Holistic Child Development Movement

Begun in 2001 at the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary in Penang, Malaysia.

In this the 10th year, we will have had more than 400 students from 6 continents and more than 20 countries take course or modules. Students have included all manner of practitioners, Compassion Country directors and staffs, Leaders of national bodies such as the Evangelical Alliances and others.

By November some 40 will have taken Master’s degrees.

The HCD Movement• Many Seminaries are seeing the strategic

importance of HCD programming.

• Leaders from as many as 70 seminaries are considering or working on strategies, syllabi and resources for HCD programs.

• Development of HCD books and resources.

• HCD Institute (HCDI) in Penang, Malaysia.

70+ HCD Courses/Programs across the World

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HCD Courses/Programs in NORTH AMERICA

Bethel College, Minneapolis

California USA (1)

Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena

Kentucky USA (1)

Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore

Tennessee USA (1)

Lee University, Cleveland

Minnesota USA (1)

SEMITID (Church of God)IBN

Hebron University

Siloam Seminary (Church of God)

Venezuela Baptist Seminary

SELGamaliel Seminary

SEMISUD (Church of God)

Kairos Foundation (CETI)SEBIMA (Church of God)

Caribbean Graduate School of Theology

SETEHO

VENUZUELA (1)

URUGUARY (1)

BOLIVIA (1)

CHILE (2)

PERU (2)

JAMAICA (1)

HONDURAS (1)

ARGENTINA (2)

ECUADOR (1)

HCD Courses/Programs in Latin America/The Caribbean

National Evangelical UniversityDOMINICAN REPUBLIC (1)

The Bible Seminary Northeast BrazilBRAZIL (1)

La Universidad Evangelica

EL SALVADOR (1)

ESEPA SeminarySENDAS (Church of Nazarene)

COSTA RICA (2)

Seminary of the Assemblies of GodCOLOMBIA (1)

Light University

Daystar University NISTNairobi Evangelical Graduate School of TheologySt Pauls University

Marantha UniversityTrinity Theological Seminary

Rwanda Institute of Evangelical Theology

Uganda Martyrs seminary Namugongo Ggaba Bible Institute Uganda Christian University

CDTRC

Petra College

Msalato Theological CollegeSt. John University

GHANA (2)

KENYA (4)

ETHIOPIA (1)

RWANDA (1)

SOUTH AFRICA (2)

TANZANIA (2)

BURUNDI (1)

UGANDA (3)

HCD Courses/Programs in Africa

International Christian College

HCD Courses/Programs IN Europe, Middle East & Russia

Arab Baptist Theological Seminary

Odessa Theological Seminary

Eurasian Theological Seminary in MoscowSCOTLAND (1)

UKRAINE (1)

LEBANON (1)

RUSSIA (1)

Center for Contemporary Christianity (Bangalore)South India Bible College (Bangarapet)Clark Theological College (Nagaland) Eastern Theological College (Assam)Aizawal Theological College (Manipur)Gospel For Asia Seminary, (Kerala)OM-Asia Cultrual Institute (Secunderabad)Nazarene Bible College (Bangalore)

Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary & Asian Outreach

Cambodian Bible Institute (AOG Bible School)

Bangkok Institute of TheologyBangkok Bible SeminarySiloam College, Chiang Mai

Asia Pacific NazareneVisayan Nazarene Bible College    Asia Graduate School of Theology - Philippines

Lanka Bible College

Christian College of Theology

Malaysia Baptist Theological SeminaryMalaysia Bible Seminary

Jaffray Theological School, MakassarPESAT

THAILAND (3)

CAMBODIA (1)

CHINA (1)

INDIA (16)

PHILIPPINES (3)

MALAYSIA (2)

INDONESIA (2)

BANGLADESH (1)

SRI LANKA (1)

Bethel Bible College (Kerala)COTTR (Andre Pradesh)SAIACS (Bangalore) Faith Theological Seminary (Adoor) I.P.C. Bible Seminary (Kotayam)Allahabad Bible Seminary, (Allahabad)TAFTEE, (Bangalore)Bishop Theological College (Kolkata)

HCD Courses/Programs in South & South East Asia

Why do Seminaries need programs in Holistic Child Development?

(Why not just leave it to the NGOs?)

• To respond biblically to The Great Commission, and “The Great Omission.”

• To equip the Church -- that’s what Seminaries do.

• Seminary and Bible School programs can provide the necessary theological, biblical (and research) foundations for holistic ministry.

Why do Seminaries need programs in Holistic Child Development?

(Why not just leave it to the NGOs?)

• To provide new avenues of ministry for young professionals.

• Ensure that seminary course offerings have a high level of relevance to the real world.

• To help seminaries address the key passions of the church:

– Church Growth,

– Mission, and

– Leadership Development

Distinctives of Programs in HCD 1. The Scope:

• The needy inside and outside the Church.

• Many seminaries provide courses on teaching and nurturing children already in the church.

• However, for some, the idea that the Church has a responsibility to care for needy children outside the Church, (and that seminaries have an obligation to prepare students for such ministries), is a new idea.

Distinctives of Programs in HCD

2. The Nature: Holism – addressing both the spiritual and the physical.

HCD Programs will be different from the coursework some seminaries offer to improve Christian Education or Sunday Schools in the churches.

HCD courses and programming should foster a holistic view of ministry to children -- the whole child in his/her whole environment. It should influence and equip learners to respond to both the spiritual and the physical needs of children.

Distinctives of HCD Programs

3. The Approach: An Academic Program – not generally workshops or seminars.

– Most HCD Programs will lead to some kind of academic degree or recognition.

– HCD programs include practitioners, but also specifically seek to equip Church leaders to become leaders and advocates on behalf of needy children.

Distinctives of HCD Programs

4. The Approach: May include Programs for both Practitioners and Church Leadership.

HCD Programs equip child care practitioners to improve and enhance their ministry to children inside and outside the church.

However, the programs are also for future Church leaders who may not be directly involved in care for needy children.

Equipping future church leaders with the mindset of the strategic importance and prominence of children in Scripture will enable them to provide better leadership and support to such ministries. They will also be better advocates for children in all their future ministries.

Distinctives of HCD Programs

5. The Intent:

The intent of HCD programs is not only to produce better child care practitioners, but also a whole new kind of Christian leadership – leadership which has a unique understanding of God’s heart for children, and of the relevance of holistic child ministries to the Ministry and Mission of the Church.

Distinctives of HCD Programs

6. The Foundation: Grounded in, and inclusive of, Child Theology.

HCD programs should be characterized by careful theological reflection providing the foundation for all of the courses and approaches to learning and equipping.

HCD programs can produce leaders and advocates who can do high level theological and missiological reflection on the strategic value of holistic child ministries to the ministry and mission of the Church.

Distinctives of HCD Programs

7. Understands the “Child and Mission”– HCD programs recognize the reality of the “4/14

Window.”

– HCD programs understand the centrality of children as objects of and agents for global Church ministry and Mission.

– Mission with the child in focus requires understanding of matters of conversion, faith development, evangelism, social action, and outreach strategies in local and cross-cultural contexts.

Compassion/Seminaries in Partnership:

Compassion seeks to:

•Influence, inspire and equip seminary leadership on rationale and significance of HCD ministries.

Compassion may:

•Do Guest lecturing or teach courses.

•Assist in the development of curricula, and course books, readers and other resources.

•Convene Global Alliance Seminaries for strategic planning, programming and dialogue.

•Create dialogues with seminary leaders, theologians, and others on issues of child theology and holistic ministry.

•Link seminaries to the HCDI, the Child Theology Movement (CTM), and others.

The Global Alliance for Holistic Child Development.

Compassion/Seminaries in Partnership:

• See Global Alliance Communiqué

• See website: www.hcd-alliance.org

• Contact: dan.brewster@yahoo.com