Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary : 1999 Seminar

Forming a Community of Learning for Ministry
in a Climate of Change

Just as Dean Alex Dunn is about to make another overdue call, his secretary interrupts him. "Do you have time to see Jean Williams?"1 "Sure," the dean replies.

Jean enters and lets out a frustrated sigh. "Things don't seem to be clicking with me yet. I finally found someone to take Patricia early enough to make my theology class on time in the morning, but - well - I just don't feel like anyone really cares about helping me find my way around in this place."

"I can see that you are frustrated," Alex replies. "How are your classes going?" "Well . . . today I went into my Old Testament class and Dr. Simmons gave us a pop quiz. It figures. Every other day I had done almost all my reading. But for today I had done nothing. Patricia hasn't been sleeping well, I'm dealing with this custody suit, and, well, who really cares about all this stuff anyway? My theology class is OK but why do Methodist students have to take two systematic theology classes? In the Methodist church we emphasize practical ministry. And anyway, Wesley wasn't a systematic theologian, he was a preacher."

The dean laughs. "Yeah, but some people think the reason he preached so well is that he knew an awful lot about the Bible, and theology! You might be interested in knowing, Jean, that Methodists aren't the only ones who wonder how what they learn here applies to ‘real life' ministry. Other students have asked that same question. Here's what I always say: ‘think of it this way; if you don't get biblical and historical and theological knowledge here, where will you get it?' By the way, "have you ever looked at the Perkins Seminary catalogue? ‘Their course requirements are really not that different from ours."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just hard to see how it all ‘fits together' from this side of the degree . . . I like history class, it seems pretty straightforward. Worship class is a little weird, though. It's so ‘Presbyterian' and liturgical, and not as spiritually satisfying as I had hoped."

"You know," the dean responds, "ever since I came here we have had conversations as a community and as a faculty, about how to address ‘spirituality.' We have had spirituality groups . . . which, for various reasons, were eventually discontinued. We've just started a ‘spirituality certificate' program in our ConEd department, but are still thinking through how we can handle this issue for our M.Div. and M.A. students. To tell you the truth, on some days I just want to ask some students: ‘are you going to church?' The thing is, no matter how well we do in relation to spirituality, we don't claim to replace the church, and couldn't even if we wanted to!"

"Well, I don't want to give you the wrong idea . . . basically, things are going OK for me, it's just that I am so busy and seminary is not what I expected. I didn't think classes would be so huge - sometimes I feel more like a ‘number' than like a person! This place seems to be more for students who can study full time, not single parents who can barely keep up with what's going on. For example, I have no idea what I am supposed to do about intensive Hebrew this January. Am I expected to study round the clock? Everything is structured for a certain type of person, and I'm not that person."

"Well, Jean, I am concerned whenever a student is feeling ‘left out' or excluded. What I want to say clearly is that we value you and the contribution you have to make around here; but we do have a lot of diversity at this place, and it is impossible to accommodate everyone's schedule. Having said that, please know that you are crucial to who we are at A.P.T.S."

"That's good to hear . . . I really have learned a lot from the different kinds of people here. The other day one of the students from Nairobi taught us a Kenyan chorus. I found myself humming the tune of it again this morning."

"I think it's great, Jean, when students from different traditions, have the opportunity to teach each other. Please keep working on those relationships. After all, we want you to have a certain ownership in your education. We want you to take your share of responsibility in making your educational experience work. In that regard, it might also help to hook up with others who share your concerns."

"Yeah, a few of us single parents talk about getting together, but we can never seem to find the time; well, I'm hoping that things will get better as time goes on."

"I'm sure they will. There are some exciting conversations taking place during your tenure here! You might have heard that we have just completed our self-study,2 and that we're working on a Master Plan that will guide what we do for the next ten to fifteen years! We're also getting ready for a curriculum review. As a faculty, we are committed to our current goals, but we are looking for better ways both to maintain our Reformed heritage and be open to the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. And we want students to have a voice in shaping the future of our school. Remember when we met on that planning day last term?"3

(Jean clearly does not share the dean's excitement about the master planning process. Her focus is on her own survival at A.P.T.S., not on shaping A.P.T.S. for the future). "I don't really know much about it," she says, half-heartedly. "I think that was the day my car was in the shop."

"I really regret that you missed that planning day, because we want to think about ways to make the delivery system of our curriculum more effective. We realize that community-building for all different types of students is a major issue for us."

"I'm glad to know you're thinking about commuter students. I waste so much time to drive in and out every day, especially when I hit bad traffic. I'm thinking that maybe I should move into an apartment on campus. It'd be a bit of a shock to move out of a house into a little apartment, and Patricia would have to move to a different day-care center, but lots of people say it's worth it.4 I guess I'll just have to keep praying and thinking through different ways to adjust. Thanks for talking with me." Jean gets up to leave. Alex rises and shakes her hand.

"Thank you for coming in and sharing this with me. We are doing a lot of thinking these days about what our core values are and what kind of seminary we want to be to meet the changing needs of the church, and I want you to know that everyone's contribution to this discussion helps."

As Jean leaves, the dean's assistant Barbara tells him that Mark Johns, a middler Missionary Baptist student, had stopped by to speak with him and had instead left a note. Barbara also reports that she had received a call from the Office of Vocation and Admissions saying that Presbyterian ordination exam scores are in, and they are very low this time. The dean is disturbed by this news.

He takes the note from Mark Johns and goes back to his office, trying to get a handle on why this has happened. Could the scores be a "fluke"? Why have they gone down the last couple of times? Is there a curricular issue that needs to be addressed? Or is possible that a more complicated matter is in play? Alex had voiced the concern that, in trying to meet the diverse needs of the student body, the seminary's commitment to training clergy for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was being compromised.

Still muddling over the scores, the dean tears open the student's note and reads:

"Dean Dunn:

I just think you ought to know that today I was a victim of racism on the A.P.T.S. campus. I know you pride yourselves on openness, but things only seem to be ‘open' when we can manage to fit in. Once again, I was left out of a study group5 because I am black, and don't ‘act' white enough. And they always make such lame excuses, like: ‘Oh . . . we have too many people in our group already!' which I know aren't true. There are a lot of us around that believe this situation needs to be addressed and are looking to your leadership.

Yours in Christ's service,
Mark Johns"6

Dean Alex Dunn leans back on his chair and reflexively offers a prayer for wisdom. Is Mark's experience a simple encounter with prejudice? Or is it also another manifestation of the difficulties inherent to trying to live together in one community with all of our diversity? A.P.T.S. is really comprised of multiple communities, each with distinctive strengths and needs. How can we be all this, the dean wonders, if we can at all? And how can we plan to minister to the student body of 2010 when we can hardly keep up with the diversity of needs now?

Endnotes

1 This is the third time Jean has stopped by the dean's office in the last month. Jean is a single, divorced, late 30s mother of two children, a girl (3) and a boy (7). She is a member of the United Methodist Church. For the last 10 years the percentage of Methodist students at APTS has ranged from 25%-30%. In that same period, the number of degree students who live off campus has increased from a handful to about 25%.

2 For our accrediting agency, the Association of Theological Schools (A.T.S.).

3 In the fall, semester classes were called off and every member of the seminary community (including all employees) were invited to partake of a discussion about the core values of the seminary and what concerns/hopes each person had about the future direction of the seminary.

4 A.P.T.S. has an adequate supply of apartments on campus for the size of its student body. They are in good shape overall and the rent is heavily subsidized.

5 Johns is referring to ad hoc, informal study groups formed (self-selectively) by students.

6 Mark Johns is an ordained minister in the Missionary Baptist church. He is a full-time student and an active member of the "Racial/Ethnic Students' Group" on campus.