DTS Hosts Training for 25 Pastors from 25 Countries
“There are about 2.2 million pastors in the world, but only five percent have formal training. The human situation demands a response. This ministry undergirds what God has put on my heart to do, both in gifting and calling, and Dallas Seminary has wonderfully cooperated in a powerful project.”
Dr. Ramesh Richard
Dallas Theological Seminary welcomed 25 pastors from 25 nations to campus last week for the annual Global Proclamation Academy (GPA). This 21-day conference equips Christian leaders with in-depth theological training for ministry in the world's most under-served countries.
The GPA is a ministry of RREACH founded by Dr. Ramesh Richard, Professor of Global Theological Engagement and Pastoral Ministries at DTS. The GPA program is designed to help young leading pastors from around the world connect and be strengthened through “biblical spirituality, theological discernment, and effective proclamation.” The concept was birthed a decade ago from a need to connect and strengthen leading pastors, especially of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
As a GPA partner, DTS has the opportunity to come alongside these pastors and encourage them in their work. The Seminary has served as the host campus for the past eight years, during which time the GPA has trained more than 200 graduates from over 60 countries.
And the GPA’s impact doesn’t end when the pastors leave Dallas. All GPA participants return to their native countries and share what they’ve learned with other pastors at 10-day trainings. These training are part of RREACH's decade-long Global Proclamation Commission project, which crossed the 1000 graduate mark in May 2014. The Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers in mid-2016 will connect, unite, and strengthen large numbers of pastoral trainers from formal and non-formal pastoral training sectors.
Ultimately, RREACH seeks to change the way one billion individuals worldwide think and hear about the Lord Jesus through the work that begins in Dallas each summer.
Learn more about becoming at student at DTS and studying Cross-Cultural Ministries.
