urban and other multi-ethnic
settings.
3. Seminary training tends
to be culturally elitist, demanding that the student with a
different cultural perspective “mold” his thinking and his practice to
conform to the dominant culture. The United States, and particularly
the major American metropolitan areas, are becoming more ethnically and
culturally diverse. As a result, a static, dominant-culture training
program will become increasingly irrelevant.
4. On-site,
full-time seminary training tends to remove the student from the context
of her ministry, making it increasingly difficult for her to relate to
that context upon the completion of her training.
5. A great opportunity is
lost in taking someone out of his present sphere of ministry in order to
train him. Avenues of ministry which he may have traveled are abandoned,
while the life of the local church is adversely affected by the loss of
“one of their best.”
These remarks should not be
taken to imply that all seminary training in the “classic” sense is guilty
of these lapses, or that a “traditional” seminary will necessarily fall
into these traps. But Urbacad came into existence to complement the work
of traditional seminaries, and take solid theological training to those
who could never avail themselves of the opportunity to study on this high
level.
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key STANDARDS OF
URBACAD
1. Use the principles and
methodologies of TEE (Theological Education by Extension) to provide solid
leadership training to those who would otherwise be unable to further
their training in ministry.
2. Ensure that the training which they receive is...
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practical: living out
the truths that are learned, not just learning information for its own
sake.
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culturally relevant:
expressed in the language and cultural context in which the student is to
minister.
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flexible: able to be
expressed in the many different cultural settings which are present in our
modern, increasingly urban, society.
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accessible:
culturally, economically, logistically.
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solid: faithful to the
truths of the Bible, and useful in its content.
3. Emphasize the vital nature
of ministry through the local church. We feel that the church is something
that Christ instituted and is thus indispensable for the perpetuation of
his kingdom.
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METHODOLOGY OF URBACAD
As you can see, the learning
method we use is different from that used by most Bible schools and
institutes. Rather than studying doctrine, New Testament history and
geography, Bible study preparation, and counseling methods in different
classes, we integrate these disciplines into one course.
The student learns at home by
using a specially prepared series of workbooks (The Life of Christ).
Each week the student attends a two-hour seminar in a local church. The
group leader, often a former Urbacad student, leads a discussion time in
which the student sees, through role-play, discussion and other exercises,
how the things he has learned can be applied in his practical ministry. A
ministry assignment is given weekly so that the student gains experience
in using his newly developed ministry tools.
The Life of Christ
series consists of six books; a cadre of students complete one book each
13-week semester, with new semesters beginning in September and January.
Upon completion of this core program, the student is granted a diploma in
pastoral theology from Urbacad.
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:: URBACAD NEWS ::
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Theological Training
for the rest of us...
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