Missional imaginations for theological education: Mixed model, exploratory, action-oriented research mapping the theological identity and organizational readiness for change of five theological school systems in the United States originating after 1945

This dissertation explores the formal theologies and organizational readiness for change with a view towards adopting missional prototypes for theological education across a school's (system's) tradition, curriculum, and structure. The research assessed five theological schools in the United States through an exploratory, action-oriented, mixed-model methodology that sought to empower schools to understand the disadvantages of current functional theologies and organizational archetypes in order to imagine missional prototypes for theological education. Primary field-tested instruments for evaluation included—a qualitative "Missional School Discovery Interview" and a quantitative "Missional School Discovery Online Survey." The project relied heavily on theological and social science frameworks, including missional church theology, American evangelicalism, the theological education debate, and postmodern institutional, archetype, and radical change theories. The outcome of this project is a theological and organizational assessment of five schools and twelve missional prototypes across the five systems, as well as further avenues for research in theological education.