Europe - September 10-14, 2007 - Frankfurt, Germany
Presidents’ Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development
The Presidents’ Institute was held at the scenic Haus Dorfweil in Schmitten, Germany. |
108 presidents and senior leaders from 85 Overseas Council partner schools in 55 countries across five continents participated in the Presidents’ Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development held near Frankfurt Germany in September 2007.
This was an exceptional event in the thirty-three year history of Overseas Council and perhaps in the history of evangelicalism. Presidents and senior leaders representing 85 evangelical multi-denominational centers of theological education came together from Africa (33), Asia (33), Europe (13), Latin America (20) and the Middle East (9) to hear from OC’s leaders and Board members, from international experts and senior leaders in each region to examine a pressing global theme: How must theological education change to serve the transformed Church in the 21st century?
Seminary Presidents, International experts in theological education, Overseas Council’s Leadership Team, International Partnerships Team, the Executive Committee of OC’s Board of Directors, and guests attending the Presidents’ Institute. |
Dr. Manfred W. Kohl, International Vice President and Institute Director, was responsible for assembling the roster of speakers. Dr. David A. Baer, President/CEO of Overseas Council opened the program with his vision for the future from a President’s perspective. Dr. Wadi Haddad, President of Knowledge Enterprise, Inc, and former Director/Corporate Deputy Secretary of the World Bank Group, was the keynote speaker and shared his views about the future of education and how innovations in technology are expected to transform the production and delivery processes.
Other global experts who contributed to this week-long program were:
- Dr. Luis Palau, Argentinean evangelist and author
- Theological Education and Evangelistic Outreach
- Potential of Technology in Theological Education
- Dr. Rene Padilla, well-known elder spokesman for the Latin American Church
- The Interface between Theological Education and Evangelism
- Dr. Ramesh Richard, President of RREACH, and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary
- A Ministry Strategist – identifying needs, challenges and potential strategies in higher and continuing education
- Dr. Daniel Aleshire, Executive Director of the Association of Theological Schools in North America
- Fundamental Aims of Theological Education in the Future
A number of sessions were devoted to the enrichment of the personal lives of leaders. Sessions on healthy sexuality in the seminary were led by Dr. Steve Tracy (Phoenix Seminary) and Dr. Barbara Kohl. Peter Brierley (formerly MARC Europe) spoke on time management, and Dr. Ken Sande (President, Peacemaker Ministries) spoke about peacemaking and reconciliation. Corporate worship included messages from Dr. Victor Nakah (President, Theological College of Zimbabwe), Dr. Chris Wright (successor to Dr. John Stott’s leadership at Langham Partnerships), and Rev. Leslie Somers (StoneRidge Fellowship Baptist Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada). Each daily devotional time was led by representatives from different regions in the world, bringing their distinctive cultural perspectives to the meetings.
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The Institutes get high marks from leaders worldwide…
“I put very high value on OC's influence on George Whitefield College,” says DR DAVID SECCOMBE, PRINCIPAL OF GEORGE WHITEFIELD COLLEGE IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA. “I shudder to think where I would still be now without these Institutes.”
DR PETER KUZMIC, PRESIDENT OF EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN OSEJIK, CROATIA, noted the benefit of the consultation, “Emphasis on excellence, planning, and vision-casting empowers our educational institutions to produce the kind of servantleaders that will be transformation agents for the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world.” |
This Institute also marked an important transition in OC’s leadership as participants celebrated the retirement of Dr. Manfred Kohl at a banquet in his honor. He handed over his leadership as Vice President of International Partnerships to Mr. Jason Ferenczi and of Institute oversight and direction to Dr. Scott Cunningham, Dean of Leadership Development. The final day of the Institute focused on Overseas Council’s role in the future of evangelical theological education and included presentations on regional strategies from OC’s Regional Directors: Rev. Bill Houston (Africa), Revd. Josué Fernández (Latin America), Dr. Riad Kassis (Central Europe and the Middle East) and Dr. Ashish Chrispal (Asia).
From left to right: Riad Kassis, Scott Cunningham, Ashish Chrispal, Barbara Kohl, Manfred Kohl, Josué Fernández, Jason Ferenczi, Stefanii Ferenczi and Bill Houston. |
Overseas Council’s mission is to leverage people, expertise and resources to advance quality Christian leadership training, thus empowering churches around the world to fulfill the great commission of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development is an influential catalyst in building organizational capacity and transforming centers for theological education to more effectively train leaders to serve the global church. Since 1999, OC has hosted annual events in each global region and has facilitated 52 Institutes serving 1,124 seminary leaders who represent 217 institutions in 90 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
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