Introduction of Lay Education
Theological
education of adult Christians is often overlooked due to the
following concept: A Christian needs to be clear about his/her
calling before he/she goes to the seminary, and he/she is called
to be a minister after completing the education in the seminary.
If I am not called to be a minister, why do I need to go to the
seminary, and why do I need to have theological education?
This
concept, however, will require some modification today. Due to the
limited resources at churches thirty to forty years ago, most of
the resources are put into the training of pastors and ministers
– the so called pastoral training. However, theological
education is not only for the pastoral staff. In fact, the
training for lay believers is even more important, since these
believers stand between the church and the world, with the
unavoidable mission to spread the Gospel.
A
minister is primarily called to be at church, to pastor, teach and
exhort our brothers and sisters with God’s words. The brothers
and sisters at church, on the other hand, are primarily called to
be in workplaces, in families, in societies, in countries and in
churches, to work in concert. Therefore, pastors have the calling
to be pastors; believers also have the their specific callings.
Having
inherited the convictions of the Church reformation period, at
China Lutheran Seminary, we strongly hope that theological
education can be popularized. In other words, it is not only the
pastoral staff, but also the lay believers who should receive
quality theological education.
The
goals of CLS Lay Education are three-fold: teaching students in
accordance with their aptitude; providing education for all people
without discrimination; helping students become more useful after
receiving education. To achieve these goals, CLS Lay Education
provides two kinds of theological education programs, with the
local churches as their bases:
All
brothers and sisters in Christ are welcome and encouraged to apply
to and participate in the courses. Together, we can then achieve
the mission of priesthood of all believers and lifelong diligent
learning.
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