Leaders Discuss Stronger Partnerships Between Western and Majority World Seminaries

BOSTON, 1 June 2012 – Global theological education is going through dynamic change. Sixty-three seminary presidents and senior academics from 31 nations gathered at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Boston, MA USA) 29 May to 1 June to examine current trends and determine new ways of working together.

Dr. Tim Tennent said “We face the twin challenges of the emergence of global Christianity and the collapse of Christendom,” he said.  “We must retool Western faculties to bring in theology from the Majority World, so we are globally conversant.”

“We love internationals on faculty, but we don’t often think of the benighted seminary losing people [for their seminaries],” said Dr. Chris Wright.

Rev. S. Douglas Birdsall, Executive Chairman of The Lausanne Movement, articulated the Movement’s conviction that, “Theology and praxis cannot be separated; all theological reflection must find expression in mission activity, and all mission activity must be grounded in theological reflection.” 

Dr. David Sang-Bok Kim, urged character formation for theological educators themselves, as they invest in the lives of their students.

“Faculty is the curriculum,” said Dr. Ashish Chrispal.

For effective and fruitful ministry in what Dr. Don Sweeting said, termed “the partnership century”

In the words of Dr. Mark Bailey, leaders must leave “logos and egos at the door.” 

As Peter Larson has noted,

Jesus entered the world through a door marked “no entrance” (a virgin womb) and he left the

World through a door marked “no exit” a tomb of death.

 My remark

 In the world of hopelessness can be changed into hope through the promises of God. And with this new stronger partnerships bring to new vision, new kinds of leadership, new models, from impossibilities (as Jesus did of a virgin womb as an entrance and an empty tomb as an exit to heaven) to new possibilities of broken creation into New creation,the theological educators work on.  Let the whole new dawn to form, shape and direct this education in the church. To accomplish this think globally work locally and more missions obsessed. Our stronger joint venture of camaraderie has the educating potential to release strong, godly men and women to change our world. The fields are ready for harvest and God has recruited both male and female labourers. Whatever it takes to reach the lost and equip God‘s servants must be our main goal.