Have you ever thought about how odd it is that you can spend years in school getting graded on everything with a scale of 1 to 100, or an “A” through “E,” yet the “real world” has yet to grade you the same way? Imagine being graded on your daily job. That IV you administered to a patient: B+. The part you engineered on a new product: C. Last night’s dinner you cooked for the family: A-.
It turns out that the school of life doesn’t grade you on mastery. Instead, it offers a more high-stakes grading system: pass or fail. Either you get that IV in or someone else does. Either the part you designed works or they all get recalled. Either your family eats your food or they revolt and demand takeout. When you step back and consider this gap between classroom grading and real-world demands, it is hard not to wonder how students, already working or serving in ministry, might benefit from an educational remodel.
Calvin Theological Seminary was born in a tradition that cherishes continual reforming. It was natural, therefore, to find itself working diligently at the forefront of reimagining theological education. For years, hunger had been growing for theological education that could be more conducive to people already serving in a local church. In 2022, Competency-Based Theological Education was piloted at CTS to meet the emerging needs of this shifting ministry landscape and the students entering it.
Rather than moving through courses at the same pace as in the traditional model, students progress by demonstrating real-world competencies in preaching, pastoral care, and leadership—all integrated into the context of their own ministries.
Director of admissions Justin DenOuden highlighted this emerging education model to new students by saying, “CBTE is a unique delivery method for our Certificate in Christian Leadership and our Master of Arts in Christian Leadership. It is a model that works well for those who are independently driven and have a strong support base in their community and church. It blends mentorship, ministry experience, personal formation, and personal edification together into one. It’s a cost-effective option and great if you are interested in growing within your home community.”
If CBTE students aren’t striving for As, then what exactly are they aiming for? To administer the IV correctly the first time. In the real world of these CTS students, this means having competency in the content, character, and craft necessary to navigate a call into ministry within their unique contexts. Students, many of them emerging pastors, church planters, and lay leaders working anywhere from California to Costa Rica and beyond, are being equipped and discipled through CBTE for their local church.
Such a local-pointing task for a global church can only be possible through the work and presence of mentors. This spiritual and theological apprenticeship equips students to build character, skills, and knowledge by achieving competency for their context. Such a pursuit is where CBTE has actually remodeled theological education upon two solid pillars.
First, the Great Commission found in Matt. 28:19–20—to make disciples of all nations and teach them to obey. Second, the early Church as seen in 2 Timothy 2:2—entrusting reliable people to teach others. In other words, the theological education emerging to meet the needs of today’s church is simply the original model found in Scripture. Ultimately, the work of ministry cannot be defined by a letter grade, but by whether students become faithful leaders formed for the sake of serving the church.
About the Author
Nathan Jansen, Calvin Theological Seminary
