Drawing on his wealth of experience as both a seminary professor and minister, Leith identifies and confronts the contemporary crisis in theological education. He argues that the crisis in the seminaries is interwoven with the crisis in the church, and that the secularization of educational institutions has led seminaries to move away from their primary responsibility -- preparing pastors for ministry.

Leith's insights on the selection of seminary faculty, teaching practices, the moral use of endowments, the recruitment of students, and seminary constituencies and boards will inspire theological institutions of every stripe to reexamine their current policies, as well as their strategies for the future.