Background of Westminster Theological College WTC

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1 Background of Westminster Theological College WTC

1.1 Philosophy

1.2 Purpose

1.3 Our Core Values

1.3.1 Submission to Biblical Authority

1.3.2 A Love for the Gospel, the Church and Missions

1.3.3 Reformed and Confessional

1.3.4 A Diverse Student Body

1.3.5 Holiness and Godliness of Life

1.4 See also

Background of Westminster Theological College WTC

Below is the History or Background of WTC Uganda

WTC is dedicated to advancing the cause of Christ through theological education that is faithful to the inerrant Scriptures and prepares God’s servants to communicate the Gospel of Christ to our changing world. We do not only provide theological education, we also integrate the bible in every body of knowledge to offer to our students in the School of Education and Vocational Studies.

Philosophy

As a Christian institution, under the sovereignty of God and the leadership of Jesus Christ, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, WTC affirms that persons should have the opportunity to develop to their potentials; that education should stimulate a quest for truth, an appreciation for creativity, and an understanding of the wholeness of life; that career preparation should emphasize ethical consciousness and lifelong productivity and adaptability, and that the Christian perspective should help graduates to become catalysts for responsible change in society. We main that every experience must be evaluated or else, it becomes dangerous.

Purpose

The primary responsibility of Westminster Christian Institute Uganda is to educate men with God’s call to the pastorate and to teaching ministry. It also provides theological education for lay Christians, men and women, who will serve in the Christian community and larger society. WTC offers instruction in theological, biblical and ministerial disciplines as the heart of program to help students to develop intellectually and spiritually as leaders.

Our Core Values

In pursuit of our mission Westminster Christian Institute Uganda hold the following core values and convictions:

Submission to Biblical Authority

We are committed to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired and inerrant Word of God and as the only infallible authority for faith and life.

A Love for the Gospel, the Church and Missions

Our faculties and lecturers are composed of men and women who love the gospel of grace, love the bride of Christ, the church, and are passionate about evangelism, preaching, church planting, biblical discipleship, church revitalization and missions and who wish to impart a heart for the church and the lost world to our students. Since God has ordained the church as His agent to do His work in this world, the church is central and indispensable in all ministries. The goal of ministry is, according to Ephesians 5:7-16, to build up the church in her worship and work to be healthy and mature, to speak the truth in love and thus to carry out her God-given mission. The training of pastors at WTC focuses on equipping them to equip churches to do the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ. Healthy, biblical churches are the source and goal of missions.

Reformed and Confessional

We gladly affirm the theology that grew out of the 16th century Reformation and contained in the great confessions of this era including the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of Dort (1619) and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (1647-8). WTC is committed to Reformed Theology. Each year our faculty members affirm their agreement to the Westminster Confession and Catechisms. This summary of what the Bible teaches establishes the doctrinal orientation for all our classes and instruction. The essence of Reformed Theology is willingness and zeal to conform all of life to the Word of God.

A Diverse Student Body

WTC welcomes students from a variety of churches and traditions who are serious and sincere in their pursuit of theological education. We currently have students from several denominations and from Uganda, Sudan, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Congo.

Holiness and Godliness of Life

More important than intelligence and talent for fruitfulness in gospel ministry is godliness. Robert L. Dabney once said “The prime qualification of a sacred orator is sincere, eminent piety.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne has said “A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.” Our faculties seek to model and promote true holiness and godliness among our students.
A Balanced, Caring Community
While we do not believe that the Institute is a church or can take the place of a church, we do believe that learning takes place best in a community of love, encouragement and accountability. WTC seeks to become a community of serious scholar-servants who love God with all their minds and hearts, and who love others for His sake. Because a zeal without knowledge or a knowledge without godly zeal can only injure the church, WTC seeks to develop in faculty and students a community where there is a balanced combination of solid learning, Christ-like piety, loving fellowship, caring community life and a strong sense of mission and outreach for the sake of the Gospel.
Preparing our Students for Ministry in an African Context
Africa has special needs and challenges. Effective pastoral and church ministry in Africa requires specialized sensitivity and training. WTC’s calling is to address the complex issues confronting the church’s witness on our continent and to develop and equip pastors and leaders who can wisely apply biblical principles to Africa’s challenging and rapidly changing context.
Academic Excellence
Effective African church leadership will increasingly require spiritual maturity, scholarship, keen biblical insight and analytical and critical discernment. In order to train leaders for tomorrow, WTC will increasingly pursue academic rigor and academic excellence.
An African and International Faculty
WTC is an African institution with an African faculty. However, there is an intentional international partnership of Presbyterian and Reformed teachers and professors working together with Africans to carry out WTC mission.
Church-Based Training
The life of the local church is the best place to learn and prepare for ministry. WTC seeks to train future pastors through experienced pastor-mentors and through student internships in local churches. Whereas that is true, WTC believes that experience does not necessarily make one better; in fact it tends to make people worse, unless it is evaluated experience. We therefore seek to nurture teachers and students who daily ask themselves “How can I improve?”
A Biblical Worldview
A pastor, a Christian teacher, and business man and woman of God need a Biblical worldview to minister effectively to believers, learners, and customers and the lost. WTC aims to equip students through an extensive survey of biblical and theological knowledge in order to cultivate a Christian worldview firmly rooted in the word of God.
Equip Women and Pastors Wives for Effective Church Ministry
While WTC does not endorse the ordination of women as church officers (elders, preachers or deacons), we are firmly committed to the importance of women’s ministry in the life of the church. Women are warmly welcomed to our academic programs. Special programs equip women for non-ordained ministry and equip wives of students to be effective pastoral teammates.
Extension Education
Many pastors in Africa are unable to pursue residential theological education. WTC plans to develop extension centers in the future. These will have the mission of taking theological training to strategic centers and providing intense course work for pastors and leaders unable to travel to Kampala.