Education Leadership Consultation

The consultation was designed to focus on five key issues?globalization, evangelization, innovation, contextualization and application?as they relate directly to one of the world’s oldest and most challenging mission fields.

Donald S. Aultman, chancellor of the Church of God Division of Education, and Peter Thomas, regional superintendent of Central Africa and Christian education coordinator of Africa, serve as co-chairmen. While making plans for the meeting, they worked with steering committee members Fred Brannen, Bill George, Dwain Pyeatt, H. Lynn Stone, Roland Vaughan, Paul L. Walker, and G. Dennis McGuire.

In order to maximize the benefits of the four days, sessions were held mornings, afternoons, and evenings with one afternoon given for relaxation. While the day sessions were for the entire group, special breakout sessions were conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for education directors, Bible Institute directors, overseers, and superintendents. French interpreters, along with manuscripts translated into the French language, enabled attendees from French-speaking countries to receive maximum benefit from the meeting.

Major papers presented at the consultation included: “Africa and the Challenge of Globalization” by Paul L. Walker, Ph.D.; “Understanding the World in Which We Minister” by Rodolfo J. Giron, D.Min.; “Evangelization: Reaching the African Harvest” by Jack C. Nkandu, MADCF; “Innovations: Twenty-First Century Methodology” by Douglas LeRoy, D.Min.; “New Directions in Ministry Formation” by Donald S. Aultman, Ed.D.; “The Importance and Task of Contextualization” by Israel G. Simbaya; “The Role of Women in the Church” by Mary Ruth Stone, Ed.D. and H. Lynn Stone, D. Min.; and “Applying What We Have Heard” by Peter A. Thomas, M.Div.

According to the verbal reports of those attending, this was the fist Church of God meeting of any kind that brought church leaders together from all three of the regional areas of the continent: East Africa, Central Africa and West Africa. This fact, along with the high academic quality of the presentation, the earnest responses of the panels, the passionate open-forum discussions, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, gave credibility to the often-repeated statement: “For Africa, this meeting has been more important than the Church of God General Assembly.”