Biggest Problems of Theological Education of Protestant Churches in Post-Soviet Space Named

The biggest problem of the theological educational institutions in the post-Soviet space is not money but philosophy, action and integration in church life. This opinion was expressed by deans of theological institutions from Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus at the conference “10 Years of Theological Education” held in Irpin, in the Kyiv region.

In answer to the question what they would change in the activities of their institutions, the deans defined the following main challenges: lack of constructive work with local churches, insufficient level of scholarly work, and the fact that the knowledge of the graduates does not correspond with the needs of the faithful.

“At times, it is difficult to develop relations with local churches, in some cases, there is even tension between churches and theological institutions. The church and theological education are not different institutes, they should act together. The church cannot move forward without education. Theologians should be humble and pastors should show them understanding,” noted the dean of the Theological-Pedagogical College from Chișinău, Moldova.

Representatives of the theological institutions of the post-Soviet space think about a change of paradigm from the study and education, which were necessary in the first years after the collapse of the USSR, to scholarly research and enlightenment in order to spread and extend the evangelical paradigm to the society and establish dialogue between different educational institutions.

The Euro-Asian Accrediting Association, which organized the conference, is to discuss the results of the 10 years of its work at the event. The main theme of the conference is “Organizational Changes and Financial Stability of Educational Institutions.”

The Euro-Asian Accrediting Association is a regional agency that comprises evangelical educational institutions around the world. All of them belong to ICETE (International Council for Evangelical Theological Education).

The EAAA is the youngest association involved in accrediting Christian schools. The EAAA began its work in 1993; in 1997 the association received official status.

The main purpose of the association is to help educational institutions in Eurasian countries to achieve international standards and provide the appropriate accreditation for their academic and spiritual levels.

Traditionally, such conferences are held every two years in a country where there are Bible institutes that are EAAA members. According to the organizers, the purpose of this year's conference is to coordinate in Eurasian theological schools a more efficient use of limited resources for training ministers for the churches.

Approximately 120 representatives of over 30 institutions from 11 countries participate in the event.