News

Atul Aghamkar in India

The sudden shutdown of India, due to COVID-19, has taken all of us by surprise! This has led to massive confusion, as people do not know how to respond. Factories, shops, industries, offices, schools, and colleges have been shut down. Public and private transportation have completely ceased to function. People are prevented from going out of their homes, and those who venture out are beaten by the police. Heavy restrictions limit people’s movements. The shutdown has drastically affected people’s lives. While life at every level has been disturbed, the poorest of the poor are the ones most deeply affected by this shutdown.

From Lament to Hope: An Easter Reflection by Evan Hunter

This Easter will be unlike any other, perhaps in the history of the Church. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most church buildings will remain locked and empty on what is usually the best-attended Sunday service of the year.

“Life in Christ is stronger than death”

Maqsood Kamil, a graduated LeaderStudies recipient serving in Pakistan, shares the following message in the context of COVID-19 & Easter: As the world is under the grip of great anxiety and fear of possible death, I greet you with the shalom of Christ, our crucified and the risen Lord. In this very troublesome time, Christ …

David Muthukumar in India

I have returned early to my home institution, Union Biblical Seminary (UBS) in Pune, India, and am pursuing my dissertation writing from here. I will resume my teaching ministry in April.

Russian Baptist Mission Theology

Our April book of the month, Russian Baptist Mission Theology in Historical and Contemporary Perspective, is by Andrey Kravstev, a graduated LeaderStudies recipient. (From Langham Publishing, October 2019.) In this book, you can learn about how Russian Baptists developed a unique theology of evangelism while they were isolated by the Soviets. As we, too, are …

Introduction to Our Ministry

In this short video, our President, Larry A. Smith, gives an overview of our ministry. You’ll see photos from our work around the world and hear about why we do what we do.

Why a Christian University?: David & Kaswera Kasali

“We experienced the gift of lamentation,” David Kasali says, remembering the “Great African War” in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). When it began, David was working in Kenya as Vice Chancellor (President) of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST). He had rescued NEGST, uniting a fractured faculty and rebuilding finances and facilities.  But …

Kesolenuo Suokhrie from Nagaland, India

My doctoral research focuses on social justice, particularly for immigrants. This interest comes from my own experiences working with Karen refugees, displaced by communal violence, at the Thai-Myanmar border and in Australia. In my own context, the influx of Muslim Bangladeshis into Nagaland has led to serious issues. To the natives, immigrants are outsiders who are invading our land, exhausting our resources, and threatening the identities of our indigenous peoples.

COVID-19 Message from Our President

Our President, Larry A. Smith, writes to inform you about how our ministry is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, you can learn about COVID-19’s impact on our work and on the seminaries and leaders with whom we partner.

Coronavirus Impact

Like almost everyone, ScholarLeaders has felt COVID-19’s impact. This week, please join us in prayer for a situation that has reached over 180 countries. First, we pray for those infected by the virus and those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the most vulnerable among us would be protected. We pray too for those facing quarantines, travel and employment restrictions, financial pressures in shrinking economies, new caregiving and homeschooling responsibilities, and limited supplies.

ISJ: New French Translations Available

The InSights Journal for Global Theological Education has just posted new French translations of several articles. In particular, if you read French or know French-speaking theological leaders, you may want to explore Larry A. Smith’s article. It uses real-world case studies to outline lessons and steps for strategy planning at seminaries, lessons learned through our …

Wanjiru Gitau: Article on Terrorism in Africa

Wanjiru Gitau, a graduated LeaderStudies recipient from Kenya, thoughtfully analyzes terrorism in Africa in this article published by Lausanne Global Analysis this month. Her discussion guides us to give thanks and pray for peaceful communities. (Her book, Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered, won Christianity Today‘s 2019 Book of the Year Award for Missions/Global Church Building.)

Manohar James from India

Eighty percent of the rural pastors in India, especially non-denominational or non-affiliated church planters and pastors, have very little knowledge of the Word of God because they enter ministry with no theological training or in-depth bible knowledge. They seldom have a spiritual mentor. With great passion, faith, and hard work, they successfully plant churches, but are not able to nourish new believers in the Word, since they cannot offer what they do not possess.

from Feb 2020

Havilah Dharamraj

Langham Publishing recently published Havilah Dharamraj’s commentary on the Book of Ruth and featured her in an author spotlight. You can learn about her journey as a woman leader and Old Testament scholar in their story.

Enoch Okode Leads Scott Christian University School of Theology

We congratulate Enoch Okode on becoming Dean of the School of Theology at Scott Christian University in Kenya. Supported by LeaderStudies, Enoch graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, IL this past summer — he’s just one example of how quickly young educated leaders must assume top-tier positions at Majority World institutions. We give …