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Guatemala City
Anabaptist seminary uses distance education to train Central Americans for ministry


Juan Jose Chinchilla, a pastor from Honduras, took 14 years to complete a four-year bachelor of arts degree. But his professors at SEMILLA, the Anabaptist seminary of Central America, were not dismayed at his progress – in fact, they were quite pleased.

The average student at the school takes at least nine years to complete a degree, according to outgoing SEMILLA president Juan Martinez. Unlike traditional Western schools, SEMILLA follows a distance-learning model geared for people who are already involved in church ministry.

Martinez and his wife Olga have spent the past eight years in Guatemala City as missionaries sent through MBMS International, the cross-cultural mission agency of Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada and the US. In that time, they have seen first-hand the unique nature of Christian education in Latin America.

“The reality of Central America is that people are usually called to ministry before they have training,” says Martinez. “Students come to the seminary to receive theological education. It’s not about completion – it’s about equipping for ministry.”

SEMILLA is what Martinez calls “a school you put in your back pocket and take with you.” Although the headquarters are in Guatemala City, there are study centres in major centres across Central America. Students, many of whom are bi-vocational pastors, come together for one-week periods of study six times per year. At the end of the week, they receive the reading and assignment materials for the next term.

“One reason SEMILLA works well is the willingness of Anabaptist and Mennonite groups to work together in Central America,” says Martinez. The school is owned by 10 national church conferences made up of 450 congregations, most of which are made of people from the working class.

The school offers a bachelor of arts degree as well as a Bible institute program. The degree program currently has 110 students, and about 170 students are anticipated for next year. Five professors teach full-time, along with 15 adjunct faculty who are primarily from Central America and teach for several weeks at a time.

Martinez sees elements of Central American Anabaptism from which North Americans could learn. “In North America, our church reality seems to be that we can’t be Anabaptist, evangelical and charismatic at the same time,” he reflects. “This is something many Central American Mennonites are serious about. Their churches exemplify strong evangelistic outreach, a strong peace and justice stance, and charismatic worship.”

Over the years, Martinez has seen SEMILLA gain influence in the wider Christian community. “A growing number of students are non-Mennonite,” he says. “They are attracted to the Anabaptist perspective and SEMILLA’s education model.”

The Martinez family left Guatemala in May and have ended their service as MBMS International missionaries. In July, Martinez will take on the role of director of the Hispanic church studies department at Fuller Theological Seminaries in Pasadena, Calif. The program addresses pastoral and theological issues from a Hispanic perspective. The Fuller role is in many ways similar to that of SEMILLA, providing master’s level training for Hispanic pastors, most of whom are already in ministry.

“We’re delighted to see Juan bring his expertise to Fuller,” says Harold Ens, general director of MBMS International. “In their eight years in Guatemala, he and Olga have helped SEMILLA make major strides in equipping church leaders for more effective service. That expertise will be invaluable among Hispanics in North America as well.”

 – Brad Thiessen, MBMS International

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Last modified August 22, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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