Rev. Fr. Dr Lawrence Iwuamadi, is the new academic dean of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. He reflects on strengthening Bossey's role as a hub for ecumenical theological education in the context of today's global challenges.
A Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria. Iwuamadi obtained his licentiate degree in Sacred Scriptures (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and his Ph.D. in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University also in Rome.
Before being appointed to the Ecumenical Institute in 2012 by the Vatican, he taught Fundamental Scriptures, Greek and New Testament Theology at the Seat of Wisdom Seminary in Owerri.
As the new academic dean, how do you envision strengthening Bossey's role as a hub for ecumenical theological education in the context of today's global challenges?
Dr Iwuamadi: Bossey has always been more than an academic institution — it is a living laboratory of ecumenism, where learning, prayer, and community life are woven together. In a world marked by fragmentation, polarization, and rapid change, this mission is not only relevant; it is urgently needed.
I am coming back to this role with a bunch of experience, having served as the academic dean from 2018-2021. I envision strengthening Bossey's role as a hub for ecumenical theological education and formation in different ways.
First, I think it is important to ensure our curriculum speaks directly to today's global realities — integrating themes such as interfaith engagement, ecological theology, migration, and displacement, and the ethical challenges of digital transformation. This will equip our students to lead with both theological depth and contextual awareness.
It is also crucial to build on past achievements and expand our reach through hybrid and online learning. By doing so, we can welcome voices from regions and communities unable to join us physically, enriching our dialogue and extending Bossey's influence far beyond our campus. We are happy that one of the working groups of the WCC's Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation is focused on working with the Bossey faculty to advance credible and rich engagement.
Another important point is deepening partnerships – with academic institutions, member churches of the WCC, and other ecumenical bodies. At the beginning of this, it will be to establish a functional Bossey alumni network that connects the many regional and national Bossey alumni groups.
Finally, by preserving and enriching our residential, intercultural community life, we maintain what makes Bossey unique: the daily practice of living, worshipping, and learning together across traditions and cultures.
My vision is for Bossey to be not only a meeting place for young people coming from all over and from different churches, but a place of transformation — sending out future leaders who can navigate complexity with wisdom, speak truth with love, and embody the unity for which Christ prayed.
The institute emphasizes both academic teaching and experiential learning. How do you see this combination shaping future church leaders for service in increasingly pluralistic and divided societies?
Dr Iwuamadi: Interestingly, 2026 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. Founded in the wake of an epoch of division that led to the world war, the content of its programmes evolved over the years, but Bossey has continued to be a place where young and future church leaders meet not only to study but to share and work through the pain of disagreements.
I believe the institute's emphasis on both academic teaching and experiential learning is not just strategic—it's prophetic. In a world that's increasingly pluralistic and divided, future church leaders need more than theological literacy; they need relational fluency and cultural agility. Academic formation gives us the tools to think critically, interpret Scripture faithfully, and engage in complex ethical questions. But it's through experiential learning— intercultural immersion, and real-life encounters—that those insights become embodied.
This dual approach forms leaders who are not only theologically sound but also emotionally intelligent and socially responsive. It prepares us to lead communities that are diverse, wounded, and searching for hope. We learn to listen before we speak, to build bridges, and to lead with both conviction and compassion.
Your expertise lies in ecumenical biblical hermeneutics. How can different approaches to Scripture foster deeper understanding and unity among Christian traditions, rather than division?
Dr Iwuamadi: I often say that "all Christians agree on the Bible provided it is not open." Scripture has always been at the heart of Christian identity, yet our diverse ways of interpreting it have often been a source of division. I believe those same differences, if approached with humility and curiosity, can become a wellspring of deeper understanding and unity.
We must recognize that each Christian tradition brings its own hermeneutical lens — shaped by history, culture, liturgy, and theological emphasis. Rather than seeing these as competing claims, we can treat them as complementary perspectives, much like the four Gospels offer distinct yet harmonious portraits of Christ. The document, The Biblical Foundations of the Doctrine of Justification produced by Catholic and Lutheran scholars stresses that the awareness of the existence of different modes of theological transmission only "opens the space for mutual enrichment between confessions, since they can realise that the distinctive ways in which they have understood the Bible may emphasize different aspects of the Bible but that they do not need to exclude or condemn one another."
Second, dialogue around Scripture should be both exegetical and experiential. That means engaging not only in scholarly study together — comparing historical‑critical, narrative, and theological readings — but also sharing how the Word has shaped our worship, ethics, and daily Christian witness. This moves the conversation from "Who is right?" to "What is God saying to us through one another?" This will help Christians cultivate a kind of "hermeneutical hospitality" — creating spaces where we listen first to understand, not to rebut. This requires trust, patience, and a shared commitment to the unity Christ prayed for in John 17, without erasing our distinctiveness.
Finally, the different approaches to Scripture must inspire collaborative projects among Christians — such as joint Bible translation work, ecumenical Bible study groups, ecumenical pilgrimages to biblical sites and other aspects of spiritual ecumenism which is the heart of the ecumenical movement. These and similar projects allow Christians to embody unity in practice.
When we wrestle with the text together, we discover that our differences can sharpen our insight and deepen our shared witness to the Gospel. In this way, Scripture becomes not a battlefield, but a shared table where the Spirit leads us into deeper unity.
Bossey brings together students and faculty from diverse contexts worldwide. What strategies do you hope to pursue to ensure that this diversity becomes a genuine resource for mutual learning and the wider ecumenical movement?
Dr Iwuamadi: Bossey's diversity is one of its greatest treasures — it is not simply a demographic fact, but a living resource for transformation. I hope we can ensure that this diversity becomes a catalyst for mutual learning and a gift to the wider ecumenical movement.
We should intentionally design learning spaces where differences are not just acknowledged but engaged. This means ensuring that courses and seminars draw on students' and faculty's varied traditions, theological frameworks, and cultural experiences — so that every voice is both heard and valued.
We could also explore avenues such as encouraging joint research and creative initiatives that emerge from our diversity — for example, co‑authored papers, ecumenical Bible studies, or even community service projects that reflect multiple perspectives, if possible. These could be some of the good practices that students take with them as they return home.
In this way, Bossey's diversity becomes more than a backdrop; it becomes a dynamic engine for mutual transformation, preparing leaders who can embody and advance the unity for which Christ prayed, in every corner of the world.
With issues like climate change, human rights, and violence justified in the name of religion pressing upon churches today, how can ecumenical theological education equip future leaders to respond prophetically and collaboratively?
Dr Iwuamadi: These challenges are not peripheral to the church's mission — they are central to our witness in the world today. Ecumenical theological education has a unique role in forming leaders who can respond both prophetically and collaboratively.
First, it must ground students in a theology that connects faith to justice. This means engaging Scripture and tradition through the lens of God's care for creation, the dignity of every human being, and the call to peace. When leaders see these as integral to the Gospel, they can speak with moral clarity and hope, not just react to crises.
Ecumenical theological education and formation should cultivate the skills of dialogue and bridge‑building across traditions and faiths. The issues we face are global and interlinked; no single church or community can address them alone. By learning to work across theological and cultural boundaries, future leaders can model the unity and cooperation the world so desperately needs.
I also think that it must integrate practical engagement into ecumenical education and formation through field placements, advocacy training, and partnerships with organizations addressing climate justice, human rights, and peacebuilding. For instance, in the Spring semester at Bossey, the masters students are placed in research fellowships at the World Council of Churches, for them to get an exposure to the life and practice of ecumenical work. The fellowship is destined to offer a profiled insight into the practical work of a specific programme area such as human rights, economic and ecological justice, interreligious dialogue and encounter, etc. This ensures that theological reflection is always connected to concrete action.
To sum up, ecumenical education and formation must be holistic – able to embrace the core theological questions on ecclesiology, faith, and ministry and a prophetic imagination with the ability to envision and articulate God's alternative future in the face of injustice. It should be the about embodying the Kingdom values of justice, mercy, reconciliation and unity.
In this way, we prepare leaders who can read the signs of the times and work hand‑in‑hand with others to bring healing to creation, hope to the world and unity among Christians.
Originally from the World Council of Churches
CCD reprinted with permission
