Greetings! It has been such a joy to receive feedback from so many of you who have been receiving these updates. We’re grateful for the opportunity to serve you and enrich your lives and ministries. We are praying for God to strengthen your hands as you invest in the lives of men and women called to gospel ministry.

As we progress deeper into this new century, the importance for Bible schools and theological programs to network together has become increasingly important. The growing complexities of our world impacting ministry practice have created new challenges to theological institutions seeking to train and equip men and women to be competent ministers of the gospel.

In view of this, ATTS encourages the process of endorsement and accreditation through the services of the Association for Pentecostal Theological Education in Africa (APTEA). Endorsement and accreditation mean that it has been determined that an institution is guided by well-defined and appropriate objectives to fulfill its mission, and has established conditions and procedures under which its goals can be realized, and is meaningfully accomplishing its goals, and will continue to do so. APTEA’s concept of school endorsement and/or accreditation is that a school is substantially meeting or in process of meeting APTEA Standards.

Endorsement and accreditation include the provision that an institution will complete a self-study based on the Ten Standards of APTEA. This self-study is the focal point of the process. It provides a clear, realistic, and comprehensive look at all areas of the institution’s program as perceived by its administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community. An on-site visit will be required for initial endorsement and for accreditation, as well as five-year renewals of endorsement and/or accreditation. 

For Assemblies of God theological institutions, the Africa Assemblies of God Alliance (AAGA), along with ATTS, encourages Bible school leadership to network with APTEA in order to strengthen the bonds between AG schools across the continent. For more information about the process and nature of endorsement and/or accreditation, you can access the APTEA Standards by visiting the following website: www.theAPTEA.org.

John L. Easter, Ph.D.
Executive Director,
Africa Theological Training Service (ATTS)