Would you trust a heart specialist or mechanic who received his training online? Then why trust a pastor / Christian leader with an online degree? Your child needs an on-campus experience to develop spiritually. You can’t meet your future partner in an online classroom!
These arguments and many more have been put forward as an attempt to invalidate the online learning trends of today. However, online training isn’t going to stop. Our question isn’t about whether it will or won’t be done – rather, it’s can online training be done well?
INTRODUCTION
For nearly thirty years I have been involved in Christian higher education. It’s fair to say that the landscape has changed drastically within these three decades. Over the years I’ve had classes with two students, and some with two hundred. Primarily, I have taught in ministry-preparing courses. It’s from that paradigm and experience that I approach the subject of a trending mode of learning – distance education.
I have taught in environments that are solely on-campus, that are a blend of on-campus and online, and that are online only. Across the spectrum, there are proponents and opponents for all delivery modes. Rather than rehash those arguments, I would rather look at one simple question, “Can today’s Bible college effectively prepare people for ministry today?”
In case the question may seem to be misleading, this doesn’t have to be an either / or question. Further, the question isn’t meant to imply that someone must go to Bible college to be effectively trained. Rather, the scope of the question is centered upon the principles set down in the apostolic era and how it relates to today’s question of distance education.
The Objections to Distance Education
While the arguments against distance education can be multi-faceted, these can be grouped into a relatively small summary for the purposes in this article.
Spiritual formation takes place face-to-face.
I have taught courses, both in-person and online, that engage the topic of spiritual formation and discipleship. I’ve enjoyed these courses and my students would say they’ve been challenged and grown as well.
To be fair, I could point to no discernible differences in the outcomes of both modes of delivery. Reading through course survey evaluations, the strengths and weaknesses of the course weren’t contingent on the mode of delivery, but on whether I – as the instructor – presented the content clearly or not.
However, this objection begs the question. Is the Bible college the one responsible for the spiritual formation of the next generation of leaders? I would propose that the college hasn’t usurped the role of the local church. While spiritual formation can, and probably will, take place at Bible colleges – both online and on-campus – it must take place in local church settings.
Leaders need personal mentoring.
The thrust of this argument is verbalized in the tweetable jabs concerning the need for residency programs for medical doctors. It’s a powerful objection. Yet, at its core is a presupposition that should be challenged: are Bible colleges the ones charged to mentor the next generation of leaders?
Consider this: It’s possible for a person to receive his theological education remotely and be mentored in his local church. It’s not that mentoring can’t be done in an online college. At Veritas, we believe in mentoring. The pushback is that some have such a low view of the local church, they have almost set up on-campus Bible colleges as the one riding in to save the day!
The local church – a God-ordained institution – is still alive and well today. Rather than teaching a low view of today’s church and its need to be replaced by educational institutions, we provide a robust view of today’s church and are excited to partner with these churches in the training of their members. We are “in addition to” rather than “in place of” the church.
On-campus provides opportunity to meet your spouse.
I met my wife in an on-campus Bible college! So, rest assured that I’m not against someone going to an on-campus college for this reason. I know that a Proverbs 31wife is worth “far more than rubies” – we can’t put a price-tag on God’s gift to us. But we can put a price-tag on four years of college! (And a traditional college is not cheap.)
We can enjoy some humor at this point. Yet, the gentle pushback here is simple: When Bible colleges were established in America, was it to provide match-making services? No – again, the evidence is in great abundance of godly Christian couples who met in their local churches.
The Local Church and the New Testament
It should be clear that I believe it’s unhealthy when colleges take on the responsibility given to local churches. Spiritual formation must take place within the local churches. Mentoring – that hands-on learning – must take place within the context of local churches. The theological training for the next generation is given to local churches, rather than Bible colleges. Bible colleges exist as a help to the church.
However, the context of theological education for this article is concerned with distance education. To that point, I believe the New Testament is overwhelmingly in favor of this type of training. I’ve observed some dogmatically argue against distance education appealing to different passages from the New Testament. But here’s the irony…every New Testament epistle is an example of distance education!
Think about that last sentence. EVERY New Testament epistle is an example of distance education. Whether Paul preferred in-person to distant training is not the issue. When he couldn’t personally be present to train Timothy – he wrote him a letter. He did the same with Titus. The letters, in conjunction with the local church, provided the needed education to continue serving God faithfully.
When Paul needed to correct the carnality of Corinth, he did so with a lengthy letter. When he wanted to exalt the preeminent Christ to the Colossian church – he sent a letter. Paul practiced up-close-and-personal ministry as well as ministry from a distance. And God used them both! Further, between Paul’s two approaches, only one of them is directly available to us today – and that’s the teaching he delivered remotely!
CONCLUSION
We err when view an online course through the lens of the old-fashioned correspondence courses. Technology has advanced quite a bit since Paul’s time! Today, online students do more than simply read course content. The means to communicate as so multi-faceted that even virtual meetings with professors is possible today.
We also err when we pit online training against in-person training. We need both; and both are effective (when the one training hasn’t left the context of the local church). The New Testament sets a precedent for both types of training.
This is one of the reasons I love teaching at Veritas. It’s often said by our leadership, “We don’t compete; we don’t compare.” It’s not cliché; we mean it! We’re grateful for all Bible-teaching institutions, regardless of delivery mode, who are committed to God’s kingdom.
So, if you are looking for a place to train online and stay in your local church, Veritas is an option to consider. If you are looking to move away to a Bible college and study on-campus, there are a good number today to choose from as well. Either option has the capacity to effectively train you to be an equipped servant of Christ.