reWeaving Theological Education

To be and to do

I distinguish between ‘being church’ and ‘doing church’ because ‘being’ (which relates to identity) and ‘doing’ (which relates to lifestyle and praxis) are sometimes disconnected. For instance, I am a Tongan man but i do not always say or do what people (Tongan and non-Tongan) expect of Tongan men. As i suggested in last month’s article (click here to read article): as a Tongan, i am inherently polycultural.

There are questions here relating to ‘who decides’ what a Tongan man should ‘be’ and ‘do’. Should the traditionalist, old men, living in Tonga, decide? For whom? Shouldn’t the young, the wo/men, the diaspora-based, etc., Tongans contribute to defining Tongan identity? I will come back to this “politic of identity” on another occasion but focus here on the church and theological education.

Sometimes, what a church ‘does’ (e.g., bless projects that are ecologically destructive) is contrary to what it says that it ‘is’ (e.g., a defender of justice and hope). And sometimes, what a church ‘does NOT say’ (e.g., it does not speak up against gender and racial injustices) undermines what ‘it does’ (e.g., build the kin-dom of God on earth).

Sometimes, a provider of theological education is not in step with the context – locally and globally – nor with the church. The review and adapting of the vision of theological education suggested above should therefore be done in collaboration between—at least—the provider of theological education, the church and the community.

To do and to be

Theological education is important to Te Hāhi Weteriana, and what it is doing (now) tells us something about what it is (now) and what it may become (in the future). Obviously, there is a chicken-egg riddle here between doing, being and becoming. This is food for thought and for debate but let that not distract us from embodying those elements – on the ground, in theological halls and in public places.

Te Hāhi Weteriana works at multiple fronts. Technically, everything that Te Hāhi does is, or should be, theologically informed – from Sunday/Play Schools and worshipping communities on the ground to the committees and councils in boardrooms and headquarters.

Te Hāhi Weteriana is committed to theological education which is not limited to established theological schools. On 27 January 2024, for instance, the South Island Synod initiated its School of Theology – Te Kete Aroha o Waipounamu. I celebrate this kaupapa because it resources leaders and ministers on the ground as well as inspires and (in)forms church folx in the South Island.

reWeaving theological education

On behalf of Te Hāhi Weteriana, Trinity Methodist Theological College will host a “reWeaving theological education” Conference on 24–25 May 2024. In this conference, Trinity collaborates with St. John’s Theological College (of Te Hāhi Mihinare/Anglican) and with interdisciplinary educators and church practitioners from Aotearoa, Samoa, Tonga, Australia and USA.

The footing for this conference is the fact that theological education involves the “weaving” of texts, traditions and teachings across different times and places. Now and then we have an opportunity to re-examine those weavings (as noun and verb) from our context, to see what strands are still empowering and life-giving. We highlight those for the sake of the being, doing and becoming of Te Hāhi.

We will also find strands that are no longer empowering and life-giving. We need to unweave and replace those.

For many natives of Aotearoa and Pasifika, the elements of theological education that were woven according to ways and views of the West and Europe have many knots. Those knots need to be unwoven. The “reWeaving theological education” conference will therefore do some unweaving in order to reweave theological education for our time, for our Hāhi and world, and for the days to come.

What local strands and ways could we add to the weaving of theological education that Te Hāhi Weteriana has inherited? I raise this question as an invitation for those who are interested, and committed, to theological education and the being, doing and becoming of our church to come and share your wisdoms and hopes at this conference.

To register for the Conference, click here. Further information may be requested from Te Wehenga Laird at Trinity. (tlaird@trinitycollege.ac.nz).