‘It’s what the Lord has done’: first Global Diploma graduates honored

Graduates, their families, and local dignitaries gathered Dec. 4, 2024, on the campus of Nyabihu Christian Academy, Nyabihu, Rwanda, to honor the first 46 recipients of Erskine’s Global Diploma in Theological and Christian Leadership.

“Our hearts are very full today,” Director of Global Theological Education Martha Margaret Cotten ’97 said after the commencement ceremony. “It’s not just what the graduates have done, it’s not just what we have done. It’s what the Lord has done in their lives through these courses, through this global diploma.”

The ceremony and festivities included a meal, speeches, and traditional Rwandan dance. Representatives of Erskine Theological Seminary and the World Witness SEED Ministry, which have partnered in creating and facilitating the program, joined in the celebration. See video highlights from the Global Diploma graduation here.

“We rejoice in this wonderful milestone for World Witness’s SEED Ministry,” says the Rev. Lee Shelnutt, who serves as SEED Ministry Team Leader and is an adjunct instructor for the Global Diploma program.

The impetus for the program came in 2018 when the Rwandan government passed a law requiring educational credentials for leaders of churches. Erskine Theological Seminary and World Witness, the foreign missions agency of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, recognized an opportunity to reach communities in Rwanda and other areas with limited access to theological education.

Shelnutt, a former Erskine trustee who is currently a student in Erskine’s Doctor of Ministry program, explains, “We knew that we needed an academic partner to provide the expertise, reputation, and accountability that only a seminary like Erskine could provide,” and adds, “In God’s kind providence, our proposal for this partnership was approved by both the Erskine and World Witness boards.”

The global diploma program is designed for students in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, in the area often designated as the “global south.” To launch its program, Erskine Theological Seminary partnered with two of its own graduates, the Rev. Zeeshan Sadiq ’19 (MATS) in Pakistan and Benjamin Musuhukye ’05 (MACE), ’06 (MAPM), founder of Reach the Children of Rwanda International (RCRI). Nyabihu Christian Academy, where the graduation ceremony was held, is owned and operated by RCRI.

Currently, Erskine professors and instructors offer 25 in-person courses at five locations in Rwanda and Pakistan. In 2024, 240 students were enrolled in these two countries. As the program grows, Erskine Seminary and World Witness hope to expand into Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Samuel Cotten ’95, a World Witness missionary who serves as an adjunct professor for the global diploma program, has witnessed tremendous faith and growth among the students in Rwanda. “They’re amazing. They’re vibrant,” he says. “Their dedication and their sacrifice…has been an example to me of what real ministry is. There is a hunger for the word of God here.”

Taking part in the ceremony honoring the first students to complete the Global Diploma program and welcoming them as graduates “was one of the most special events of my life,” says Director of Seminary Admissions and Church Relations Rev. Kyle Sims ’93, ’10 (D.Min.). Sims was impressed by “the deep appreciation of the graduates for Erskine and SEED for providing the resources to make their training possible.”

The next global diploma graduation—for the Runda, Rwanda cohort—is scheduled for the fall of this year.

The Global Diploma program is funded by the John and Sarah Ellen Carson Scholarship & Global Theological Education Initiative, named for Erskine’s late President Emeritus Dr. John L. Carson and his wife Sarah Ellen. After completing their service at Erskine, the Carsons worked together in several countries on the continent of Africa. They helped to launch the Mobile Theological Training Team (MT3), now incorporated into the SEED Ministry of World Witness.

“I rejoice in hearing reports of God’s work in Rwanda,” says Sarah Ellen Carson ’67.

“John and I had the privilege of working with MT3 in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa from 2005 to 2018. It was the desire of our hearts to see pastors and Christian leaders accurately and adequately trained in the Scriptures.”

Reflecting on the deepest aims of the Global Diploma in Theological and Christian Leadership, the former Erskine first lady says, “It is the Truth that transforms the lives of individuals, families, and nations so that people are blessed and God is glorified.”

Give to support the Global Diploma program here.

At top, graduates pose with their professors.

Article written by Joyce Guyette