"They Didn't Teach Me That at Bible College" : Why Both/And Matters

“They didn’t teach me that at Bible college.”

It’s a phrase you’ll often hear as a critique of formal theological training: either a complete rejection of it or, more frequently, an evaluation of its limitations. This is often based on an implicit assumption that theory and practice can be neatly separated, with formal study focused on the former and on-the-job training taking care of the latter. (And there are some models of seminary training for which that might be a valid characterisation!) If left unchallenged, this can foster a training culture in which formal learning is minimised, in favour of a more apprenticeship-style model.

So, in typical Morling style, let me argue passionately for a “both/and.” 

Formal training without apprenticeship

Firstly, formal training without some kind of apprenticeship can be limited in its effectiveness. 

Of course, there is value in having students spend three years full-time living and learning together, honing their theological understanding, supporting one another to learn biblical languages, and building supportive relationships that will endure a lifetime of ministry. 

However, if there is little opportunity during those years to put theory into practice in a supervised traineeship, practical learning is less likely to be valued and embedded, with graduates emerging under-prepared for the realities of ministry. (Denominations whose seminaries opt for this model will often wisely insist on an apprenticeship in the years that precede or follow.) 

A generational change is also taking place in theological education. Across the Western world, more students are studying part-time, commuting to lectures or attending online, with their primary community of believers being their home church. (This is largely driven by financial imperatives, with fewer being able to afford to study full time and live near campuses. Yet it also enables people outside capital cities to remain in their life and ministry context while being trained.)

This change means an even greater need for apprenticeship, with local churches and leaders taking a greater role in spiritual and ministry formation of students. Without in any way abdicating our responsibility in this area, Morling is facing this reality by more intentionally resourcing our churches and pastors to take a key role in formation. 

Apprenticeship without formal training

Secondly, apprenticeship without any formal training also has significant limitations. 

Without intentional external input, there is the danger that trainees will merely become clones of their mentor. This may work well to equip them for ministry within their home church or a similar context, but those skills and ways of doing ministry may not transfer easily to new contexts.

Formal training provides a good counterbalance, ensuring exposure to people and ideas that come from outside the student’s theological and church cultural circles. This can prove invaluable in learning how to get along with people who may differ on secondary theological issues or who have very different yet legitimate models of “doing church.”

This wider perspective extends through both time and space, as formal study guides students in how to understand and evaluate ideas and theologies they may never have encountered from history or from other parts of the Christian world—until suddenly they do encounter them in ministry. 

There is a similar need with ministry across cultures, which in twenty-first century Australia is all of our contexts. Formal training can provide a framework for understanding other cultures, building cultural intelligence, and communicating effectively.

Theological education also equips students to respond to new theological challenges their mentor may not have faced. New cultural phenomena appear at a rapid rate. Just in my ministry lifetime I’ve seen: the rise of social media; increased political polarisation; changes to assumptions about gender and sexuality; a mental health crisis; a global pandemic; and the dawn of Artificial Intelligence. 

I didn’t learn about any of that in Bible college! But I was given the theological tools and critical thinking skills drawn from the past two millennia of Spirit-inspired learning. If our future leaders are to respond theologically and pastorally to the challenges of their era, they need to be similarly equipped.

Formal training and apprenticeship

Formal training and apprenticeship need each other. Just like apprentice electricians attend TAFE while learning on the job from experienced sparkies. Apprenticeship helps students put their training into practice while they’re learning about it. 

I found this to be true throughout my own pastoral training at Morling.

As a young pastor, when I was called upon to perform my first funeral, understanding theory about the stages of grief and pastoring a grieving family was as invaluable as having a far more experienced team member “ride along” with me. In those moments, theory and practice connected; I understood what I was doing and why.

Practical theory—and no, that’s not an oxymoron!—can sow seeds that grow later. What I learnt in leadership class about church sizes and dynamics primed me to see patterns that I may not have spotted otherwise. Theory helped me make sense of my experience and what I can learn from it for the next time.

And I also learnt a bunch of skills on how to respond to all of those situations in ministry where I found myself saying, “they didn’t teach me that at Bible college!”