Past Articles ►TEE Centre in British Columbia Closed - An Update
The Bishop of Caledonia of the Anglican Church in Northern British Columbia, Canada shocked many recently when he closed the diocese portion of the TEE Centre after more than 17 years of service. Click here. November, 2004 ►Planning for TEE in Angola: A Report with Pictures From a Recent Visit by Dr. Adrian Chatfield. Click here. November, 2004 ►The Question of Accreditation and Academic Standards in TEE by Rev Dr Adrian Chatfield Click here. October, 2004. ►Leading Distance Education Associations in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, and other African countries. Get news and resources by subscribing to their free newsletters. Click here. September, 2004
___________________ TEE, Cultural Diversity and the Indigenous Church:
Some Insights from Roland Allen
From a Presentation Made by Dr. Paula Sampson
to the TEENET Steering Committee, August 9, 2004 Roland Allen was a mission strategist, born Bristol, England, 29 December 1868, and died in Kenya, 9 June 1947. He was educated at Oxford and Leeds and became an Anglican priest in 1893. In 1895 he went to North China with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. He survived the Boxer siege and following furlough and marriage returned briefly to China. He resigned from parish ministry in 1907 and worked in association with the Survey Application Trust and World Dominion Press. His classic Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or ours? and other writings argued for independent indigenous churches. He influenced Pentecostal missions and a new generation of missionaries from the 1960s. The following are some of his quotes: "I am persuaded that the apostles understood how to establish the church better than we do, and they did not appeal for pastors to the home church, and they did not begin with a theological college. The church grew its own theological colleges later." (Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? Grand Rapids, Mi. :Erdman 's Publishing Co., 1962)
"They [established churches] have preached payment of ministers as part of the Gospel, and have insisted upon a training that they alone can give. They have controlled the whole movement, and that is the true mark of the imperialistic spirit of which [Asian] people accuse them." (A critical Review of 'The World Mission of Christianity')
''All teaching to be permanent must be intelligible and so capable of being grasped and understood that those who have once received it can retain it, use it and hand it on. The test of all teaching is practice. Nothing should be taught which cannot be so grasped and used." (MM)
"It is essential that the people should recognize that the school is their own school."(MM)
"These [foreign] priests have often under them many excellent and devoted catechists who cannot be ordained solely because they have not had a college education." (MM)
"The young men [sic] so educated are sometimes, by their very education, out of touch with their congregations .... They are not even the best teachers of people from whose intellectual and spiritual life they have long been absent. They do not know how to answer their difficulties or supply their necessities. They know so much Christian doctrine and philosophy that they have forgotten the religion of their country (emphasis added). The congregation has not grown with them, nor they with the congregation. They come, as it were from outside." (MM)
"Alien believed that the church can be the community, and the community can be the church in a very specific cultural milieu, and that those expressions are particular to themselves and stand upon their own value, rather than being compared to the western church." (Linda Johnson, Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, in Ministry Development Journal, 1988#15)
Comments from the TEENET Web Director: Other quotes from Roland Allen can be found at http://www.worldofquotes.com/author/Roland-Allen/1/ | Books by and about Roland Allen include: Allen, Roland. Mission activities considered in relation to the manifestation of the Spirit. London ; New York: World Dominion Press, 1927. Allen, Roland. Missionary methods : St. Paul's or ours ; a study of the church in the four provinces. London, 1912. Allen, Hubert J. B. Roland Allen : pioneer, priest, and prophet. Cincinnati, Ohio, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Forward Movement Publications; W.B. Eerdmans.1995. |
________________ CATI POLICY STATEMENT The Conference of African Theological Institutions (CATI) having met with representatives of Theological Education by Extension (TEE) at a consultation held from 26th February to 1st March 2002 at Kenya College of Communications Technology (KCCT) Mbagathi, Nairobi-Kenya acknowledges the role of TEE in the strengthening of the church and its witness in Africa. CATI seeks in addition to its other activities to provide policy guidelines on Theological Education by Extension that may be of assistance to the churches, theological institutions and other educational institutions in Africa. We salute the effort of women and men that have tirelessly endeavored to promote TEE as an effective method of equipping the whole people of God for the whole ministry of Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Issues and recommendations emerging from the consultation were: Mission and Purpose of TEE 1. To provide study opportunities for those who cannot be full-time students in residential institutions. These opportunities should be made at all educational levels. 2. TEE is suitable for informal, non-formal and formal education systems. 3. It is suitable for theological education of the laity as well as those seeking ministerial formation. 4. It facilitates the training of God’s people in a variety of church leadership roles and ministries. II. Methodology 1. TEE is a proven method of education that comprises self-instructional material, face-to-face discussion under the guidance of a facilitator who is trained in TEE methodology and practical application of learning in ministry activities in church and community. 2. With the introduction of Information Technology (I.T.) good use can be made of telephone conferencing, video conferencing, computer – based learning (CD-ROM), and interactive web sites on the Internet. 3. Efforts should be made to expand the use of information technology in rural and urban areas. III. Approaches to TEE 1. Ownership a) Churches, theological institutions and departments of religious studies of institutions of higher learning are custodians. b) Therefore the church leaders are called to affirm their commitment to and ownership of TEE. c) This will involve them in resourcing and sustaining TEE programs. d) The adoption and implementation of the TEE method of education may affect institutional culture and may call for adjustment to new approaches to teaching and learning. e) Good policy decisions related to TEE by church leaders will make progress in TEE possible. This includes making policies on recruiting, training and retaining appropriate TEE personnel to ensure continuity of the program. f) TEE has been used in various levels from literacy (learning to read and write) to undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level. IV. Curriculum, Content and Development 1. Content and Context We should not underrate our ability to develop appropriate contextualised materials. It is helpful to develop distance-learning materials based on existing courses that are taught in residential institutions. All theological curricula must be relevant to their context and needs of the students and ought to be reviewed from time to time. All theological curricula including that of the TEE should intentionally address the burning issues affecting African people such as: Poverty, Diseases especially HIV-AIDS, Environment, gender, justice, human rights, reconciliation, conflict resolution and peacemaking. Curricula ought to be approved by the stakeholders. 2. Production of study materials a) Recruitment of writers (i) Churches should be involved in the recruitment of capable, committed subjects specialist as TEE course writers. (ii) These writers should work under the guidance of a person(s) who is qualified in theology and Distance Education. (iii) Study material should be written in a language appropriate to target group where possible the mother tongue. (iv) Context determines the nature and level of TEE programs therefore we should not expect uniformity in TEE programs continent wide. b) Study materials should be tested with subject specialists and student groups before printing. c) The up-front cost of producing distance-learning materials is expensive. Churches and institutions should therefore count the cost at the planning stage. Costs will include planning the curriculum, recruiting and training of writers, drafting the materials, stationery, office expenses, proof reading, editing, secretarial support, transport, printing and distribution. d) In designing a curriculum it reduces costs to use existing study materials produced by other TEE programs. e) It is not automatic that any highly qualified theological tutor can write TEE materials without successfully undergoing thorough training in Distance Education. f) Writing requires sacrifice and commitment, so writers should be reasonably remunerated for their hard work. V. Networking and Collaboration 1. There is need to identify areas of collaboration at national, regional and continental levels. 2. Therefore ecumenical bodies such as AACC, CATI and regional associations of TEE could facilitate this collaboration effectively. 3. It is salutary that much progress has been achieved in TEE at denominational level, however we encourage broader involvement at ecumenical levels. VI. Evaluation and Accreditation 1. There is need for accreditation and certification for TEE programs. Therefore, TEE programs should seek affiliations with established accrediting agencies and existing accredited academic institutions. This could be done through the member institutions of CATI. VII. CONCLUSION In gratitude to God for enabling us through this process, we pray that these policy guidelines will contribute significantly in making Theological Education by Extension to be more effective, viable and relevant to the African context. We therefore commend them to churches and theological institutions wishing to enhance their TEE programs. _____________________________________________ |
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA UNISA is South Africa’s oldest university, founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope. Following are quotations from UNISA publications, which indicate the importance of this model of distance higher education, which can be further strengthened through face-to-face extension methods. In 1916 the university was given its present name and took on a federal structure within which were incorporated several university colleges which subsequently became autonomous teaching universities. In a sense, therefore, UNISA has parented most of South Africa’s present-day universities. In 1944 the institution was infused with a new vision as the idea of providing postal tuition to non-residential students began to take hold, and in 1946 South Africa’s first university also became the pioneer of tertiary distance education in the western world. Today, the university enjoys the status of a mega-university, one of a dozen or so institutions with the requisite scope and complexity. UNISA serves an enormous student body—between 110,000 and 130,000 people a year, from villages, towns and cities across the globe. A further 45,000 to 50,000 register for certificate courses. For these students, the university prints over 500 million pages of information a year, sends out 8 million postal items and makes more than 2,000 courses available on the Worldwide Web. Its main library handles in excess of 550,000 transactions a year and stocks almost 2 million information items, over 13,000 current periodical titles and an audio-visual collection almost as big as that of the national broadcaster. The Department of Student Support provides facilities and face-to-face tuition for students resident in South Africa at 9 student centers and distributes in the region of R18 million annually in student loans to needy students. Examinations are held twice a year at between 350 and 450 centers around the world, and 60 to 70 graduation ceremonies take place at 14 venues across the country each year, with some 15,000 to 16,000 people receiving degrees, diplomas and certificates from the University’s 6 faculties and its Institute of Adult Basic Education and Training. UNISA’s Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies is the largest of its kind in South Africa and is recognized in many parts of the world for its academic standing. We have close to sixty academics who offer seven traditional theological disciplines—Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, Systematic Theology, Theological Ethics, Practical Theology and Missiology—as well as a number of exciting new programs in Pastoral Counseling, Community Ministry, Christian Spirituality and Applied Ethics. One of the most exciting growth points in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies is the Faith in Action (FIA) Certificate Program. There are already eight courses running in this program, and 165 students successfully completed their certificates last year. For more information see www.unisa.ac.za MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEE Rev. Musa J. Jambawai, Kenema, Sierra Leone I first came in contact with TEE work when I was a teenager doing my sixth form studies in Freetown. At that time the Sierra Leone Bible College organized TEE courses in various cities and towns in Sierra Leone. The group in Freetown met twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We met at 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. The TEE term was ten to 13 weeks, and we did two subjects per term. At the end of each term certificates were offered, accredited by the College. TEE tutors came from this institution, the Fourah Bay College Theology Department, and various churches in Freetown. I do not remember now what we paid for the courses, but I strongly believe that the fees barely covered the cost of the books, if not a little less. I cannot recall now all the subjects that I took, but a few that I remember are: Romans, 1 and 2 Timothy, Mark, selected Old Testament books, Child Evangelism. The course on Child Evangelism helped me most, as I had just become a Sunday School teacher at my church with very little teaching skill or knowledge of working with children. For me every Sunday during the course was a teaching practice. I went to the TEE course with either tears or smiles to pour before my tutors. Since that time my interest in working with children grows fresh all the time. Currently I am the Acting Director and Trainer of the Methodist Training Center. I am working on ways to collaborate with the TEE workers in Sierra Leone. My center has the responsibility to train the laity in theology and community development. When I team up with TEE, this will give the laity deeper training in theology as well as in community development. The TEE team will give a fine focus on theology, and I will give more time to community development. In addition to my teenage biblical studies with TEE, I did most of my ministerial biblical studies with TEE. We did four weeks of full day college residential studies each year for four years. After each residential study we were allocated mentors and sets of prescribed books. We went through the books and wrote essays and submitted them to the mentors for marking. We also met in study groups every month to exchange ideas and help one another. This study earned us a Certificate in Pastoral Studies by extension. This prepared me for ordination into the ministry of the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone. Today I am an ordained minister. |
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