On the morning of November 2, 2021, CCC&TSPM and Nanjing Union Theological Seminary (NJUTS), both of which maintain a partnership with the Foundation for Theological Education in South East of Asia (FTESEA), joined a virtual meeting with the FTESEA Executive Committee.

Rev. Dr. Chen Yilu, Vice President of CCC and Executive Vice President of NJUTS, Rev. Dr. Lin Manhong, Associate General Secretary of CCC and Academic Dean of NJUTS, and Rev. Dr. Wen Ge, Associate General Secretary of CCC and Interim Chief of the Office of Academic Affairs, attended the meeting. They had an exchange with six members of the Executive Committee.

At the meeting, Rev. Dr. David Esterline, vice president of FTESEA and president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, together with Director of FTESEA Rev. Dr. H.S. Wilson briefly introduced the major subjects discussed by the Board of Trustees this October. Also, the Executive Committee had made it clear that the future engagement in theological education ministries of the Church in China would continue based upon the Three-Self Principles and in a cooperative and contextualized manner.

Rev. Dr. Chen Yilu presented the Executive Committee with the seminary’s preparation for the 70th anniversary next year. He particularly mentioned the cultivation of PhD students, current enrollments and future development planning of NJUTS, and appreciated the enormous support of FTESEA for the seminary’s PhD courses. Rev. Chen then shared the ministries in faculty development and library construction, etc.

Rev. Dr. Lin Manhong introduced the progress made in theological education by the Church in China, and gave thanks to the foundation for supporting Chinese churches in terms of sending students for further study overseas, compilation of theology textbooks, as well as many events like conferences for theological thinking and exchanges of preaching.

Members present at the meeting of FTESEA Executive Committee felt grateful to see the progress in theological education achieved by the Church in China. The two sides had a shared vision, which is to seek active cooperation, advance exchanges between church organizations in these two areas and work together to explore a contextualized model for the theological education in Asia.

In the end, all participants expressed the aspiration that the pandemic would cease so that the two sides could  sooner resume face-to-face exchanges. 

Translated and edited by Bei Sang.