The Future Of Seminaries

I am currently sitting in a beautiful retreat center on the top of a massive hill in San Anselmo, California on the stunning campus of San Francisco Theological Seminary, a seminary of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

I have been invited here, along with 150 faith leaders, to be a part of the launch of the seminaries new Center for Innovation in Ministry, the newest effort of the seminary to prepare innovative Christian leaders to minister effectively in our rapidly evolving world.

I was first invited to SFTS back in March to be a part of a small group of Christian leaders from across the spectrum to discuss what exactly the future holds for the Church, in order to help SFTS formulate what this new center should be focusing on.

Since then, the Center has evolved and progressed and it is tremendously exciting to see the vision that was cast back in March to be coming into reality this week.

It is no secret that the Church is changing. Religions are changing. The world is changing.

As the various institutions of our culture are encountering these changes, it is exciting to see that a traditionally mainline seminary, which are typically well behind on the cultural trend, is leading the way in training Christians to be on the cutting edge of ministering in fresh ways to our world. The center’s mission has been stated as:

“To encourage faith communities to think and act creatively about how they can engage the world with the good news of the Gospel.”

SFTS says that this center is not merely another think-tank. Instead,

“It will be a “think, do and be” tank—a place where participants can:

Engage the power of the Holy Spirit in Personal renewal that feeds the soul and sparks the imagination.
Community formation through knowledge sharing, network building, communal worship and prayer.
Creative approaches to ministry through opportunity analysis, asset identification, skill development through coaching/mentoring, and support systems that encourage and challenge.
Research and development that tests theories about innovation, experiments with forms and models, breaks new ground, and disseminates learning.”

Now that’s clearly no small mission, but I honestly believe that if any seminary could accomplish this, San Francisco Theological Seminary can.

Led by the fabulous Rev. Sherri Hausser, the new Center is bringing together some of the most innovative minds in the world today in order to address the pressing issues that the Church is facing. For the launch of the center, SFTS has brought in Dr. Jane McGonigal, a leading speaker on the application of game-design to the real world.

A game designer? At a Seminary?!

I have to admit that when I first heard that the seminary had chosen a game designer to be the first speaker for the Center, I was a little more than skeptical.

But after listening to Jane’s innovative ideas on how to leverage the skills that 99% of young men and 97% of young women who are gamers in America (I know, I didn’t believe the stats at first either! But check them out here) and seeing how the room, filled with 150 faith leaders lit up as they began engaging with the principles that Jane presented and how they might be applied to their ministries, I became convinced that the Seminary had tapped in to something very unique.

Indeed, innovative.

Over the course of the two day launch event, participants were invited to engage in CoLabs, small group conversations and collaboration about how they might use the ideas that Jane had presented in their own ministry contexts, giving them a taste of what the Center hopes to do for its future students.

Along with the keynote address and the CoLabs were innovative worship experiences led by my friend Dr. Marcia McFee of Worship Design Studio. Dr. McFee’s worship experience consisted on participatory readings, live music, audio, video, dramatic portions, and set designs that enveloped the congregation in awe and wonder.

By the end of the opening worship service, you’d have thought that this mainline group had been turned in to Pentecostals. People were shouting “Amen!”, snapping fingers, clapping hands, and singing with all of their might. It was an all too rare yet glorious sight to see.

Now that these two days of celebrations have concluded, the Center for Innovation in Ministry begins the real work. The work “Creating a new kind of seminary, preparing women and men for ministry of peace, hope, and justice,” as described by President Jim McDonald.

As far as I know, SFTS is the first and only mainline seminary to launch a center specifically focused on helping to train a new generation of leaders to minister in our ever changing world. I am confident that the contributions that the Center will make to the Church and to the world are going to be plentiful and much needed.

In a time where the headlines continue to read “The Church is Dying!” San Francisco Theological Seminaries Center for Innovation in Ministry stands as a bold witness to the world to the fact that the Church will not die on their watch, and that it’s future will be one of bold innovation, unparalleled creativity, and unapologetic justice.

And that is something I hope the rest of mainline seminaries will take note of.

For more information about the Center for Innovation in Ministry, visit www.sfts.edu

For other attendees accounts of the Center’s launch event, check out: