Beirut Institute gathered 29 leaders to focus on spiritual formation

OC’s tenth 2009 Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development took place October 27-30 in Beirut, Lebanon. The event was hosted by OC partner Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS). Twenty-nine leaders from 14 strategic training programs in the region attended the Institute, representing Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey and the West Bank.

During the four-day Institute themed “Nurturing Spiritual Formation in the Seminary,” participants focused on the hearts of students, not simply their head and hands, as part of a holistic approach to student growth. The seminary leaders were equipped with a deeper understanding of spiritual formation, so that it can be intentionally integrated into the entire program, curriculum and culture of their seminaries.

Many participants said the Institute gathered a variety of valuable contributions on the topic of spiritual formation and brought them together in a coherent way. Others said they enjoyed learning the best practices for spiritual formation at other schools and plan to mentor students, develop a more holistic approach to spiritual formation, reevaluate curriculum and interact with students more. One said, “We are taking spiritual formation seriously….As we process what we learned this week, we will make many changes to how we ‘do’ spiritual formation.”

The last 2009 Institute for Excellence will take place November 9-13 at Minsk Theological Seminary in Minsk, Belarus. Click here for the 2009 schedule. Click here to read about past Institutes held around the world.

Back