What Expectations do Pastors and Local Churches in the Former Soviet Union have of Higher Theological Education at the Beginning of the 21st Century?

Authors

  • Taras DYATLIK Executive Director EATA (Rovno, Ukraine), Ukraine

Keywords:

Pastors, Higher Theological Education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of theological educators to the expectations and feelings of local church pastors concerning formal theological education in order to stimulate constructive dialogue on both sides. The article represents a general description of the results of a qualitative survey of seventy pastors from five regions of the former Soviet Union conducted by Donetsk Christian University from 2005-2007 as part of its strategic planning process. No statistics are given in order to direct the reader's attention specifically to the questions and expectations of pastors. In the process of interviewing each pastor, the following five questions were asked: (1) What is the basic purpose for the existence and functioning of a higher theological institution (2) What programs would the pastor like to see in a theological school? (3) What qualities would he like to see in a student? (4) What, in the pastor's opinion, should the graduate of a theological program be like? (5) What qualities should characterize an instructor in a higher theological institution?

Author Biography

Taras DYATLIK, Executive Director EATA (Rovno, Ukraine)

Taras Dyatlik holds a Bachelor of Theology degree from Donetsk Christian University (1997) and a Master of Theology degree with an emphasis in Greek New Testament textual studies (2005) from Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (Leuven, Belgium). Presently he is a Ph.D. candidate at ETF specializing in Slavonic New Testament textual studies. Since 2008 he has been Coordinator of the EAAA Research Center. He is married with two children. Additional information is available at http://dyatlik.net.

References

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  5. __________. The Idea of a Christian College. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.
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THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS #10 (2009)

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How to Cite

DYATLIK, Taras. 2009. “What Expectations Do Pastors and Local Churches in the Former Soviet Union Have of Higher Theological Education at the Beginning of the 21st Century?”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology, no. 10 (December):97-119. http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/73536.

Issue

No. 10 (2009): Theological Reflections: Euro-Asian Journal of Theology

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2020 Taras DYATLIK

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