Global innovations in theological education of the global leadership development initiative: discovering new insights through an empirical missiological evaluation

Abstract

The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB) launched a strategic emphasis in 1997 called New Directions, which changed its involvement in theological education. International Baptist seminaries found themselves without professors, funding, and support due to the IMB’s withdrawal. The delivery of theological education and the training of the next generation of Baptist leaders around the globe declined at the IMB’s former partners. This research examines the Global Leadership Development (GLD) partnerships at the overseas Baptist seminaries in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Havana, Cuba; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; Lisbon, Portugal; and Arusha, Tanzania. Partnerships are inaugurated after GLD receives an invitation from a seminary, and the two entities have developed a covenant agreement. GLD then implements its Effective Seminary Framework for Theological Education to provide a basis for diagnostic contextualisation to the needs of each overseas Baptist Seminary through its three-step process for continuous improvement. This framework increases the focus on the current practices of a seminary and its data, narrows the focus by addressing the needs, and seeks to build capacity aligned to the framework. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary launched the GLD initiative in response to requests for assistance in theological education from international Baptist seminaries as a mission strategy. The Global Leadership Team visits seminaries abroad, teaches courses, and strategises with their administration on how to become more effective. It safeguards the freedom of the seminaries abroad to develop their own curricula and design contextualised courses. The response to the assistance in theological education from around the globe has been phenomenal. GLD currently relates to more than ninety global partners, and requests come in each week for assistance in theological education. Partnering seminaries have experienced growth in enrolment, the acquisition of new technology, and strengthened research capability.