Imagery of Regent people and campus

Dissertation Abstract

Strategic Church/Seminary Partnerships: An Emerging Paradigm Of Contextually-Based Theological Education

Kevin T. Ellington
Regent University

The purpose of this study is to introduce an emerging paradigm of the church/seminary partnership as a contextually-based alternative to traditional theological education and to ascertain the necessity and the benefits of such a partnership. The strategic alliance between Lakeview Baptist Church and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was the focus of this case study. The data indicated that the contextually-based paradigm for theological education was an effective model for increasing ministerial preparedness for the graduates. The findings identified the key enhancements of this paradigm which included practical skills training, low student/teacher ratios, exposure to ministry, and student mentoring. The research led to the development of an enhanced model of contextually-based theological training to be considered for implementation.