The Worldwide Growth of Church of God Education and Ministerial Training
On April 4-6, I attended the Church of God European Leadership Conference in Budapest, Hungary. At this conference, 110 national overseers and educational leaders represented the Church of God from 51 nations. There were business sessions during the days and worship during the evenings.
By Dwain Pyeatt
I attended the meetings to represent the Church of God Division of Education, and to promote the Certificate In Ministerial Studies (CIMS) courses. This versatile curriculum is increasingly being used internationally to train ministers and to strengthen Bible schools, and is currently being translated into several languages.
After this historic meeting, I wanted to prepare a report about the wonderful advances that Church of God ministerial training is making in Eastern Europe. For instance, Albania was formerly known as “the most atheistic nation on earth.” Now, the Lord has opened doors for the gospel, and the Church of God is growing quickly in that nation. We have established a fine Bible school in the capital to train ministers for the harvest that God is sending. The Bible school in Latvia is also growing rapidly, and the seminary in Moscow, Russia, is well-respected in evangelical circles. Further, we had been aware of three Bible schools in Romania, but during this conference, I learned that we actually have nine ministerial training schools in Romania!
On April 11, as I was in my office in Cleveland at the Division of Education composing this report on my computer, my office phone rang. It was Dr. Winston Elliott, missionary to Asia, asking for permission to use the Certificate In Ministerial Studies (CIMS) courses for ministerial training at the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) in Manila, Philippines.
While I was talking with Dr. Elliott, my cell phone rang, and I suddenly realized that I had previously scheduled a phone conversation with Lance Keeling, missionary to South America. He will use the Spanish-language CIMS courses in the Bible school in Bolivia for ministerial training. I asked Dr. Elliott to listen in on the conversation while I carried on a short conversation with Lance.
Suddenly, it struck me: in one moment, I had Asia in one ear, South America in the other, and Eastern Europe before my eyes. Church of God education and ministerial training is spanning the globe!
(Dwain Pyeatt is International Coordinator for Church of God Ministerial Development/School of Ministry)
