Mercy Hill Church, and therefore our Residency, places a strong value on developing high Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ is a relational ability that is vital for healthy team dynamics. Someone with high EQ can understand and recognize their own emotions (and emotions in others), they can exhibit empathy, they are socially engaging, they know how to speak truth and grace, and can build strong interpersonal connections. Whether one is introverted or extroverted, we can all develop high emotional intelligence in our own way.
A significant portion of our Church Residency program is theological education. In this program design, we acknowledge that theological education and EQ can sometimes be pinned against each other. Meaning, many fear that theological education will lower their EQ instead of raising it.
This forementioned apprehension stems from a few sources. The thought of seminary often conjures an image of the reclusive scholar, venturing away from practical ministry to become absorbed in abstract theological concepts, peripheral biblical topics, and debates of minutia doctrines. And in truth, seminary can digress into supplying a lot of knowledge with very little application, and a lot of truth with very little grace. As a result, seminarians become less personable and more prideful – and pride is the death-nail of EQ. This, of course, is the last thing we want for those in the Residency.
The question, therefore, is: how can theological education raise the emotional intelligence of those in our Residency? Allow me to offer three simple catalysts.
The Trinity and Emotional Intelligence
It’s a massive concept to explain in a 700–800-word blog post, but a fuller grasp of the doctrine of the Trinity leads to greater relational awareness and unity. Our foundation for the very concept of relationship originates in the Trinity. The Triune Godhead – Father, Son, Spirit – exist in mutual adoring community where each member of the Trinity seeks to uplift the other in sacrificial love: the Father exalts the Son, the Son to the Father, the Spirit to the Son.
Astoundingly, God formed us in his image. And because of our image-bearing identity we too have the capacity for love and relationships. So, as theological education expands our view of God as relational and self-sacrificing, we can be “imitators” of him who shows us love and is himself love.
Humility and Emotional Intelligence
Theological education should promote humility. While sometimes the inverse occurs as “knowledge puffs up” (1 Cor 8:1), ideally theological education invokes humility by expanding our view of God’s nature, character, and truth. Furthermore, learning should expose just how little we know. What we’ve encountered in our studies is just a tip of the iceberg.
Humility is the key ingredient for emotional intelligence and healthy relationships. It seeks the best for others and sacrifices accordingly, both on personal and communal levels. I recently heard someone say, “pride is the stench of dying people.” If that is so, then the logic follows that humility is the scent of live-giving people. Perhaps this is what Paul hinted at in teaching “we are the aroma of Christ.” (2 Cor 2:15). Humility breathes life into relationships and teams, taking the focus off of oneself to become more in tune with the needs, thoughts, and feelings of others.
Look to Christ
Finally, theological education leads us to a longer gaze upon Christ. Jesus modeled perfect emotional intelligence for us. He could read people’s emotional interworking and spoke perfect words of truth and grace into their lives. He empathized, he showed compassion, he engaged his listeners in teaching and narrative that cut straight to the heart of their emotive and cognitive innerworkings.
While Jesus’s mission was cosmic in its scope, he demonstrated the coming of the inaugurated Kingdom through direct, personal, and pointed interactions with individuals, bringing truth and healing in word and action. In fact, Jesus’s relational approach to ministry resulted in changing the lives of a small few who then replicated his ministry in continuous succession to extend to the ends of the earth.
Emotional Intelligence and the Sent Life
In conclusion, emotional intelligence leads us to embody Christlikeness and proclaim the gospel in greater effectiveness. The Residency at Mercy Hill seeks to equip our residents to live the sent life, locally and globally. The seminary component of the Residency is not intended for mere head knowledge, but rather to contribute towards their wholistic development as relational and effective ministers of the gospel.
– Braden McKinley, Director of Theological Education