How important is the piece of paper?

I’m very new to the world of being a provider of formal theological education (having had some experience as a student), and am learning lots along the way. One of the issues that is really big beyond the shores of Australia is the question of accreditation and qualification.

For example, when I was teaching a Moore College Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC) course to people in Sydney, I’d regularly say, “Remember: this course is not about the mark you get in the exam or the piece of paper that you will be awarded. This course is about your growth in godliness and equipping you for ministry.” And everyone would nod and get on with it.

When I have taught PTC in Africa and now here is Latin America, the reaction is very different. It’s not that the students are not interested in the subject matter or in growing in godliness and being equipped for ministry. Far from it; their zeal for understanding God’s word better for their personal growth and ministry is inspiring. The difference is that for many of them, the piece of paper—the qualification that comes as a result of completing this course—is a really big deal.

Why the difference?

From a very short period of observation, here are some preliminary thoughts and reflections.

  1. Many of the people who do courses in Australia already have a piece of paper of some sort—whether it be a university degree or a trade qualification. It’s much easier to say “Don’t worry about the piece of paper” when you already have one.
  2. For better or for worse, the culture of education in many places beyond Australia is much more respectful of authority. Teachers are held in the highest regard, their opinion carries great weight, and therefore the qualification that they have as a teacher is of great importance. Of course, this can have all sorts of outcomes—ranging from a less than encouraging pattern of education (“Sit down, listen to what I say and regurgitate it word for word in the exam, or you fail.”) to an inability to ask questions, think critically and process information.
  3. Because of this high view of authority, qualifications are an essential component in a résumé when you’re trying to get a job. Often we’re not talking the quality of the qualification, but the quantity. The more certificates, diplomas, short courses and recognitions you have in your folder, the better, because the view is it makes you better at your job.
  4. Jobs are often hard to get—especially ministry jobs where money is tight. So the more ‘qualified’ you are, the more likely you are to get the job.
  5. Quality education—especially quality theological education—is not widely available. So when a good course comes along from a reputable institution, to complete the course successfully is something to be proud of and displayed.

These factors, and I’m sure many more, lead to two very common questions being asked here when theological education is being discussed.

  1. What degree or qualification will this count towards?
  2. Who will recognize/accredit the coursework I have done?

In my years of teaching in Australia, I can’t remember having ever been asked either of these questions, and yet every time I taught in Africa or start talking with people here in Latin America, it is raised almost without fail.

For me, coming from a culture of “Don’t worry about the piece of paper”, this is providing me with a great number of challenges. Should I dismiss the question and point the students to lists of qualifications like Titus 1:5-9 or 1 Timothy 3:1-13? Or if I decide to make the piece of paper valuable and ‘creditable’, how do I go about that? Do we self-accredit? Do we try to gain recognition from local institutions or partner with bigger, more well-known institutions? How do we take advantage of the fact that Australian educational institutions have a world class reputation—right up there with the big names? Add to the mix the increasing availability of online study options, the questions become very complicated.

I’m not sure how this is all going to work out in the year ahead, but I think there are exciting and challenging times in store.

4 thoughts on “How important is the piece of paper?

  1. Great work, Pete.

    This is the kind of post where I’d love to see a follow-up in months to come as your thinking crystalises. Particularly in the theological aspects of the question, but also where you think it might have implications for Aussie-land.

  2. Peter,
    There is another factor to consider in the Latin american context. It is still true in most countries south of Rio Grande that protestan christians (“evangelicos”) are seen and treated as second rate citizen. It is also true that many of the members of such churches come from the lower classes (the class system being very important also) so they feel prejudiced against because they are poor and because they are not catholic. So society´s recognition is a big issue for many. However, as understandable as this is, it is also dangerous, because it can lead to compromising the gospel in order to receive that recognition. So, is accreditation good and desirable ?. Yes, in that it will allow people opportunities for ministry that would otherwise be closed. But often there comes a point when that accreditation may require somebody else dictating what and how you teach. At that point gospel integrity and the quality of theological education must come first.

    To complicate matters, ministry is for many a job opportunity first and the possibility of climbing up the social ladder, so we must be careful not to encourage that. We should want a theological education that prepares people for gospel ministry, people who are willing to make sacrifices in order to advance the kingdom and not themselves.

  3. Coming from someone who has between a quarter and a half of a theological qualification (depending on how you count it) from a now defunct service provider. I think the question is quite relevant.

    Picking up at another institution where I left off is proving more difficult than I would have imagined. Cross-institutional credits (I am asking for too many) AND differences of theological perspective (I went to a theologically liberal college, but I am theologically conservative – go figure) seem to make some institutions a bit twitchy.

    At the end of the day, it’s just a piece of paper, but it’s easy to say this if you’ve already got one (or many) and you’re livelihood doesn’t depend on you getting one. If your livlihood (potential or otherwise) does, it’s more than a piece of paper, not because the student is striving for some kind of personal academic glory, but because society at large (and the church!) values the qual as much as if not more than the skills and knowledge it represents.

    How many living ordained ministers in Australia without a university level qualification in theology can YOU name – and would respect their theological opinions? You’d be ahead of me, because I don’t know one.

  4. Stephen – just a bit of thinking out loud here. I wonder if we rightly value the bit of paper when it comes to theological education, because we highly value careful study and teaching of the word. Just as when we have heart surgery we don’t want someone who has just picked up a few things along the way, when we are taught week in and week out from the Bible, we want people who know what they are doing – and that takes time and study.

    Of course the analogy breaks down because the word of God is powerful and we want people everywhere to be reading it, sharing it and explaining it to others – for which you do not need a piece of paper. But to study the word full time or part time for a few years is a great advantage and I guess is recognised by the piece of paper which comes from the study.

    I think one major difference between your average ‘tertiary degree’ and a theological qualification, is that the tertiary degree is about a knowledge base being gained. There is no need to change your personality or life along the way.

    However with theological education, its not just a matter of knowledge transfer, but personal transformation. Theological education is about learning Greek and history and all that, but just as importantly its about being shaped for a lifetime of service. This is take the form of personal as well as skills shaping. So perhaps the piece of paper is not the only ‘mark of respectability’, but if it is in the hands (or on the wall) of someone whose life is shaped by the gospel and who is active in ministry it is a good recommendation.

    What do you think?

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