Newsletter - May 2010

Theological Educators Engage in Global Event

The 3rd Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization is being held in Cape Town, South Africa, 16-25 October 2010. The Congress will bring together 4,000 leaders from more than 200 countries to engage with the critical issues of our time as they relate to the future of the Church and world evangelization.

ICETE-related theological seminaries and colleges anywhere in the world can actively participate in this historic event in two specific ways. First, theological seminaries and colleges can get involved with the Congress’s GlobaLink. This scheme will enable registered institutions to host remote web-based interactive participation during the Congress, as well as before and after. Obtain full information and instructions for registration at: http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/globalink.html

Secondly, individual teaching staff and students at ICETE-related institutions can take part in the Congress’s Global Conversation. This enables participation in a global conversation already in progress on the themes of the Congress. Participants can read and contribute ongoing observations, ideas, strategising, and comments. Full information and instructions are available at: http://conversation.lausanne.org/ 

ICETE encourages all constituency theological schools around the world to take advantage of these exceptional opportunities for participation in this historic global event.

ICETE is itself actively collaborating in the Congress. ICETE’s International Director, Paul Sanders, will be joining with Chris Wright of Langham Partnerships International and David Baer of Overseas Council International to host a special set of sessions at the Congress on the role of theological schools in furthering the Lausanne agenda. Doug Birdsall, the Executive Chair of the Lausanne movement, is a distinguished member of the ICETE Council of Reference.

ICETE Doctoral Consultation in Beirut

Representatives of leading doctoral programmes of the evangelical majority world held a historic first- ever meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, 3-6 March 2010. The event, hosted by ICETE, was designed to enable ongoing relational space for such programmes, and thereby to facilitate dialogue and collaboration in pursuing quality leadership formation at the highest levels.

Langham Partnership International and Overseas Council International joined ICETE as co-sponsors of the initiative. Delegates explored issues such as: the variety, opportunities, and problematics of these emerging doctoral programmes in the majority world; concerns with validation, accountability, and quality assurance; the challenges of contextual relevancy for such programmes; trends at doctoral level in global academia; and modes for encouraging greater collegiality between evangelical doctoral programmes in the ‘west’ and in the ‘south’.

Participants in the Consultation also developed and then unanimously adopted a document titled the ‘Beirut Benchmarks’, which seeks to identify common standards of achievement suitable for quality doctoral programmes anywhere in the world. The Consultation was held on the campus of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut. During the week the evangelical community of Lebanon arranged for the group to be formally received by the President of Lebanon, His Excellency General Michel Suleiman. Participants in the Consultation included invited delegates from 3 doctoral programmes in Latin America, 3 in Africa, and 4 in Asia. A follow-up consultation has been scheduled for October 2011.

International Consultation in Hungary

ICETE held its 14th International Consultation for Theological Educators 5-9 October 2009 in Sopron, Hungary. Attendance, the largest since the consultations began in 1980, included representatives from 48 countries across the world.

Plenary presentations, interactive panels, seminars and workshops probed various aspects of the Consultation theme: ‘Energizing Community: Theological Education’s Relational Mandate’. For example, how might a theological college better embody biblical community in its institutional culture? How might students be more effectively equipped in relational competencies and community-formation skills?

Plenary speakers included: Hwa Yung, Bishop of the Methodist Church of Malaysia; Henri Blocher, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Faculté Libre de Théologie Evangélique in France; Oscar Campos, Academic Dean at the Seminário Teológico Centroamericano (SETECA) in Guatemala; Doug Birdsall, Executive Chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelisation (LCWE); Joseph Shao from the Philippines, General Secretary of the Asia Theological Association (ATA); David Baer, president of Overseas Council (OC) in the United States; Daniel Bourdanné from Chad, General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES); Riad Kassis of Lebanon, Overseas Council’s Regional Director for the Middle East and Central Europe; and Chris Wright, International Director of Langham Partnership International (LPI).

All plenary presentations at the 2009 Consultation are available on the ICETE website, at: http://www.icete-edu.org/hungary/. ICETE’s International Consultations are widely valued by leaders in evangelical theological education as the best available occasion to enjoy peer professional engagement at global level. The Consultations are triennial; the next one will be held in 2012.

ICETE Council of Reference Gains New Member

ICETE takes great pleasure in reporting that Dr Daniel Bourdanné, General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), has accepted ICETE’s invitation to join its Council of Reference. Dr Bourdanné previously served as IFES regional secretary for francophone Africa. Originally from Chad, he studied both there and in Cameroon, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and France. He holds a doctorate from the University of Abidjan in animal ecology. He is also an International Deputy Director of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. The ICETE Council of Reference consists of a select group of distinguished international evangelical leaders who are familiar with ICETE, who actively support it, and who willingly endorse its potential for good within global evangelicalism. The other members of the ICETE Council of Reference are: Rolf Hille (Germany); Wilson Chow (Hong Kong); Peter Kuzmi? (Croatia); Emilio Núñez (Guatemala), Doug Birdsall (LCWE); and Chris Wright (UK).

Additions to the ICETE Family

ICETE is delighted to welcome to participation in the ICETE family two international ministries, in the status of ICETE Associates, and a distinguished North American seminary, in the status of an ICETE Affiliate.

•  Theological Book Network, (TBN), under the leadership of Kurt Berends, provides donated scholarly books and journals to the libraries of advanced-level theological schools in the majority world. Many in the ICETE family have already been benefiting from its distributions. Further information can be found on-line at www.theologicalbooknetwork.org
•  OMS International is an interdenominational mission that has been serving in the majority world for more than a century, with theological education among its primary commitments. Its ministry in theological education is coordinated by Bill Vermillion. Further information is available at: www.omsinternational.org 
•  Asbury Theological Seminary, under the leadership Timothy Tennent, serves within the Methodist tradition, and is among the leading evangelical theological seminaries of North America. Further information is available at: www.asburyseminary.edu 

A listing of all ICETE Partners, Associates, and Affiliates is available on the ICETE website at: www.icete-edu.org/directory/other.htm  

ICETE Honours Two Leaders

Two eminent leaders in the world of evangelical theological education have been accorded special honours by ICETE. Award plaques were presented respectively to Dr Emilio Núñez of the Seminário Teológico Centroamericano in Guatemala, and to Dr Rolf Hille of Albrecht-Bengel-Haus in Germany. Both men have been long-serving members of the ICETE Council of Reference, and proactive in support of ICETE. The presentation to Rolf Hille was made during the ICETE 2009 Consultation in Hungary. The presentation to Emilio Núñez was made subsequently in Guatemala at a special occasion organised by the Seminário Teológico Centroamericano. The honorary citation for each read: “In appreciation for faithful encouragement and support of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education, and in recognition of demonstrated commitment to the advancement of international theological education.”

News and Events

•  The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) in North America held its 63rd Annual Meeting 17-20 February 2010 in Orlando, USA. The theme for the event was “Moving in Step with the Spirit and the Church.” The programme included workshops on such topics as: “Recession-Proof Fundraising”; “Educational Programs for an Emerging World”; “The Accreditation Horizon: A Status Report One Year into the Obama Administration”; and “How to Be Taken Seriously By Constituent Churches.” ABHE is led by its Executive Director, Ralph Enlow. Further information is available at: www.abhe.org
•  The Asia Theological Association (ATA) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary during its General Assembly to be held 2-6 August 2010 in Hong Kong. The programme will include plenary presentations on “New Theological Challenges for the Church in Asia”, and “The Nature and Role of the Church in Changing Asian Cultures.” The programme will also feature the launching of a new book on the history of ATA, and Joseph Shao, ATA General Secretary, will address the gathering on “The Future of ATA.” Special interest sessions will focus on topics such as crisis management, marketplace ministry, peacemaking ministry, and holistic child development. The event will be followed by a deans seminar on “Distance Education,” and a writers workshop on “Writing to Communicate.” Further information is available at: www.ataasia.com
•  The Association for Evangelical Theological Education in Latin America (AETAL) will be holding its General Assembly 20-23 September 2010 in Medellín, Colombia. The event will be hosted by the Seminário Biblico de Colombia. The theme is: “Beyond Our Vision: Future Challenges in Theological Education.” ICETE’s International Director, Paul Sanders, will be among the featured speakers. The General Secretary of AETAL is Pablo Sywulka. Further information is available at: www.aetal.com 

About ICETE

ICETE is a global community, sponsored by eight regional associations of theological schools, to facilitate collaboration worldwide for excellence and renewal in evangelical theological education. The eight sponsoring associations together cover all parts of the world, with a combined constituency of more than 872 evangelical theological schools in 113 countries. This represents globally a combined student population in excess of a hundred thousand persons in preparation for church leadership roles, predominantly in the majority world. ICETE was established in 1980, and functions as a Global Partner in the World Evangelical Alliance.

ICETE Sponsoring Associations—ACTEA (Africa); ATA (Asia); CETA (the Caribbean); EEAA (Europe);
E-AAA (Euro-Asia); AETAL (Latin America); ABHE (North America); SPABC (South Pacific)

ICETE Officers—Chair: Les Crawford (Australia); Director: Paul Sanders (France/Lebanon);
Associate Director: Douglas Carew (Kenya); Deputy Director: Paul Bowers (USA/Africa)

ICETE Council of Reference—Rolf Hille (Germany); Emilio Nuñez (Guatemala); Chris Wright (UK);
Wilson Chow (Hong Kong); Doug Birdsall (USA); Daniel Bourdanné (Chad); Peter Kuzmič (Croatia)

for further information, or to contact ICETE, go to:
www.icete-edu.org