Assets-based education

Author: Joel Liechty

One of the main themes of assets-based community development is that a community has so many assets within it already around which any development should be centered. Rather than a non-profit coming in with it's own plan, vision of success, and resources to try to help a community develop, instead it seeks to listen well and discover what assets (physical, financial, human, etc.) already exist in the community and how those can help the community flourish.

Theological education for adults needs a similar revolution. The traditional seminary experience invites the student to come to the institution and to partake in the wealth of resources that the institution provides. This is not bad. Seminaries are bastions of expertise, teaching experience, and learning resources.

When we look to an assets-based model to education, we don't start with the institution, it's classroom and it's experts. Instead, we start with the student embedded in their context and their community. What assets does that community already have? What expertise already resides there? What learning resources or opportunities for learning exist that would create a better learning experience for the student.