Birmingham
Theological Seminary
Inter-Cultural Studies Program
Birmingham Theological Seminary offers two Inter-Cultural studies programs;
the Master of Arts in Inter-Cultural Studies and the Certificate of
Inter-Cultural Studies. Both programs
are offered in conjunction with the International Leadership Development
Project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The International Leadership Development
Project (I.L.D.P.) is a training program that offers opportunities
to grow via hands-on experience in a cross-cultural setting. It is
a program committed to training those individuals who feel called to
the mission field by strategically inserting them in a greenhouse environment
as a catalyst for rapid yet enduring growth.
This fourteen month training program creates an excellent atmosphere
in which students can:
1. Minister- in a cross-cultural environment
2. Function on a team- in a cross-cultural environment
3. Lead others- in a cross-cultural environment
4. Learn a second language-in a cross-cultural environment
Accountability will also be a key factor during the course of the
Training Program. Each student will be have an experienced mentor to
coach their ministry as well as help interpret and evaluate their experiences.
All of the above is best experienced and balanced when it is done
in the context of a local church. Instead of choosing between doing
training in a local church or at dedicated missionary training center,
a more desirable approach would be to develop a hybrid where the
two are meshed together. The I.L.D.P. is intentionally designed to
create exactly this type of greenhouse environment. The I.L.D.P.
acknowledges the value of formal training and incorporates in into
the training program along with non-formal curriculum and informal
training venues. The formal aspect of training takes place four mornings
a week in a classroom setting and is done in conjunction with Birmingham
Theological Seminary.
Trainees study toward a Master in Inter-Cultural
Studies and complete approximately one two hour course each month.
This formal training
can add real breadth
as well as depth to the participants theological footings, world
view and missions perspective. Non-formal training is carried on through
discipleship groups, one-on-one mentoring times, field exercises,
etc.
and informal development takes place as trainees living and minister
together, as well as when visiting professors and coaches stay in
the apartments of trainees.
For more information about this unique program, contact the Vice President
of Academic Affairs of Birmingham Theological Seminary.
Master of Arts in Inter-Cultural Studies
Certificate in Inter-Cultural Studies
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