Criswell College hosts Hispanic Leadership Summit on campus Dallas, Texas, March 30, 2011 —
On Thursday, March 25, Criswell College hosted Hispanic leaders from across the state for a Hispanic Leadership Summit to discuss issues relating to Hispanic ministry in Texas. “We wanted to host this meeting to gain insight from leaders on the ground as to how we can more effectively partner with them to reach Hispanics with the gospel. We also discussed how we can help train Hispanic men and women for ministry leadership,” said Dr. Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College. Dr. Rudy Gonzalez, a Criswell alumnus and current Dean of the San Antonio extension center of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headlined the meeting by speaking to the group in chapel. Chapel was followed by a luncheon with several pastors to discuss how Criswell College can become a more effective partner with Hispanic churches in doing ministry and education in Texas. Among those attending were Mike Gonzales and Jim Richards from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Chuck Padilla from the Dallas Baptist Association, Loui Canchola, a McAllen pastor and the Vice-President of the SBTC, and Alex Gonzales, a Mesquite-area pastor, Criswell student, and Vice-President of the 2011 SBTC Bible Conference.
There were three action items from the meeting. First, Criswell College will continue to develop its Hispanic Diploma program through the Hispanic Initiative agreement with the SBTC. Second, Criswell College will explore some options to “package” certain Criswell classes in Spanish so that Hispanic pastors can use them as teaching tools for laypeople in their churches. Third, Criswell College will begin sending professors and students to Hispanic churches to strengthen the ministry relationship between the College and the churches. “We look forward to the opportunities God has for us to partner with other leaders in Texas to reach our state for Christ,” said Johnson. Currently celebrating its fortieth anniversary, Criswell College is an accredited Christian college and graduate school in Dallas, Texas. With nearly 400 students, Criswell College was started by W.A. Criswell, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, to train men and women in biblical and theological studies to make an impact on the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at www.criswell.edu.