Boynton says he thinks that the Div School should strengthen its relationship with established churches, adding "theological education tends to operate within a club of its own." Boynton says that Stendahl has helped make the rest of the Div School aware of the need for such a relationship.

Boynton is also concerned about the financial situation of the Div School. "Our financial resources seem to be suffering at the very moment when we see a demand for the programs that we make available," Boynton says, adding that because the school is so heavily dependent on endowment income, it has less flexibility than its sister schools.

John A. Matheson, a student enrolled in the Master of Divinity program, says he is in "general agreement" with the idea of a core curriculum. "Students come here with one pet field" and get ordained as ministers after graduation without a general knowledge in all fields, Matheson says.

Joseph J. Ball, a student in the Master of Theological Studies program, a two-year strictly academic course of study, says that contact between established churches and the school exists in the form of a questionnaire given to students in the beginning of the school year.

Students list their religious affiliation on the form, and are put in contact with local branches of their churches, Ball says, adding "There is talk among students that there is a lack of organized spiritual life--there might be a need for the school to do something in a more organized way."

The final result of Stendahl's recommendations remains to be seen. What does appear likely is that the movement of the Div School towards what Stendahl calls the established "communities of faith" is a process that has been going on for several years and will continue for some time to come.