CBTE Must Pass a Readiness Review Before It Enrols Learners

Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE), the term most commonly used in international literature, organises formation around demonstrated integration of what a learner knows, who the learner is becoming and what the learner can do in ministry. In some Kenyan discussion it is described as Competence-Based Theological Education. This article uses CBTE for contextual, mentored ministerial formation in Bible colleges and churches. It is distinct from Kenya's general occupational Competency-Based Education and Training, or CBET.

The attraction is understandable. CBTE promises formation connected to ministry practice, recognition of prior learning, flexible pathways, mentor teams and evidence of competence rather than attendance alone. Yet those promises increase institutional responsibility. A programme cannot make time flexible unless mentoring and assessment remain available. It cannot assess character without ethical boundaries. It cannot recognise prior learning without prepared assessors, appeals and finance. It cannot use digital portfolios without protecting people and data.

A Bible college should not enrol learners into CBTE merely because it has written competencies or adopted the language. It should first demonstrate that it can deliver the whole learning, formation, assessment and protection system on which its promises depend.

A peer-reviewed study published on 31 October 2026 examined readiness for outcome-based education in higher-education institutions in Mogadishu, Somalia. It surveyed 293 lecturers, department heads, deans and quality-assurance officers. Assessment readiness had the largest estimated positive association with perceived…