Masters Program Update

Last week was an important week in the world of CTM Nairobi as 19 local leaders submitted applications to join Bakke Graduate University’s Masters program. It has been an interesting process along the way as we connect educational contexts around the world. Getting people to realize the challenges and hard work required with a masters level education, encouraging them to see this educational opportunity as equal to a monetary resource and helping people understand the importance of taking the time and energy to submit a masters level application was a daunting task.

We are hopeful that these pastors presented themselves in a way that made a statement about their preparation to enter the program. Having recently submitted graduate school applications, I was intrigued by the struggle that many of the leaders/pastors dealt with in presenting thoughts through a second language. When you think about a second language, presenting yourself orally is one thing, but having to write in a formal way that pulls together thoughtful ideas seems to be nothing shy of overwhelming. I have gained a new respect for those that can sit in multiple worlds in different languages.

A question that we have come across over and over again around the launch of this masters program is, “After the leaders get further training, will they abandon their positions in the slums and move elsewhere?” This is an excellent question that speaks to the nature of the hierarchy of life in Nairobi. We are attempting to sit with this question as a community of learners and put it on the table immediately. One of the unique aspects of this program will be that it is built around urban ministry in the slums of Nairobi. While some of the material is transferable, it is indeed contextualized in a way that confronts the modern issues of serving those that are labeled the least, the last and the lost of Kenya. The materials are rooted in liberating those that are oppressed, perhaps to the point where the materials lose their basis in other facets of society.

We are now eagerly waiting to hear the results from the states in May. The program is set to start in June. Please continue to think of CTM Nairobi as we find ways to come alongside of the pastors that we serve during this time. We also think and pray for the pastors, their families, their congregations and their communities as they enter into an intensive time of education.