The making of TLS

TimelineMay 1986 Pilot group meetsSeptember 1986 TLS launched at St Colm’s, EdinburghSeptember 1987 Regionalised foundation course centres (eventually 5)September 1988 First “follow-on” course (eventually 7)September 1990 Under ecumenical banner – SAACE then SCOC

Approved for Reader trainingTwo Piskie dioceses adopt for NSMs

May 1992 TLS only route for Reader trainingSeptember 1992 Prison groups beginSeptember 1995 Adopted by URC and established in EnglandSeptember 1996 10-years anniversary at Greyfriars KirkMarch 1997 Associate College of Napier University Summer 1998 First experiments with computer-assisted learningMarch 1999 New head of SCOCJune 2001 TLS ends in Scotland - copyright sold by SCOC to URCSeptember 2001 TLS continues as a URC programme[June 2004 SCOC closes]

“In the minds of those of us launching the course .....TLS was about the future of the Church. We believed that tomorrow’s church would be far more a lay church, breaking away from its over-dependence on the ordained ministry. It would be a church which couldn’t afford to waste the gifts of its members, but had to develop them for ministry amongst Christians and within the world. It would be a church where theology had to be set free from the specialists to become the work of the people.”

From address to 10th anniversary service

Three things that shaped the design of TLS

Theological Education by Extension

An idea brought by the General Secretary of the CofS Board of Education

Context-based Education

An approach promoted by WCC and developed by the Baptist theological college in Manchester

Research into Adult Learning Needs

Nine months of research by CofS Research Officer

Theological Education by Extension

Key influence: Ross Kinsler• The educational resource goes to the people,

not the people to the educational resource• Designed to be flexible – home study,

negotiated timetable, options for attendance• Uses stepped approach – basic materials

designed to be simple, but capable of enrichment

Context-based education

Key influence: Tamil Nadu/WCC PTE• Everyone has an “agreed area of service” to

which the course relates • Not applied theology but dialogical theology –

context and tradition in conversation• Thematic, not discipline-based (though the

Bible given special place)• Learning by doing

Research into adult learning needs• Focus groups (about 20 strong) in forty parishes of six main

types• Key question – what have you found it difficult to cope with

as a Christian?• Key findings:

– Personal and relational issues came out top (death, dying and bereavement; parenting; marriage and divorce)

– The biggest faith issue was the problem of suffering and God’s failure to prevent disaster

– “Doctrine” was seen as irrelevant – people wanted everyday issues explored

– The Bible was hugely respected but seldom read– Evangelism and education were regarded as very important but

no one was keen to do them themselves– Group activity only broadly welcome when it had a task to fulfil

How given expression in TLS• Not a scaled down ministry course, but one

focused on lay concerns. • Not a set of answers but a range of options.• Support groups created parallel learning in a

task-centred way, so extended TLS into the local congregation.

• District group time designed to give one third of the 2.5 hours to issues from people’s local contexts.

• Bible explored in its own right but related to the broad theme (e.g Job with module on suffering).

What was I most proud of?

• Students from the housing schemes• Empowering of women• Engagement with prisons• Work with local support groups (which

became the main recruiting ground!)• Bursting out from Scotland – first Dublin, then

Geneva, then England• The excitement of tutors

What worried me most?

• The impact of University validation – on curriculum, reputation and the norm

• The impact of becoming the only route for Reader training

[though note that these two changes evenedthe gender balance]• Sustainability – in 1986 we had 31 students, in

1996 there were 308, in 1986 we organised 4 residential weekends a year, in 1996 it was 44

How would I envy you?

• Educational technology offers you facilities we didn’t have:– The use of a VLA for delivering materials and

creating forums– The use of on-line journals and libraries for those

who want to go further– Skype as a tutorial medium for isolated students

• You have the potential for integration with the resource centres for learning