The Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership is committed to developing and supporting pastoral leaders, men and women of all races and backgrounds, for the African American Christian community within the context of the universal Christian mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Institute aims to foster within Church leaders an understanding and appreciation of African Americans' contributions to the entirety of Christian faith, life, and witness in North America. The Sankofa Institute will provide opportunities for the intellectual, professional, and inspirational development of transformational leadership within the African American community, offered through classes, lectures, symposia, worship, leadership workshops, internships and practical field education, as well as social outreach and cultural celebrations. Those leaders who enter the Institute as an avenue for completing a degree program at OST will find integrated into the curriculum critical methodological approaches from the African American Christian tradition as well as theological reflection and social witness experiences that flow from that tradition. The curriculum for degree students (Masters level and DMin level) is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary enterprise consistent with the pastoral orientation of OST practical and reflective engagement with the multi-cultural, global reality of church and society.
