On Team Teaching at HKBTS

The Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary (HKBTS) has employed the team teaching model in a number of courses, in which two or more teachers work together in planning and teaching.* There is flexibility and a variety of ways to conduct team teaching: teachers may take turns teaching; they may interact in the classroom; or, one may be teaching while another observes or gives additional insights. In recent years, the core courses often offered in team teaching approach include “Research and Writing,” “Senior Integrative Colloquium,” “Pastoral Care and Counseling” and “Pastoral Leadership and Ministry.” In addition, there are also occasionally a few core and elective courses offered in this mode as needed (see table). Among them, some courses are taught with the concerted effort of five or six teachers. These classes are vibrant, festive, and colorful. “The Worshipping Church” offered in the fall of 2014 and “Ecclesiology” in the spring of 2016 are such examples.

Team Teaching and Synergy

The development of the team teaching model at HKBTS is closely tied to the ideas I put forward when I first took office as president. In November 2008, Rev. Timothy Lau, Chairperson of the seminary’s Board of Trustees, invited me to be the candidate for the president. From then on, I pondered over how a seminary president should be, and how to lead the seminary according to God’s will. Some important concepts, such as theologia, hospitality, synergy, crossover, and meeting the needs of the church and the world, emerged clearly in my mind in the week when I was preparing to meet the Board of Trustees. I integrated these ideas into my written proposal and presented my plan to the Board. In the following year, I began sharing my views with the seminary community on various occasions, such as the President’s Council, faculty retreats, and chapel services. I regard all this as God’s enlightenment and guidance, and must beimplemented gradually.

The pace of seminary reform has accelerated since I became the president in 2009. God has augmented the facultyteam for our Biblical Studies division, enabling the seminary to focus more on nurturing students’ practical theology with theologia. The faculty of the seminary entered a new phase in 2010 ─ a phase of synergy in action. I interviewed the teachers one by one to understand their major and secondary interest in teaching and research, as well as their concerns about the church and society. I put together the teaching expertise and research interests of each teacher, and a beautiful picture of teamwork emerged. I saw that we must have inter-disciplinary integration to complement one another, and only in this way, could practical theology with theologiabe realized. At that time, our consensus was that teachers do not only bury their heads in researching their own specialty, but also branch out into other areas toward more creative inter-disciplinary research and dialogue.Nonetheless, no matter how well we put the idea in words, how good it may seem in our imagination, and how beautiful the collaboration might be, everything is in vain if there is no mutual trust. Thanks to God, the faculty has been walking together in unity for many years. The teachers have gained a better understanding of one another’s research interest and grown in knowing one another better. Their mutual trust and friendship have also strengthened day by day. They have cultivated close interactions and a good tacit understanding with one another. Therefore, everyone is willing to take a further step and co-teach a course with other teachers without academic parochialism. It can be said that our team teaching has grown out of our development in synergy.

Inter-disciplinary Integration and Fragmentation

Besides, the church nowadays is facing various challenges in the world and in society, such as secularization of the church, aging of the global population, growing disparity between the rich and the poor, and even all kinds of political, economic, climate and ecological crises. Church leaders raised up and cultivated by the seminary must have the heart and wisdom of Jesus Christ, with a broad vision and the ability to integrate insights from various disciplines, synthesizing them with dual focus on both theory and practice, in order to meet the needs of the church and the world. Yet contemporary western theological education has a tendency to compartmentalization, with an emphasis on specialization. This has tended to result in fragmentation, as though biblical studies and theological studies were separated, and practice and theory each goes their own ways. This is not conducive to cultivating the overall development of the pastoral leaders of the church, nor their theologia. Oppositions against this trend have already emerged in the Western theological education community. I believe that synergy can resolve this problem. Let teachers with different expertise come together with one heart and in concerted effort, contributing to the common goal of cultivating excellent servant-leaders for the church. I believe that only by cooperating in unity can students really benefit, and the seminary move forward!

Some of the team-taught courses were initiated by the teachers (for example, “Ecclesiology” in the spring of 2016). Some were what we set up deliberately to pool the expertise of the various teachers for producing synergy. Some were so arranged in order to incorporate both the teaching of theological knowledge and the sharing of practical experience within the same course (such as “Pastoral Care and Counseling”). Some were offered to enable students to broaden their horizons, or for teachers with different expertise to complement one another (for example, the “Worshipping Church” in the fall of 2014 was co-taught by the five teachers from the fields of Theology,Old Testament Studies, New Testament Studies, History, and Music respectively). In the past few years, I observed teachers dedicating their teaching and research expertise as well as practical experience, without concern for their own “face,” and without academic parochialism. Each contributed their expertise and strength, and shared knowledge with one another in the class. On the one hand, the teacher’s own knowledge was thus increased; on the other hand, students had their horizons broadened and learned how to attempt interdisciplinary integration from the teachers.

Team Teaching and Practical Theology

In fact, the ultimate aim of HKBTS in developing team teaching is for students to foster a practicaltheology with theologia, so that they are able to discern the heart and mind of Jesus Christ, and to practice, live, witness, and teach Jesus Christ’s thought, passions and example in the church’s real-life setting, namely, in proclamation, mission, pastoral care, Christian education and so on. In fact, knowledge of different disciplines, such as Biblical Studies, Theology, and History, eventually converges into practical theology. What is learned has to be put to use and turned into practice within church life. I hope that the seminary can offer more team-taught courses related to practical theology, such as those related to social ethics, church pastoral issues, mental health, and Christian education development. However, this depends on the expertise of our teachers, on whether there will be new members added to the faculty team, and on the interaction and synergy among our faculty.

I wish that God will continue to lead HKBTS and use our faculty and students who are faithful to Him, and who work together in unity and with concerted effort!

^* J. R. Davis, Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching: New Arrangements for Learning (Phoenix: ACE/Oryx, 1995), 8.

Team-taught Courses in Recent Years (2014-2018)

May 2019