Auckland Park Theological Seminar History

Auckland Park Theological Seminar History – See Details Below:

History

1945

Dr Möller (senior – father of the present vice-principal of ATS) joined the AFM church and started developing a theological correspondence course.

1949

The correspondence course was expanded and accepted as an official correspondence course of the AFM Church.

1952

March: Students wrote the first official exams and the first diplomas were awarded to successful students that year.

1954

The AFM Church Council decided that studies at the Bible College were now compulsory for all applicants for full-time ministry in the AFM Church.

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1992

ATS became directly involved with the Kasupe Bible College in Zambia. It supported this college financially and presented 25 workshops in Zambia over a period of 10 years. Currently, the Zambian lecturers are academically at a level where they can independently administer the training of future pastors in Zambia, while still using the curriculum of the ATS.

Pastor Mark Mosonda, President of the Zambian Church, stated that these interventions of ATS have changed the whole profile of the church in Zambia. Where, in the past, the church and the pastors were perceived as insignificant and poor, they are now playing a leading role in Zambia.

1993

Prior to 1993, all property in the AFM Church (including congregations’ church property), was registered in the name of AFM Head Office. The AFM Head Office used this property portfolio as security to obtain a foreign loan, with the aim of developing retirement accommodation for pastors in the Johannesburg area. This project did not materialize and with the rapid depreciation of the Rand, the AFM Head Office’s debt overnight increased to R15 million. To mitigate this financial predicament, they distributed and transferred the debt to the individual AFM congregations as well as to Auckland Park Theological Seminary (AFMTC at that time). AFMTC’s contribution to the debt was the loss of 2% of congregations’ contributions to Head Office that have been earmarked for AFMTC over the years. AFMTC had relied on this subsidy and students’ tuition fees for its budget.

In 1993, as recompense, the AFM Head Office transferred all property owners to individual congregations without conditions or servitude. In the same manner, the ownership of 55 Richmond Avenue, Auckland Park was transferred to AFMTC. (As a side note, this property was paid for and erected by AFMTC itself.) From that day, AFMTC became its own legal entity and the property is still registered as such at the deeds office. This was an acceptable arrangement for the congregations, as it would in the future deprive the AFM Head Office of the opportunity to enter into similar debt arrangements.

AFMTC signed an agreement with the University of Johannesburg (“UJ”, the then Rand Afrikaans University), resulting in ATS’ acting as the theological school of the University. In an academic article by Andries Putter entitled Auckland Park Teologiese Seminarium: die hartseer verlede en uitdagings in die nuwe millennium, the author noted that WJ Hattingh’s negotiations with universities constituted a breakthrough for theological training in the Pentecostal domain.

1996

All study materials and classes were presented in English in an effort to accommodate all language and racial groups.

Covenant, the former Indian college of the AFM Church, was integrated with AFMTC. Auckland Park Theological Seminar History

1997

AFMTC changed its name to trading as “Auckland Park Theological Seminary” (“ATS”, for short) in a bid to cater for its expanding student market outside of the AFM Church.

1999

The subject Entrepreneurship was included in the curriculum, as ATS started defining the task and calling of a spiritual leader more holistically.

2002

The University of Johannesburg awarded Natasha C van der Merwe, an ATS student, the Chancellor’s Medal for the most meritorious student in the Faculty of Arts that year.

The Sunday school program entitled “Victor Kids”, developed by ATS was released, rethinking the scope of a theological seminary.Auckland Park Theological Seminar History

2004

The first candidates for a master’s and a doctor’s degree supervised by ATS received their degrees. It was the first time in South Africa that postgraduate dissertations or theses were prepared under the supervision of a Pentecostal academic institution. It had truly been a “long walk to freedom” since the days when the Pentecostal Church in South Africa was viewed as a sect, ministering only to disadvantaged and marginalized communities.

2008

ATS became an independent, inter-denominational institution.

UJ concluded its 17-year contract with ATS when it became a secular university that could no longer accommodate ATS as an institution in Christian theology.

2010

ATS reached a new agreement with the Theological Department of the Northwest University (NWU). Some of ATS’ lecturers are appointed as extraordinary lecturers at NWU.

2011

The first students received BA (Hons) degrees in Theology at a graduation ceremony of northwest University, thanks to the contract concluded in 2010.

2012

Three new courses were accredited by the Department of Education, namely:

Diploma in Theology
Higher Certificate in Pastoral Counselling
Higher Certificate in Youth Work

2014

The Njoro Bible College opened its doors in Kenya in January 2014 and has adopted ATS as its mother institution. The first 20 students registered for the BTh and the Diploma in Theology. The photo shows eleven students who form part of this historical moment.

2021

The past decade has been a time of great anguish and hardship for ATS. We might be right should we call it our ‘decennium horribles (horrible decade). But one thing is certain ‘Through the Lord’s mercies we were not consumed…’ In time to come, we will update our history to tell our story. Because we are conscious that there is a synergy between our sufferings and the sufferings of all God’s people throughout the Bible, and par excellence the sufferings of Jesus Christ. In these sufferings, God is at work in His history of redemption. Therefore we will make the sufferings and the salvation we have experienced common property so that the church of our Lord Jesus Christ shall hear the good news of our rescue which may also comfort them.

And that our deliverance has come during the year that ATS turns 75 is extraordinary – Solio Deo Gloria.

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