ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 14, 2007
ELCA Creates Global Sabbatical Awards to Foster Global Relationships
07-083-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In an effort to strengthen relationships
among Lutheran churches and institutions, scholars and students
around the world, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) has created the Global Sabbatical Awards Program.
Developed as a response to seminaries outside of the United
States requesting faculty and administrators from ELCA seminaries
to teach and train students, pastors and administrators, the ELCA
also seeks to be enriched by international mission stories.
"Our communities and congregations are being challenged and
transformed by globalization, by the accelerating migration of
people, cultures and ideas. In order for our seminaries to
prepare leaders for mission in this time, it is vitally important
that the already deep connections among ELCA seminaries and
partner schools and churches around the world grow even richer.
The new Global Sabbatical Awards program has tremendous promise
to spur this growth," said the Rev. Jonathan P. Strandjord,
director for theological education, ELCA Vocation and Education.
According to the Rev. Stephen J. Nelson, director for
international personnel, ELCA Global Mission, the program "will
strengthen the programs and capacity of (Lutheran) companion
churches and institutions by providing them with ELCA seminary
faculty to teach in positions that cannot be filled locally. We
anticipate that following the sabbatical, ELCA seminary faculty
will return to share their new insights and experiences with
seminarians, which will enrich their education."
The Global Sabbatical Awards Program is a collaboration
among ELCA Global Mission, ELCA Vocation and Education and the
eight seminaries and two extension centers of the ELCA. The
program is in its pilot phase for the 2007-2008 academic year,
open to ELCA seminary faculty and administrators who apply
through ELCA Global Mission. Types of assignments include
teaching in international seminary classrooms and specialized
assistance and training of pastors.
Nelson said the program came about because the "number of
requests that come to the ELCA from international theological
institutions has outstripped our ability to place faculty through
our traditional patterns of service. It is hoped that this
program will result in more of the requests being filled."
"The program allows us to provide our teaching theologians
an opportunity to engage in a cross-cultural theological
education setting," said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla,
executive director, ELCA Global Mission.
"In this exchange they will assist our companions in
training people for mission and ministry and be able to interact
with different theological perspectives. The program will help
us offer the gift of our teaching theologians and, through them,
receive the witness of our companions. The program is a great
way to experience and engage in teaching theology from a global,
multicultural and multifaceted perspective," he said.
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Information about ELCA Global Mission is at
http://www.ELCA.org/globalmission on the Web.
Information about ELCA Vocation and Education is at
http://www.ELCA.org/vocationeducation on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
