About IBTS
Introduction
For over sixty years the International Baptist Theological Seminary of the European Baptist Federation has had a special mission within the world Baptist family. Since 1989 this institution has been especially unique being owned by all the Baptist Unions of Europe and the Middle East. Since 1997 it has had a special focus and mission within the European Baptist Federation as a postgraduate centre at the heart of a network of theological institutions and also co-ordinating a range of conferences relevant to advancing the life and mission of Baptists throughout Europe and the Middle East.
The visionary heart
IBTS has a specific intentionality which has been developing and growing throughout its life, but in a more co-ordinated way since 1997. This intentionality might be described as the visionary heart of all that IBTS seeks to accomplish.
It is an integrated whole which cannot be split asunder by what might be considered false walls of the faith community, academia, mission, church development, spirituality and community. Though the visionary heart is described below in specific sub sections this should not be seen as a dividing up of that which is intentionally held together as a seamless robe.
The integrated elements
-
A learning community
Our clear accent is on the whole community learning and growing together. This is developed at IBTS through the special interaction of lecturers and students in seminars, colloquies, intensive learning blocks, Directors’ Conferences, the Hughey and Nordenhaug lectures and research meetings. There is no understanding that some have arrived in the pursuit of knowledge and others have to acquire it. Rather, we understand ourselves to be a community of corporate learning where the sharing of insights, skills and expertise happen in an atmosphere of mutual respect and the longing for the growth and development of all.
-
A community of spirituality
The daily cycle of worship and communal meals is formative to the whole nature of IBTS. The very circular layout of the worship space, gathered around the twin foci of the open Bible and the communion table announce the deep roots of this community. The weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist always in the context of the word proclaimed reflects the rich understanding of our New Testament, Anabaptist and Baptist spiritual heritage. The worship is not intended for one section of the community alone – teachers and students – but draws all into our common life - staff, volunteers, visitors, EBF officials and representatives of mission agencies. As different people from different Unions and settings lead our worship, no one approach is declared to be authoritative. Rather, worship reflects the many styles of music, prayer, posture and exposition to be found amongst Christians in Europe and the Middle East.
-
A multicultural community
Drawing staff, students, teachers and guests from throughout the world and being owned by fifty - one Baptist Unions across eighteen time zones IBTS is inevitably multicultural in definition and, of course, in practice. It is true that some modest accommodation is made to certain cultural dispositions, for example, use of the 24- hour clock and a concern to start lectures and events promptly (which might be presumed to be an Anglo-Germanic trait), but beyond these points, learning and growing through appreciating the culture of others is a feature of our life together. This is done formally with programmes developed by the Directorate and Social Committee, and informally by the opening up of homes and hearts to those from another cultural milieu.
-
A community of higher academic rigour
The pursuit of excellence is a core value for us. Our mission to offer specialist higher degrees in the discipline of theology permeates all that we seek to do through
- our Research Associate and Short term Scholarship programmes
- in the provision of opportunity for Sabbatical study
- as a deep seated value in the designing and offering of our Directors Conferences
- and by our 9 month programme for young church leaders, the Certificate in Applied Theology
In 2000 we launched the Journal of European Baptist Studies to promote the work of Baptist writers in theology and related disciplines and to make available to a wider audience the fruits of research and thinking going on within the orbit of IBTS and our networking institutions.
-
At the forefront of research and reflection on Baptist issues
Meeting standards of academic excellence appropriate to the general community has not led us to compromise on our Baptist standpoint. IBTS has, as a key mission concern, developing research and reflection on Baptist ecclesiology, history, theology and mission. This is possible in our modular degree approach which enables us to design course content with a specific Baptist flavour, in our Conference and Scholarship programme and through the Journal of European Baptist Studies, edited by members of our academic staff and produced by our own Journal team.
-
Lecturing community drawn from across the world
Our resident academic team are constantly recruiting adjunct and visiting professors and lecturers from Baptist institutions and national universities throughout Europe and North America in order to ensure that IBTS remains influenced by key thinkers in all of our fields of discipline.
(Examples: Professor Miroslav Volf; Professor I Howard Marshall, Professor Glen Stassen, Professor Eric Geldbach, Professor Wiard Popkes, Professor Dick Pierard, Professor John H Y Briggs)
-
Resourced with an amazing library and by information technology
IBTS has a library focused on our academic disciplines and featuring many current related periodicals and journals, principally in English and German. The library has over 60,000 volumes and is constantly being added to.
In the purchase of relevant up to date books we are assisted by a team of consultants we check our purchasing policy against a range of academic institutions which purchase theology books in the English language.
In 2000 we began the process of placing our whole catalogue on an electronic system with internet access. Already all recent acquisitions are listed and our target is to have the whole collection on line by June 2002.
The library is managed to the very highest professional standards by a team of three qualified librarians.
-
Validated by one of Europe’s premier universities
As the European Union develops and relationships deepen between the academic communities of Europe through such programmes as Erasmus and Socrates, IBTS counts it a privilege to have our degrees validated by the Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam) a major public University in the Netherlands with a growing reputation in theological studies. This ensures that both our degree content and the way our degrees are delivered are supervised to the highest standards, firstly by the University itself and then by the Netherlands Government Quality Assurance Agency. Thus, anyone obtaining a theology degree through IBTS can be confident the degree is recognised internationally and the whole delivery of the degree is appropriate and on a par with the work of major world universities.
-
Enabling a wide range of learning opportunities
We believe in an innovative approach and wide range of options for learning. IBTS offers residential and non-residential studies over the short and long term, full and part-time delivered in lecture, seminar, tutorial, modular and internet-supported formats. Diversity in style, variety in timing, innovative in construction, our trimester year maximises opportunities for individuals to construct a method of learning suitable to their own circumstances.
-
Stretching ourselves towards God’s future
We are people on a pilgrim journey and therefore we understand that our community will change and develop as we stretch ourselves and work towards participating in God’s tomorrow. So IBTS will strive to be a living community of those who do not rest content with what we have, but dream dreams and have visions as we seek to be open to the purposes of God.
Offered in service
We have tried to set out what is unique about IBTS in the first years of the twenty first century. We do not do this to claim superiority, but to offer to the wider Baptist and Christian community a proper assessment of what can be offered by IBTS in service to the churches, the Unions and the wider mission of the Christian community.
