Ministerial Formation, Issue 98-99, July-October 2002
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Ministerial Formation 98/99 - July/October 2002 - double issue ministerial formation 98/99 World Council of Churches Education and Ecumenical Formation July/October 2002 double issue WelcomeWelcome toto thethe JourneyJourney ofof HopeHope This quartely journal aims to encourage sharing and cooperation among all who are working for the renewal of the churches through programmes of ministeral formation. All correspondence regarding MINISTERIAL FORMATION should be sent to the address below. Submission of relevant articles, reports and news is welcomed. Items in sthis journal do not necessarily reflect thze views of the WCC and its programme on Education and Ecumenical Formation (formerly Programme on Theological Education). P.O. Box 2100, 150, route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland 1 MinisterialMinisterial Formation Formation 98/9998/99 - July/October - July/October 2002 - double issue 2002 PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A DOUBLE ISSUE Letter from staff ........................................................................................................ 3 Notes on Contributors............................................................................................... 4 Theological Education and Ecumenical Formation: Some Challenges ................... 6 Esther Mombo & Joseph Galgalo Theological Education as Catalyst for Ecumenical Formation in Africa: The Role of Associations of Theological Institutions - The Case of WAATI ........ 14 Emmanuel Martey Cheminement d’Espérance. L’enseignement thélogique en Afrique: Vers Quels Horizons ? ............................................................................................ 28 Tharcisse Gatwa Moving Forward in Hope - What Prospects for Theological Education in Africa? ................................................................................................................ 48 Tharcisse Gatwa The State of Theological Education in Southern Africa: Issues and Concerns ..... 66 Paul H. Gundani, Madipoane Masenya, Tinyiko S. Maluleke, Isabel Phiri Ministerial Training for the 21st Century: A South African Case Study ................ 74 Klaus Nürnberger Uma Ideia Sobre Educaçao Teológica em Moçambique ........................................ 82 Elias Zacarias Massicame A Glimpse of Theological Education in Mozambique ........................................... 98 Elias Zacarias Massicame Lay Training Centres in Africa: Instruments of Social Transformation ............... 96 Jonah M. Katoneene Theological Libraries: Tools of Evangelism and Ecumenism.............................. 105 Catherine Maina-Ouma What Theological Education for Africa Today? .................................................. 108 Kenneth R..Ross CATI Policy Statement ......................................................................................... 192 This periodical is indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, published by the American Theological Library Association, 250 S.Wacker Dr., 16th Flr, Chicago, IL60606, E-mail: [email protected], WWW:www.atla.com/. As from 2003 MINISTERIAL FORMATION (MF) will be produced twice a year by the staff of Ecumenical Theological Education, Cluster on Issues and Themes instead of four times. Subscription: US$10 (or equivalent) for one year, although free copies are available for those persons or institutions, who, for whatever reason, cannot make a payment. Please note that in the interest of economy, receipts are not issued for payments made by cheque or bank draft unless specifically requested. Thank you for your understanding. MF is also available on website:http://www.wcc-coe.org. (For any question, please contact Nyambura Njoroge: [email protected]). 2 Ministerial Formation 98/99 - July/October 2002 - double issue LETTER FROM THE STAFF Dear readers, On behalf of the staff in the WCC Education and Ecumenical Formation Team, Africa Desk and the Council-wide Framework on Special Focus on Africa, I wish to welcome you to this special issue that is dedicated to theological education and ecumenical formation in Africa. You may recall that in the October 2001issue of Ministerial Formation (No. 95), we announced the “Jour- ney of Hope in Africa Continued: A Critical Evaluation of Theological Education and Ecumenical Formation” (p.73-81). We have had good responses from people and institutions involved in theo- logical education and ecumenical formation in Africa, including a few partners in the North. We are now in the process of preparing for the Conference to take place in Johannesburg, South Af- rica, 16-23rd September 2002. The critical evaluation was based on decisions made at the WCC eighth (jubilee) assembly, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, December 1998, when Africans and Africans in Diaspora covenanted with God (see page…) to make a difference in Africa by embarking on the journey of hope. The gath- ered global church promised to accompany African churches and the people of Africa on this journey. The Harare assembly affirmed the dream of Africa, expressed by African participants in an earlier event in Johannesburg, May 1997, that stated: We are proud in seeing a vision of the journey of hope of African churches for the development of the continent for the twenty-first century. We are determined to work out this vision that promises life with dignity for the African people…This is a vision that v calls us to work together and creatively to be in solidarity with one another, to accompany those among us with burdens too heavy to carry alone; v compels us to work towards the elimination of the barriers and walls that divide and enslave us; v provides us with instruments to reconcile broken relationships and heal wounds inflicted by violent ways of resolving misunderstandings and conflict; v can be realized if Africans agree to work together in the spirit of pan-Africanism, and man- age their human and natural resources responsibly and ethically, together and in partnership with one another and with nature.1 The staff that initiated the critical evaluation on theological education and ecumenical formation in Africa strongly believes that we must involve the teaching, training and capacity building in- struments of the churches, if this dream and vision will indeed see the light of the day. In this issue, we begin to accompany the churches in Africa by having a glance of what is happening in these institutions and to discover the major concerns and challenges that theological educators and lay leadership trainers encounter in their various ministries. Some of the papers are written by indi- viduals while others worked in groups or carried out interviews. To give a more comprehensive picture, we recommend that you read The Ecumenical Review, Vol. 53, Number 3, July 2001, (Geneva: WCC Publications), on “Transforming Ecumenism in Africa in the 21st Century”. Sev- eral of these challenges have been highlighted in previous conferences and consultations, how- ever, we hope that through the spirit of Harare Covenant, we will discover strategies that will force us to make a difference. We would like to hear from you, your experiences and perspectives on what has worked best for you in your struggle to be relevant, contextual, evangelical and ecumenical as well as achieving academic excellence in our world today. We also hope that this special issue will be inspirational to other regions as they seek to work together in theological education and ecumenical formation. Welcome to the Journey of Hope in Africa! Nyambura Njoroge, programme staff, Ecumenical Theological Education ( ETE). 1 Diane Kessler, ed. Together on the Way: Official Report of the Eighth Assembly of the World Council of Churches. (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1999:224). 3 Ministerial Formation 98/99 - July/October 2002 - double issue NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS Esther Mombo is the Academic Dean and teaches Church History, St Paul’s United Theological College, Limuru, Kenya. Joseph Galgalo teaches Systematic Theology, St Paul’s United Theological College, Limuru, Kenya. Emmanuel Martey teaches Theology, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana and is Chairperson of West African Association of Theological Institutions (WAATI). Tharcisse Gatwa is a journalist cum theologian and is the Director of Editions CLE; Yaoundé, Cameroon Paul H. Gundani teaches Church History, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe. Madipoane Masenya (ngwana’ Mphahlele) teaches Old Testament, University of South Africa (UNISA), Johannesburg. Tinyiko S. Maluleke is the Dean, Faculty of Theology, UNISA, Johannesburg. Isabel Phiri teaches African Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritsburg, South Africa Klaus Nümberger is a member of the Lutheran Church in South Africa. Elias Zacarias Massicame is a journalist with the Christian Council of Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique. Jonah M. Katoneene is the General Secretary, Association of Christian Lay Centres in Africa (ACLCA), Harare, Zimbabwe. 4 Ministerial Formation 98/99 - July/October 2002 - double issue THE HARARE COVENANT, December 1998 O U R C O V E N A N T W I T H G O D We, the people and churches in Africa, give thanks for the manifold blessings bequeathed upon us by God. We acknowledge that African leaders have committed crimes against their own kith and kin in the past and at present times. We repent now of our sins against each other and beseech you O God to heal our land and deliver us from all evil. Our hearts are yearning to be freed from despair so that we may endure in faith, because of God’s promise to restore our dignity and fulfil all our dreams. May God grant us the wisdom and knowledge