Reimagining the Role of Graduate Theological Education in Clergy Formation

This study explored the alignment between the self-reported needs of the religious workforce and the ways theological schools are addressing these needs. Analyses of the 2022 ATS Alum/Mapping the Workforce Survey, MDiv curricula, and teaching areas of theological school faculty suggest there are significant gaps and even larger misalignments based in structures that have a long history in theological education, and that many programs are filling a need that is not commonly expressed by alums today. Findings from activity reports submitted by Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative grantees additionally suggest that schools are beginning to break out of a system defined primarily in terms of academic disciplines and are designing alternative educational models that will be relevant for forming the workforce of the future. Potential directions for the future of graduate theological education are suggested in the conclusion.