{"id":10613,"date":"2007-12-05T12:41:32","date_gmt":"2007-12-05T17:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=10613"},"modified":"2011-08-09T12:45:10","modified_gmt":"2011-08-09T17:45:10","slug":"5986","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/12\/05\/5986\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenge: How to Better Connect Seminaries, Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Stan Friedman<\/p>\n<p>CHICAGO, IL (December 5, 2007) &#8211; Theological  training has never been more important, and yet connecting seminaries  with the local church continues to present new and difficult challenges,  says Stephen Graham, who is leaving his position as dean of faculty and  professor of American church history at North Park Theological Seminary  (NPTS).<!--more--><br \/>\nHe will begin his new position as director of faculty  development and initiatives in theological education at the Association  of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) in January.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Graham\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/74\/2011\/08\/Graham.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"291\" \/>The  membership organization of more than 250 graduate schools accredits  those institutions and approves their degree programs while seeking to  expand and deepen educational opportunities. In his new position Graham  will lead several faculty development and grant programs.<\/p>\n<p>Graham  joined the NPTS faculty in 1988 and has served in his current role since  1997. His published works in relation to the Evangelical Covenant  Church have included writing on the Pentecostal and charismatic  movements and their relationships to the denomination. The articles were  written as part of a project on \u201cPentecostal Currents in the American  Church,\u201d sponsored by the Institute for the Study of American  Evangelicals.\u00a0 His centennial history of North Park Covenant Church,  located in Chicago, is nearing completion.<\/p>\n<p>Graham\u2019s combination of administrative, teaching, and church historian experience will help in his new role, Graham says.<\/p>\n<p>As  an administrator, Graham is knowledgeable about the challenges  associated with\u00a0 offering and receiving a theological education. He says  the seminary training is important to help ministers deal with the  pastoral challenges posed by expanding and increasingly complex ethical,  economic, and political issues. Technology and trade also have brought  the global society closer to home.<\/p>\n<p>More churches are having to  minister in communities that are experiencing an increase in the number  and kinds of faith traditions, Graham notes. For example, Buddhist  temples and Muslim mosques are now being built in small rural towns, as  well as large cities. Seminary training will better equip pastors to  maintain a \u201cfirm commitment\u201d to the gospel while working together with  clergy of other faiths, Graham adds.<\/p>\n<p>Theological schools also  help denominations interact with the modern culture while remaining  faithful to their roots, Graham says, adding, \u201cSeminaries are key  carriers of identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly, however, churches &#8211;  especially larger congregations &#8211; are choosing to train from within  rather than require seminary training. The history professor notes,  however, that \u201cthere\u2019s always been an ongoing tension between the church  and the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ATS is developing means by which local  pastors and the seminary faculty can work together. \u201cSitting down  together will remove some of the stereotypes,\u201d Graham says. \u201cIf we\u2019re  not serving the church, then we\u2019re wasting our time,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe  Making Connections Initiative is a major way in which North Park  Theological Seminary is addressing the issue,\u201d Graham says. The  initiative is funded by a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment and  has enabled programs that include Pastors in Residence. As part of the  program, ministers from local congregations spend a week at school  teaching classes, studying and sharing insights with faculty.<\/p>\n<p>Graham  also is concerned that people who want to attend seminary have the  opportunity. The cost of a theological education has been a barrier for  many people, especially minorities and ministers in a bi-vocational  setting, he says.<\/p>\n<p>Graham\u2019s work in church history will be a major  benefit in his new job, he says. \u201cI\u2019ve always been fascinated with the  whole church,\u201d he explains. That breadth of understanding should help  him in working with the various theological understandings among the  different institutions.<\/p>\n<p>He hopes to model the same attitude as  Philip Schaff, the theologian and church historian who was the subject  of his dissertation. \u201cHe was broadly ecumenical as is Martin Marty (his  dissertation advisor).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Graham never envisioned his future would  include being an administrator, not even at the seminary. \u201cI don\u2019t think  any professor who has this position ever does,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Although he looks forward to his new position, leaving North Park is bittersweet, Graham adds. \u201cIt\u2019s been a fun run.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the Making Connections Initiative, directed by Mary Miller, visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.northpark.edu\/sem\/mci\/\" target=\"_blank\">Making Connections website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-report-this\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire?moderation_action=report_form&#038;object_type=post&#038;object_id=10613&#038;width=250&#038;height=300\" class=\"thickbox\" title=\"Report This Post\">Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Stan Friedman CHICAGO, IL (December 5, 2007) &#8211; Theological training has never been more important, and yet connecting seminaries with the local church continues to present new and difficult challenges, says Stephen Graham, who is leaving his position as dean of faculty and professor of American church history at North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS). [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Challenge: How to Better Connect Seminaries, Churches - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/12\/05\/5986\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Challenge: How to Better Connect Seminaries, Churches - Covenant Newswire Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Stan Friedman CHICAGO, IL (December 5, 2007) &#8211; Theological training has never been more important, and yet connecting seminaries with the local church continues to present new and difficult challenges, says Stephen Graham, who is leaving his position as dean of faculty and professor of American church history at North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS). 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