Concerns with the handbook developed at the General Conference for credentialing theology professors prompted a lively discussion among theology scholars who belong to the Adventist Society for Religious Study (ASRS), which met at its annual convention in Denver, Colorado, November 15-17. The group of seventy voted to send its officers to meet with Gerry Karst and Humberto Rassi, the president and the secretary of the International Board for Ministerial and Theological Education. ASRS President Kendra Haloviak, President-Elect Ivan Blazen, and Vice President Jon Paulien will take with them the statement voted by the group in Denver, November 16, 2001, as well as another related statement that the ASRS voted in November 1998.

VOTED (November 2001)

We members of ASRS are committed to the "dynamic theological unity" that the September 2001 IBMTE Handbook calls for. We acknowledge our important role as teachers in helping to develop a ministry throughout the world that understands and cherishes the mission and message of our denomination. We fully embrace our accountability to our worldwide church and affirm the importance of finding ways to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our service to our church as ministers and professors.

We also share with the framers of the IBMTE our desire to pursue these objectives in the most effective way possible. We therefore reaffirm the attached statement, voted by the ASRS in 1998, which expresses both our appreciation and our concerns for the measures that have now become policy. We request that discussions about the process of endorsing specific teachers called for in the Handbook continue for the time being, that its provisions be carefully reviewed by representatives of all the groups affected by it, in particular college and university boards, administrations, and religion faculties, and that it be implemented, not in the immediate future, as sometimes suggested, but over a period of time sufficient to allow for the further development of a spirit of unity and mutual understanding. During this time we request that our ASRS Officers be given an opportunity to share our specific concerns and hopes with the IBMTE and the leaders of our church in the General Conference.

VOTED (November 1998)

As teachers of the Word and servants of the Church, we affirm our sacred responsibility, in cooperation with lay persons, pastors and elected leaders, to seek constant improvement of theological education and ministerial formation. We wholeheartedly embrace the challenge, recognized in the October 5 [1998] document [which set up the IBMTE] from our church’s Annual Council, of producing and sustaining more effective pastors. In this spirit we offer the leaders of the General Conference, the North American Division and Adventist colleges and universities in North America the following affirmations, concerns and recommendations.

Affirmations: Together we affirm:

• That building leadership for our global church is both urgent and difficult, and demands attention from us all.
• That the dangers and widening sway of fanaticism and relativism summon new commitment to theological unity, integrity and accountability.
• That enhancement of the quality and effectiveness of pastoral ministry is critical to both the preaching and the service of the church.
• That attention to the "specific needs" of each of the world divisions is increasingly important.
• That the spirit of "dialogue" among those who teach and lead, referred to in the October 5 document, is the right spirit for all times, and in particular for these times.

Concerns: In the interest of such dialogue, we express the following concerns:

• That the October 5 document came into being and gained approval with little participation by those who work as pastors, those who train pastors, and those who lead colleges and universities.
• That in supporting the authority of bodies other than institutional boards to "endorse" programs, curricula, hiring procedures and individual leaders and teachers, the document jeopardizes the integrity and responsibility of faculties and boards, and may threaten the accreditation of their institutions.
• That the October 5 action fails to address the fact that ministerial formation in our colleges and universities occurs in many academic departments.
• That this action, in setting up a board that bears responsibility already given to the Adventist Accrediting Association and other bodies, suggests establishment of parallel structures that cost time, money and energy but bring no new benefit to our church.
• That the persons appointed both the board and executive committee of the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education include too low a percentage of practicing pastors and teachers of pastors.
• That these developments may discourage talented persons from going into pastoral ministry and Bible teaching, further threatening the quality and effectiveness of congregational leadership.

Recommendations: With readiness to engage in constructive conversation, we recommend:

• That extensive dialogue among religion faculties, school and church administrators and practicing pastors take place before any implementation of the October 5 action.
• That those directly charged with ministerial formation be heavily involved in the development of "alternative procedures" specific to the North American Division, and that all committees working further on ministerial training be, to begin, ad hoc in nature, not permanent.
• That college and university boards insist in their own right on training that produces leaders who create vital congregations, widen the circle of disciples and keep us faithful to the vision and mission of the Remnant.
• That whenever possible those who recruit and deploy pastors hire candidates who have completed a rigorous education for ministry.
• That church leaders at all levels take maximum advantage of existing organizational structures before adding new ones.

We encourage one another and all our administrator colleagues to put new effort into generating Bible study and theological dialogue within Adventism, whether through conferences, seminars, publications or local Sabbath schools. We affirm that this should be the dialogue of those concerned to build up the church, enhance its faithfulness, and advance its mission.

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