Africa: World Church Votes to Establish Graduate School

Seventh-day Adventists in Africa will soon have a ministry-related graduate program affiliated with a church-owned college or university there, following a vote by leaders at the annual business meeting Oct. 13, 2003.

“The very thought” of a graduate program in Africa, said Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the world church, “this is so obvious to me; we have to do it.”

Paulsen noted the church has 5 million baptized members in Africa and a weekly constituency of 10 million attending services. “We’ve got to do something to provide for them,” he declared.

The institution, yet to be named and with its location yet to be determined, will offer post-baccalaureate training, primarily in theology, pastoral ministry and church leadership. Eventually, the school may expand its portfolio to include offerings in other areas, “especially those deemed vital for maintaining a sufficient supply of well-qualified and trained church employees,” according to a report from the commission that studied the matter.

Funding for the project will come from the church regions in Africa; already, a fund of U.S. $1 million has been set aside for this purpose by those regions. The church expects to spend $180,000 in the 2004/2005 period on the project.

During the discussion of the motion to accept the report on African graduate education, some discussion centered about the choice for the institution’s location, and whether Adventist-owned Helderberg College in the Republic of South Africa would be the best location. It was agreed that the final determination of a site would be reviewed further.

Following the emphatic support voiced by Pastor Paulsen and a comment by world church secretary Pastor Matthew Bediako that many Africans who travel abroad for post-graduate remained overseas, delegates voted overwhelmingly to approve the plan.