Okay, this page probably should be called,

Educational Institutions Where I Teach Missions Courses

But that is too long, so…

Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. PBTS is located in Baguio City, Philippines and is tied to the Southern Baptist denomination (in the Philippines, connected more loosely with the SBC in the US). I teach missions here. The two main courses I teach (although I do sometimes teach others) are “Cultural Anthropology” and “Dialogue with Asian Religions.” The school has several characteristics that may be of interest to some:

• Diverse student body. The men and women who train at PBTS come from many different countries (Philippines and Myanmar are the most numerous). Also quite a few denominations.
• English is the language of instruction. English is the language of education in the Philippines. There are advantages and disadvantages to this… but obviously, it helps make the school better for the national diversity of the students.
• The strongest specialty of the seminary, strangely, is music. We have a very strong program for Master in Christian Music (MCM). We also have a strong program in Missions, especially tied to Asia Vision-Short Term Missions (AVSTM) and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) through Bukal Life Care. Also have good training in theology, ministerial leadership, Christian education, Biblical languages, Biblical studies, and English as a Second Language (ESL). Most of the professors are Filipino or Asian.
• PBTS is accredited by ATESEA (Association of Theological Education in South East Asia). This is quite useful. It is not accredited by CHED (the Philippine Department of Education). Because of the strange requirements associated with that accreditation, I think this is a good thing… but opinions most certainly do vary.

Their website is: www.pbts.net.ph.

Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary. I teach a few classes here such as “Guided Readings in Missions” or “Contemporary Issues in Missions.” I also act as a Thesis Supervisor or Dissertation Supervisor for several. ABGTS is a consortium of Baptist schools in Southeast Asian Baptist Seminaries from Indonesia to Japan. The Philippine branch, based on the campus of PBTS in Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the most active of these branches. It serves for degrees ThM, and some doctoral degrees (ThD, D.Miss, DRE, and D.Min). Like PBTS, it has a diverse student body. It does not follow the cohort system. It requires 1 full year of residential training followed by a supervised practical training, and then to thesis or dissertation. Dissertations are most commonly (now) tied to qualitative research rather than quantitative or literary, and must be related specifically to the Asian context. Again, the language of instruction is English (Mostly, supervise Master’s level and Doctoral students, but occasionally teach some missions-related courses).

Their Website is: www.abgts.org.

Faith Bible College. FBC is a small Bible College in Norfolk, Virginia. It was actually founded at the church that my wife and I attended decades ago and where we got married. It has certificate of training as well as Associates and Bachelors degrees in Theology and is accredited by the Association of Biblical Higher Education. Unlike the two schools above, this school focuses on “non-traditional students” (that is, students that are not necessarily identifying themselves as young people preparing for full-time professional ministry. My involvement with FBC is very recent. I am presently working to develop a course, “Missions History.”

Their Website is: www.faithbiblecollege.com

Additionally, I am involved in one more educational institution that is not so directly involved in what is traditionally considered to be “Christian Missions.”

Bukal Life Care and Counseling Center. My wife and I run the counseling center on the campus of PBTS, and we have a formal relationship with the seminary, for both training and counseling. The main area for training is Clinical Pastoral Education/Training (CPE/T). My wife is a Diplomate Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education/Training with CPSP-Philippines, and recognized by CPSP (US). Our CPE program follows the goals of CPSP, in that a greater focus is placed on therapy and case studies than on didactics. Additionally, we following a community-based program seeking to have our trainees gain experience in hospital, jail, and parish/church. Bukal Life Care is the flagship center for CPSP-Philippines. English is the normal mode of training. However, on those rare occasions that all of the trainees are Filipino, Tagalog or Ilokano may be used for some of the training.

The Website is: www.bukallifecare.org.

The Website of the Certification/Accreditation organization is: www.cpspphilippines.com