Wat is wijsheid voor kerken en kerkelijke opleidingen in de 21e eeuw?

Samenvatting

This article outlines some issues of strategic importance for churches and Christians in a
cultural context that is increasingly ‘post-Christendom’. The introduction explains how
‘wisdom’ may be a helpful integrative concept to understand what may be needed most. It
is then proposed that the institutionalized church should actively seek to strengthen certain
attributes that belong to the pre-Christendom church. The church should: 1. Recruit
‘adapters’ or innovators and give them the required space to operate. 2. Facilitate the experience of the community. 3. Directly connect theological insights to daily life. 4. Seek out and connect theologically informed leadership. Furthermore, the education and training of future pastors focus more intentionally on three interrelated dimensions: being (e.g., psychological makeup and personal spirituality), knowing (e.g., immersion in missional theology), and doing. When these three dimensions are sufficiently integrated, an increase in wisdom is likely. This will serve the church well.