Our Vision

In a society that prizes quick solutions, visible performance, and measurable results, we are easily tempted to reduce pastoral formation into a set of technical skills — as if training a plumber or computer technician. While practical ministry skills are indeed important components of pastoral training, a seminary must never become merely a vocational or technical institute. The starting point of theological education is theological reflection. Its mission is to nurture students into “theological persons”, those who, through the lens of biblical and theological understanding, can examine their own faith assumptions, interpret the challenges of real-life ministry contexts, and respond faithfully. Every practical course, therefore, must be grounded in a robust contextual theology. As Rev. Dr. Simon Chan, retired professor of theology at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, writes in his article “Thinking Theologically about Theological Education,” good theological education “provides a particular way of looking at the world… It is about developing a holistic vision of reality that undergirds practice… Theological education helps us think beyond the pragmatic and articulate a theological vision.”²

This theological vision is what the Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann calls “the prophetic imagination.” Pastors today need to be shaped with the imagination and courage to envision and embody an alternative reality — “the capacity to experience the world differently.”³ The prophet’s vocation is to stand at the forefront and paint a credible picture of “a new reality.” Such imagination is rooted in knowing God and having a clear understanding of the vision of the Kingdom of God. Yet this imagination is not merely intellectual; it is a revolutionary and healing way of life⁴ — one that transforms both individuals and society to live according to God’s heart.

It was this imagination that gave Joshua the courage to resist the pressure of the crowd and turn fear into hope.
It was this imagination that strengthened Daniel to stand firm against the king’s decree.
It was this imagination that sustained the prophets to defend hope amid oppression.
It was this imagination that enabled the Apostle John to behold the vision of the new heaven and new earth amid persecution.

To cultivate students with such prophetic imagination, the seminary itself must first embody the role of a prophet in our time. In a culture dominated by consumerism, commercialism, pragmatism, and individualism, theological educators must hold fast to our original calling. Facing the pressures of these powerful currents, may the Lord keep us pure in heart — guarding us from the temptation to commercialize theological education or operate the seminary as a business enterprise. May God grant us the courage and faith to carry on the prophetic imagination — nurturing a new generation of God’s servants who live vibrantly and faithfully for His Kingdom.

• “Leadership in theological schools is more than the exercise of certain gifts and abilities. It is the use of those gifts and abilities within a particular community with its unique ethos and culture, at a particular time in the community's history.” Daniel O. Aleshire, Cynthia Campbell, Kevin Mannoia, “The President’s Vocation and Leadership,” excerpt from A Handbook for Seminary Presidents, https://intrust.org/Magazine/Issues/Spring-2007/The-presidents-vocation-and-leadership, Spring 2007, accessed August 14, 2023.
• Good theological education “provides a particular way of looking at the world … It is about developing a holistic vision of reality that undergirds practice … Theological education helps us think beyond the pragmatic and articulate a theological vision.” Simon Chan, “Thinking Theologically about Theological Education.”
• Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, translated by Hsieh Loh-chih, Chung Yuan Christian University and Taiwan Christian Literature Press, p.39.
• Ibid., p.12.