From International Baptist Theological Seminary of the EBF
From International Baptist Theological Seminary of the EBF
At the end of May 2009 the International Baptist Theological Seminary of the European Baptist Federation (IBTS) celebrates our Diamond Jubilee (60 years), since its formation and reaches the anniversary of 12 years in Prague. A long weekend of special events with Alumni reunions, Graduation, a Birthday Party and a Service of Thanksgiving are planned with guests including the President of the EBF, Toma Magda.
IBTS has much to celebrate in that since the programme adjustments in 1997 IBTS has had six people gain their doctor of Philosophy degree, 92 gained one of our Master of Theology or Magister degrees, 144 students graduate through the Certificate of Theology (CAT) programme and 13 through our Intensive English for Theology Programme. The students over this period have come from 44 countries!
However, the Diamond Jubilee has come at a moment when IBTS faces severe financial challenges. Key supporters in Europe and the USA have cut back dramatically in donation support as they face challenges with the global economic downturn, the IBTS Endowment itself has lost a significant part of its value in the past 18 months, the Czech crown has remained very high against the dollar, euro and pound further aggravating the situation.
This has caused the IBTS Board of Trustees to establish a special Strategy Group to explore a viable way ahead. The Board has identified the key activities of IBTS as follows –
Offering Masters, Post Graduate and doctoral studies in Contextual Mission and Applied theology ; Baptist and Anabaptist Studies; providing a European centre for Baptist research and identity and, in particular, as the empowering catalyst for the Consortium of European Baptist Theological Seminaries (CEBTS).
Chair of the Board of Trustees, British Baptist pastor Ruth Gouldbourne comments “It is in these activities that our identity and gifts lie, and it is with these that we intend to continue our life.” Tony Peck, EBF General Secretary says “IBTS is at the very heart of our EBF family, and has played a significant role in forming many of our current Union leaders. This is a moment of both great challenge and, potentially, great opportunity. We need God's wisdom, and the active support of the EBF member Unions which together 'own' the Seminary, so that we might find a good way forward into the future.“
The IBTS Strategy Group, on which EBF General Secretary, Tony Peck, serves, have now written to the member unions of EBF, who own IBTS together, to ask some questions about future strategy for the seminary and Unions are being asked to comment on various options -
To shut down some part of the Prague site and concentrate all of our activities on a smaller proportion of the buildings until the situation changes.
To sell part of the Jenerálka site
To sell the whole site and relocate.
Unions are being also asked to comment on whether IBTS should -
identify a partner institution and either share the Jenerálka site, or move IBTS to their site
move IBTS either alone or with a partner institution, to a different type of site, centred on a library, with teaching rooms, offices and minimal accommodation
have the library and offices as one site, and centre the faculty members in a variety of sites around Europe.
Unions are being asked to respond to these options during May and June and the EBF Council meeting on July 24 in Amsterdam will discuss the way forward.
“IBTS has been an amazingly successful institution for European Baptists over 60 years and part of the reason for that has been our willingness to adapt and change to new circumstances – we hope the EBF Unions will grasp the opportunity to set us on a positive course for the next decade” said Dr Keith G Jones, IBTS Rector since 1998.
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IBTS has much to celebrate in that since the programme adjustments in 1997 IBTS has had six people gain their doctor of Philosophy degree, 92 gained one of our Master of Theology or Magister degrees, 144 students graduate through the Certificate of Theology (CAT) programme and 13 through our Intensive English for Theology Programme. The students over this period have come from 44 countries!
However, the Diamond Jubilee has come at a moment when IBTS faces severe financial challenges. Key supporters in Europe and the USA have cut back dramatically in donation support as they face challenges with the global economic downturn, the IBTS Endowment itself has lost a significant part of its value in the past 18 months, the Czech crown has remained very high against the dollar, euro and pound further aggravating the situation.
This has caused the IBTS Board of Trustees to establish a special Strategy Group to explore a viable way ahead. The Board has identified the key activities of IBTS as follows –
Offering Masters, Post Graduate and doctoral studies in Contextual Mission and Applied theology ; Baptist and Anabaptist Studies; providing a European centre for Baptist research and identity and, in particular, as the empowering catalyst for the Consortium of European Baptist Theological Seminaries (CEBTS).
Chair of the Board of Trustees, British Baptist pastor Ruth Gouldbourne comments “It is in these activities that our identity and gifts lie, and it is with these that we intend to continue our life.” Tony Peck, EBF General Secretary says “IBTS is at the very heart of our EBF family, and has played a significant role in forming many of our current Union leaders. This is a moment of both great challenge and, potentially, great opportunity. We need God's wisdom, and the active support of the EBF member Unions which together 'own' the Seminary, so that we might find a good way forward into the future.“
The IBTS Strategy Group, on which EBF General Secretary, Tony Peck, serves, have now written to the member unions of EBF, who own IBTS together, to ask some questions about future strategy for the seminary and Unions are being asked to comment on various options -
To shut down some part of the Prague site and concentrate all of our activities on a smaller proportion of the buildings until the situation changes.
To sell part of the Jenerálka site
To sell the whole site and relocate.
Unions are being also asked to comment on whether IBTS should -
identify a partner institution and either share the Jenerálka site, or move IBTS to their site
move IBTS either alone or with a partner institution, to a different type of site, centred on a library, with teaching rooms, offices and minimal accommodation
have the library and offices as one site, and centre the faculty members in a variety of sites around Europe.
Unions are being asked to respond to these options during May and June and the EBF Council meeting on July 24 in Amsterdam will discuss the way forward.
“IBTS has been an amazingly successful institution for European Baptists over 60 years and part of the reason for that has been our willingness to adapt and change to new circumstances – we hope the EBF Unions will grasp the opportunity to set us on a positive course for the next decade” said Dr Keith G Jones, IBTS Rector since 1998.