June 25, 2001
Summit brings together Lone Star
schools for lay theological training
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___SALADO--The scope of theological education in Texas is as big as the state itself.
___Thousands of people, ordained and unordained, are involved in ministry studies that will not lead to a single diploma.
___They meet in hundreds of locations. They speak a symphony of languages. And very little connects the varied endeavors--except, that is, a relationship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___The convention's office for theological education brought together leaders for a ministry training summit last month in Salado. "It was the first time we've ever gotten that group together," said Royce Rose, director of the office.
___The purpose was to "discover ways that non-credit programs could work together to offer ministerial training in Texas," he said. "I feel like it was a good start to bring people to the table that had never been to the table before. It succeeded in identifying the variety of work being done around the state by those related to the BGCT."
___Texas Baptists established the BGCT Theological Education Committee in 1996, and one of its tasks is to "coordinate, facilitate and encourage a statewide network" for ministry training, Rose told the Salado gathering.
___"We have a good handle on the (college) level and above" but not on lower academic levels, he said. "We have to look at the whole picture."
___After learning about the various training efforts, participants discussed models for the committee to relate with the churches, associations and educational institutions that offer training programs.
___They did not arrive at any conclusions, Rose said later.
___The training efforts are similar in many ways but just as different as well. Some represented at the summit included:
___The Center for Biblical Studies in San Antonio--affiliated with Hispanic Baptist Theological School. It has 20 off-campus centers, 75 students in three diploma and certificate programs, and a goal to equip cross-cultural ministry leaders.
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___Other schools represented at the summit were International Baptist Bible Institute in El Paso, Baptist Learning Center of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Global Baptist School of Theology in Dallas and Laotian School of Theology in Dallas
___Participants included leaders of the schools, plus several associational directors of missions and Seminary Extension leaders, as well as BGCT staff representatives.
___Dick Maples, BGCT executive associate, described Texas Baptists' long-time commitment to ministry training.
___God's call is the most important qualification for a minister, Maples said. But Texas Baptists "have always placed a priority on ministerial education. ... That is why, as a convention, we invest more than 20 percent of our budget in Christian education.
___"There is no honor in being biblically ignorant, nor is there power and unction in teaching heresy and false doctrine," he said. "While we Baptists boast no creed but the Bible, we have carefully defined beliefs that are uniquely ours; and our goal is to train Baptist preachers who will start and serve distinctly Baptist churches."
___Maples said the need for ministry education in Texas is great because the population is growing, and more than half of Texans are unchurched.
___"God is using laypersons and calling preachers to start new churches and pastor existing ones," he said. "We must provide opportunities for biblical studies that are contextual in nature and accessible to the student."
___He called on participants to maintain Baptist distinctives such as salvation by grace through faith, believer's baptism by immersion, priesthood of the believer, autonomy of the church, eternal security and separation of church and state.
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