Wheaton College M.A. in Global Leadership Launches European Cohort in Czech Republic

Students will complete 45% of the program in the Czech Republic and the remaining 55% at Wheaton, through a combination of online courses and two in-person visits to Wheaton’s campus outside Chicago. The inaugural cohort will graduate in May 2025.

Overseen by faculty from the Wheaton College A. Duane Litfin School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership, the program integrates biblical leadership principles with evidence-based leadership research and practical skill development. The low-residency nature of the program allows currently employed individuals—such as aspiring non-profit leaders, church leaders, and those training for ministry in Central and Eastern Europe—to develop as leaders and earn a Wheaton College degree without moving to the United States. 

Students engage in intensive coursework, taught by Wheaton faculty, at the Josiah Venture training center in Malenovice, Czech Republic. This partnership with Josiah Venture, an international ministry organization whose mission is to “equip young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church,” was made possible by Dave M.A. ’93 and Connie Patty, who helped found Josiah Venture in 1993 and have been integral in starting this cohort.

“Founded on a shared mission for global evangelism, effective leadership, and the gospel, the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership is eager to partner with Josiah Venture in this new opportunity for ministry in Eastern Europe,” said Dr. Ed Stetzer, who serves as the Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center and Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership. “We look forward to supporting, even more directly, God’s work in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Faculty and staff from the Litfin School will return to Prague in March 2023 for teaching, in addition to hosting the cohort on campus in June. Course offerings this summer will be “The Best and Worst of Christian Leadership: Key Lessons from the History of the Church,” taught by Rev. Dr. John Dickson, and “Mental Health and the Leader,” co-taught by Professor of Psychology Emeritus Dr. Richard Butman ’73 and his wife, Sally M.A. ’97. Another course in the program will be taught in October 2023 in Malenovice, with courses on the biblical and theological foundations of leadership (two credits) and the theological and systematic foundations of the missio Dei (four credits). Planning is also underway for a one-day Symposium in the Czech Republic to be led by Dr. Dickson this fall.

—Eliana Chow

Related Links:

• Litfin Divinity School
• M.A. in Global Leadership