Several years ago, a new phrase was making the rounds in the business world: “collaboration is the new competition.” For some corporate leaders, it was a revolutionary idea to succeed through working together rather than battling for supremacy. What about in the world of faith? Is there anything new about collaboration in the church, or in theological education? My first answer is an unequivocal “no.”
Churches have been walking the talk of collaboration for a long time. Think of pastoral teams, cooperation among congregational committees, partnerships between churches and community organizations, and ecumenical associations. Likewise, theological education encourages collaboration among students, teamwork between students and pastors through supervised ministry experiences, and connections between faculty members and the constituency.
On the other hand, what if “(something) is the new collaboration”? The Anabaptist Learning Workshop (ALW) is one of the places where I am beginning to see what this “something” might look like.
ALW is a program of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in cooperation with Grebel. Since its launch in the fall of 2015, ALW hosted 16 learning events, including smaller workshops and larger conferences. Overall, ALW aspires to be a place for experiential and participatory learning on a variety of topics at the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary life. ALW is open to laypeople and pastors, and a certificate is available for those who choose this option.
What are participants saying? “I have longed for high quality and accessible continuing education that would deepen my knowledge of Anabaptist theology, scripture, and leadership practices without having to ‘go back to school’. I look forward to continued participation!”
Another report: “There was a wonderful collaborative atmosphere.The leaders both instructed and facilitated the wisdom of others.”
Still another: “The workshop helped us to appreciate each other’s questions.” This last comment really strikes me, in light of how difficult it can be “just” to hear one another, let alone be able to appreciate and value each other’s viewpoints!
Anabaptists talk about “the priesthood of all believers” in reference to how all Christians have the potential to minister for God. My observation is that the ALW cultivates “the faculty of all those who wonder.” In other words, the work of faculty members is work that is available to all those who actively learn, all those who take up the curriculum of “I wonder….” This isn’t about devaluing the skill of teachers. This is about teachers and students collaborating along the leading edges of curiosity, awe, and mutual respect.
ALW is a modest program, and yet this “faculty of all those who wonder” surely contributes both to MCEC’s mission of making disciples, growing congregations, and forming leaders, and to Grebel’s mission to seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.
In some quarters, learning becomes a competitive sport. In the ALW, education is certainly not aggressive, but neither is it merely collaborative. On behalf of MCEC and Grebel, the Anabaptist Learning Workshop seeks to create learning opportunities that are wonder-filled.
