Erskine and World Witness announce a new Global Ministry Partnership

Erskine and World Witness announce a new global ministry partnership and the John & Sarah Ellen Carson Scholarship & Global Theological Education Initiative 

The Boards of Erskine College and World Witness are pleased to announce a strategic new partnership in global theological and pastoral education. In partnership with the SEED Ministry (Serving by Educating, Equipping, & Discipling Church Leaders in the Global South) of World Witness, Erskine Theological Seminary will offer a Global Diploma in Theology & Christian Leadership beginning summer 2023. Erskine will initially offer this diploma in East Africa and in Pakistan through emerging SEED Ministry training locations with 100 students in each location already enrolled.

The Church in the Global South (broadly defined as churches in Africa, Asia, and Latin America) continues to experience explosive growth making the need for well-trained pastors and leaders immense. Through this partnership, World Witness combines its strengths in experienced, contextual theological training and faithful ministry in the Global South with Erskine’s strengths in theological education and academic programming to equip current and future pastors and leaders in the Global South. This partnership will support the Global South churches to become the vibrant, theologically-sound, self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-replicating churches that the world needs in the continuing advancement of Christ’s Church among the nations!

As research into the growth of the Church worldwide shows, the Global North and the Muslim world will soon need missionaries from the Global South, boldly proclaiming the gospel and evidencing Christ’s love through their joyful and courageous lives. Support for the Global South Church now and in the coming years remains of critical importance, especially in the form of robust, biblical, and theological training for the present and future Global South Church leaders. In his providence, God has prepared World Witness and Erskine Seminary to offer such training through key SEED Ministry partners in East Africa and Pakistan.

About this new partnership, Dr. Steve Adamson, President of Erskine College and Theological Seminary, commented. “As Erskine strengthens its relationship with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, we are overjoyed to formalize this partnership with World Witness. In Erskine’s new strategic plan, we not only want to ‘expand our reach’ by becoming the preeminent pastor-shepherd seminary in the United States, but to serve and support the global Church as well. It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing among Christians in the Global South and we want to join him in that Kingdom work.”

Mr. Alex Pettett, Executive Director of World Witness, also remarked, “This ground-breaking partnership represents a new and bold vision to utilize the strengths of World Witness and Erskine Seminary in a dedicated way to reach the nations for Christ, and this is just the first step! In years to come we envision new layers of mission integration between World Witness and Erskine that will yield more opportunities for ministry efforts to unreached people groups in the Muslim world and the Global North.”

To support this missional-educational endeavor, we also are pleased to announce the John & Sarah Ellen Carson Scholarship & Global Theological Education Initiative. This scholarship and initiative will support the Global Diploma in Theology and Christian Leadership program at Erskine Seminary (including the hiring of director of the program, Mrs. Martha Margaret Cotten, MTh) and to cover program fees for Global South students.

Dr. Carson served not only as a professor at Erskine Seminary, but as the thirteenth president of Erskine College and Theological Seminary. As Erskine’s first lady, Sarah Ellen befriended and mentored many female seminary and college students. Furthermore, Dr. and Mrs. Carson helped launch World Witness’ Mobile Theological Training Team (MT3), now incorporated into World Witness’ SEED Ministry, and faithfully served as pioneer theological educators and ministry encouragers in Africa for many years. They epitomize what we are doing through this partnership.

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Would you celebrate and partner with us in the John & Sarah Ellen Carson Scholarship and Global Theological Education Initiative? All funds will be used to provide education for Global South pastors and future Church leaders. Donations can be made at  https://www.erskine.edu/giving/global-education/

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Founded in 1837, Erskine Theological Seminary prepares men and women to fulfill the Great Commission through theological higher education that is ecclesial, missional, and confessional (Matthew 28:16-20). For more information visit our website at seminary.erskine.edu.  

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