Multicultural Leadership Education

Leadership training for multicultural groups

It is important for church leaders to have the opportunity to learn leadership skills suitable for their cultural context. At Multicultural Leadership Education events, Mennonite pastors and church leaders from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds gather to work through Anabaptist theological education curriculum. These gatherings are designed to require minimal time away from congregational duties.

Intensive, day-long presentations on issues vital to ministry in a Mennonite congregation are led at each gathering by instructors from the AMBS Pastoral Studies Distance Education (PSDE) program. The material presented is taken from the Leading Gods People curriculum, which is composed of five units: Church and Ministry; The Biblical Story: Old and New Testament; Anabaptist History and Theology; Salt and Light: Preaching, Worship, Evangelism; and Tending God's Flock: Pastoral Care and Counseling, Administration. Following each presentation, participants divide into language groups for discussion.

Over the next several months, participants continue to meet with their language group to study the curriculum. After three months of group study, all participants reconvene for another intensive daylong seminar.

Select books from Leading God's People are currently available in Vietnamese, Korean and English.

For more information

Rafael Barahona
Director of Leadership Programs
574-296-6236

Project History

From Canadian Mennonite, March 10, 2003, Vol. 7, Number 5, pp.34-35

On March 1, 2003, 65 persons from Hmong, Laotian, Korean and Chinese congregations in MC Eastern Canada met at Steinmann Mennonite Church to study Anabaptist Mennonite history and thought with instructor Maurice Martin.

This was the first in a series of multicultural leadership training events planned by Pastoral Leadership Training Commission in partnership with Mennonite Church Canada (Formation) and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS). The curriculum is from the Pastoral Studies Distance Education program of AMBS, usually taught by correspondence.

Martin gave his lectures in English, followed by discussion in the various languages represented, led by persons from within each group. In the succeeding 12 weeks, participants will complete the 10 lessons in their own language groupings. The course will conclude on May 24 with a plenary session.

The program is a response to the desire of these multicultural groups for more leadership training suitable to their situation.