Shifts in Ministerial Education
Last month, Warner Pacific University (WPU) announced a partnership with Mid-America Christian University (MACU) that highlights a dramatic shift not only for the future of WPU, but potentially for ministerial training (and higher education, in general) within the Church of God. Those of us concerned about the future of our movement should pay close attention to what happened here, as it is indicative of some larger trends.
On December 13, 2024, a signing ceremony took place in Portland, Oregon to formalize this new relationship between the two institutions. In essence, the agreement enables WPU to piggy-back on MACU’s much more extensive ministry programs, and allows WPU students to take these courses online.
On the surface this is a win for WPU, as it provides them a cost-effective way to maintain and potentially expand their commitment to train vocational ministers for the church. Their news release conveys this optimism. Certainly, it may very well be a sign of how our Church of God universities will seek greater cooperation in the future.
However, there is more to this story, as it also reveals some troubling trends. This provides an occasion for us to examine the current state of our institutions of Christian higher education, and more specifically, ask tough questions about how we are currently training pastors to lead our churches.