More and more seminaries, Christian universities, and Bible colleges are opting to train future ministers and missionaries online.
What happens when the movement toward online education is shaped by pragmatic or financial concerns instead of Scripture and theology? Ministry training can be reduced to a mere transfer of information as institutions lose sight of their calling to shape the souls of God-called men and women in preparation for effective ministry.
How might online ministry training look different if biblical and theological foundations were placed first? Teaching the World brings together educators from a wide range of backgrounds and from some of the largest providers of online theological education in the world. Together, they present a revolutionary new approach to online theological education, highly practical and yet thoroughly shaped by Scripture and theology.
John Cartwright is an Associate Professor of Christian Leadership and Education as well as an Associate Dean of Liberty University’s School of Divinity in Lynchburg, VA. He holds an Ed.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
Gabriel Etzel is Associate Professor of Theology and Christian Leadership as well as the Administrative Dean of Liberty University’s School of Divinity in Lynchburg, VA. He holds an Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and a D.Min. from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
Christopher D. Jackson is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and St. Peter's Lutheran Church in northeast Wisconsin. He holds an Ed.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Timothy Paul Jones is the C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry and Associate Vice President of the Global Campus at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He has edited or authored more than a dozen books, including Perspectives on Family Ministry (B&H Academic), and he blogs at timothypauljones.com. He holds the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Southern Seminary.
1. Moving Past Pragmatism in Online Learning
BETTER FOUNDATIONS FOR ONLINE LEARNING
How Social Presence Provides New Possibilities for Online Learning
2. Controversy and Common Ground
3. The Apostle Paul and the Possibility of Absent Presence
4. Social Presence in Online Learning
BETTER FACULTY FOR ONLINE LEARNING
How Strong Theological Foundations Can Improve Online Faculty
5. Online Faculty and the Image of God
6. Online Faculty and Theological Competency
7. Shaping the Spiritual Lives of Online Faculty
BETTER PRACTICES IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOM
How Ministry Context Provides a Framework for Effective Online Learning
8. Best Practices for Online Learning
9. Best Practices for Online Ministry Training
10. Training in Context, the Advantage of Online Learning for Ministry Preparation
Conclusion
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