Educational Concerns

Africa Theological Training Service (ATTS) began in 1990 as a decade of harvest initiative. It serves seventy Bible colleges and seminaries on the continent. Dr. John V. York, former director, states the mission of ATTS very succinctly:

“Believing this is the eleventh hour, our mission is to encourage, facilitate, and validate theological training within the church of Africa, thus assisting Africa to participate fully in the accomplishment of the Great Commission” (York 1990).

The three-fold written mission of ATTS is a driving force:

  1. Encouraging theological training – ATTS encourages training through regional training seminars, on-site visits, and publications. The key person in this process is the ATTS Regional coordinator.
  2. Facilitating theological training – ATTS facilitates training by developing continental resources such as the discovery series diploma curriculum, by maintaining a teacher pool, by helping to develop new initiatives such as graduate training and missions training, and by providing Africa library services.
  3. Validating theological training – ATTS validates training through endorsements

The Africa library services, an arm of ATTS, seeks to fulfil the following expectations:

  1. To provide endorsements for training on all levels
  2. To assist regions in presenting regional Bible colleges conferences and workshops designed to enable training programs to fulfil their stated purposes
  3. To provide regional leadership training seminars
  4. To provide on-site consultations, specialized workshops, and resource materials
  5. To facilitate the procurement of resource books and other learning materials.
  6. To provide Lay training models and learning resources.
  7. To coordinate the development of training programs and material on the levels and in the languages requested.
  8. To facilitate information sharing.
  9. To promote the vision of African churches as missionary-sending bodies by facilitating schools of missions.

“Everything ATTS is engaged in reflects our commitment to Africa’s role in fulfilling the Great Commission”, declares York (ATTS Brochure, 199). York believes that every ministry God has entrusted to the African church will intensify in effectiveness as it focuses upon disciplining the unevangelized in Africa and beyond.

One of the greatest blessings for African churches is the establishment of ATTS. Training is vital to every ministry of the church and it will continue till Christ returns. ATTS provides the needed empowerment to turn "Missions Fields into Mission Forces". This is the vision missionary Robert Holmes was casting for Africa before his sudden death on October 21, 1999.

Central Africa Region