Theological education is spreading in China

By February 9, 2004

China (MNN) — The underground church in China will be getting some badly needed theological education in the months ahead. Cornerstone University’s Asia Baptist Theological Seminary has just received approval from the Higher Learning Commission to branch out into China.

Seminary Dean Bob Rapa says, “Since we’ve been teaching in Hong Kong for the last 20-years, they encouraged us to ask for permission to go into China and we did and they granted permission.”

Theological education is an incredible need right now in China. Rapa says, “Even the leadership is sorely lacking, in terms of education.”

According to Rapa, they have several goals. “To shape theology there in that part of the world as well as advance the kingdom by planting church planters as we train these men to go out into their context, into their cultures, and plant churches,” says Rapa. Leaders with the Asia Baptist Theological Seminary are preparing for a surveying trip next month.

Rapa says the requests for education have come from the house church movement. He says there are great challenges ahead. “The greatest challenge probably is in knowing how to accomplish the teaching without raising unnecessary problems, in terms of the government and their repression of Christianity,” says Rapa.

Pray that the funding and ministry will move forward so that many pastors can receive the training they need to be effective from the pulpit and in evangelism.

Leave a Reply


Help us get the word out: