An historic shift is happening in the culture and world of ministry training. A large number of seminaries are facing the prospect of closing or down sizing. What will the future look like at the ministry training level?

In early March, I met with Meri MacLeod, PhD and the director of Digital Seminarian (www.digitalseminarian.com). Dr. MacLeod pioneered the work of bringing distance learning to Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. In the last year she has left Western and started the Digital Seminarian.

Dr. MacLeod has worked with many students who have found distance learning very important in their ministry training journey. Ministry training students have commented that using the Internet to learn really fits. One student told her, “Distance students are juggling jobs, ministry demands, family and other relationships. We need to be able to access our online course materials and assignments as we move through our day, from our laptop or cell phone, and wherever we are.” (http://www.digitalseminarian.com/category/students-blog/)

We talked about how Christian Leaders Institute takes the distance out of distance learning. At Christian Leaders Institute the learning center is not brick and mortal with professors teaching in a physical classroom. At CLI, the classroom is on the Internet and students interact with a professor in their own home. Each student is encouraged to connect with a local pastor or mentor. This makes ministry training relevant to your local context.

I look forward to assisting Dr. MacLeod in her work of helping seminaries and other ministry training places to utilize the tools of the web. I found Dr. MacLeod to be a kindred spirit in taking barriers away to ministry training!