Global Institute of Theology offered in 2010

Theology students with an interest in ecumenism and mission are being offered the opportunity to combine classroom study with participation in an historic global ecumenical assembly.

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	Peter Wyatt, a Canadian theologian and ecumenist, is the dean of the Global Institute on Theology. (Photo: Victoria University/Peg McCarthy)

by Douwe Visser

The Global Institute of Theology (GIT), organised by the Office for Theology and Ecumenical Engagement of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), is scheduled to be held on two sites in the United States in June 2010.

Students will meet in Chicago from 04 to 17 June and then move to the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids for 17 to 26 June. While in Grand Rapids, they will witness the historic merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to form a new body, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, during the Uniting General Council.

The GIT gathers theological students for academic courses focussed on theological reflection about the key themes of the Uniting General Council and the work of the World Communion of Reformed Churches in the years to come. As a place of training for future ecumenical leadership, the GIT has as its objective the formation of Reformed theologians with a global perspective.

The programme features an international faculty of renowned academic theologians under the leadership of Peter Wyatt, former Principal of Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto in Canada. Wyatt has also served in the senior ecumenical position of the United Church of Canada.

The core course will focus on the theme of the Uniting General Council “Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. In addition, four elective courses will be offered:

· Interfaith Dialogue
· New Directions in Mission for the 21st century
· Reading the Bible in Context
· The Epistle to the Ephesians

Seventy students, selected on the basis of academic level and ecumenical interest, will participate in the GIT. Of these, 60 per cent will come from the Global South and 40 per cent from the Global North.

The GIT will not only provide classroom teaching. Students will have the opportunity as well to experience the local context of church and society life. This exposure will be fundamental for mission empowerment, bearing in mind that GIT students are future church leaders and as such will be part of the mission outreach of their church.