Coping with Disruption
What might we learn from the educational disruption that is well under way?
It is hard to be in a ministry segment undergoing massive disruption. Take, for example, theological education. Declining demographics, changes in American religious attitudes, the rising cost of a degree, theological drift, and other factors have conspired against Christian schools. There are service challenges, with most students expecting both in-person and virtual offerings, questions about the content of programs, and cultural shifts that challenge the desirability of religious degrees.
Just this week, I am aware of two schools that are shutting down. Eastern Nazarene College and Clark Summit University. Last year, Nyack College lost its accreditation and decided it was game over. Larger institutions like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary have undergone difficult decisions to sell or downsize it campus. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School has had to discontinue residential and in-person undergraduate education due mostly to declining enrollment. This is only a sampling of dozens of Christian schools that have either closed or downsized.
Often, the hardest hit are the “specialty” programs, like missions. Just recently, Biola ended its B.A. in Intercultural Studies. The Cook School of Intercultural Studies will be moved under the Talbot School of Theology this fall. Fuller Theological Seminary, which has trained more PhDs in missions than any other school, has merged its School of Intercultural Studies into the School of Theology as it deconstructs what it considers to be missions.
Not all schools are in decline, to be sure, and much of the decline has been expected for some time. Dallas Theological Seminary, Asbury, and Denver Seminary have shown some resilience.
Disruption in education has not been limited to religious education, of course. There is a ticking time bomb within post-secondary education surrounding student debt and the eventual contraction of government subsidies. The public system of education that thrived in the late 20th century is also undergoing upheaval. Private schools, school choice, and homeschooling are eroding the monopoly of public schools. There will be a point in the future when this tide must stop, or numbers will fall below a threshold necessary for the system to work.
What can we learn from the disruption of educational institutions that might help us prepare for a future in which our own ministry area (in my case, missions) may contract? Here are a few thoughts to consider:
Get Agile
Agility is key and ministries that build agile teams will fare much better. An agile ministry is one which can 1) anticipate change, 2) make wise, timely decisions, and 3) execute on them. Educational institutions, particularly those with high levels of faculty leadership, were not able to transform their institutions ahead of the known change curve that was coming. Building a ministry organization which is agile starts with leadership paradigms. The more diffused your decision-making, the harder it will be. This is not an argument for centralization, but if you are decentralized, recognize that change management processes are very different and often more cumbersome.
Slim down
This is related to getting agile. For example, consider getting out of the fixed-asset game while you can. Fixed assets come with ongoing costs. You must either alleviate these costs through business ventures or outright sales. Fuller got into some trouble on this when local zoning made it nearly impossible to sell the campus after they had already planned on moving to a less expensive area. Giving up on the building is, for some reason, a painful decision for many ministries. Deal with it early and not when it really hurts. Slim down in staffing and service offerings. Another way to say this is focus.
Diversify
Balance out your focus by carefully diversifying. You can do this without losing focus so long as the diversification aligns with your mission. Diversify well before the crisis hits. Educators knew long ago that virtual classrooms would be a key part of their future. I remember studying “MOOCS” (massive, open, online courses) over fifteen years ago when, in 2009, the first courses were being launched. How many income streams do you have? How many should you have? How do they integrate with your mission statement?
Innovate
Go deep with innovation strategies. Create and empower innovators, find funding for projects with promise, and run experiments. Technology was once a competitive advantage. [CH1] Now that we all use technology, it is a commodity. Recognize that innovation in ministry is different than technological innovation (it might include it, but only as a lubricant). I have seen more ministries with “Chief Innovation Officers” and similar titles than ever before, which is great. Yet, we have a long way to go.
Expect Disruption
Disruption is coming. I am in global missions. The Great Commission is not going away but how we execute on Jesus’ command to disciple the nations is under vast disruption right now. Even though the church in the US and Canada are in numeric decline, the future for missions can still be bright. But it won’t be the same as it is today. I am pretty sure that this is true for whatever ministry you are leading as well.
Now is the time to prepare for what is coming.