Australian reenvisioning of theological education: In step with the Spirit?

There is a growing interest in local churches reshaping themselves around mission and developing an everyday theology for the marketplace, but what does this mean for theological education and leadership formation? How do we keep in step with the Spirit and help our students practice consecration through the Spirit? This article grapples with these questions by drawing on four Australian writers: marketplace theologian Robert Banks; missional church leaders Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost; and Australian poet and artist Michael Leunig. It presents innovative approaches to training at Australian colleges and training providers including Tabor College Victoria, Forge Mission Training Network and Whitley College, and discusses implications for the future of theological education in step with the Spirit. To be in step with the missionary Spirit will include reenvisioning our approach to vocation and the ministry of the whole people of God, recalibrating our churches around mission, recentring with contemplation, and engaging our cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]