India - TAFTEE |
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The Association for Theological Education by Extension (TAFTEE) has been involved in offering non-residential theological education since 1971 to those who are unable to avail of a formal Residential Theological Education.
Pastoral Theology Dissertation Students
Mission Statement:
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To assist the Church in preparing all God's people for the work of Christian service through Open and Continuing Theological Education.
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Offering courses at the certificate and degree and postgraduate levels, it has a current enrolment of over 4000 active students. Student groups are spread all over India, Sri Lanka and the Gulf countries. Other programmes in Asia, Europe and Africa are using the courses and have translated them into their local languages.
(Based on Ephesians 4:12)
Aims:
TAFTEE is committed to provide theological education that is:
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accessible - enabling all the people of God to be equipped for Christian service, irrespective of denomination, educational background, gender or ethnic background.
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applied - enabling students to reflect thoughtfully on their involvement in Christian mission and ministry and so to improve their effectiveness in ministry.
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academic - making the best use of scholarly tools and educational technology to enable students to enhance the effectiveness of their ministry.
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appropriate - allowing students to reflect on the Gospel in contextually and culturally appropriate manner and so increase the relevance of their ministry in the Indian context.
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accredited - creating links with churches and academic institutions to ensure the accountability of its programmes for effective mission and ministry in the local church.
Second Year Pastoral Theology Students
The Postgraduate Level Programme - MTh in Pastoral Theology
The MTh specialising in Pastoral Theology is especially suited for those involved in church-based Christian ministry. The Degree is structured to meet the needs of those with a basic formal theological education (BTS/BTh/BD) who wish to improve their skills and enhance their effectiveness and competency in Christian ministry. The programme offers an integrated theological perspective focusing on the implications of the message of the Bible for Mission and Ministry in India in the 21st Century. Biblical Hermeneutics and Social Analysis provide the basic unifying perspectives of study for TAFTEE's MTh programme. This programme is offered in collaboration with OCMS and is validated by the University of Wales (UK).