Andrews Seminary Opens Center for Community Change
1 March 2023 |
A new Center at the Seminary aims to teach pastors how to go further than just traditional evangelism. According to the Lake Union Herald, “The core activity of the new Center is to mentor pastors to implement new or enhance existing community projects with their churches that address the needs of their communities.”
Pastors will be taught better community development skills such as trauma and needs assessment, budgeting, community planning, and grant writing. The program will also work closely with a number of Adventist healthcare providers to provide quality care in specific communities.
Funding for the Center came from a recent $5 million grant awarded to Andrews at the end of 2022 by Lilly Endowment Inc. The purpose of the money was “to support the Seminary with pastoral training regarding how to serve the community in an effective way,” according to Andrews’ website.
New director Ignacio Goya has plenty of experience doing just that. His track record with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) includes “implementing programs related to development, food security, mental and physical health, education, micro-credit provision, human trafficking, disaster response, and immigration.” He also served as a pastor for the Chesapeake Conference, and as a conference Adventist Community Services (ACS) director.
Dr. Moskala, dean of the Seminary, commented on the Center by saying, “Very often our churches are open only on Sabbath for four or five hours. We want to change that, and make the church a center for outreach, somewhere that is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week. People will recognize that the church cares about their needs. Growth of the church starts from there, making God relevant to the community.”