West Africa Theological Seminary Partnerships

West Africa Theological Seminary (WATS) is Nigeria's largest nondenominational seminary, and is located in the heart of Lagos — the largest black city in the world. Nigeria, with 160 million people, is the geographic hub of Africa. It embraces 40 percent the English-speaking Christian population of the African continent.

WATS has developed partnerships with a multitude of organizations, both inside and outside of Nigeria. These partnerships serve to expand the outreach of WATS, both in Africa and globally.



Current Partnerships

Currently, WATS has partnered with the following organizations:

OMS International

West Africa Theological Seminary is one of the thirty partner theological schools affiliated with OMS International. OMS International was founded in Japan in 1901 by Charles Cowman, E. A. Kilborune, and Juji Nakada as the Oriental Missionary Society. Today it is an evangelical, faith mission supported through gifts and prayers and with headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana. It is a multifaceted organization with a variety of ministries in 46 nations. The ministry of OMS International includes 450 missionaries in 18 target countries and 6 sending countries, as well as 10 medical clinics and 8 radio stations.

In September 2004 OMS International and WATS launched a working agreement involving a reciprocal partnership and acknowledging WATS as a member of the OMS fraternal association of theological schools. OMS International has already sent adjunct faculty to WATS and continues to assist WATS in that and other areas of its ministry.

Dr. David Dick, Executive Director of OMS International, now serves on both the WATS Governing Council and on the board of Friends of WATS.

West Africa Theological Seminary and International Christian Ministries

Since 2000 West Africa Theological Seminary has partnered with International Christian Ministries in conducting Inservice programs throughout Africa. International Christian Ministries has worked for over twenty years in East Africa, establishing a model for theological training that works for those pastors and leaders who cannot or do not want to leave full time ministry. The full time residential programs at WATS are not able to provide training for the thousands of pastors and leaders who can not attend full time. ICM addresses this need:

International Christian Ministries (ICM)

Purpose: ICM exists to serve the Church by discipling and equipping its leaders. The target clientele of ICM are those who desire to remain in full time ministry. Therefore all of the ICM programs are inservice and designed to allow the pastor to continue in the ministry. Classes are conducted either in module format or during evenings or weekends. 

Vision: To ensure that quality theological education is made available to leaders regardless of location, finances or education. 

Strategy: To establish 100 ministry resource centers throughout Africa. 

Programs:

  • Formal Division. ICM has two primary rails on which it operates. The first rail is the formal inservice program. The inservice program consists of formal training designed to lead to a certificate, diploma, bachelors degree or MA. WATS provides the academic covering for these programs and the programs are designed in consultation with WATS.
  • Seminar Division. Recognizing the need for ongoing training ICM is working in partnership with Walk Thru the Bible and other ministries to equip and train pastors and leaders using a seminar approach. Conferences are held to train and equip pastors and leaders in key theological subjects such as marriage, church growth, holiness, etc. Pastors and leaders are in turn challenged to pass these teachings on to their churches.

WATS and ICM Partnership

WATS, with its strong residential program, provides the academic recognition necessary for ICM to expand formal programs throughout Africa. ICM will provide the resources to establish centers while WATS will provide the academic programs that will ensure both quality and recognition. Together ICM and WATS will expand the availability of quality theological education throughout the continent.

Meet the Walkers

Dr. Phillip Walker, president of ICM, is currently based in Bakersfield, California, USA at the ICM headquarters. He and his wife Debbie served for seven years as missionaries in Israel before moving to Kenya and eventually opening the international ministry of ICM.

In November 2000 Dr. Walker accepted appointment by WATS as their International Director for Inservice Programs. The partnership between WATS and ICM represents the fulfillment of vision for both organizations.



WATS and Asbury Theological Seminary Partnership

Asbury Theological Seminary has sustained a close relationship with WATS since 2000.  That year they sent a four-person delegation to Lagos to lay groundwork for a close institutional relationship that has included numerous area of cooperation, including sending several adjunct faculty to teach at WATS every year, providing library resources, receiving WATS students for doctoral studies, etc.

Asbury Theological Seminary (U.S.A.) was established in 1923 as an evangelical seminary in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition.  It has grown to become one of the largest seminaries in the US, and is sometimes referred to as part of the "Big Four" nondenominational evangelical seminaries of America (including Fuller, Trinity and Dallas).  It is also one of the most high-tech seminaries in the world.  It consists of three graduate schools (School of Theology, E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism, and Beeson International Center for Biblical Preaching and Church Leadership) located on three campuses:  Wilmore, Kentucky; Orlando, Florida; and Virtual.  It “was founded ‘to prepare and send forth a well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic ministry’ to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world.”



WATS and Wesley Biblical Seminary Partnership

Wesley Biblical Seminary has sustained a close relationship with WATS for about fifteen years. For many years WBS provided the venue for the annual meeting of the Friends of WATS board.  WBS has provided scholarships for the training of several WATS faculty memers.  In addition several WBS faculty members have continued to teach at WATS on an annual basis.

Wesley Biblical Seminary is located in Jackson, Mississippi (with a satellite campus to be opened in Marion, Indiana in 2006) and is a multi-denominational, graduate school of theology within the evangelical, Wesleyan-Arminian tradition. The mission of the seminary is to provide graduate-level, theological education for persons preparing for Christian service. This mission is accomplished by nurturing the spiritual life of the students, guiding the development of their biblical and theological understanding, and improving their ministry skills.The desired outcome is persons who are competently prepared to fulfill their role in the global mission of the church.

For more information, contact the appropriate staff at WATS.