It's a commitment to the direction we have taken in helping educate leaders in theological education. The need for such education is crucial, Reber said, because the number of those enrolling in continuing theological education has risen. Continuing education is important not only for ordained clergy. It also attracts an increasingly diverse pool of adult leaders interested in broadening their theological horizons. The Luce-funded Auburn program insures that those who direct such programs are better equipped for their positions.
Colleagues share their professional experiences and focus on the essentials of their work.
They examine and help refine their institutions' mission statements, as well as such issues as curriculum and strategies for educating adult learners. To encourage this kind of exchange, the 28 participants break into two groups of 14 each for one series of four-day sessions. Auburn President Barbara G. Wheeler added that the education of religious leaders was important not only for the future of religious communities in the United States but to the nation's intellectual and public life, as well.