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FEATURE: International Scholarship Fund Enhances Life and Witness of Lutheran Churches

Posted in: Faith in Action, Featured, Features

Face-to-face communication to raise HIV awareness in Chile. © ICLH Diaconía

Global Consultation Seeks New Strategies to Improve Decades’ Long Program

GENEVA, 1 October 2010 (LWI) – An international scholarship program of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) spanning a period of nearly 50 years has significantly contributed to enhancing the life and witness of LWF member churches in different contexts throughout the world.

A comprehensive evaluation of the scholarship scheme conducted this year reveals that the program, which started in the early 1960s, has continued to provide church-related institutions with nurses, doctors, teachers, lecturers as well as skilled personnel in management and administration. Institutions of higher education increased their personnel of lecturers and professors and diversified graduate and post-graduate studies. Scholars have assumed leadership positions in a number of churches or church-related institutions.

The report of the independent evaluation calls for a continuation of the LWF scholarship program. Its finding will be discussed at a global consultation to be held in Montreux, Switzerland, from 5 to 10 October. An estimated 40 participants drawn from the member churches, supporting partners and coordinating reference groups will deliberate how to develop the churches’ human resources potential.

“Many churches gave examples of institutional changes caused by interventions of ex-scholars,” says the evaluation, which was conducted between January and May 2010 in nine countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. They included Cameroon, Tanzania and Zimbabwe; India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; Brazil and El Salvador; and Estonia.

“These [changes] relate to new strategies and concepts of a diakonia [church social service work] shifting from a charity orientation to a more pro-active orientation by creating opportunities for the poor,” notes the evaluation. The study also revealed the emergence of new concepts of pastoral care, increased engagement in HIV and AIDS work, and focus on organizational change and strategic planning.

The international theological study programs are supported by partners in Germany coordinated by the German National Committee, while the non-theological study programs are supported by Germany’s Church Development Service [Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst] – (EED), Norwegian Church Aid and Church of Sweden.

The scholarship program, according to the evaluation, has enabled churches to increase their involvement in ecumenical initiatives. They have also made significant effort in incorporating the importance of cultural and ethnic aspects in theology and mission, and are more open to renovations in worship and liturgy, among other changes.

“One church attributed the church’s acceptance of women as pastors to the intervention of ex-scholars,” the evaluation noted.

More Women Scholars

Conducted by a team of seven consultants and four resource persons led by Dr Karin Stahl, from Germany, the evaluation showed significant improvement over an earlier survey which was competed in 2000 looking at the years between 1975 and 1999, including the LWF’s financial support for the program, which is now at USD 1 million per year.

Overall, 932 scholarships in 93 churches were approved between 2000 and 2010, supporting 1,516 scholars. Nearly half (48 percent) of the scholarships were awarded to students from Africa, 29 percent from Asia, 17.6 percent from Latin Americans and 3.3 percent from Eastern Europe. A few scholarships supported also persons from other parts of Europe and the USA for exchange study programs in African countries.

While in the earlier study women made up only one third of participants, the figure rose to virtually one half during 2000-2010 (761 men against 755 women). The balance between theological and non-theological scholarships has reversed with only 46 percent of scholars now studying theology, according to the most recent evaluation

The evaluation found that the international scholarship fund had significant personal and professional impact on participants and a critical bearing on the member churches home to the scholars. Men and women both referred to their enriching experiences abroad or in contact with students from different countries.

“Especially female scholars emphasized that the studies enabled by the LWF scholarship contributed to their empowerment, raising their self-respect and self-esteem. They learned to move in an unknown environment, feel encouraged to talk in public and generally grew as persons,” the evaluation noted.

Church representatives interviewed in the survey acknowledged a visible professional improvement in the scholars upon their return. They brought new spirit, an improved work attitude and innovative ideas to their home churches, the evaluation said.

Challenges

The evaluation also raised some significant concerns that offer a challenge to the global consultation participants gathering in Montreux. For example, the number of agencies involved in offering scholarships suggests a need for a more coordinated effort by the LWF. Member churches need to find better ways to utilize the new theological insights and rich varieties of professional skills offered by scholars.

In addition, the evaluation noted: “There is a trend of the scholarship program to concentrate on the sharing of resources in one direction from the North to the South. The philosophy of mutual sharing in a broader sense that includes also the sharing of ideas, experiences and perspectives from the North to the South as well as from the South to the North is getting lost.”

“We hope the global consultation will be a unique learning space for the representatives of the various stake-holders of the program, where we mutually reflect on the overall findings, recommendations and strategic directions arising from the evaluation. We also anticipate that this particular event will enable the churches, partners and [the] LWF to jointly identify the most crucial priority areas for the program, in view of making it more able to respond to the strategic human resources/capacity development needs of the churches for the years ahead.” said Mr Abebe Yohannes Saketa, secretary for human resources development at the LWF Department for Mission and Development, which is organizing the four-day consultation in Montreux. (949 words)

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