Earlier this month Dr. Jim Spivey and I joined over 400 other church leaders in Antalya, Turkey who have committed their lives to equipping men and women called to serve Christ and his church through theological education. We gathered as the International Council of Evangelical Theological Educators (ICETE). Jim and I met co-laborers from global settings and learned ways to improve through assessment how we can better equip church leaders. My favorite times were as we shared meals with other participants and heard the stories of those we sought to network with or whom the Lord graced our lives with that day.
On Thursday, November 12, Dr. Riad Kaisis convened a group to begin work on a Christian Global Digital Library. I had the privilege of being the catalyst for such a library, which was built upon the vision of Dr. Bruce Corley and the research of Don Day, Carroll’s Director of Library and Information Services. The group embraced the concept and has begun collaboration on creating accessible digital resources to learners all over the world. Please be in prayer for this project as it can impact the work of Christ globally for years to come. Our unique contribution to the CGDL is our Carroll Primers. If you would like to donate to this project, you can go here.
Dr. Linda Cannell led participants at our Fall Colloquy to wrestle with how seminaries like Carroll can effectively serve local congregations through theological education. I consider Dr. Cannell as fellow pilgrim with us on the journey to return theological education back to the local church and what that looks like in any global context. She did not lecture but led us to engage in the pressing issues related to the topic at hand. I highly recommend to you her book Theological Education Matters. You can read a review of the sessions here.
This summer while Kim and I were in Rome, we visited some of the catacombs that lay beneath the city. On the damp, candle-smoke stained walls we saw one of the earliest Christian symbols, the anchor. This emblem of hope in a world of persecution and death found its origin in Scripture, This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.
(Hebrews 6:19; ESV) These are tumultuous days in the history of our world. Evil and fear seem to spread unhindered, and people desperately are looking for hope and security. We have such a hope in Christ Jesus, the Anchor of Our Souls. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the shared hope we have in Christ Jesus and for the privilege of serving alongside you to share this Hope with the world.
Serving with you,
