“Develop contextual practices of healing and deliverance!”

Twelve theological educators from UEM member churches in Africa and Asia met last week in Wuppertal for a workshop on “Demons, Magic, Witchcraft and Deliverance in Theological Education”. Chaired by the UEM Executive Secretary for Evangelism, Dr Claudia Währisch-Oblau, participants set out with an exchange on how the topic was being treated in their respective seminaries. While at least one seminary connected to the UEM member churches in Asia, STT Abdi Sabda in Medan/Indonesia, teaches and practices a deliverance ministry, most other seminaries have, if at all, only tentatively started work on this issue even though it is a burning one for many of the church members. Interestingly, the subject is sometimes taught in Bible schools for evangelists, but not at theological seminaries in the same church.

Participants recommended to all the UEM member churches “to develop a contextual theology and practice of healing and deliverance ministry” and “to offer in-service training for pastors in this ministry.”

The group proceeded to develop a draft curriculum for teaching demon and spirit beliefs, magic witchcraft and deliverance in theological faculties and seminaries. While giving a comprehensive overview of topics to be treated in Biblical, systematic, mission and practical theology and formulating basic objectives, the curriculum is nothing more than a first draft suggested for further study and discussion, and for contextual adaptation.

The participants of the workshop recommended that all theological institutions connected to the UEM member churches make use of this draft curriculum to develop their own trainings in healing and deliverance ministry for their respective students.

The <media 3048 - - "TEXT, Recommendations, Recommendations.pdf, 494 KB">recommendations</media> and <media 3049 - - "TEXT, Draft curriculum, Draft_curriculum.pdf, 337 KB">draft curriculum</media> can be downloaded here.
http://www.iitis.de/