Just this past month, the Federation of Covenant Churches in Colombia – FIPEC realized a dream and a vision that was started almost when the Covenant began in Colombia in 1968 – the granting of official, Colombian government recognized, Covenant Seminary degrees.
Even before there was an official Colombia Covenant Church entity, the Covenant of Colombia began Theological Education by Extension (TEE) classes in order to train and equip its leaders and pastors. Those TEE classes evolved into the Covenant Ministerial Institute (IMPACTO), which developed into the Covenant Theological Ministerial Education Center (CEMPEC) that formed the Education Foundation CEMPEC. All of this development and evolution has ended with the official “Institute of Formation and Theological Education Seminary CEMPEC, Center of Ministerial Studies of the Federation of Covenant Churches FIPEC”. The Executive Committee of FIPEC oversees the Seminary Institute since it is located and has courses taught in all of the Covenant Churches of Colombia.
According to Colombian law, religious entities, like the Federation of Covenant Churches FIPEC, have the “responsibility to equip and form their human resources to serve the Church and the Community through ministerial education that achieves ethical, moral and community growth along with bettering the quality of life.” In fact, any Colombian who wants to teach, or who is teaching in a public or private educational institution any courses on the Bible, Theology, ethics, morals and community who is referencing religious material or themes has to have a degree or diploma from her/his ecclesiological organization in order to be recognized as a qualified educator.
Throughout the process of growth and development, Covenant Pastors and leaders were being equipped and trained in their areas of ministry. Almost 50 Bible, Theology, History, Counseling, Ministry, Missions, and Social Ministry courses have been written in order to fully equip the leaders and ministers.
We thank so many friends and partners and people who have donated time and resources and prayer and advice and counsel to the process. No less than three different “Friends of World Mission” projects have supported this process, and innumerable individuals and Churches have as well. It has been a long and winding road, full of ups and downs, forwards and backwards, successes and failures, but the vision is being met and the “servants of God are being equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
