Jim Wallis spoke of the seminary that started in a prison.
Miyon Chung has written of Torch Trinity Graduate School, beginning a new program for CEOs and professionals in their middle age wanting to have a crack at a theology degree and get equipped for a new ministry vocation.
Here is an article about a new student clientele.
Missiologist Ross Langmead says:
“Whitley College in Melbourne has tackled the training of Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) pastors and leaders by introducing the TransFormation Programme, a three-year, rolling, once-a-month Saturday-based theology and leadership course for new migrant leaders and pastors, with the option to get diploma credit and/or lead to ordination.”
Ross adds, “It takes great creativity to teach in very plain English while not dumbing-down the content. It has drawn good numbers (more than 50 each year), brought together the ethnically-based churches and been deeply appreciated by these people who are so keen to learn but many of whom work full-time in factories as well as pastoring their congregations.”
By providing a course to overcome the barriers of time, language and money, Whitley College has developed a new group of people that it is serving.
Dr Geoff Pound
Image: Two students in Whitley’s Transformation Programme.