Consortium of Alliance Seminaries in the AWF Latin America Region

“Unity is strength” is a popular saying attributed to the Spanish liberator Simón Bolívar to express that there is strength in the unity of peoples. And as long ago as 900 B.C., wise King Solomon said, “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). With this he affirmed that no matter how good two people are together, three are even better because they are like a solid rope.

For some time now, theological professors and scholars have been discussing the future of theological education in the face of the predicaments that biblical seminaries are experiencing, not only in the North but also in the Global South. Specifically, they point out that there is a severe shortage of professors who will be teachers of teachers, and whenever rectors or deans or faculty members are sought in our theological seminaries, the lists of candidates are incredibly short. Some claim that if these trends persist, the modern way of training pastors could disappear altogether.

To this must be added economic factors that increase the pressure and the possibility of closing schools, as happened with the Alliance Theological Seminary (Nyack) in 2023. For some churches such as the American United Methodists, this is a real threat. They could end up like the Methodist Church in Great Britain which no longer has seminaries and now depends, in large part, on its relationships with other denominations for the training of its ministers.

Seminaries in Latin America

The future of the church depends very much on theological education, a task that is mostly conducted by Bible seminaries training well-prepared pastors and leaders. Without theological education the church faces a serious loss of biblical discernment and knowledge, since believers will only have passion, but not good judgment, and be vulnerable to the lurking of “people [who] try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:14 NLT).

The Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) has more than 30 registered theological schools from Mexico to Chile (worldwide there are more than 90), counting the main headquarters and branches in other cities. Some of them, such as the seminaries of Temuco, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, have existed for more than 100 years, which shows the long journey of the Alliance theological institutions in the region. But they have not been free, naturally, of difficulties and challenges.

Consortium of Alliance Seminaries

Today it is very difficult to keep our theological schools afloat. For some years there has been a concern to make the most of more than a century of experience to see how seminaries could join forces to work together. To this end, in recent years the rectors and deans have been addressing this and other issues, such as the creation of an “Accrediting Agency.” These proposals and ideas came to fruition in 2023 when the network that unites the Latin American Alliance Theological Institutes (ITAAL) approved the formation of a Consortium of Alliance Seminaries (CoSemA).

A consortium is a formal association of two or more institutions of higher education that collaborate in academic, research, administrative and/or service activities. These partnerships can take various forms and have different objectives, but generally they involve cooperation in areas such as student exchanges, joint research programs, curriculum development, resource sharing, and the promotion of academic excellence and educational innovation.

Consortia allow participating institutions to leverage each other’s strengths and resources to expand educational opportunities for their students, improve the quality of research, and collaborate on projects that can be more effective or feasible with the support of all. CoSemA will seek Christ-centeredness and relational community that enhances effective collaboration, as well as the personal and ministerial development of students.

Because few evangelical institutions of higher theological education in Latin America are recognized by their governments, CoSemA would create a set of quality standards for participating institutions, thus maintaining confidence within the denomination that its pastors and workers will receive instruction and training in accordance with allied practices and teachings. In addition, CoSemA can also serve as an “accrediting agency” assuring the overall quality of programs in the academic context, and thus raising the standards of Bible institutes that have fallen behind for various reasons.

Forming a consortium of Bible seminaries involves overcoming several challenges.

• First, self-interest. Each seminary has its own specific agenda, which can make it difficult to find common ground in areas such as leadership training, curriculum focus, and the mission of the institution.
• Second, institutional autonomy. Theological institutions often value their autonomy and academic freedom, which can lead to not committing to a consortium that may be perceived as restricting that autonomy.
• Third, fear of competition. In some cases, seminaries may view other institutions as competitors rather than potential collaborators. That can generate distrust and make mutual collaboration difficult.
• Fourth, limited resources. Some institutions may be reluctant to participate because of the perception that they will have to contribute additional resources without receiving tangible benefits in return.

Overcoming these obstacles will require significant commitment from all stakeholders, as well as a careful focus on building trusting relationships, identifying common objectives, and finding creative solutions to address differences that may arise. Weighing the challenges against the benefits, there is a clear appreciation of what CoSemA can mean for the Alliance in the region.

• First, resource and knowledge sharing. Collaboration between different seminaries in a consortium facilitates the exchange of resources, educational materials, and knowledge, thus enriching the educational experience of students and teachers.
• Second, diversity of perspectives. A consortium offers a wider range of theological perspectives and educational approaches, which enriches the discussion and understanding of Scripture and faith.
• Third, efficiency and optimization of resources. By collaborating on educational programs, seminaries can optimize the use of their resources, allowing them to offer quality education more efficiently.
• Fourth, church development. A consortium contributes to the development of the global church by providing trained and committed workers who will serve as agents of change in their local communities.

We need to strengthen and unify our training centers to continue building a strong and doctrinally sound church that will bless our countries and continent. CoSemA can be the instrument to achieve this end because the three-stranded rope is not easily broken.