On November 15, the 18th global consultation of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE) C-22 kicked off in Izmir, Türkiye, with record numbers of participants, educational ministries and countries represented. Held from November 14-18, the consultation focuses on putting into practice new strategies of collaboration from the global to the grassroots level, featuring six tracks and eighteen workshops with the overall theme “formal and non-formal theological education: beyond dialogue.”
Dr. Michael A. Ortiz, ICETE’s International Director, welcomed the more than 500 participants from over 80 countries, representing 221 training programs and resource providers. In his opening address, Ortiz – himself a son of Cuban immigrants to the United States – expressed his excitement about this first consultation where participants from the Global South are in the majority, which reflects the shift of the center of gravity of the global Church over the past few decades to Africa, Asia and Latin America.
At the same time, he challenged participants with a prayer saying, “may history measure C-22 Izmir not by our numbers, but by our mutuality in one common aim – to strengthen Christ’s Church.” He lamented past gaps and missed opportunities for collaboration between formal and non-formal educational training, resulting in a continuous struggle to equip the growing number of pastors and church leaders in parts of the world where the Church has seen exponential growth.
As his aspiration for the consultation, Ortiz quoted from the ICETE Manifesto II that “in an increasingly globalized and polycentric world, partnerships in theological education will become more and more important and significant. Consequently, we are committed to the development of partnerships in theological education which are shaped by mutual respect and interdependence.”
He called on participants to have an outward attitude opening themselves up to opportunities of collaboration, rather than an inward attitude of thinking of just their own ministries and programs. And he encouraged them to engage in this consultation with a vision of moving towards 2034.
ICETE’s hope is that church and ministry leaders twelve years from now would look back and testify that “C-22 Izmir was a catalytic event in the history of the Church. A mutuality was birthed that accelerated collaboration in the whole of theological education worldwide. Now in 2034, the Church is stronger and on mission for Christ like never before because of that one week in November of 2022 in Izmir.
Echoing the same hope towards the future, Bishop Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, spoke in his video greeting to the consultation of the relevance of this event to the wider evangelical community: “The future of the Church is the future of its leaders, what we invest today into the education, training and maturing of emerging leaders will shape the Church in ten or twenty years from now. Therefore, this ICETE consultation represents our own future.”
Originally from Webpage: "worldea.org"
CCD reprinted with permission.
11月14日，国际福音派神学教育理事会（International Council for Evangelical Theological Education）第18次全球协商会议C-22于土耳其伊兹密尔召开，与会者、教育部门和各国代表的人数都创下历史记录。
会议的重点在于将从全球到基层的新型合作战略付诸实施，共六大方向和十八次研讨会，主题为“正规和非正规神学教育：超越对话”（formal and non-formal theological education: beyond dialogue）。
国际福音派神学教育理事会的国际主任米歇尔·奥立兹（Dr. Michael A. Ortiz）对来自80多个国家、代表221个培训项目及资源提供者的500多名与会者表示了欢迎。在开幕致辞中，作为古巴至美国的移民之子的奥立兹表示，他对这届第一次协商会议表示激动，因为大多数与会者都来自南半球，反应出过去十多年来全球教会的重心移至非洲、亚洲和拉丁美洲。
同时，他向与会者发出挑战，祷告说“愿历史不是以我们的人数来衡量C-22伊兹密尔会议，而是以我们在一个强化基督教会的共同目标中的相互性”。
他对过去正规及非正规教育培训之间的差距和错失合作良机表示了惋惜，称这导致世界教会在呈现指数级增长的地区为装备越来越多牧师及教会领袖而不断陷入挣扎。
奥立兹援引国际福音派神学教育理事会宣言二中的一句话作为自己对本次协商会议的期望：“在一个日益全球化和多中心的世界中，神学教育的合作关系将变得越来越重要，越来越有意义。因此，我们要致力于发展以互相尊重及互相依存为特征的神学教育合作关系。”
他呼吁与会者要有一种朝外开放的心态，即向合作机会开放，而非朝内只考虑自己的事工和项目的态度。他鼓励与会者以迈向2034年愿景的心态参加本次协商会。
国际福音派神学教育理事会希望12年后的教会和事工领袖们可以回顾和见证“C-22伊兹密尔会议是教会历史上一个催化剂事件，孕育出加速全球神学教育合作的相互性。现在是2034年，由于2022年11月在伊兹密尔举行会议的那周，教会变得更为强大，还以前所未见的方式为基督进行事工”。
世界福音联盟的秘书长托马斯·席尔马赫也对这样的未来抱有同样的希望。在视频问候中，他提到本次活动与更广泛福音派社区的相关性。他说：“教会的未来就是其领袖们的未来，今天我们对新生领袖的教育、培训和成熟所做的投资，势将塑造十年或二十年后的教会。因此，本次国际福音派神学教育理事会的协商会议代表了我们自己的未来。”国际福音派神学教育理事会的国际主任米歇尔·奥立兹（Dr. Michael A. Ortiz）对来自80多个国家、代表221个培训项目及资源提供者的500多名与会者表示了欢迎。在开幕致辞中，作为古巴至美国的移民之子的奥立兹表示，他对这届第一次协商会议表示激动，因为大多数与会者都来自南半球，反应出过去十多年来全球教会的重心移至非洲、亚洲和拉丁美洲。
同时，他向与会者发出挑战，祷告说“愿历史不是以我们的人数来衡量C-22伊兹密尔会议，而是以我们在一个强化基督教会的共同目标中的相互性”。
他对过去正规及非正规教育培训之间的差距和错失合作良机表示了惋惜，称这导致世界教会在呈现指数级增长的地区为装备越来越多牧师及教会领袖而不断陷入挣扎。
奥立兹援引国际福音派神学教育理事会宣言二中的一句话作为自己对本次协商会议的期望：“在一个日益全球化和多中心的世界中，神学教育的合作关系将变得越来越重要，越来越有意义。因此，我们要致力于发展以互相尊重及互相依存为特征的神学教育合作关系。”
他呼吁与会者要有一种朝外开放的心态，即向合作机会开放，而非朝内只考虑自己的事工和项目的态度。他鼓励与会者以迈向2034年愿景的心态参加本次协商会。
国际福音派神学教育理事会希望12年后的教会和事工领袖们可以回顾和见证“C-22伊兹密尔会议是教会历史上一个催化剂事件，孕育出加速全球神学教育合作的相互性。现在是2034年，由于2022年11月在伊兹密尔举行会议的那周，教会变得更为强大，还以前所未见的方式为基督进行事工”。
世界福音联盟的秘书长托马斯·席尔马赫也对这样的未来抱有同样的希望。在视频问候中，他提到本次活动与更广泛福音派社区的相关性。他说：“教会的未来就是其领袖们的未来，今天我们对新生领袖的教育、培训和成熟所做的投资，势将塑造十年或二十年后的教会。因此，本次国际福音派神学教育理事会的协商会议代表了我们自己的未来。”
国际福音派神学教育理事会在土耳其召开会议，商讨神学教育新合作
On November 15, the 18th global consultation of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE) C-22 kicked off in Izmir, Türkiye, with record numbers of participants, educational ministries and countries represented. Held from November 14-18, the consultation focuses on putting into practice new strategies of collaboration from the global to the grassroots level, featuring six tracks and eighteen workshops with the overall theme “formal and non-formal theological education: beyond dialogue.”
Dr. Michael A. Ortiz, ICETE’s International Director, welcomed the more than 500 participants from over 80 countries, representing 221 training programs and resource providers. In his opening address, Ortiz – himself a son of Cuban immigrants to the United States – expressed his excitement about this first consultation where participants from the Global South are in the majority, which reflects the shift of the center of gravity of the global Church over the past few decades to Africa, Asia and Latin America.
At the same time, he challenged participants with a prayer saying, “may history measure C-22 Izmir not by our numbers, but by our mutuality in one common aim – to strengthen Christ’s Church.” He lamented past gaps and missed opportunities for collaboration between formal and non-formal educational training, resulting in a continuous struggle to equip the growing number of pastors and church leaders in parts of the world where the Church has seen exponential growth.
As his aspiration for the consultation, Ortiz quoted from the ICETE Manifesto II that “in an increasingly globalized and polycentric world, partnerships in theological education will become more and more important and significant. Consequently, we are committed to the development of partnerships in theological education which are shaped by mutual respect and interdependence.”
He called on participants to have an outward attitude opening themselves up to opportunities of collaboration, rather than an inward attitude of thinking of just their own ministries and programs. And he encouraged them to engage in this consultation with a vision of moving towards 2034.
ICETE’s hope is that church and ministry leaders twelve years from now would look back and testify that “C-22 Izmir was a catalytic event in the history of the Church. A mutuality was birthed that accelerated collaboration in the whole of theological education worldwide. Now in 2034, the Church is stronger and on mission for Christ like never before because of that one week in November of 2022 in Izmir.
Echoing the same hope towards the future, Bishop Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, spoke in his video greeting to the consultation of the relevance of this event to the wider evangelical community: “The future of the Church is the future of its leaders, what we invest today into the education, training and maturing of emerging leaders will shape the Church in ten or twenty years from now. Therefore, this ICETE consultation represents our own future.”
Originally from Webpage: "worldea.org"
CCD reprinted with permission.
Theological Education Conference Kicks off With 500 Participants From 80+ Countries, Seeking Greater Collaboration to Support the Global Church
