Lausanne: Global Theological Education

Just back from Boston where 60 seminary leaders from around the world discussed theological education. Christianity is growing at a great rate in Latin America, Asia and Africa, while it is moving into a post-Christian age in North America and Europe. The limitation in these growing parts of the world is a hugh need for training and only a few schools able to move in this direction.

Just back from Boston where 60 seminary leaders from around the world discussed theological education. Christianity is growing at a great rate in Latin America, Asia and Africa, while it is moving into a post-Christian age in North America and Europe. The limitation in these growing parts of the world is a hugh need for training and only a few schools able to move in this direction.

This situation means that those who minister in the Majority World (what we call those areas) may be able to help us in the West with how to minister in a world where most of their neighbors are not believers. It means those in the West need to consider how to help with the opportunities elsewhere. So resources are thin in the Majority World with only a handful of schools operating with doctoral programs. So the discussion was how to better cooperate and seek out helpful partnerships that will allow each region to be of help to the other. There was a lot of intentionality in all of this and discussion of how to accomplish such goals. It was a stimulating three days with many fascinating conversations and presentations. Can technology help with some of these needs. Can six week stints work? Are mutual short term faculty exchanges an option? These are but a few of the options we discussed. There are more major meetings planned, inlcuding one in Nairobi, Kenya in October. Keep the global church and training for her leaders in prayer.

At this event I introduced these leaders to a global topical bibliography that supports the Cape Town Commitment. This will be a digibook that the Lausanne Movement will make available on its web site and with the capability of being updated regularly and distributed easily, a very example of using technology in a positive way that allows for global linkage and timely input. This work covers 40 topics of global importance. I will let people know when it becomes available.