I appreciate Scott Sunquist’s challenge to theological education. Everything he writes rings true to this middle-aged parson educated in the early 1980s.

Is there a seminary or a program to help retool old guys like me? I was educated in a Christendom model: spend 20 hours researching and preparing a good sermon, get a catchy topic for the sign out front, and everything else will take care of itself. Even then I suspected there was more involved, but until at least the early 1990s I could still count on people showing up for Sunday School or special church events or a midweek Bible study.

One 15-minute sermon a week does not come close to competing with CSI, People, Facebook, high school sports, and all the other influences that shape their understanding of the world, and most North American Protestants will not show up for anything other than that Sunday morning sermon. The Christians I have known do not want to talk about their life in Jesus in the produce aisle at the grocery store or at their daughters’ volleyball game.

Yet I recognize the sincere desire to be disciples. When Youth Connection starts on a Bible story, we often do not have time to play a silly game, because the young people are so into God. Session members participate in serious discussion about faith during our monthly meetings and do not act as though it’s a waste of time. Christians want to be disciples, and want me to help them be disciples. So I hope that our seminaries can not only be converted to help new pastors serve the church of the twenty-first century, but also help retool us older ones who do not want simply to coast into retirement, but make disciples as well.
 
Robert A. Keefer, pastor

Westminster Church

Clarinda, Iowa