Acronyms are pretty prevalent across the synod and our campus. LES? Lutheran Elementary School. ALHS? Area Lutheran High School. BIC? Bible Information Class. DP? District President.

As we build our CBE (competency-based education) programming at MLC (Martin Luther College), we are adding a few new acronyms to our WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) vocabulary.

If you have spent any time on our webpage, you will have seen CBTE. Our first approved competency-based program is the CBTE Minor. While our CBTE Minor is uniquely framed to meet MLC’s institutional mission, CBTE is not something we devised. The international Competency-Based Theological Education movement reflects over a decade of work in rethinking how seminaries, colleges, and universities support the theological education of those preparing to serve in the ministries of various church bodies.

The International CBTE Community of Practice defines seven key practices that distinguish CBTE from traditional methods of theological training. We’ve used these seven guiding principles to develop MLC’s CBTE Minor.

Contextual Learning

Developing returning adult learners for ministry necessitates that they are involved in ministry. Going beyond an internship that constitutes part of their degree program, most CBTE learners are immersed full-time in their ministry environment. Assignments and learning opportunities are outcomes-based and, therefore, can be adapted to fit and contribute to the learner’s ministry context.

Partnered Investment

Having learners immersed in a ministry environment transforms the program from being primarily a service contract between the learners and the institution to being a partnership in developing leaders between the institution, the learner, and their congregational school.

Team-Based Mentoring

Diverse mentor teams are engaged to holistically develop learners. They work as a team to develop students in all areas of their lives. Mentor teams at MLC include:

• • A faculty mentor – an MLC faculty mentor who connects the learner with MLC resources
  • The CBTE faculty – the individuals who actively engage with the learners in their year-long study, and
  • A practitioner mentor – an on-the-ground mentor from the learner’s ministry context

Integrated Outcomes

To ensure holistic development, the program is designed with integrated outcomes that aim to develop learners in all areas of their lives. They integrate what you do, where you do it, and how you do it to understand what it means to be a called worker in the public ministry of the WELS.

Timely Instruction

By the end of a CBTE program, all learners will have demonstrated achievement of the same set of standardized outcomes. However, the context in which those outcomes are achieved is highly individualized. This promotes “just-in-time” learning, immediate application, and the opportunity to deepen learning through reflection.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Learners in MLC’s CBTE program come with prior education and experience. Like our traditional program, MLC’s CBTE program grants advanced placement to learners who have completed accredited courses similar to those in the program; credits given for prior credits earned. Learners who previously completed coursework at Bethany Lutheran College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, or Martin Luther College may be able to apply that coursework to their CBTE studies. Additional credits from other accredited institutions are applied to the General Education and program-specific curriculum if the learner continues in their studies at MLC.

Rigorous and Adaptive Assessment

The rigor of a CBTE program rests on its ability to effectively assess learners. Standardized outcomes and indicators are clearly defined and provided to mentors and learners. Mentor teams use these rubrics to understand a learner’s strengths and prior learning on program entry, so they can focus energy on maximizing strengths and shoring up weaknesses. Continual assessment throughout the program ensures that learners complete their course of study only when they have demonstrated mastery in each competency and are fully equipped to serve their ministry context.

 

The content included in this blog is based on the Competency Based Theology Education Conference.  (2024, October 22). What is CBE?