This year, Asia Biblical Theological Seminary (ABTS), an ABWE partnering school, celebrated their first class of graduates at its Delhi, India satellite campus.
While many were already impressively educated — an engineer, a social enterprise manager, a corporate lawyer — these eight students studied theology and ministry methods for more than three years. Now, with a solid ABTS biblical education, they join the ranks of the rare 5 percent of people in the world with any kind of pastoral ministry training and are better equipped to share the gospel in their own country, which is just 2.3 percent Christian.
“The gospel is expanding so rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region that many pastors are doing their best without theological training — though they eagerly desire it,” said ABWE missionary Jim Blumenstock, who serves as both a professor and dean of ABTS. “In order to better reach Asians, we give church leaders a solid foundation in God's Word and train them to share the gospel in their unique culture.”
Over the past 30 years, ABTS has trained nearly 350 graduates from 26 Asian countries to share the gospel, build disciples, and plant churches in regions where Christ’s name has rarely been heard. ABTS graduates are changing the spiritual landscape throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and its newest Indian graduates are already adding to that momentum.
“Along with seeing their proud family and friends, the best part of the graduation ceremony was hearing their stories,” said Jim. “Because of them, churches are growing, people are being saved, and the gospel is going to villages where Christ has never been preached.”