The Emmaus Model

Nazarene higher education faces many new opportunities and challenges around the world. Old paradigms and methods are proving inadequate to reach a rapidly changing world. Theological education is part of this change. For several centuries, the predominant mode of theological education was for students to sit in classrooms and listen to lectures. Although there is value in this time-tested method, the changing learning environment demands creative rethinking of our educational methods. For example, the rise of technology has significantly changed the ability to access information. What used to be found only in libraries or from experts can now be accessed on a cell phone. Those born after 1990 have had access to technology that previous generations could not even imagine. The majority of the world now has access to mobile technology or the internet.

These new challenges require new methods. This book begins by looking at the reason for theological education. We must know the “why” before we explore the “what” or the “how.” The authors are convinced that God is doing something new in, through, and even outside the church. The same Creator who spoke the universe into existence is stirring new and creative ideas in order to reach the world of today with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This book represents a new optimism fueled by Spirit-led imagination. God is doing a new movement around the world.