Today was the final full day of the Institute for Excellence here in Kyiv, Ukraine.  It’s been a wonderful time of learning and fellowship.  We’ve had excellent presentations, stimulating discussions, and a very positive spiritual tone throughout the week.

Yesterday during lunch I sat at a table with three staff members from a school in Moldova.  We were joined in conversation by three other participants, from a training program in a Central Asian country.  Due to a hostile environment, the training program is not able to operate openly, and yet it has around 80 students that periodically meet for week-long training in private homes.

The Moldovan school was asking the leaders of this other training program how they could further help.  Already they have trained several faculty members from this training program.  They send some of their own faculty into this Central Asian country to teach in some of these intensive week-long courses.  They send their own students on short-term mission trips to encourage this hard-pressed church.  And, now they were asking how else they could be of assistance.

This was incredibly encouraging to me.  This was not something that Overseas Council planned.  But, it was definitely, in the Lord’s providence, a significant outcome of our gathering this week.

This school in Moldova would not be known for its abundance of resources.  Moldova is, I believe, the poorest country in Europe.  But God has put it in their heart to reach out to the people of Central Asia, the so-called “stan countries”, all of which have Muslim-majority populations.  Over 200 students have already come to this Moldovan seminary from Central Asia for training, and have returned to their home countries, including the three brothers who were sitting together around the lunch table with their former teachers. (The Moldovan government readily issues student-visas for such students, unlike many other countries in this region.)

As God would have it, both Moldovans and the population from this Central Asian country speak a common language – Russian, a legacy of the Soviet Union’s influence in both countries – the Russian language functioning in this part of the world sort of like Greek in the time of the Apostle Paul, and with the same advantage for the Gospel.

So, as we talked (well, I mostly listened through translation), we brainstormed about other ways this Moldovan school could be of further help.  Other schools in this region have also reached out, using their own resources, to this particular training program by sending part-time teachers, for instance.

This sort of Kingdom collaboration, springing up before my eyes, brings joy to my spirit.  In some cases, Overseas Council is involved in facilitating or prompting such cooperation between seminaries.  Sometimes OC, at Institutes like this one, simply provides the space for such collaboration to take place, moved, as we are by God’s Spirit.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us this week.

In learning about financial sustainability for the seminary, the question invariably surfaces, “How about donations from overseas?  What’s the maximum percentage of a seminary’s income should come from foreign gifts?”  It’s an important question, and one that doesn’t have a single nor simple answer.

This morning during my presentation to the seminary leaders gathered here for this Institute for Excellence in Kiev, I had the opportunity to directly respond to this question.  While there would be plenty of room for further response, here are some of the points that came to mind.

When I talk about financial sustainability, I’m not talking about SELF-sustainability.  There may be a few for-profit schools which might be self-sustainable, but I don’t see that as a necessary or even admirable goal.

It’s a good thing that we depend on God and God’s people for gifts to support the work of the seminary.  For one thing, this keeps us responsive to the church and the people that we hope to serve.  If we were totally financial independent from the people that we intend to serve, it wouldn’t be long before we were no longer serving them.

And, it’s a good thing to deepen our trust in the Lord for His provision.  In regularly depending on God’s provision through His people, we are modeling what we expect will be the experience of our students when they graduate, who, in their own ministries, will also be dependent on the Lord’s provision through the gifts of God’s people for their daily bread.

So, even if someone were to offer a seminary enough money that they would never have to accept another gift from anyone, upon serious reflection, it really would be better to decline.  To accept such a gift would be to put into danger the seminary’s responsiveness to the church and trust in the Lord.

While acknowledging that our every provision is from the hand of the Lord, a seminary should seek sources of income which are balanced, diversified, and reliable.  It’s possible that a seminary could be overly dependent on a single source of gifts.  In the experience of many of the seminaries here, overseas gifts can be less reliable over time.

Over dependence on overseas gifts can also dull the ability of a seminary to listen to the voice of the local church which it intends to serve – again, by promoting an unhealthy sense of independence and lack of local ownership.  A seminary needs to cultivate financial support from its own constituency.

There is no single answer to the question about proportion of overseas gifts for a seminary.  Each seminary is unique with its own unique challenges and opportunities.

Overseas Council, as an organization that regularly and intentionally comes alongside seminaries to assist financially, regularly evaluates its own giving to facilitate healthy growth and promote seminaries that continue to be responsive to their own contexts, not independent from them.

Warmly in Christ,

Scott

Today, at a Christian retreat center on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, we began our Institute for Excellence for Eurasia.  The 120 participants, all Russian speaking, are from seminaries and training programs from Russian-speaking republics that were once part of the Soviet Union.  While most of the schools that are represented here are located in either Russia itself or Ukraine, for the first time we have participants from a Christian leadership development program operating covertly in a closed country nearby.

This closed country is in Central Asia.  It has a secular, totalitarian government within a nominally Muslim context (90% of the population).  While Eastern Orthodox Christianity is tolerated, this is only for the ethnically Russian segment of the population.  On the other hand, for ethnic nationals following Christ is a road often leading to harsh government persecution and hostility.  To quote Wikipedia, “The government indulges in massive persecution of Christians. There is strong pressure on Christians from a Muslim background in remote areas.”  The ministry organization, Open Doors, ranks this country as one of the top 10 on their watch list of countries around the world where Christians are most severely persecuted.

Another Christian website describes the situation like this: “Churches in [this country] are often shut down and church leaders can be jailed for conducting worship services. Nevertheless, stories have emerged of pastors continuing with their ministry following their release from prison and of churches growing despite harassment by police.” Here is an example of one of the countries in Central Asia on this website: (http://www.worldprayermap.co.uk/centralasia/uzbekistan.html)

We have the wonderful privilege of having three Christian leaders from this country with us this week in Kiev for the Institute.  I heard the fascinating testimony of one of them, on the two-hour taxi ride from the airport.  This person,  now a thirty-something young man, came to the Lord as a university student in the mid-90s through a Campus Crusade worker.  It was near the beginning of the 10-year window following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Western missionaries were most active in the country.  After finishing his degree, he went for training to be equipped for ministry, in seminaries in Moscow and now (part-time) in Austria.

This person pastors an underground church in the capital.  It’s a church-plant with three families, meeting in homes, on different days of the week.  He also coordinates the only formal Christian training program in the entire country.  He has classes in the capital as well as a half-dozen other cities.  Teachers and students meet secretly in homes in evenings and weekends.  All together 80 Christian leaders are being trained through this program, essential to the strength and growth of the Church.

The Institute is a unique opportunity for this person to be with 120 other Christian leaders, all involved in educating, training, and equipping other leaders in this region of the world.  And, it’s also a wonderful privilege for us, as Overseas Council, to encourage and strengthen the leaders of these seminaries and other training programs – in places like this one.

Warmly in Christ,

Scott

The Institute for Excellence is a 4 day gathering where a 1-4 person team from many training centers in a given region come together to discuss best practices, collaborate on regional focuses, and work through common regional challenges in their efforts to train effective Christian leaders.

This year, including an institute that starts next week in Ukraine, we will have completed 7 institutes, covering 5 continents. If we amalgamate the totals to display the overall impact of these Institutes, we will have had 148 training centers represented from 74 countries.

All 407 participants came to discuss Organizational Change and Financial Sustainability. Training Centers in Africa learned about innovative ways one school is using some of their property for a banana plantation that assists the school financially. Training Centers in South America are working on a collaborative training program. In India, several training centers are beginning to share trainers with one another in order to collaborate and be better stewards.

Here are a few updates on improvements the Institute over the past year:

Opt-In Model: Learning will more likely occur if it responds to a perceived need and is “owned” by the learner. A school should participate in an Institute because it is “pulled” to do so, not because we are “pushing” it. They should anticipate value and relevance in the Institute. They will participate because they want to learn about the topic of the Institute and be ready to make improvements.

More Participants Per Seminary: Organizational change is more likely to take place if there is a “guiding coalition” within the seminary

Pre-Institute Learning Activities: Learning will more likely take place where there are multiple interventions both prior to and after the Institute.

Ministry Action Plan: The MAP has four objectives. It facilitates learning during the Institute as participants from the same school wrestle with the implications of the content for their own situation, it provides a way for each school to identify and articulate the action steps as a result of the Institute, it provides a starting point for post-Institute interaction between the RD and seminaries which desire collaboration in the implementation of their plans. Finally, it provides a basis for discerning observable outcomes attributable to the Institute.

Regional Director Involvement, Regional Attentiveness and Communities of Learning were three other factors that will become increasingly influential in charting the Institute’s effectiveness.

As we focus on the theme of financial sustainability and organizational change at this week’s Institute in Manila, I’m struck by what many of the seminaries who are represented here are already doing, by God’s grace.  Yes, there is room for improvement.  Yes, the storm clouds are on the horizon.  Yes, many schools will need to envision and implement changes in their financial and educational methods.  But, given the current responsiveness of these schools to their current contexts and the quality of their leadership, I’m confident that they will be able to make the changes necessary to not only survive, but also to thrive.

Here’s a taste of the kinds of ministries represented by these 50 seminary leaders from around southeast and east Asia.

* A seminary here in Manila has a focused ministry on the Chinese community.  Over 100 of their students come from mainland China.  Over 200 alumni have already returned and are serving the Christian community in China, both official and “unrecognized” congregations.  Almost all of the students are given scholarships funded by the Chinese community in Manila.

* Another seminary here in Manila has as its vision to train Christian leaders who will impact society through the “7 mountains” of cultural influence – education, government, media, arts and entertainment, business, family, and religion.  They have agreements with various agencies of the Filipino government for the training of (for instance) army officers, university faculty, Christian business-people, and mayors and governors.  They offer a variety of educational programs through non-traditional means.

* Eight seminaries here in the metro Manila area have formed a consortium to offer masters and doctorate degrees with a variety of different subjects.  Each of the degrees is hosted by one of the eight consortium members.  This sort of deliberate collaborative effort allows for maximum use of resources.

* A seminary in South Korea focuses on those who desire to be trained in English rather than in the Korean language.  Most of the students are Koreans who will serve in mission fields around the world.  As a result of the Institute, the seminary wants to begin an online program in order to serve these alumni through continuing education.

This is just a slice.  Many of the other schools here are equally effective in serving their own churches and contexts.  But they realize that to become even more effective, and to be able to sustain these ministries into the future, for many, there will be changes ahead.

Pray for these leaders.  Tomorrow we will be wrapping up our Institute.  Each school will be finalizing its Ministry Action Plan – steps they will be taking to implement what they are learning this week.

Warmly in Christ,

Scott

Manoch Jangmook is the president of Bangkok Bible Seminary, the most influential institution for theological education in Thailand, a country where the majority are Buddhists, but with a growing Christian community.  BBS began 40 years ago, an outcome of the dedication of a missionary along with collaboration of Thai church leaders and fellow missionaries from Overseas Missionary Fellowship and the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  In 1971 the school began with 5 students and a budget almost entirely supported by Western dollars.  Today the seminary has over 500 students in a variety of programs serving Thai churches and is funded mainly from Thai sources.

A few pictures of BBS:

BBS students helping out in the Tsunami area

Students studying in the library

BBS students sharing Jesus' love to children

We asked Manoch to share about the role of the leader in financial sustainability of the seminary.  He described the legacy of the first missionary principal, a man of prayer, dedication, conviction, and vision.  He was a model of the kind of graduates the seminary was committed to forming – leaders of integrity, with a heart for evangelism, and skills for pastoring Thai congregations.  His successors at the helm of BBS brought other gifts and qualities to the leadership of the school.  Manoch’s conclusion was this:

“The activities of BBS’s leaders to the local Christian community brought respect and reputation to the seminary.  As a result, it has grown through financial support and public relations.”

Following Manoch’s presentation, we spent the next session in our table groups, discussing the question, “What are five most important qualities and skills of a seminary leader contribute to financial sustainability?”  Afterwards we shared our collective wisdom and experience with the 50 other participants who make up the Institute this week.  One group talked about vision, belief in the vision, and ability to communicate it to others.  Some groups focused on the leader’s integrity, character, and walk with God.  Some talked about administrative skills such as the ability to develop a strong team and then be able to delegate to them.  The responses were varied and wide-ranging.  And, that was part of the point – there’s no “silver bullet” to the matter of financial sustainability for the seminary, but the right kind of leader plays a vital role.

While there is no single formula to financial sustainability, it’s an incredible blessing when we see God’s provision for God’s people who are fulfilling God’s purposes, like for Manoch and Bangkok Bible Seminary.

Keep praying.

Warmly in Christ,

Scott

Today we began our seventh Institute for Excellence for the year, gathering over 50 leaders of seminaries from about 20 seminaries located through southeast and east Asia including Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  As with previous Institutes this year, we are considering questions regarding financial sustainability for seminaries and programs where leaders for the Church are being developed.

The storm imagery coincides with a typhoon that is now pouring torrents of water on northern parts of the Philippines.  Last night I slept through the sounds of trees bowing to gale-force winds and the torrential rains pounding the streets here in metro Manila.  Several airports in the Philippines were closed, and we were concerned that many arriving by air wouldn’t make it.  As the Lord would have it, though some arrivals were delayed, all of our overseas participants have now come.  It is some of the locals who are yet to arrive, as many of the roadways are flooded.

I used the picture of the storm clouds to portray the very serious conditions that some seminaries are either now experiencing or are very close to it.  Our Overseas Council research points to storm clouds which threaten the very existence of some of the seminaries around the world we have the privilege of working with.

* Full-time enrolment of students is decreasing in some seminaries.  This is especially true for smaller seminaries.

* Gifts from overseas are declining in proportion to income from local sources.  (That can be a good thing!)

* Operating expenses in many seminaries are becoming an increasing burden.

Not every school is experiencing these storm clouds, nor are they being experienced to the same extent in every region of the world.  But it is clear that for some seminaries the traditional financial and educational models which they now use will need to be adjusted, or perhaps radically changed, if schools are to continue to fulfill their purpose.  So, while the mission of developing Christian leaders will not change, new sustainable models and methods will need to be employed.

In sum, that’s why were gathering this week.  And, though the storm clouds gather, and in some cases have already burst, if earlier Institutes are any indication, the sun is beginning to shine through.

Pray for informative sessions, fruitful discussions, and realistic action steps to be formulated.

Warmly in Christ,

Scott

This is an interesting Institute, as this region has a wide variety of training centers with varying degrees of challenges. Some of the centers have strong donor bases, and some continue to utilize traditional models of training that prove to be effective and possibly sustainable in this region. There are also many training centers with stories significantly different from these.

Please pray with us:

1. For those traveling this AM

2. For the leaders to be refreshed and reinvigorated by working with their peers throughout this week

3. Training Centers to be augmented through the outcomes of this week

4. The Spirit to be filling the attendees throughout the week