Letter to the Editor

I appreciated your recent issue on the church in Eurasia, and especially your comments on leadership training. We have sensed a shift in the world of leadership training in recent years. In Eurasia more and more programs seem to be struggling with decreasing enrollments in residential, full-time programs and with a changing profile of students enrolled in such programs. More and more seem to be responding to the desire on the part of many ministers to pursue training that minimally interrupts their family, professional, and ministry life. Modular programs that take students away from home for only short periods seem to be growing in popularity. Another key issue

is the need for greater unity and cooperation among those engaged in leadership training. It is becoming clear that There are far too many programs doing relatively similar work in the same geographical area. Greater cooperation is essential. Money is not the solution to better theological education. The truly critical issues are governance, relevant curriculum and financial sustainability. These issues are addressed through training of people and the growth of cooperative networks. Overseas Council International is attempting to encourage this through our Institutes for Excellence, which bring leaders of theological schools together to address these key issues. I am confident that the best and most productive days of leadership training in Eurasia are still ahead, but there are many hard choices that

will have to be made both by leaders in the region and Western supporters of these efforts.

Jason Ferenczi, Director of Programs, Overseas Council International, Indianapolis, Indiana