B.A. Theology – Missions
Overview
West Africa Theological Seminary is a world-class institution of higher education of learning. Its mission is to train men and women for holy living, carry the gospel to the unreached, and catalyze national spiritual awakening. In support of WATS’ overall mission, the Missions Department is committed to accomplishing the second mission statement, to carry the gospel to the unreached. This is achieved through the facilitation of missions courses, spearheading the springboard program, organizing the annual missions convention, handling the monthly missions chapel service, equipping ministers through the lay institute, excursion, and researching to produce holistic students.
Facilitation of Missions Courses
We train students on missions-related courses to equip them for cross-cultural ministry. After their training, the students can comprehend the biblical and theological foundation of the Christian mission, employ different approaches in missions to lead people of other faiths and cultures to personal faith in Christ, and disciple converts in the mission field into wholesome growth.
Required Mission Track Courses (24 Hours)
- MI 305 Cultural Anthropology
- MI 307 History & Theology of Missions
- MI 366 World Religions
- SO 379 Church and Society
- HT 438 History and Teaching of Islam
- MI 409 Discipling Muslim Background Believers
- MN437 Church Planting and Growth
- MI 497 Internship
Annual Missions Convention
This is conducted in September of every year where we invite a speaker to talk about missions. It is a three-day event, and we hear the experiences and testimonies of our sprinboarders and the news they bring from their field. Missionaries from other agencies and churches are also invited to share their mission involvement with the community. At the end of this event, many hearts receive God’s call to be missionaries.
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Springboard program
Springboard is an annual event when we deploy students to various missions fields to gain field experience. In doing this, we collaborate with different churches, para churches, and mission agencies locally and abroad. The funds are raised by the WATS community and the students whom we call springboarders. We collect offerings over eight months during the chapel services which cover the feeding of the springboarders for the two months they would be in the field while the springboarders raise their flight ticket or bus fare to and fro the field. The department writes a letter of appeal that the springboarders use to raise the funds from their churches, friends, and family. Through this short-term mission experience, some who participated in the activity have become full-time missionaries like me. I decided to become a full-time missionary after I went on springboard missions in 1999 because of the enormous riped harvest and the mission field’s needs. Springboard equally attracted some missionaries to study at WATS due to their interaction with WATS springboarders.
Monthly Mission Chapel
The department handles the chapel service every third Wednesday. It is called missions chapel because we use the opportunity to sensitize the community for missions, share missions news, mobilize the community for missions, and pray for missionaries. We equally use it to enlighten the community about the department and the prospect for those who major in missions.
Research
In the World Christianity, Theological Education and Scholarship, Andrew Walls avers that ‘the pursuit of the scholarly life is a Christian vocation within God’s mission to the world.” (Walls 2011, 236) Our department emphasizes and engages in quality academic writing, publication, research, seminars, etc.
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- We have successfully aided five faculty members in writing some articles presented at a conference waiting for publication.
- We have represented WATS in Transform: A Journalof Biblical, Theological, and Practical Studies through our membership as Editors and published an article with the journal in February.
- WATS is now a member of a renowned journal body (Africa Humanity Research Development Circle) domiciled in UNN through our department.
Lay Institute
Lay church workers, untrained pastors, and missionaries in the field without theological education are equipped with the skills, tools, and knowledge to do the ministry work. Most of these people do not have the essential qualification to enroll in theological training. Thus, we provide this avenue to equip them to serve God better. This training has introduced many people to WATS, while some migrated to WATS full-time program.
Mission
The missions department aims to produce holistic, God-fearing, mission-minded, and academically balanced students.
Felicia Chinyere Priest, Ph.D
Head of Department
E-mail: feliciap@wats.edu.ng
mobile; +23470 3570 6360
