OC’s Chinese-speaking Institute concluded with greater unity and cooperation
Hosted by OC partner China Evangelical Seminary (CES), OC’s tenth 2008 Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development took place October 13-17 in Taipei, Taiwan. Twenty-five leaders from 17 strategic training programs in the region attended the Institute, representing Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.
As OC’s third Chinese-speaking Institute, it served as a forum for thinking about OC’s future involvement in Chinese-speaking Asia. With a population of 1.3 billion, China has an evangelical population of at least 80-100 million. The Institute was also a means of networking among the institutions as it was the first time that many of these leaders had been together in a substantive way as seminary presidents. “The highest goal of the week was to facilitate a greater sense of unity and cooperation among the schools,” says Jason Ferenczi, OC Vice President of International Partnerships.
Participants focused on topics designed to strengthen the institutions they lead, including governance, curriculum design, global theological education trends and fundraising. The consultation was conducted in Mandarin Chinese with most presenters coming from within the region. A significant amount of time was devoted to workshop and discussion sessions, drawing on the experience of those present and focusing on creative problem solving. Ferenczi said that “many of these institutions represent the oldest and best-developed institutions in our global network, with much to contribute from their experience to theological education in Asia and around the world.”
OC Special Ambassador Dr. Manfred Kohl and OC Senior Consultant for China Dr. Wilson Chow coordinated the Institute. Dr. Ashish Chrispal, OC Regional Director for South and Southeast Asia, also participated and presented Asian trends in theological education.
OC partner school participants:
Biblical Seminary of the Philippines (BSOP)
China Evangelical Seminary (CES), Taiwan
China Graduate School of Theology (CGSTHK)
Chinese Mission Seminary (CMS)
Macau Bible Institute (MBI)
Malaysia Bible Seminary (MBS)
Singapore Bible College (SBC)
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