April 14, 1999
More beginning ministry training slated
___Educational opportunities available to Texas Baptist pastors--particularly bivocational and ethnic pastors--could be expanded as early as this fall, according to actions taken at the April meeting of the Theological Education Committee of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___However, a proposal to fund scholarships for students enrolled in the Baptist studies program at Texas Christian University's Brite Divinity School was rejected by the committee.
___Both issues fall within the domain of the new committee, created out of the 1997 Effec-tiveness/Efficiency Committee report.
___The Theological Education Committee voted to move ahead with non-credit theological education, designed primarily for bivocational and/or ethnic pastors and church leaders.
___"We will be working to develop classes that will help these ministers--many of whom do not have even high school educations. This will be a non-credit track," said Bill Tillman, coordinator of the committee.
___Tillman said the Theological Education Committee hopes to begin offering courses by the fall of 1999.
___Offerings could include surveys of the Old and New Testaments, church growth, Baptist heritage and practice, and pastoral care.
___"These courses will be primarily for entry-level ministerial students and would be especially aimed at those newly called into ministry," Tillman said. "We are planning to offer these courses around the state, primarily in local churches and associational offices, and perhaps may even use the Baptist Building after hours."
___The program would be at a more basic level than the Howard Payne University certificate of ministries program, which has been endorsed by the committee. The Howard Payne program is offered at sites in Harlingen, Corpus Christi, Laredo, El Paso, Midland, San Angelo and Granbury. These courses are offered for college credit.
___The new track, Tillman said, will augment the certificate program, the bachelor of biblical studies program and the graduate theological education programs offered by institutions affiliated with the BGCT.
___"The Theological Education Committee is working to set up different levels of theological education so that our Baptist people can come into the BGCT system of theological education at almost any level they need," he explained.
___On a separate matter, the committee decided not to authorize the funding of scholarships for students enrolled in the Baptist studies program at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth.
___The Effectiveness/Efficiency report had referred this matter to the Christian Education Coordinating Board, of which the Theological Education Committee is one component. The Effectiveness/Efficiency report asked the committee to "study the possibility of funding scholarships" for students at Brite.
___In an earlier meeting, the committee had deferred consideration, but at the April 6 session, members voted 10-7 to decline to fund Baptist students at the Disciples of Christ seminary.
___Currently, Brite is the only non-Baptist school in the state with a Baptist studies program.
___The proposal to fund students in the Baptist studies program at Brite "prompts us to make as clear as possible our scholarship funding guidelines," Tillman said.
___Currently, those guidelines only provide for scholarship money to be given to students attending Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University, he explained.
___However, with the changing landscape of theological education, the committee will begin a general review of the scholarship funding guidelines, Tillman said.
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