Competency-based theological education (CBTE) is gaining momentum across North America, reshaping how seminaries and churches prepare leaders for ministry. The In Trust Center’s Good Governance podcast included two leading voices in this movement: Susan Reese, Ed.D., professor of spiritual formation at Kairos University, and Nathan Hitchcock, Ph.D., a CBTE consultant. They offered fresh insight into what schools need to know about CBTE’s impact. Here are three key takeaways:
Beyond skills training
Many people assume competency means just skills, but CBTE is broader, Hitchcock said. “It focuses on demonstrated proficiency, not seat time. It’s akin to scouting; earning a badge requires showing ability, not just attending meetings. In theological education, this means students show mastery through practice and mentorship. Professors remain vital, but CBTE also incorporates pastors, coaches, and mentors, offering a distributed model of supervision that shapes students over time.
Formation of character
“Traditional seminary education has often emphasized academic content while assuming formation would follow,” Reese said. “CBTE makes character formation explicit and creates room to assess relational, spiritual, and affective growth, paying attention to who the student is becoming in their call.” Hitchcock added that this approach finally allows schools to attend to the “heart,” not just head and hands, aligning with longstanding aspirations of theological educators.
Church-Seminary partnership
Both Reeses and Hitchcock emphasized that CBTE clarifies what seminaries and churches do best. Professors bring subject-matter expertise, while ministry contexts offer environments where competencies such as resilience, rest, and friendship can be lived and assessed. Hitchcock cited the Alliance of Reformed Churches, which now requires pastors to demonstrate not only theological commitments but also healthy practices such as Sabbath-keeping and maintaining friendships. Reese highlighted CBTE’s integrative nature, where prior learning, vocational experience, and discipleship journeys all become part of theological formation.
A shift for faculty – and for the field
For both Reese and Hitchcock, embracing CBTE has been humbling but transformative. It requires professors to move beyond delivering content toward mentoring, coaching and helping students integrate learning into their lives. Hitchcock shared an example of a student whose growth in church history was stalled by fear of her own voice. With her pastor’s intervention, she overcame that barrier, an outcome CBTE made possible by engaging mentors alongside faculty.
CBTE is not about competition among schools but about collaboration. Dozens of seminaries and even denominations are adopting CBTE frameworks, with a spirit of camaraderie rather than rivalry. For boards and senior leaders, Hitchcock’s advice is straightforward: “Join the dialogue. Look for where it’s already happening.”
Listen to the full podcast episode: click here
