Because the Church is growing so fast in the Majority World there is a
shortage of trained theologians and religious leadership. The need for
an organization like the TBN is predicated on this continued growth surpassing
the ability of institutions to provide the necessary resources to adequately
train current and future leaders.
Institutions are struggling to develop enough theologically-trained clergy,
church leaders and academics (for both teaching and research) to adequately
serve their region. New schools at all levels are opening up in an attempt
to address the need. These schools are frequently under-capitalized and
working with undercapitalized students.
New faith-based schools and colleges are starting up each month. Schools
that are already established want to add advanced graduate degree programs,
which would include advanced master’s and doctoral programs.
Students find it difficult to go elsewhere for their education, so they
desire to receive their education locally. Only a few students are able
to raise enough support to further their education in other countries.
It is a well-established fact that students with Western theological training
frequently stay in the countries in which they study and do not return
to their homeland. A concern for all institutions is training and keeping
the students in their own regions so they don’t become westernized
in their theological education and lose their indigenous character. It
is important to keep the individual student’s theology relevant
to his or her own culture.
Individual school resources are strained; the need for a good theological
library is acute, but such a library requires resources that are difficult
to obtain and are often insufficient to meet the need. The cost of stocking
and maintaining a good theological library is often significantly more
than the cost of supplying faculty.
Institutions are struggling to develop enough theologically-trained clergy,
church leaders and academics (for both teaching and research) to adequately
serve their region. New schools at all levels are opening up in an attempt
to address the need. These schools are frequently under-capitalized and
working with undercapitalized students.
It is a well-established fact that students with Western theological training
frequently stay in the countries in which they study and do not return
to their homeland. A concern for all institutions is training and keeping
the students in their own regions so they don’t become westernized
in their theological education and lose their indigenous character. It
is important to keep the individual student’s theology relevant
to his or her own culture.