Publieke pastorale leiers 2 : roeping, werwing, keuring, opleiding, ordening

Abstract

In the first article it was attempted to provide insight into the corporate nature of being called to ministry. The article also tried to discern what the specifics of the ministry of the public pastoral leader were. Equally important what I call in this article the teleological core of theological education. I want to build upon the concepts established in the first article. I explore the contributions of a number of well-known scholars who devoted much of their research to this field: Schner, Farley, Wood, Hough and Cobb, Heitink, Van der Ven and others. The ultimate issue is that there is some consensus about the telos of theological education. It is phrased differently and the different dimensions are indeed complementary. Concepts like 'vision and discernment', 'critical reflection' 'reflective practitioner', 'hermeneutical-communicative competence' and others are being discussed as it relate to the core research problem as described in article number 1. In this article I also explore the implications of the departure points for the praxis of recruiting, screening and training of future public pastoral leaders. The article points towards necessary changes that need to take place to get the local church involved in recruitment and screening - taking it serious that 'we' are all in the ministry. It also describes how a few churches are managing the process. In doing this, the place of the denominational community of churches is also emphasized and described.