Abstract:
This article will hold up a mirror to the Reformed tradition’s theological education
past and present, specifically in the context of the DRC. This paper will also make
proposals for the future, peering through the window towards possibilities for
theological education and formation and the reformation of Reformed spirituality. The
Reformed tradition has always maintained a high academic standard when it comes to
theological education and the formation of its clergy. The curriculum used by the DRC,
modelled on the European system, still to a great extent reflects the needs of the church
decades ago and is challenged by the DRC’s current ecclesiological understanding. A
missional church, as portrayed by the DRC’s policy document, requires missional
clergy, or missional leadership, and thus theological education that supports this type
of formation. This article proposes a more holistic spiritual formation programme that
cultivates a sound Reformed spirituality and enables the formation of these missional
leaders.
