Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries
 | |
| Type |
[Religious Higher education Institution] Interim President Marcos Ligero |
|---|---|
| Established | 1973 |
| Affiliation | Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) |
| Location | Makati, Philippines |
| Website | ascm.edu.ph |
Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries is regional theological education and ministry training institution of the Church of God World Missions(COGWM) and a religious higher education institution recognized by the Philippine government.
The beginning of the Asian seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) is often traced back to the Church of God Bible Academy (COGBA) founded (1973) by Arthur W. Pettyjohn. It is quiet clear by looking at the name that Pettyjohn did not intend to establish an educational institution of Asia-wide reach. Rather the birth of ASCM is more closely connected with the missionary career of Gerald Holloway, a Church of God missionary to the Philippines. Holloway's work with the Church of God in Asia and more particularly with the COGBA may have helped him catch the vision of establishing a theological education institution that will serve the ministerial education and training needs of the Church of God in Asia and Oceania. First a vision then an institution embodying the vision. Thus the Asian School of Christian Ministries (ASCM) was born (1980). By then offering typical four year undergraduate theological education programs such as the Bachelor of Theology (B.Th) and Bachelor of Christian Education (B.Ce).
It did not took much time before leaders of the Church of God World Mission will also catch the vision and become avid promoters of ASCM in the United States. Within an year or so their efforts paid off and the Church of God YWEA stepped in and launched a building project (1981) in Makati City, Metro Manila that would permanently house the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries. This brave, admirable and inspiring project culminated in the completion of a four-story building, the home of the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries.
The Church if God in Asia, witnessing all these heroic efforts soon realized that the vision, the institution and the building are gifts of magnificent proportions to their theological training needs. They received it wholeheartedly and the result was students who were sent to Manila from the Tuvalu, Kiribati and Fiji Islands of Oceania, India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Hon Kong, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mongolia and droves of students from the Philippines.
A significant milestone has been reached when in 1995 the Philippine government through its Department of Education granted permission and recognition to all of ASCM's undergraduate and graduate programs. Prestigious theological education accreditation institutions will follow suit. The same year the Asia Theological Association (ATA) and the Association of Theological Education Institutions in South East Asia (ATESEA) gave accreditation status to ASCM. With the accreditation status ASCM has not only become a member of an elite consortium of seminaries in the Philippines but also has become eligible to offer doctoral level programs.
Another significant development came in the form a decision to diversify theological education and ministry training to meet the needs of the Church in Asia. The Master of Social Work program producing government licensed Church workers in the Church was opened (2010)
At the dawn of the third millennium ASCM stands fully equipped to meet the theological education needs of the Church of God in Asia and Oceania.
Accreditations
- Commission on Higher Education
- Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA),[1]
- Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS)
- American Theological Library Association (ATLA)
- Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESS) in India.
- Asia Theological Association (ATA), Philippine Association of Bible and Theological Schools (PABATS)
- Asia Graduate School of Theology (AGST) consortium.
Academic programs
The seminary offers Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, Master of Social Work, and Doctor of Ministry graduate degrees. Also, Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Bachelor of Education.
References
- ↑ "Member Schools". Association for Theological Education in South East Asia. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
External links
Coordinates: 14°33′31″N 121°01′25″E / 14.5586°N 121.0237°E