The Origin of TEE as an Approach to Theological Education
Theological Education by Extension (TEE) is widespread in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. TEE courses are used in over 100 countries and more than 70 languages. The courses utilize materials developed by UK-based SEAN International, an inter-denominational body dedicated to writing Bible courses for TEE for over 50 years.
‘Theological Education by Extension’ is often misunderstood as ‘distance learning’ or correspondence courses or Open University learning concept” – but it is not really either of those things!
According to 1Volker Glissmann (2014), The origin of the movement lies in 1963 at the Presbyterian Seminary of Guatemala. Structural changes were introduced in the seminary that transformed it from training residentially (in the capital city) exclusively for the professional full-time ministry of the church to a training model that trains de-centralized (predominantly in rural areas) part-time church leaders. This change was driven by the realization that the majority of trainees that originally came from the rural areas did not move back after finishing their residential training in the comfortable environment of the capital city.
Furthermore, the members of the Guatemala Presbyterian Church could not provide full financial support for the employment of full-time pastors throughout all its mainly rural presbyteries. It was realized then that the seminary was preparing young unproven men as leaders for the handful of middle-class churches that were in Guatemala, thereby ignoring the natural leaders who already were ministering in the church. It was evident that those experienced, mature, tested, and respected rural church leaders could not attend full-time residential seminars because they were subsistence farmers whose extended families depended on their ongoing labor for survival.
Additionally, these church leaders, though gifted by God, did in most cases not have the necessary academic school certificates to be admitted to an institute of higher learning. Yet at the same time it was clear that it is surely not in the interest of the church to side-line well-respected, mature, and proven church leaders and excludes them from theological training.
This resulted in the development of a decentralized method of theological training that was open to everyone, and which utilized elements of distance education. But it also had an integral face-to-face group meeting system and a focus on practical ministry application. Out of this TEE as a method of theological training developed.
2Patricia Harrison (2004) also defines TEE through its three main components: ‘self-study materials, regular seminars, and life experience and ministry in the students’ own context.’ Furthermore, the idea was that these components closely relate and are intertwined. None of these components were unique or new but rather it was this ‘particular combination and inter-relationship of these elements that were distinctive.’
These three main components of TEE, though essential, conceal the real essence of TEE but what is common is that they use these individual components to define a method of theological education.
References:
1 Web reference: https://thetheologicaleducator.net/2014/11/28/what-is-theological-education-by-extension/
2 Kinsler, The Extension Movement, p. 34-35.