wfn.org | Ministry board adopts Hispanic theological education plan

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Oct. 30, 2001	News media contact: Linda Green7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.     10-32-71B{500}

By Kathy Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The denomination's Division of Ordained Ministry
has adopted a national strategic plan to increase the number of
seminary-trained pastors in the Hispanic community.

More than 40 million Hispanics live in the United States, and they represent
the fastest-growing segment of the population, according to the plan. In
2000, the church had 59 Hispanic seminarians, 42 of them enrolled in one of
the 13 United Methodist-related seminaries. Only two United Methodist
Hispanics with doctoral degrees are teaching in those seminaries or other
theological schools approved by the denomination's University Senate, which
determines whether schools meet the criteria for affiliating with the
church. None of the schools has United Methodist Hispanic women with
doctoral degrees in any field of religion.   
 
"It is imperative that the United Methodist Church develop a strong cadre of
leaders who can help Latino/a/Hispanic and other congregations face the
difficult challenges, and who will also help the church at large realize the
joy and promise of the Latino/a/Hispanic presence among us," said the Rev.
Justo Gonzales of Atlanta, the primary author of "Called Into Joy! An
Initiative on Latino/a/Hispanic Theological Education." 

The "Called Into Joy" document is the United Methodist Board of Higher
Education and Ministry's strategic plan for Hispanic theological education.
Gonzales, a clergy member of the Rio Grande Annual Conference, is an author
and former member of the board's Committee on Theological Education.

Input for the initiative also came from a group of United Methodist Hispanic
leaders representing Mexican-American, South American and Puerto Rican
backgrounds, presidents and professors of United Methodist seminaries,
representatives of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministries, and staff
members and directors of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

A lack of role models and mentoring is a reason Hispanic students do not
attend seminary, according to Gonzales. "The most important reason is a
combination of loneliness, a sense of being lost, a feeling their studies
are irrelevant to ministry in their communities, and a lack of role models
in most seminaries," he said. Money is the second most important reason.

Because of a high dropout rate among Hispanic students, the pool of those
who complete college and are able to become prospective seminary students is
small, he said. "This strategy for theological education must be coupled
with a parallel strategy for higher education in general."

The board wants to face the challenges and celebrate the joys presented in
the paper, and it has adopted a holistic plan to address the needs of
Hispanics, said the Rev. Joaqumn Garcma, a staff executive in the board's
section of Deacons and Diaconal Ministries.

As a beginning, the board will work to make seminaries more inviting to
Hispanic students by:  setting aside funds for creative initiatives at
United Methodist-related seminaries; continuing to support a bi-annual
Latino/Hispanic United Methodist Seminarian Retreat; awarding grants to
United Methodist seminaries to develop training opportunities and resources
for ministry with Hispanic students; and supporting the Hispanic Summer
program sponsored by 40 seminaries and universities, including nine of the
13 United Methodist seminaries.

The board will conduct a survey of the United Methodist seminaries to
analyze curriculum, scholarship support, faculty composition and board of
trustee membership.

In addition to enhancing theological education, other key components in this
national strategy include recruitment; the Course of Study program;
continuing education; advanced theological education; and the development
and nurturing of a Wesleyan ethos.

"It is important to note that the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry and
the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry have been
working together since 1992 and have brought us to this point," Garcma said.
"Now we are working on a vision that will carry us into the future."

The Rev. Patrick Streiff, a member of the board of directors and pastor at
the Center for Methodist Studies in the French language in Neuchatel,
Switzerland, said the Division of Higher Education should consider something
similar to this program to undergird the education of the whole Hispanic
community.

Demand for ministers

Four factors have driven the demand for ordained and licensed ministers to
critical levels in Hispanic communities, according to the national plan for
theological education.

First, there has been a significant increase in Hispanic congregations. The
plan states that while the increase is a cause for celebration, the number
of such ministries has outstripped the recruitment and training of
personnel.

Second, as with the church at large, many ordained ministers are reaching
retirement age. The plan notes that conferences that depended on ordained
ministers from Cuba in the '60s and '70s to lead Hispanic ministries are
facing immediate crisis because those ministers are reaching retirement age.

Third, it is common for annual conferences and district superintendents to
seek ordained people outside the United States who may not be trained in the
United Methodist Church. Although many make a significant contribution to
the church, their recruitment and training are specific issues that the
church must address.

Finally, Hispanic students have a high dropout rate in higher education.
According to the plan, 31 percent of Hispanic students drop out of college
after less than a year, compared with 18 percent of whites. 

"It is imperative that the United Methodist Church intensify its efforts at
supporting Latino/a/Hispanic students in college through campus ministries,
scholarship support, and that students be presented with the challenge of
ordained ministry as a vocation," Gonzales said.

According to the plan, the recruitment of Hispanics for theological
education and ordained ministry must be take a shape specifically designed
for the Hispanic culture.

Course of Study program

Many Hispanic pastors enter ordained ministry late in life and are trained
through the Course of Study program. Many come without an undergraduate
degree or equivalent. Course of Study programs in Spanish encourage Hispanic
participants to reflect on the relation of the gospel to their own culture,
the plan said.

Course of Study programs are offered in Spanish at three United
Methodist-related seminaries: Perkins School of Theology, Dallas;
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.; and at Claremont
(Calif.) School of Theology. The Board of Higher Education and Ministry will
encourage and support other United Methodist seminaries to develop similar
programs.

Annual conference boards of ordained ministry will be asked to encourage
graduates from the basic Course of Study to pursue advanced courses as a way
to further their theological education and attain full membership as elders.

Advanced theological education

One of the main difficulties in promoting Hispanic theological education is
the lack of Hispanic faculty in seminaries. The board will establish
four-year doctoral scholarship awards for United Methodist Hispanic students
of exceptional promise who have a clear vocation for seminary teaching and
who are admitted into fully accredited doctoral programs in religion.
 
The students will also be encouraged to pursue the board's existing
scholarship programs, such as the Women of Color, the HANA (Hispanic, Asian
and Native American) scholarships and the Dempster awards.

A Wesleyan ethos

Students enrolled in United Methodist seminaries are introduced to a United
Methodist ethos. While it may be defined in different ways, it must include
four basic components of piety, learning, personal holiness and social
holiness, which have characterized Methodism since the times of John Wesley.

"The development of such an ethos is not a call to abandon or minimize the
rich cultural heritage of our Latino/a/Hispanic constituency. On the
contrary, it is an invitation to join that heritage with the gifts of a
Wesleyan ethos," Gonzales said.

"There must be an emphasis on mentoring and helping Latino/a/Hispanic
students respond to God's call into ordained ministry. We have the blueprint
now; we need to plant the seeds for the future of this vital ministry," said
Garcma.

For more information on the Hispanic plan for theological education, contact
the Section of Deacons and Diaconal Ministries at sddm@gbhem.org or (615)
340-7375, or visit www.gbhem.org online.

# # #

*Gilbert is a staff member in the Office of Interpretation at the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

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United Methodist News Service
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