New program of formal theological education in Spanish

One of the growing edges for Mennonite Church USA is the racial-ethnic constituency. The Racial/Ethnic Leadership Education (RELE) programs of Mennonite Church USA focus on creating educational opportunities for the racial-ethnic community to connect with the denomination.

About 100 Spanish-speaking Mennonite Church USA congregations are part of Iglesia Menonita Hispana (IMH). In spite of this, the accessibility to Anabaptist-Mennonite education for this group is still limited. There is especially a need for Spanish higher education, and the need grows greater as new Hispanic Mennonite churches are planted and established.
IBA graduates/Photo by Violeta Ajquejay.

Violeta Ajquejay, assistant director of Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA), talks about a conversation she had with an IBA leader in the Miami area that highlights the urgency. “This group of IBA graduates has been waiting for a long time for a higher theological education program that would respond to their needs. As a result, they have been considering other options; therefore, it is more than due time for a Mennonite program at a higher level.”

Rafael Barahona, Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) associate director, visits Hispanic congregations as part of his work with the Hispanic Pastoral and Leadership Education (HPLE) program (of which IBA is a part). Increasingly he has seen why the need for theological education at a higher level is so important.

“Some leaders use resources from other denominations for their education, which is not always the best when they conflict with Anabaptist-Mennonite beliefs. We are called to respond to this need by continuing to find ways we can provide theological education and training to the Hispanic population because what we want is to have a Mennonite-educated and -trained leadership in the pulpits of Spanish-speaking congregations.”

Beginning in 2009, HPLE will meet this need by offering a new biblical and theological education program in Spanish at an undergraduate level. The HPLE program will offer a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry that will be accessible and affordable to the current leadership of the Hispanic Mennonite churches regardless of location. The certificate program is envisioned to be 28 credit hours that can be completed in two years and three months.

HPLE staff, in consultation with some higher education faculty and denominational leadership, has developed this curriculum using the denominational competencies for pastoral leadership as a guide. As a result, pastors who finish the program will also fulfill the Mennonite Church USA pastoral credentialing requirements and the credentialing guidelines used by many Mennonite conferences.

The denominational competencies include items such as Bible and hermeneutics; pastoral leadership; Anabaptist-Mennonite story, theology and principles; and Christian spirituality and discipleship. Courses in the new curriculum directly correspond with these competencies, such as Biblical Interpretation I & II, Theory and Practice of Pastoral Leadership and Theology of Pastoral Ministry.

Juanita Nuñez, IMH moderator, shares her enthusiasm for the new program. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us, which is the vision of the IMH board, not only because it is important but also because some of our leadership came from other roots. This is a significant time, since many Hispanic leaders are trying to upgrade and also complete their theological education. As leaders, we have challenges that demand higher education.”

According to Barahona, many of the components are in place, and HPLE continues to work with partners to finalize how the program is going to look and what it will be called.

Barahona is excited about the diverse group this program could serve. “With this program, there is a great potential to reach Hispanic leaders who would not otherwise have access to Anabaptist-Mennonite theological higher education,” he says.

“People often come into positions of pastoral leadership due to their strong call to ministry,” he says. “While they are interested in further education, the opportunity to study in a formal program is geographically and financially impossible.”

Barahona expects interest in the undergraduate program also to come from some current pastors who received their training many years ago and want the opportunity to complete their theological studies or to pursue more studies. He also expects many IBA graduates are ready to continue into higher theological education.

Anabaptist-Mennonite education in Spanish has been offered in the past. The former General Conference Mennonite Church first sponsored IBA in 1988 as an educational system using a decentralized, congregation-based model. IBA continues as a program of Mennonite Church USA and focuses on teaching leadership skills and biblical knowledge.

One of the ways the former Mennonite Church responded to the need was the creation of Hispanic Ministries, a four-year undergraduate program, at Goshen (Ind.) College in 1979; this program was phased out in 2005.

“HPLE staff has worked hard to create a strong Anabaptist-Mennonite education program that incorporates the needs of Hispanic Mennonites,” says Carlos Romero, executive director of MEA. “The intent is to work in partnerships across the church that will allow us to connect the dots, not reinvent the wheel; to use our limited resources more efficiently and respond to a need. It will impact Mennonite Church USA for years to come by developing many strong Mennonite leaders.”

Rachel Nussbaum Eby is the director of communications of Mennonite Education Agency.