American theological education has often been a latecomer to the advances of secular universities. But while this tendency can sometimes delay necessary progress, it can also help seminaries and divinity schools identify the pitfalls of the latest trend in the industry—and course correct in time. Lately, that has meant reinforcing a sense of community among students, even as remote schooling—a necessary innovation, to be sure—has left mainstream higher education feeling more disconnected than ever.
This approach to student life has many names. At Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where I lead graduate programs across the school, we describe it as the promotion of “intentional learning communities.” By bringing students together, both inside and outside the classroom, and empowering them to take an active role in one another’s social and academic life, these small-scale networks create a more enjoyable and effective learning environment. In a system where, too often, the path to a degree is a marathon of dry checklists, massive lecture halls, and lonely Zoom seminars, learning communities can help students interpret their subjects through the lenses their classmates bring to the conversation—remotely or not.
Sioux Falls Seminary in South Dakota, a small but venerable school in the world of Baptist ministry training, has in many ways pioneered the relational aspects of this learning model. There, students are inducted into small learning groups, where bonds between members faculty and mentors are solidified over months of collaboration and shared learning experiences. Lectures and exams as default learning modes are replaced with innovative, contextualized learning experiences. Faculty and mentors draw out the local context from the student's experience as students bring their own unique backgrounds to the conversation. Professors guide the process, but the hierarchy is less top-down than side-to-side; as a result, students report a more holistic educational journey while still demonstrating mastery of the skills they need to obtain their degree.
Gordon-Conwell has taken steps in a similar relational direction. Our launch of a “student success network” has helped newer and less “tied-in” students stay connected to more established peers, who both guide inductees through their early seminary experiences and alert those who can help to areas of concern. More liberal use of in-person and Zoom breakout rooms in both class and co-curricular activities has led to increased peer-to-peer conversation, mutual mentorship, and social bonding; indeed, some professors note that if students are simply aware of where other classmates live, they intentionally curate their thoughts in group interactions with the perspectives of other students’ context in mind. The sense is this awareness correlates with higher rates of course satisfaction, which resonates with findings of related research studies.
It is impossible to fully separate out the personal and academic benefits of greater community integration. They form a virtuous cycle, where connected students learn faster and more thoroughly, which encourages greater connectivity, and so on. In fact, since focusing our efforts on a Student Success model, Networked Education at Gordon-Conwell went from a $300,000 deficit in fiscal year 2019 to a $1.5 million surplus in fiscal year 2021. Post-graduation surveys also display enthusiasm for the student connections, with graduates citing the formative learning communities as crucial to their overall success.
It may be tempting to assume this model is uniquely suited to theological education. Seminaries, the thinking goes, are slower-paced, more contemplative institutions, with milder and more mature students. Surely the more atomized approach of modern secular universities is all that can be expected.
But that mindset is short-sighted. Indeed, all around any mainstream college campus, you will find examples of students making tremendous effort to form communities, even with little to no organization from the administration—fraternities and sororities, ad-hoc study groups, late-night dorm room philosophy sessions. They may not have the structure of an “intentional learning community,” and undoubtedly some are more about blowing off steam than fostering mutual growth. But they represent a yearning on the part of most students, no matter their subject area, to not just go to class and hear from their professor but to engage with their peers on all levels- academic, social, cultural. Secular colleges and universities should build on the progress made by their religious counterparts and provide outlets for that desire; in so doing, they will strengthen not only their institutions but the well-being of the young people in their care.
Dr. Bradley Howell is Vice President, Graduate Programs, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary