Written by J.D. Reed
International Ministries (IM) has three main focus areas. The first is “inviting people to become disciples of Jesus.” One of the ways this is realized in Latin America and the Caribbean is through the Master of Theological Education in Latin Ministries’ Program at Palmer Seminary. This program is a joint effort through Palmer, IM and American Baptist Home Mission Society (for United States’students) to help train pastors and leaders in Iberoamerica and the Caribbean. Just two months ago, I (J.D.) joined IM colleagues and celebrated the graduation of 14 students in Campinas, Brazil with our national partner, the National Baptist Convention of Brazil (CBN). The goal of this program is to train local leaders who can empower the local church, but also who can train other local leaders to do God’s work. Whether pastors, doctors, accountants or stay-at-home parents, all are welcome. So far, in just three years of the program, we have graduated over 50 students in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. We currently have students in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia as well. This fall, we will start a new group in Ecuador and are excited to be in the planning stages of expanding this program all throughout Latin America.
The challenge is making the program affordable. In Bolivia, for example, the average wage is just under $300 per month and these classes are more than double that when taken at full price. With a generous scholarship from Palmer, we can significantly decrease that amount, but it is still more than they make in a month, so IM is trying to provide an additional scholarship so students can afford to be part of this amazing program. Because of their economic realities, only a few of them could participate without our help. Recently, I had the privilege to share with a student group that we were going to be able to give them a partial scholarship and joy filled the room. With a recession in their nation, many of the students were going to have to take a break from the program, but with this scholarship they will all be able to continue.
This is where I hope you can join in with this work. We need your help. Would you be willing to adopt a pastor and help them to be trained to meet the growing needs of the church in Latin America? We have a goal of training 500 leaders in the next ten years, but we can’t do it without the help of churches and individuals that care about the church. If you would like to help us train these pastors and leaders who will change their communities for the kingdom of God, visit our project page and give today! Thank you for being part of this movement in Latin America.
