New Milestone — The Th.D. Program
Beginning in Spring 2012-13:
Launching the Doctor of Theology Program
˙ To Respond to Three Aspects of the Needs
Beginning in the 60s, as one of the founders of Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary (ABGTS), HKBTS has been involved in a joint effort to implement a doctoral program for the talents locally and from South East Asia. Then, in 1999, the Graduate Studies Program was formally set up to first offer the Th.M. program.
More than 3 years ago when Professor Cho assumed presidency, he gave the possibility of offering a doctoral program much serious thought. He felt that the Seminary should address three aspects of the need for a doctoral program from the perspective of God’s kingdom.
1. To Respond and Commit to Churches, Society and the World
President Cho is convinced that theological education should be able to respond to the church and society. The Seminary intends to nurture a group of scholars and preachers who have theologia (theological wisdom) and the ability to do interdisciplinary studies. In this way, these scholars and preachers can observe and examine the things happening around them with a new vision. They should seek to apply their mind to understand this ever-changing world and are eager to respond and shoulder responsibilities. The setting up of the Th.D. program by the Seminary will assist our churches to respond first to our society and then to the political, economic and cultural situations of the world. Theological studies enable our churches to review the problems of the church and to respond to the needs of the society and the world by voicing out the Christian truth to this generation. This is the integral mission that calls for an integral effort from the churches and the Seminary to fulfill the mission together.
President Cho points out, “To face up to the world demands greater effort to analyze, to do serious thinking, and to study and write about the real situation of the church and society. Setting up the Th.D. program will enable us to nurture scholars and preachers of a new generation who can respond to the needs of the churches and lead them to respond to all kinds of challenges brought forth by the pluralistic society.” Witnessing the development and flourishing of the Seminary in recent years as God continues to bestow His grace on the Seminary, HKBTS has the responsibility to move forward toward this direction that leads to the Th.D. program, and possibly establishing research centers for the studies of Baptist theologies, family education, and social studies.
2. To Practice Christian Mission
In the meantime, we pray that God will enable HKBTS to be a missional seminary, directing our theological education to develop in the area of mission. Besides commissioning our graduates to the mission fields, we also hope to prepare teaching professionals and talented leaders for the vast harvest field in South East Asia through our Th.D. program to further our mission ministry in God’s kingdom. We will strengthen our ties with Baptist seminaries in South East Asia and to receive their seminary teachers and preachers to Hong Kong to study in the Th.D. program on our campus. Upon graduation, these students will return to their homeland to devote themselves to theological education or to the pastoral care ministry, missions or other ministries.
President Cho envisions that we will well employ our outstanding faculty and learning resources for equipping talents in the region and enhancing Baptist theological education in South East Asia. He further points out, “The Th.D. graduates of the Seminary may go on to teach theology in institutions and universities in the Mainland, teach in a Chinese theological seminary in North America, or strengthen talents in the Chinese or non-Chinese communities in South East Asia. Thus, through our graduates from different places, local pastors will be enabled to equip their congregations to proclaim the gospel of Christ. This is an alternative form of practice of Christian mission, a missional approach that will yield multiple harvests.”
3. To Equip Teaching Talents of the Next Generation for HKBTS
Another important reason for setting up the Th.D. program is to equip the next generation of teaching talents, especially for Practical Theology in subject areas such as missions, religious education, life counseling, and church music. It is our aim to nurture good teachers who are competent in academic studies and of admirable character.
There is the need for the Seminary to store up human resources for theological teaching in our main program, Lay Theological Education Department and Distance Education Program. We also need to provide theological teachers for seminaries in the Mainland and in South East Asia. President Cho shares his thought, “The center of Christianity has shifted eastward so that it is no longer necessary to go to the west to pursue theological studies. Very often, Practical Theology taught in the west is restricted to the western situation. Whereas seminary teachers in Hong Kong understand the Hong Kong, China and the Asian context and they are able to assist students to apply theologies in all the more practical and relevant manner to the ministry situations in the region. Our Bible faculty team is the strength of the Seminary and provides students with sound knowledge base for developing practical theologies. Biblical theology is vital in the equipping of a new generation of Practical Theology teachers. It is a must for graduates to have a solid Biblical base, otherwise there are bound to be ‘crevasses’ in their studies and subsequent teaching and Christian ministry.”
˙ The Prerequisite Consists in the Faculty Team
In the past two to three years, President Cho time and again has exchanged views with the faculty team and tapped into the feasibility of establishing the Th.D. program. He laid out a few prerequisites for setting up the program: we must have a strong faculty team; the teaching strength of both the M.Div. and the BAPS programs must remain unaffected; teachers will need to be mature in their academic scholarship so that their research studies are read and published, and are approved by scholars in the related fields. At the same time, they need to cultivate a spiritual disposition of gentleness and humility. This kind of oneness in team spirit and humility is not what a secular university concerns, but for HKBTS, this is an indispensable quality. After putting in tremendous amount of effort for more than three years, our faculty team has come to a rudimentary state. Publications of research studies by the faculty are prolific and the team spirit is vividly apparent in the morning chapel hour, the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary Celebration, Concert of Praise, and the Faculty Retreat.
After a long period of prayers and contemplation, President Cho saw that the time has come. In the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Worship Service, he announced that the Faith, Hope and Love Project be implemented in the next five years and spoke of setting up the Th.D. Program. In January this year, he set up the “Th.D. Program Committee” and appointed three teachers to serve on the Committee for developing plans for the Program. In the following April and June, the Th.D. Program Proposal had been successfully approved in the Faculty Meeting and the Board of Trustees respectively. Recruitment of students into the Th.D. Program will begin in spring 2012-13.
˙ The Key to Program Success Consists in Both Teachers and Students Being Able to Form a Disciple Community
President Cho points out that the crux of the program’s success consists in teachers willingly following the role model of the apostle Paul, together with students “straining forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal,” becoming an “ever-schooling” and also an inter-dependent disciple community. He counsels teachers themselves must practice being disciples of Jesus Christ, like the old master Paul. They must be masters with academic competence and the character of a good life, capable of being a role model for students to follow and together learn and mature in this disciple community.
President Cho stresses, “To be a disciple’s model means to have faith, hope and love. Therefore, this kind of theological education and the mark of this disciple community is faith, hope and love. When we become such a disciple community, we can then implement the Faith, Hope and Love Project on this solid foundation, which includes setting up the Th.D. program.” As he recalls speaking on the Diamond Jubilee Worship Service last year, he openly mentioned his requirement for and expectation of teachers. At that time he was actually drawing up an agreement with teachers before all the churches. That day, he spoke from his heart as he shared his vision with those present. He continues to be aware that teachers should take the lead in making progress in their spirituality and in their writings for completing the project of faith, hope and love. Otherwise, no matter how beautiful the project may sound, it will be hollow in essence.
President Cho has shared in this way, “At that time, I just want ‘to speak as an honest person.’ I mentioned the project of faith, hope and love because I really saw the possibility that it may succeed as I have witnessed the faculty team striding forward. In the past few years, God has allowed me to stand at the front of the train engine to witness how God has been leading the Seminary forward in every way. Above everything else, the crux of the matter is that He has blessed us with an outstanding faculty team that can work together with the same heart. Today, this faculty team can produce immense power to be the engine to drive the Seminary forward. This can only come from God’s abundant grace and providence!”
God is forever the Lord of HKBTS. We thank Him for leading the Seminary as it sets foot on the new milestone, and we pray that He will continue to guide our ministry. Today, and especially tomorrow, we are willing to offer up to our Lord the whole Th.D. Program and every servant of God that it seeks to nurture. May they all be of use to our Lord!