The challenge of providing the churches and peoples of the world with the Scriptures in their own language calls for effective training strategies. In response to this challenge, these studies address key skills and knowledge to prepare experienced Bible translators, translation officers, and consultants to take the lead in this incredibly strategic work, so crucial to the spread of the gospel and the health and vibrancy of the church.
We want to thank The Nida School of Bible Translation, for its generous collaboration with us in this educational endeavor, providing our Doctor of Ministry students with an exceptional opportunity to interact with cutting edge theorists and researchers.
Forming
As a Doctor of Ministry student, you attend three two-week intensive residencies which consist of lectures, case studies, participant reports and individual consultations. The classroom sessions are collegial in style and stress learning within a community context. In preparation for each residency, you read between 2,000 and 3,000 pages of assigned and collateral reading. Sample readings include:
On Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics:
Green, Joel B., ed. Hearing the New Testament: Strategies for Interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1995.
Levinsohn, Stephen. Discourse Features of New Testament Greek: A Coursebook on the Information Structure of New Testament Greek. Dallas: SIL, 2000.
Perdue, Leo G. Reconstructing Old Testament Theology: After the Collapse of History. Overtures to Biblical Theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005.
Porter, Stanley E., ed. A Handbook to the Exegesis of the New Testament. New Testament Tools and Studies, 25. Leiden: Brill, 1997.
Stuart, Douglas K. Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
Tate, W. Randolph. Interpreting the Bible: A Handbook of Terms and Methods. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.
Thiselton, Anthony C. New Horizons in Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1992.
On Translation Studies and Linguistics:
Arduini, Stefano, and Robert Hodgson, eds. Similarity and Difference in Translation. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2007.
Bassnett, Susan, and Harish Trevedi, eds. Post-colonial Translation: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, 1999.
Here is how your studies will transform you and your ministry:
You will be stretched in your understanding of recent developments in biblical studies and hermeneutics so as to better understand biblical texts and their messages.
During your second residency you will learn from and together with leading specialists in translation studies, linguistics and Bible translation through participation in the Nida School of Translation Studies where your own wrestling with key issues in Bible translation will be enriched in a unique learning environment.
You will be better prepared to lead teams of translators to the successful completion of translation projects as you learn principles of team leadership, conflict resolution, adult learning and small group training.
You would be guided through a biblically-grounded educational program led by faculty who are committed to the authority of Scripture and to maximizing the worldwide access and impact of God’s Word.
The cohort model of the program will create a dimension of Christian community and spiritual nurturing so that students form strong friendships with one another and enter long-term relationships with the scholars who guide the learning experience.
This track will reinforce and refresh your view of your ministry as the essential foundation for the proclamation of the Gospel among all people through fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ who are experienced in and committed to the same crucial work for the kingdom of God.