Between the Real and the Ideal: Ministerial Formation in South African Churches

Considering the high demands made on the pastoral profession in church and society, special attention to ministers and their work is vital. Since church leadership requires well-balanced people with appropriate theological knowledge, combined with spiritual aptitude or maturity, the development of quality Christian leaders becomes an important challenge that needs to be addressed throughout theological training. Given that ministerial formation is such a multifaceted activity, theological graduates are expected to master important aspects of the tradition - to do a range of tasks required in the ministry of the church and to be persons of faith. Each of these dimensions is informed by explicit or implicit theological understandings of the nature of people, ministry, leadership, context, and diversity. As such, ministerial formation and training requires that those ways of thinking be linked constructively with ways of being and doing. This book offers a description and discussion of ministerial formation practices within theological education from the perspective of different church traditions in South Africa. The book highlights the need for ministerial formation as crucial to theological education, its goals and practice, challenges, future visions, and its impact on the wider society in South Africa. The book conceptualizes the current relevance of ministerial formation, offering varied ways in which formation takes place, the needed moral support, as well as approaches to best practice.

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