Head, Heart, Practice: Living the Creeds
Invitation
Creeds form a through line for the church of all times and all places—a through line that asserts belief. With first-person language, the creeds honor each individual voice: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth” (Apostles’) and the community of faith: “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth” (Nicene). Set on the tongues of the church’s chorus of saints,, the first-person “I” takes on new and foundational splendor—it becomes the voice of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church proclaiming, “We believe.” For 150 years, Calvin Theological Seminary has joined the church’s voice in declaring, “We believe.”
Reformed people have long emphasized that theological education is not only for the sharpening of the mind but also for the renovation of the heart and the cultivation of skills—all in service to God’s kingdom. Herman Bavinck, for example, observed that the church’s theological task is “to appropriate it mentally, to assimilate it internally, and to profess it in the midst of the world as the truths of God.” At Calvin Seminary, we distill this into three words: Head. Heart. Practice.
On our 150th birthday, we celebrate the past but also delight in continuing to honor and follow the through line of the creeds. We continue to say, “We believe,” as we shape the head, heart, and practice of leaders for a global, united, and faithful church.
Head
The theological mind at its best, in Bavinck’s view, is trained to “think God’s thoughts after him.” Again and again, the creeds and confessions affirm God’s sovereignty: God is the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all things. With a grand view of God and the posture of a servant, theological education seeks to learn all that we can in every area over which God is sovereign.
Theological education is personal (“I believe”); it is a means of grace that aids us in the process of sanctification, so that by the renewing of our minds we are drawn nearer to God—better able to know and be known by God. Theological education is also corporate (“We believe”). As our minds and hearts are woven together—as we follow the through line of the creeds and confessions—we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Calvin Theological Seminary offers a wide and robust scope of study as it seeks to form minds for Christ. Its curriculum ranges from Old and New Testament studies to Preaching and Pastoral Care, from Hebrew and Greek to Family Ministries and Pop Christian Culture, from Systematic Theology and Church History to Baptisms and Funerals, from Ethics and Evangelism to Music and Worship. In these areas—and in so many more—we proclaim that our world belongs to God; in our studies we steadfastly seek to think God’s thoughts after him.
Heart
Another distinctive feature of life at Calvin Theological Seminary is the spiritual formation that takes place in the context of community. Ministry leaders can neglect their own spiritual disciplines and formation, even while caring faithfully for other believers. Calvin’s Student Life Office exists to nurture the spiritual lives of our students, providing individual and communal opportunities to grow together: chapel, the Public Reading of Scripture, and experiencing the broader “communion of saints” in the context of a multicultural student body.
Robust academic and vocational formation matter deeply, but spiritual formation focuses on the character development of the student beyond acquiring knowledge and skills. One might exegete Scripture faithfully and still be prideful. One can develop impressive ministry skills, but still be poorly formed as a follower of Jesus Christ. Our goal for Calvin Theological Seminary students is to help them grow in Christlikeness: bearing the fruit of the Spirit, learning to love our neighbors well, and becoming individuals whose lives proclaim the Gospel. This spiritual formation happens best in community. One can see it take place at tables in our Student Center, in faculty offices, and after chapel over a donut and coffee. Spiritual formation happens when we hold one another accountable, not out of judgment, but out of love. It happens when we worship, listen to Scripture, and enjoy the company of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
During our weekly chapel services, our students gain skills and understanding of how to bring believers together in Christ’s presence to hear the Word, receive the sacraments, and worship together. When we contemplate Scripture and recite the creeds together, we are reminded of our unity in Christ, both in this present moment and throughout generations.
Another practice that shapes our students’ spiritual formation is the Public Reading of Scripture. Each week, we spend thirty minutes listening to the Psalms, along with a selection of Old Testament and New Testament texts. Afterwards, we share a meal together and reflect on what we’ve heard in God’s Word. It reminds us that we do not study Scripture in isolation, but in community as followers of Jesus Christ who have also been shaped by God’s Word.
This “communion of the saints” and the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” is experienced every day at Calvin Theological Seminary. Our student body represents more than 30 countries, coming together around the call of Jesus Christ in our lives. This “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” is demonstrated in interactions between faculty and students, but even more so among students as they learn how God is at work in the church from each other's cultures, experiences, and traditions.
When our students cross the stage at graduation, it is our prayer that what we’ve practiced–in community, worship, reading Scripture, and fellowship–will be present throughout their life and ministry. We aren’t formed alone, and we don’t do ministry alone: we do it as a communion of saints, shaped together in Jesus Christ.
Practice
At Calvin Seminary, we recognize that if our students graduate with strong theological knowledge and ministry skills but cannot work well with others, those skill sets will be of limited use in the communion of the saints.
The Apostles’ Creed speaks of “the communion of saints,” and the Nicene Creed proclaims “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” They describe a community united by the Spirit. Ministry is always relational. Leaders must collaborate, listen across differences, and build up the body of Christ in love. This conviction undergirds the work of the Vocational Formation Office.
In Formation Groups, students gather weekly with mentors to practice listening, vulnerability, and encouragement. Through In-Context Learning, they serve in ministry settings where they adapt their gifts to communal needs. The Birkman Assessment helps them recognize personality and leadership differences, equipping them to navigate conflict and build teams. And through cross-cultural experiences, students expand their vision of the church’s catholicity, learning to serve with humility and joy in contexts beyond their own.
Joined with academics that form the head and spiritual formation that shapes the heart, these practices train the hands for service. In this way, the creeds come alive—not only as words confessed on Sundays, but as realities embodied in the lives of our graduates, who serve Christ’s one body around the world.
Sending
As Calvin Theological Seminary moves into its next 150 years, we continue to confess, “We believe.” We continue to prepare individuals for biblically faithful and contextually effective ministry of the Word through Reformed theological scholarship and counsel. We continue to form the head, heart, and practice of church leaders in service to the kingdom of God.
We encourage you to celebrate, participate, and actively join the communion of saints around the world—faithfully serving God in your own vocation and witness with all your head, heart, and strength.
Together, We Believe.
Scott De Young - Director of Academic Services and Registrar
Jessica Rowland - Associate Director of Vocational Formation
Jeff Sajdak - Dean of Students, Director of DMin Program
