Biblical Graduate School of Theology

Last updated
Biblical Graduate School of Theology
Motto in English
Equipping Ambassadors for Christ in their Marketplaces
Established1989
Principal Lai Pak Wah
Location
Singapore

1°19′41″N103°52′44″E / 1.328°N 103.879°E / 1.328; 103.879
Website www.bgst.edu.sg

Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST) is an evangelical theological seminary in Singapore that partners churches to equip marketplace Christians so that they become effective ambassadors for Christ in their workplaces. The current principal is Lai Pak Wah.

Contents

History and doctrine

Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST) was established in 1989. The founding principal was Quek Swee Hwa, who was succeeded in 2011 by Dr Philip Satterthwaite. [1]

BGST was formed after the dissolution of the Bible Presbyterian (B-P) Denomination in Singapore. Two B-P churches, Zion B-P Church and Mt Carmel B-P Church, founded the school to become the equivalent of an 'Open University' for training marketplace Christians. The founder, Quek Swee Hwa, was the senior pastor of Zion Serangoon Bible-Presbyterian Church [2] and the institution was located at Zion Bishan Bible-Presbyterian Church from 1994 to 2004. [1]

Since then, BGST has become a trans-denominational college with students from Anglican, Methodist, Brethren, Pentecostal, Evangelical Free, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist and other independent churches. What the majority of students share in common is that they work in different marketplaces - from banking, teaching, civil service, pastoral ministries, missions to technology, medical and manufacturing.

While its initial theological position was more Bible Presbyterian, the school has, since 2022, broadened its Theological Position to reflect a mainstream evangelical position, including affirmations of the Nicene and Apostles Creeds. [3] BGST’s board and faculty reflect its theological ethos with representation from Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal, Evangelical Free and Bible-Presbyterian.

In 2024, BGST announced that it would transform itself to become More than a Seminary, That is, to partner churches in the equipping of marketplace Christians. To this end, it restructured itself into four centres of learning: the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPS), the Centre for Christian Leadership (CCL), the Centre for Spiritual Formation (CSF) and the Centre for Equipping and Discipleship (CED). This is to provide a wider range of right sized training catering to the needs of churches and marketplace Christians.

The school now offers a wide range of training from postgraduate studies, Christian leadership training, Spiritual Direction to microlearning courses. Most of its classes are hybrid, that is a mixture of zoom and in person training. The topics covered in its conferences and public lectures include Digital Theology, Creation Care, Aging, Marketplace Issues, Sexuality, Biblical Archaeology and Leadership.



Accreditation

Biblical Graduate School of Theology is accredited by the Asia Theological Association to offer Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies, Master of Arts in Theology and Integrative Studies (formerly known as Masters Christian Studies), and Master of Divinity degrees. [4] The school also offers 4 Graduate Certificates in Biblical Studies, Theological Studies, Spiritual Formation and Missions Studies. The credits of these Graduate Certificates are stackable and transferable to the above accredited degrees.

According to Brian Stiller, BGST has followed Regent College's vision of "giving the same theological integration to people undertaking societal careers as is normally given to people preparing for a Christian service career." [5] BGST and Regent College have an established agreement on the transfer of BGST credits to Regent. [6]

As of 2009, 80% of BGST graduates were Singaporean. 56% of graduates were lay people who returned to their lay professions; 22% went into pastoral ministry; and 22% went into theological education and missions. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Dallas, Texas

Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension sites in Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Northwest Arkansas, Europe, and Guatemala, and a multilingual online education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.

Tyndale University is a Canadian private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Toronto, Ontario, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs. Tyndale students come from over 40 different Christian denominations.

A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie College</span> Christian post-secondary school in Canada

Prairie College is an interdenominational Christian College located in the town of Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Founded as Prairie Bible Institute, classes began on October 9, 1922, on the property of the McElheran family farm.

Horizon College and Seminary is a multi-denominational Evangelical Christian College in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Summit Pacific College is an undergraduate and postgraduate Bible college and seminary, on a foothill of Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. It is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and is the theological college of the BC & Yukon District of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Seminari Theoloji Malaysia - STM is an interdenominational Protestant seminary in the city of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Established in 1979, STM is accredited by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) and a participating school of the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology (SEAGST) from which the Master of Theology degree is awarded.

Robert Laird Harris was a Presbyterian minister, church leader, and Old Testament scholar.

The Irish Bible Institute (IBI) is an evangelical Bible institute located in Dublin, Ireland. Although it is unaccredited by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, it's Honors Bachelors and Masters level courses in Applied Theology and Transformational Leadership are validated by York St John University, and so confirms to the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education of England and Wales regulations. The IBI is a registered charity in the Republic of Ireland, with donations contributing to the institute's income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia Theological Association</span>

Asia Theological Association (ATA) is an association of Christian theologicalseminaries in Asia. It is a member of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education. The headquarters is in Quezon City, Philippines.

Allan Alexander MacRae was an evangelical Christian scholar who, with Harold S. Laird, Carl McIntire, Roland K. Armes, and several other conservative Presbyterians, helped found Faith Theological Seminary and, with Jack Murray, Biblical Theological Seminary. Because of his longevity, MacRae engaged in both the battles of the fundamentalist-modernist controversy and with the rise of Neo-evangelicalism in mid-20th century America, playing important roles in the establishment of three conservative American seminaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torch Trinity Graduate University</span> Christian school in Seoul, South Korea

Torch Trinity Graduate University is an evangelical graduate school and seminary in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea. It was formerly called Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology (TTGST). The university commits itself to the cause of Christian missions, with an emphasis on training future leaders of the church from all over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Theological College, Perth</span> Theological college in Leederville, Perth, Australia

Trinity Theological College, located in Leederville, Perth, Western Australia, is an independent theological college which provides tertiary education within the evangelical and reformed Christian traditions. Its courses are accredited through the Australian College of Theology (ACT), and range from undergraduate diplomas through to postgraduate research degrees.

The Bible-Presbyterian Church ("BPC") was a conservative reformed denomination in Singapore. It existed from 1955 to 1988, following the history of the country, as the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Malaya, then the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Singapore and Malaysia, and finally the Bible Presbyterian Church of Singapore ("BPCOS") before the BPCOS dissolved in 1988. Since that time, Bible-Presbyterian churches in Singapore have continued to exist separately. The B-P movement grew out of the Bible Presbyterian Church in the United States. As of 2009, there were 20,000 members in 32 B–P churches in Singapore. The number of B-P churches in Singapore grew to forty-three in 2020/21 but stands at forty as of 2024

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvest Bible College</span> Australian Pentecostal theological college

Harvest Bible College was the first Pentecostal theological college accredited by the Australian government. In 2018 it merged with Alphacrucis College.

Quek Swee Hwa is a Singaporean pastor and theologian. He was the founding principal of the Biblical Graduate School of Theology. He served as the General Secretary of the International Council of Christian Churches (ICCC), succeeding his father Quek Kiok Chiang in the office. He went on to become the Second Vice President of the ICCC until its 21st World Congress in June 2023 but remains as a member of its Executive Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Bible College</span> Evangelical Bible college in Singapore

Singapore Bible College (SBC) is an evangelical Bible college in Singapore. SBC has over 500 students, representing 25 countries. The current principal is Rev. Dr. Clement Chia.

The Asia Graduate School of Theology (AGST) is a consortium of evangelical theological seminaries. It was established by Asia Theological Association in 1984, and consists of three bodies: AGST Japan, AGST Philippines, and AGST Alliance.

References

  1. 1 2 "Milestones". Biblical Graduate School of Theology. Archived from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Fang, Benny (2008). "Our "oldest" student tells us what it's all about". BGST This Week. 16. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "BGST Website". 2024.
  4. ↑ "Biblical Graduate School of Theology". Asia Theological Association . Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Stiller, Brian (2015). Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century. HarperCollins. p. 176. ISBN   9781401678791 . Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Accreditation and Recognition". Biblical Graduate School of Theology. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  7. ↑ Quek, Swee Hwa. "A Word from the Principal" (PDF). Biblical Graduate School of Theology. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.