The first week of March, I (Scott) led the first Institute for Excellence in 2009 for seminary leaders in Eastern Europe. We had a dozen leaders from eight different schools located in countries from the former Soviet block—Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The focus of the training, as it will be for all the Institutes for 2009, was on how to nurture spiritual growth in seminary students.

Dr. Gordon T. Smith, who teaches part-time at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, did a great job in giving the opening presentations each morning. He presented the role of community as both the context and a means of spiritual growth—drawing our attention to three very different examples of community from church history.

1. The ancient Rule of St. Benedict lead us to think that discipline and order are an essential element of the common life.
2. John Wesley’s “bands” or “classes” give a great deal of wisdom for how small groups in a seminary might function.
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the book Life Together, describes his vision for community in the underground seminary for pastors during the Nazi Third Reich. Bonhoeffer points out the community really is a gift to be received from God with thanksgiving.

I gave a presentation on the Role of the Faculty in Spiritual Formation. Using an outline of the four concepts of Teacher, Model, Mentor, and Friend, I drew primarily on the relationship that is described in the New Testament between Paul and Timothy. “You know my teaching and my way of life,” writes Paul. “Our students know our teaching,” I said, “but how many of them know our way of life?” I opened the presentation by describing my relationship with Dr. Harold Hoehner, one of my New Testament professors at Dallas Seminary, as a true “scholar-saint” who had significant influence on my life and ministry.

As part of our evaluation of the Institute one of the questions we ask the participants to answer is, “Briefly, what changes are you considering at your school in the area of spiritual formation?” You may be interested in a few of the responses:

• "I will give a lot more attention to the issue of spiritual formation as I prepare courses and lectures."
• "We will have conversations about faculty involvement in spiritual formation. There is still a lot to work at in this area. I will work on my mentor role at the school."
• "Introducing more worship together with faculty leading it."
• "Develop list of questions to ask prospective faculty to understand their view of spiritual formation."

Pray:

• For each of the Institute for Excellence conferences in 2009—that minds would be informed and that hearts would be transformed.
• For funds to meet Overseas Council operational expenses.