In our desire to build the capacity of our member institutions to serve the Church and society in their contexts, ATA has partnered with ScholarLeaders International (SLI) in a project called Vital Sustainability Initiative (VSI).  SLI first conducted this project with 19 leading schools from around the globe- three of which are from Asia: Asian Theological Seminary (Philippines), South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (India), and Colombo Theological Seminary (Sri Lanka).

This project intends to strengthen the Church in Asia by enabling schools of theology to clearly define their unique mission in relation to the following areas: first, the formation of leaders and second, to their prophetic role in the Church and society.  After which, these schools will be assisted in defining the strategy that will enable them to pursue their mission with vitality and sustainability by coaching leaders as they confront difficulties and implement plans. The last phase will involve sharing what was learned through this project.

ATA and SLI decided to focus first in South Asia and South East Asia, giving priority to institutions offering graduate programs and with key influence in the region.  Four institutions in India, two from South India and two from North East India, were included in this project. On March 5-15 2019, a team composed of Dr. Emmanuel Bellon (SLI Vice President), Dr. Theresa Lua (ATA General Secretary), Dr. Paul Cornelius (ATA India Regional Secretary), and Dr. George Capaque (adjunct faculty at Asian Theological Seminary) went to India and spent two days in each of the following institutions:

  • Center for Global Leadership Development/South Asia Bible College (Bangalore)
  • Evangelical Theological Seminary/Asian Christian Academy (Hosur)
  • Shalom Bible Seminary (Kohima, Nagaland)
  • Oriental Theological Seminary (Dimapur, Nagaland)

The VSI project involves a comprehensive consulting process requiring enormous time and energy on both the resource persons and the institutions. To ensure proper understanding and appreciation of expectations, selected institutions must enter into a partnership agreement with SLI. Prior to the visit the schools have already completed a questionnaire that provided collected data about the context, history, and various areas in each school. During the visit the team engaged with the leaders and various stakeholders to understand the critical issues facing each context and institution. Each institution will be provided with a summary of identified institutional health issues, opportunities, and key questions that will help explore these opportunities. The institutions will analyze the information collected in order to  prepare for the strategy planning session. Ongoing consultation through electronic meetings will be provided to make sure each institution is ready for the planning session that will happen during the second visit.

ATA is grateful to Scholar Leaders International for this free consulting service. We look forward to providing this value added service to more ATA member institutions in the future.