For Dr. Max Lee, theological training and pastoring are mutually dependent and help strengthen pastors and the communities they serve. Appointed in February 2024 as the Paul W. Brandel Chair of Biblical Studies at North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS); he has been a New Testament professor at the seminary since 2006.
鈥淎t NPTS, we are training capable, critically thinking, engaging pastors who not only read Scripture well and think theologically for the church but also pastorally care for their flock and love their neighbor,鈥� Lee said.
Ordained as a Baptist minister, Lee believes seminary education is crucial to the formation and longevity of ministry and is grateful for NPTS Professor Emeritus Klyne Snodgrass鈥� mentorship. 鈥淗e taught me that rigorous study and interpersonal engagement do not compete, that theological education can bring joy and that seminary education strengthens pastors to face the challenge of ministry faithfully,鈥� Lee said.
Always looking for ways to improve his teaching, Lee recently developed a course on the Book of Colossians, which he tested in different church groups and filmed for the Seminary Now video teaching series.
“At NPTS, we are training capable, critically thinking, engaging pastors who not only read Scripture well and think theologically for the church but also pastorally care for their flock and love their neighbor.”
He also taught some of the material in his 鈥淣ew Testament 2: Texts and Their Theology鈥� class. 鈥淲hen my research can inform my teaching and vice versa, these two pillars of a theological educator generate excitement, insight, and joy,鈥� he said.
Engaging with and serving seminary students is something Lee takes seriously. He developed one of his favorite courses to teach, 鈥淚ntercultural Readings of the Bible,鈥� from discussions with NPTS students in 2012.
In the course, students learn how people of color have read the Bible as Christian communities and been formed by it. They also reflect on how the Bible speaks to diverse groups of people and how the Scriptural insights generated from one cultural location is meaningful and applicable to the whole church.
Lee also takes the opportunity to serve fellow NPTS faculty. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped seminary colleagues prepare to teach virtually. Lee had serendipitously completed an online teaching fellowship with the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion in 2018, preparing him to step up when the pandemic began.
鈥淚 thank God I did that training because not only did it help me be ready for what came, but I could also serve my community in its vision today to bring theological education to the world,鈥� Lee said.