Proper theological education is of strategic importance for the future of Christianity. So is ecumenical formation for the future of active Christian cooperation, says a world report on the future of theological education.
The key issues were highlighted by Dr Dietrich Werner, coordinator of the Ecumenical Theological Education programme of the World Council of Churches (ETE/WCC), and expressed in a World Study Report on Theological Education released in Nairobi recently.
The 90-page report subtitled "Challenges and Opportunities for Theological Education in the 21st Century – Pointer for a New International Debate on Theological Education" was produced by an international study group as part of the Edinburgh 2010process during the last 12 months.
The world report on theological education – as well as accompanying papers – is available in a shorter and an extended version. It includes case studies on various regions of the world and key recommendations for the future of theological education.
The report states that "theological education is the seedbed for the renewal of churches, their ministries, and their commitment to the unity of the church. If theological education systems are neglected or not given their due prominence, over the following decades the church will experience a decline in the competence of church leadership and in their capacity for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and for dialogue between church and society."
Read full newsbrief on: http://ekklesia.co.uk/node/10778
See the World Study Report on Theological Education, long version:
http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p5/ete/ETE-WCC%20&%20WOCATI%20November%2009.pdf
or the shorter version:
http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p5/ete/E2010_summary_World_Study_Report11_2009.pdf
