Author: Andy Rowell

  • My Fall 2013 Required Textbooks at Bethel Seminary for Discipleship, Evangelism, and Leadership courses

    Here are the textbooks I am requiring for my three Ministry Leadership (ML) courses this fall at Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN). I am teaching each of these courses this three times this year and I am teaching each in both traditional format as well as in an online or intensive format. I would love to have you. Registration begins today: July 1st, 2013. 

     

    ML 506: Discipleship in Community

    Parrett, Gary A., and S. Steve Kang. Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful: A Biblical Vision for Education in the Church. Downers Grove, IL.:
    IVP Academic, 2009. 

    This is a thoughtful theological treatment of teaching and theological formation in the church–drawing on the richness of the literature in Christian education, social science, and spiritual formation. Parrett is known as a superb person and teacher as well as (along with Kang) being cognizant of the need to be sensitive and thoughtful about diversity in the church. This is the preeminent text today for helping pastors grasp the spiritual formation task while equipping them for teaching effectiveness. Too many pastors know nothing beyond preaching and thus try to bring the lecture method into all settings including small groups and classrooms and are oblivious of the challenges and rewards of seeing adults, youth, children really learn and grow. 

     

    Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible. Vol. 5.
    Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1996.

    Bonhoeffer's Life Together is both a classic warning against pride in ministry leadership while also being an inspirational description of a passionate, creative, ecumenical, emergency attempt to form pastors for ministry. It is a classic and it only gets richer as one learns more about Bonhoeffer's life and his theological work from the beginning of his career to the end of it which reinforces his ideas here.

     

    ML 507: Missional Outreach and Evangelism

    Bowen, John P. Evangelism for "Normal" People: Good News for Those Looking for a Fresh Approach. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2002. 

    Bowen, with years of experience in post-Christian university contexts with Inter-Varsity university ministry as well as steeped in the biblical and theological thoughtfulness of evangelical Anglicanism, describes the process of inviting outsiders into Christian community. This textbook in evangelism by a leading professor of evangelism sketches the biblical and theological case behind virtually all of the thriving contemporary approaches to church and ministry today.

     

    Keller, Timothy J. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.
    New York: Dutton, 2008. 

    Keller, one of our most articulate theologically-interested church leaders is also one of the best examples of an effective evangelists in 2013. Here he plies his craft–knocking down objections to the Christian faith and making his case for it so as to make intellectually plausible the winsome life with Christ which he hopes Christians live out before their non-believing neighbors. 

     

    Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids,
    MI: Eerdmans, 1989.

    Newbigin, in his life and in this book, demonstrate the full scope of sophisticated philosophical reflection on epistemology in a pluralist world, strong biblical sensibilities, as well as an emphasis on the sociological demonstration of the gospel in the church. In Newbigin, we see a first-rate apologist, academic, missionary, pastor, and leader. 

     

    ML 523: Introduction to Transformational Leadership

    Northouse, Peter G. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 6th ed., Thousand
    Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2013. 

    Both of my colleagues teaching leadership at Bethel Seminary, Mark McCloskey and Justin Irving, also require this classic leadership textbook which familiarizes students with the latest in leadership theory and modeling.  

     

    Wren, J. Thomas. The Leader's Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages. New York: Free Press, 1995. 

    This books provides readings from a variety of figures throughout history on leadership–fleshing out the analytical contemporary models and theories in the Northouse volume. 

     

    Yoder, John Howard. Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1992.

    This 80-page gem by genius theologian and ethicist John Howard Yoder gives a compelling description of what the church should look like. A leader in the church has the task for wrestling with how this vision compares with the status quo. We'll start the course with this to catalyze our reflection.  

     

  • Taking a position at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota

    Just a note that I am accepting an offer to teach at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN as Assistant Professor of Ministry Leadership (Tenure Track). We are planning to rent this first year to get to know the area. We are glad to have advice from people about schools, neighborhoods, renting, realtors, churches, etc. in the St. Paul area. Ryan will be in third grade and Jacob in kindergarten. Allie is 3. 

    I am very excited about this position. It is the courses I want to be teaching (leadership, mission, evangelism, discipleship, pastoral ministry) at an institution where I fit, with a fine faculty. With 861 students, it is the 16th largest seminary in the nation. It does a good job of stressing academic excellence, character formation, and leadership.
    The seminary is part of Bethel University, a strong undergraduate school with 3,467 undergraduates, which has has its own fine biblical and theological studies faculty.   
    We hear that the Twin Cities are a great place to live: arts, lakes, biking, etc.That is not to say we are excited about the winters of Minnesota but Amy is from Erie, PA and I'm from the Chicago area, so we will make it work.
    My plan is to defend my dissertation on Karl Barth's theology of the church for my Th.D. degree from Duke in August but that means I have a lot of revising to do in the next few weeks. 
    Warm greetings to all,

    Andy

  • The rise of the non-M.Div. theological masters degree ATS Enrollment 1999-2012

      TABLE
    2.10 and 2.11 HEAD COUNT and FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT ENROLLMENT BY DEGREE
    CATEGORY AND PROGRAM
      ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS                      
                                 
      1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
    Basic
    Ministerial Leadership MDiv
                         
    HC 29842 30438 31143 32005 33287 34,234 34,505 34,935 34,120 33,319 32,773 32,850 32,369 32,235
    FTE 22782 23784 24175 24065 25012 26,250 26,595 25,938 25,674 24,231 24,400 24,386 24,411 23,996
                                 
    Basic
    Ministerial Leadership Non-MDiv
                       
    HC 7632 8443 7882 8690 9338 10,529 11,018 11,030 11,031 11,063 11,104 11,225 10,932 11,438
    FTE 5421 6032 5516 5968 6519 6,575 6,772 6,342 6,407 6,272 6,373 6,364 6,400 6,614
                                 
    General
    Theological Studies
                           
    HC 7015 7509 7666 7560 7728 9,382 9,831 9,844 9,598 9,226 9,049 9,266 8,843 8,788
    FTE 4685 5099 5045 5138 5229 5,589 5,610 5,649 5,594 5,434 5,383 5,482 5,332 5,265

     

     

    Annual
    Data Tables/FactBooks 
    http://www.ats.edu/resources/pages/annualdatatablesfactbooks.aspx
    The Association of
    Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
    Collated by Andrew D. Rowell,
    March 2013

     

     
    Download Excel document of Rise of the non-MDiv – ATS Enrollment 1999-2012

    Comments: Note that MDiv and General Theological Studies enrollment maxed out in 2005 and 2006, while non-MDiv masters degree Head Count hit an all time high in 2012. I started my blog in January 2006–I think there was indeed less "felt need" for a theological education once the internet boomed with blogs and podcasts from seminary professors and church leaders.

    Note: I did this research for a separate project but thought I would share it here for others' benefit.

    See also my post: 

    D.Min. enrollment hit an all-time high in 2012