All Christians are called to do evangelism, to participate in God’s mission of redemption. And, ever person is a “theologian,” whether they realize it or not.

That being said, there are those who are especially called and equipped to minister in a cross-cultural setting. And there are those who undertake focused courses of education in theology and related fields, for specific ministry purposes. The most common of these purposes is to serve as a pastor–in the US, the standard degree for this is master of divinity (MDiv).

But the world of theological education is so vast that most lay people have no idea what is being studied, at what sorts of institutions, and for what purposes. Add on the fact that degrees and programs are called different names in different countries, and diverse theological perspectives–the world of global theological education seems too complicated even to fathom.

In this post, I want to highlight certain distinctions between different types of theological education (TE), while also presenting both the challenge and the rewards of investing in global theological education. My intended audience is mainly Western Christians, who might intuitively acknowledge that such investments are important, but might not understand many of the complexities–and the potential rewards for their own Western communities (besides the fruits of obedience to God).

[To start, let me highly recommend two books for further study. The first is co-edited by a friend of mine, Scott Callaham, with Will Brooks: World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues (Lexham Press, 2019). The second is one I’m currently working through: Stephen T. Pardue, Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (Baker Academic, 2023).]

What is Theology?

Theology is the study of God and all things pertaining particularly to him–describing him and his works, and commending him to others. Within formal theological study, there are different approaches and theological perspectives/traditions (Roman Catholic, Reformed, Anabaptist, etc.); as well as focused disciplines, such as Old and New Testament, systematic theology, philosophical theology, church history, and practical theology. Theological education often includes study of original languages of the Bible–Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek–and some theological studies entails studying cognate ancient languages (Akkadian, Ugaritic, etc.) or additional modern or medieval languages in order to read other scholarly writings (English, German, French, Latin, etc.).

There are some disadvantages to the seminary model and the specializations that occur within these disciplines. It is a common trope in autobiographies of both seasoned pastors and apostate pastors, to criticize the aloofness of seminary professors and the irrelevancy of seminary for real pastoral practice and real Christian life. Some of those criticisms are well-founded, but can be remedied. Provided that one finds a good seminary and good professors, there are benefits to formal training that are difficult to replicate with self-study. Ideally, formal education should prepare the future pastor/leader with information and the tools of self-study, so as to continue learning and addressing pastoral challenges as they come up.

Levels of Theological Education

Not all types of theological education are the same–and here is where I will focus on the levels and aims of different kinds of degrees and institutions.

There is a range of levels that would be considered “theological education” (TE), each with a different focus and approach on the part of the educator. Some institutions do education at all three levels; others specialize in only one or two levels out of three.

Level 1: For Lay People

Let’s start at what I will call Level 1 TE. Level 1 is: teaching the Bible and theology to lay people, most of whom will not go on to be leaders/teachers themselves. This could include: sermons, Sunday school, and survey/seminar teaching of the Bible.

Level 1 TE does not usually yield a degree for students, though some institutes offer a certificate for some courses of study. When we think about what written publications produced for/by/alongside Level 1 TE, we are looking mainly at: Bible study resources, workbooks, outlines, etc. It is important that these publications and programs be conducted in languages that lay people understand.

This is really the ultimate goal to which we should be aiming our teaching efforts—even Levels 2 and 3 contribute to Level 1 TE, as I will explain below. This is making disciples of Jesus through hearing and studying his Word. This is the broadest and shallowest level of teaching–not to say that it should be shallow, but a lay person does not need to learn to the same level of detail that a teacher does.

While Level 1 is generally directed at people who already claim to be Christian (or their children, part of the church), it can also include invitational/evangelistic/apologetic teaching of the Bible and theology for non-believers. This is one aim of the core Bible courses at LCC International University, where the majority of the students were not Christians or only nominal Christians. The sophomores had to take a whole-year survey course on the Bible, and it was fascinating to hear their questions as they encountered the Bible for the first time. No doubt many in my “voluntary captive audience” didn’t pay attention, but some heard and believed.

Level 2: For Church Leadership

Level 2 TE is training for those who plan to be Christian leaders/teachers but not necessarily professors or researchers. This kind of training would occur at seminaries, bible colleges/institutes, or sometimes universities. A course of study would normally lead to a degree, sometimes called an MDiv, but possibly a BDiv, BA, or BTh depending on the country and educational system.

As an Old Testament professor, for Level 2 TE I would be teaching courses on sections of the canon, such as “OT Prophetic Literature,” or “Biblical Hebrew.” Publications that are produced for/alongside TE at this level would include textbooks, works of theology for pastors and educators, biblical language tools, and commentaries. This teaching might be conducted in a local language, but more often it is conducted in a large national language (e.g., Hindi, Ukrainian) or international language (Chinese, English, French).

One of the reasons that my wife and I moved on from LCC International University (where I taught from 2014 to 2022) was that I felt drawn to Level 2 theological education, but LCC’s BA program was not positioned well to achieve this for our region. I mainly taught canon courses in Old Testament (sometimes New Testament) for 3rd- and 4th-year students in the BA in Theology or minor in Theology. But there were very few students who undertook a Theology major or minor as preparation for vocational ministry in our region. This was partly due to the fact that studies were in English (not Lithuanian or one of the Baltic languages), and partly because a four-year BA was not marketable or necessary for church leaders in the area. LCC was well-positioned to do Level 1 TE, but not Level 2.

By contrast, when I had the chance to teach at the MDiv or MTh levels in other seminaries and Bible institutes, in Lithuania, Ukraine and Singapore, I felt much more at home doing Level 2 (and Level 3–see below) TE courses.

Level 3: Teaching Those Who Teach the Teachers

Level 3 TE is what people mean when they talk about “graduate school” or post-graduate training. This training goes beyond the standard MDiv/BDiv curricula that prepare future pastors for church ministry.

Level 3 TE is for those who aspire to be leaders of academic/teaching institutions like seminaries or Bible institutes (MTh, PhD levels). Level 3 includes research-oriented courses in specialized areas, and typically writing a thesis. This type of training prepares future scholars and researchers, who will not only produce textbooks, but also contribute to innovative scholarship.

Most lay Christians have no idea what sorts of conversations scholars and theologians have; pastors in seminary begin to get a taste of this world of scholarship, but do not remain long in these specialized conversations once they leave seminary. I have written elsewhere about how this process works: its strengths, its aims, its flaws–and how it can contribute to missions: How Academic Research Supports Mission.

Why is Level 3 Theological Education Important for the Global Church and the Western Church?

Most lay Christians haven’t thought about theological education (TE) on these three levels. But once they do, it should be intuitive why it is crucial that churches in different nations and regions establish TE institutions that operate at each of these three levels. We might think of this as steps forward in “maturing” a culture of biblical and theological education.

First, indigenous churches should establish their own training centers for ministry: Bible institutes and seminaries that are connected and accredited internationally, but attuned to local/regional/national needs/issues. This is important so that local leaders can be trained by other leaders who understand their languages and unique ministry challenges/situations. Practically, it is difficult and expensive for many prospective leaders to travel and live elsewhere (with their families, or apart from families) to receive ministry training. Local opportunities for learning are crucial.

The next step in “maturity” is that regional and national seminaries and graduate schools would produce their own original research and applied research publications. These would be published in local and national languages, and also in international academic languages such as English and German. When we begin to see seminaries led by scholars that are publishing internationally, we can see that the research culture is maturing: their scholars’ contributions are valued by other communities in the global church.

Finally, we hope that indigenous churches will not only be producing their own leaders, but also able to train their own people as missionaries, and to receive and train leaders from churches in newly-evangelized and newly-growing churches abroad. This also allows high-level theological education to happen in local languages, even though graduate students will probably need to continue learning English (and, to a lesser extent, other European research languages such as German, French and Latin) for a while (another century or so).

I think that Western Christians have yet to fully appreciate how important this will be for our own survival in the decades to come, as North America and Europe become more post-Christian. We will need to rely on missionaries from Nigeria, India, the Philippines and China, to come and evangelize our grandchildren. We need to hope and pray that those missionaries are trained at good seminaries in those countries!

And in the meantime, it’s also vital for Western Christians to learn from Majority World churches/theologians–we need to hear the Holy Spirit speaking through our brothers and sisters from other cultures! Part of my goal in teaching at a Majority World institution in South Asia, where I serve as a half-time graduate faculty member, is to elevate the profile of those students/scholars and help them publish in venues that are more visible. We in the West have much to learn from Christians from other cultures and with different sets of experiences.

How Does Mature Theological Education Happen?

If you’ve read this far, you probably see why having mature seminaries and research communities in regions like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa is important. How do we get there?

We definitely still need theologically-trained missionaries from the West, who are making local disciples and establishing churches in the Majority World. It is disturbing that an increasing number of Western missionaries are going to the mission field without theological training, under the false impression that they don’t need it if they’re not going to be formal theological educators in the field. They focus instead on language acquisition and cross-cultural awareness (which are of course important) or on a skill that gets them into the country (also important). Callaham describes the folly of neglecting theological education for missionaries: “When missionaries who are untrained in science attempt to use science for apologetic purposes, their communication strategy is untenable and self-defeating. Yet lack of training in science hardly constitutes a debilitating weakness in mission work. In contrast, commissioning missionaries who are untrained in theology is an open invitation to disaster” (Callaham, “Old Testament Theology and World Mission,” 18n64).

For now, many Majority World church leaders train at institutions outside their home culture (i.e., going overseas for seminary). In societies that value credentials and international recognition, this helps those church leaders to earn the respect of their congregations back home (for better or for worse). Realistically, sometimes church leaders can only receive biblical language education in another language/culture setting.

I say “for better or for worse,” because sometimes pastors (or seminary professors) who are trained in Western (what I call “North Atlantic”: North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand) seminaries and graduate institutions, pick up bad ideas at those institutions and bring them back home. Or, they get attracted to life in North America or Europe, and they don’t go back to assist the church in their home culture. The cost of this international model is also prohibitive: not nearly as many leaders can undertake international studies as would want/need to do so.

If instead, church leaders and theological educators can be trained at strong, accredited institutions in the Majority World, this can eventually end the “theological colonialism” of Majority World churches sending their best and brightest to Europe or North America for training. Training indigenous TE leaders, whether in home country or abroad, also helps to overcome the language barrier, as these leaders can learn in English and teach in their own languages.

It is going to be a long process across multiple generations, as many of the most-respected publishing houses, journals, and graduate programs are still in the North Atlantic. But we will know that the balance has tipped, when it is considered equally prestigious for a student to attend graduate school in Nigeria as at Cambridge, or when biblical journals published in Chennai or Manilla are more prestigious than those published in Boston or Amsterdam.

Reasons for Optimism

Theological education at all three levels is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission. The challenge remains significant, and we need “all hands on deck”–all parts of the global body of Christ need one another. Even though the New Covenant has been inaugurated in Christ, we have a long way to go before theological education reaches its planned obsolescence: “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD…” (Jer 31:34)

I am not optimistic about the Western church on its own, because of how deeply we have compromised with modernity, which is an alternate religion. I can list (and probably you can, too) many examples of such compromises that have left us weak and hobbled.

I am also not overly romantic about the situation in Majority World institutions. Resources are scarce, and political and social persecution dampen enthusiasm for theological education and hamstring institutions trying to gain good momentum. Biblical illiteracy, heresy, and celebrity culture are rampant.

I am optimistic because of the tenacious and cheerful faith of many professors and students that I know around the world, who love their Savior, Jesus Christ, and wish to see his name glorified among all nations. And most of all, I am optimistic because of Jesus’s own promise that we treasure: “…I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18).

Though with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?”
and soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song!

‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation of peace forevermore;
till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.