Influencing Pastor Training in the Majority World
Recently, John Stott wrote, “We look forward to the day when Majority World seminaries will be able to offer their own PhD’s, without any lowering of academic standards.” This dream is becoming reality. The JSM strategy of supporting evangelical graduate students who will disciple and train leaders and pastors in their own context is bearing fruit: our previous JSM-Langham Scholars are training others in their own culture and their own language.
After receiving their Ph.D.’s, JSM-Langham Scholars are now on faculties and serving as principals of key institutions in the Majority World. As a result, several of these seminaries are now able to offer Ph.D. programs with high academic standards. For example, the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Kenya is offering a Ph.D. program. Five of the faculty members at NEGST were recipients of JSM-Langham scholarships. One of these is Douglas Carew, the Vice Chancellor of NEGST, who describes the new Ph.D. program at NEGST as unique in the following way: “…the first 18 months will take the form of a research colloquium. The integrating seminar for the first cohort will explore the topic of ‘ethnicity’.
This is a live issue for every African. What Christian faith has to say to the reality needs African scholars to give the matter careful attention and profound reflection. As far as I know, no other institution has built its PhD around a research colloquium, with its student and faculty members working together on a topic of such immense importance for the future of the continent.” The JSM-Langham scholars who have contributed to the building of this program are bearing fruit that will impact the continent of Africa.
Two of our new JSM-Langham scholars for 2005-2006 are among the first Ph.D. students at NEGST:
Abiola Mbamalu, from Nigeria, is a teaching assistant at NEGST. She will be doing her Ph.D. in the area of Biblical Studies, and will remain on the faculty at NEGST.
Andy Alo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, will be obtaining a Ph.D. in Translation Studies. He will become a member of the faculty at NEGST and will also teach at Bunia Theological Seminary in the Democratic Republic of Congo.