“Kingdom-seekers teach another’s truth. They sow God’s seed, not their own ideas. Different farmers may have different ways of sowing, but the seed is vital. So the kingdom-seeker is not preoccupied with style or method, but with communicating God’s truth. And Jesus has already modeled this in his own life. Leaders who seek to follow Jesus are reminded that cultures and styles change, but the one constant is God’s Word.”[1]
Cultivating leadership rooted in God’s Word while being mindful of today’s context is an ongoing passion for us. A key focus of the SDB General Conference is to develop and support new and existing leaders who will work through healthy churches. It is exciting to report the ways that opportunities for leadership development have continued to expand for Seventh Day Baptists.
One key way that we are doing this as a Conference is through our own online education platform provided by SDBU. Rev. Nick Kersten oversees this work and administers classes in close association with Rev. John Pethtel as well as a number of veteran SDB pastors who serve as teachers.
At this point, 45 students have used the online classes of SDBU. There are currently 25 students who have applied for admission to the SDB Ministry Leadership Certificate program or have started classes. 1 student has already graduated from this Certificate program, with another round of graduates coming soon. 8 new students have enrolled in the SDB Ministry Leadership Certificate Program since Fall 2019.
A certificate opportunity through SDBU that is now being expanded is the Pastoral Leadership Certificate Program. 22 students have taken a class in this Certificate program, which will be offering expanded course opportunities in coming semesters.
I hope that you share my enthusiasm in this time of momentum building through this education opportunity! Thank you for partnering with us in prayer for the students, teachers, and churches as we join together to actively advance God’s Kingdom.
If you are interested in financially supporting students preparing for further SDB ministry, simply click on the link to https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/sdb and select the SDBU Scholarship tab.
Grace and Peace,
Carl Greene, Executive Director, SDB General Conference
[1] Ford, Leighton. 1991. Transforming Leadership: Jesus’ Way of Creating Vision, Shaping Values & Empowering Change. Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 87-88.
