August 31, 2011 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD
Dr. Jaime Castrejon, president of the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary (IATS), smiles and sighs with relief as he holds a treasured possession he’s waited for more than a decade to hold. It looks like an ordinary piece of paper, yet it signifies the end of arduous hours and endless energy to obtain. It’s a document which states the full accreditation status granted to IATS by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
ATS is a membership organization for the United States and Canada that accredits schools and approves post-graduate professional and academic degrees in the practice of ministry and research in theological disciplines.
“This is such a milestone, almost like a miracle,” says Dr. Castrejon as he struggles to find the words to express his joy and gratitude to God.
“Since 2000, IATS has existed for the purpose of offering graduate education for active Seventh-day Adventist ministers and workers, and to now have this prestigious accreditation is simply wonderful,” he adds.
It all began with a need that sparked a dream back in 1986, he says.
Many of the ministers across the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory traveled to the United States to further their post-graduate degrees at Andrews University. This proved to be expensive for their employers in the short term, and costly in the long run as many graduates found jobs in the United States and didn’t return to their fields in the IAD territory.
“We were facing a brain drain in our territory with this situation, as pastors would get their visa and just stayed in the United States,” says Castrejon, who in 1986 worked as the ministerial secretary for the church in Inter-America.
There was a need for better trained pastors as the membership began to grow fast, so Dr. Castrejon and top church leaders at the time began studying ways to provide higher education to its budding ministers.
IATS began soon after with the help of Andrews University in 1996. Once the constitution and by-laws were written, IATS began offering graduate programs in theology to ministers in three initial sites: Montemorelos University in Mexico, Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico and Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica. Soon after that, two more sites were added: the University of Southern Caribbean in Trinidad and Colombia Adventist University in Colombia. Four additional sites were added in the 1990s, bringing the total to nine sites where ministers could take 48-credit summertime courses in the span of four years to pursue master degrees in pastoral theology through the direction of Andrews University.
It was an initial venture that was costing thousands of dollars every year. It soon became apparent to IAD leaders that the expenses were too high to continue with Andrews University.
It was then that IATS was declared a candidate for accreditation and parted ways. IATS submitted its self-study to ATS and soon in 2003, the new seminary was holding its own, says Dr. Castrejon.
With the active support of Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, and fellow administrators, IATS continued to offer degrees to student ministers throughout its nine sites.
“This has been a long awaited accomplishment,” says Pastor Leito. “It confirms to us that we have been on the right path now to offer all of our ministers the opportunity to get an advance degree so that they can help our churches better, preach better sermons and minister to the educated member of today.”
“Our vision for IATS was to have our ministers study in our territory, in our environment in Inter-America, addressing the local needs, learning to work in their environment so that their education and work place became one,” explains Pastor Leito.
Ministers from across Inter-America are able to obtain a degree from IATS free of charge, thanks to a 0.5% share of tithe sent from each field territory as of this year. In previous years, the IAD covered all the costs, according to Pastor Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer for the church in Inter-America.
“Since IATS was established, the Division has invested thousands of dollars for our ministers to obtain post-graduate theology degrees and continues to do so,” says Verduzco.
The investment has already produced 408 pastors who graduated with masters and doctorate degrees from IATS while it remained in candidacy status awaiting accreditation from ATS.
The accreditation status from ATS is effective as of June 2011 until 2018. Pursuing it took longer than usual because of the need for the accrediting organization to understand the structure of a seminar like IATS, with multiple educational sites spread out in a dozen countries, says Dr. Castrejon.
Dr. Castrejon, who holds a Ph.D. in Religious Education with Administration of Higher Education, says he has seen and felt the benefits of IATS throughout the territory.
“We have intelligent thinking people today, members sitting on the pews who are not content with mediocre sermons,” says Dr. Castrejon. “Our members are educated, informed so it is important that our ministers are trained to communicate at their level. I have seen a change in the spiritual adequacy of the members and I credit that to better professional sermons.”
Accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association since 2000, IATS offers a Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology, a Master of Arts in Religion, and a Doctor of Ministry. Its administrative and registrar offices are located at the Inter-American Division Headquarter office in Miami, Florida, United States.
IATS opened its academic offices at the Antillean Adventist University campus in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 2009, as the main central site for academic operations. These operations include coordination of professors, program curriculum, scheduling of classes, monitoring the masters and doctorate degrees.
IATS is a seminary which offers graduate degrees in English, Spanish and French exclusively to active Adventist ministers recommended by the local employing organizations throughout the church in Inter-America. IATS 10 sites are located in Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Venezuela.
For more information on the Inter-American Theological Seminary, visit www.interamerica.org or call 305.403.4700.
