Unity in Diversity

　　HKBTS has a talented group of teachers with different gifts and areas of expertise. Team teaching allows us to draw from our unique strengths while working together toward a common goal. According to Paul in Ephesians 4:11-13, this goal is to “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (NIV, 1984) There is unity in diversity within the body of Christ, and the role of the seminary is to teach our students love, peace, and harmony while encouraging them to seek out their unique identities, passions, and gifts. Diversity is to be cherished, because it is only through diversity that true unity can be attained, and it is only through true unity that we can become mature and experience the fullness of Christ.

　　In my time as a teacher at HKBTS, I have been a member of a teaching team for two courses: “The Worshipping Church” and “Ecclesiology.” In these two courses, I explored the topics of worship and the concept of “Church” from the area of the New Testament, while my colleagues provided perspectives from history, theology, and other disciplines. These occasions were rewarding experiences and an important reminder that important topics such as these can only be mastered through a broad and integrative approach. It is not sufficient for the students to understand worship or church through the New Testament alone without a proper regard for the traditions of the Church or the underlying theological implications. The student who has gained a mastery of the knowledge must also learn how to practically use such knowledge, for example, how to design a church service, and how to manage and administrate a church. This type of integration is of great value to our students and is what the faculty work together to strive for—the integration of theological disciplines as well as the integration of knowledge and practical skills relevant to their future work within the church. This is similar to the learning outcome of the “Senior Integrated Colloquium” that is required for all our graduating master’s students.

　　Through these team-taught courses, we strive to demonstrate to the students the need to approach challenging theological topics from different perspectives, and the importance of cooperation for the sake of building up the body of Christ.