2020 ICTE End of Year Message

Greetings Alliance World Family,

The International Commission on Theological Education (ICTE) is very thankful to our Lord who continues to enrich and bless theological training throughout the C&MA. Our 90 seminaries, institutes and Bible colleges are training men and women for service in God’s kingdom. This is a wonderful testimony of the faithfulness of the Lord to raise up new generations of Christian leaders from every region of the world. While the past year has seen many challenges – COVID-19 being only one of them – we are nevertheless convinced that the C&MA continues to serve the heart of God’s mission to reach the lost with the gospel.

Because of COVID-19, a number of changes to the ICTE schedule were necessary. In March the ICTE Committee shifted its annual meeting from Amsterdam to Zoom. That necessitated some very odd working hours for some of our members. Scheduled C&MA training seminars in Europe and Asia were either cancelled or postponed for the time being. Unfortunately, our biggest gathering at the planned AWF Quadrennial in October this year also had to be postponed. We are very hopeful, God willing, of seeing you all in Ecuador next October.

However, despite not being able to gather in person, the ICTE Committee has continued to meet throughout the year on Zoom. Work progresses on the Quadrennial Declaration which we look forward to sharing with you next year. We also continue to plan ahead for the next Young Scholars gathering which has been rescheduled for 2022. A number of online regional symposiums have occurred in Latin America and more are being planned. In the first quarter of the year, the ICTE was pleased to award the AWF Theology Prize to two men who submitted excellent papers on the work and thought of the C&MA. Congratulations to Rev. Chris Smith (Canada) and Rev. Dr. Jöel Kuvuna Mbongi (Democratic Republic of Congo) for their winning entries.

The ICTE also would like to remind everyone of the AWF theological and historical repository. Available online through the AWF website is a large collection of historical documents, general resources and theological articles and books about the C&MA and its distinctives. All the resources are free to access and they provide a great way of exploring the history and thought of our movement.

As the end of the year draws near, we once again thank you for all your encouragement and support. May the Christmas season be a joyful one for you all as you celebrate and remember the birth of our Savior and Lord.

Associate Professor Peter Laughlin
Chair, International Commission on Theological Education
Alliance World Fellowship