The International Degree Program at Heidelberg Seminary
HTS President, Dr. Maynard. Koerner
As I write this article it has been about forty-five minutes since I finished a lecture on Ancient Church History with ten students in Kenya. Yes, that is correct – Heidelberg Theological Seminary (HTS) now has students in Kenya. This is adding to our program of training men for the ministry in foreign lands. In cooperation with the Foreign Ministries Committee of the RCUS the seminary is happy to serve the church by training men where there are missions on the foreign field.
We are very grateful for the technological advancements which allows the seminary to train men as though they are virtually in the classroom. Obviously, it is not the same in every way as teaching a class with students in the classroom, but professors are able to deliver lectures, communicate with students, and measure their progress.
The RCUS has three foreign mission fields. The approach to missions is not to have missionaries on the field, but to provide for oversight, advice, and limited financial support. It is thought that in this way the churches on the mission field will become truly indigenous churches. However, a big concern has been the training of men for these churches along with personal contact.
There are three main mission fields which the RCUS works with. These are the United Reformed Churches of the Congo, Free Reformed Church of Kenya, and the Pearl of the Orient Covenant Reformed Church (POCRC) in the Philippines.
For a number of years, the Foreign Ministries Committee of the RCUS has sought ways to provide for the training of men for the ministry on the mission field. Heidelberg Seminary is very privileged to be able to meet this need.
The program for International Studies is the result of meeting the needs of the church. It was born out of necessity and grown to be a very helpful program to assist in the work of both missions and ministry.
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