HISTORY
The Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) was jointly founded on July 1, 1977,
by the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (ELCHK), the Chinese Rhenish Church (CRC), the
Tsung Tsin Mission (TTM), and the Taiwan Lutheran Church (TLC). On September
3 of that year, the Seminary held its opening service.
LTS is, however, no ordinary newly established institution; it is a new school
with a long history and a rich background. Its immediate predecessor was the
widely-known Lutheran Theological Seminary which was established at Shekow,
Hubei, China, in 1913 and for 35 years served the Lutheran Church in China.
At the end of 1948, because of the civil war in China, the Seminary was moved
to Hong Kong and became the theological education agency of the ELCHK.
During its 64-year history it trained several hundred professional workers as
well as thousands of lay leaders for the Chinese churches. In the provision
of personnel, in the preservation of the faith, in the development of indigenous
theology, as well as in the promotion of church cooperation, the predecessor
school made an indelible contribution.
Since 1972 the board of the former seminary, realizing the importance of cooperation
in theological
education, decided that cooperation should be sought among related churches
regardless of the cost. On May 8, 1976, representatives of the ELCHK, CRC, and
TTM, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, solemnly signed an agreement to
create a new, united Lutheran theological school. The first five years were
considered as a trial period. One year later the TLC decided to take part in
this cooperative venture. In order to facilitate the birth of this new seminary,
the ELCHK voluntarily terminated its former theological school, the first LTS,
at the end of June, 1977. In 1982 the four cooperating churches agreed to continue
the cooperation in this united theological education work further into the future.
This seminary has not only inherited the rich resources in personnel, facilities,
and experiences of the former ELCHK School, but it has also received a valuable
legacy in theological education from the other supporting churches. For instance,
the CRC had many years of experience in operating both a Bible training institute
and a theological school in China. The TLC, for several years during the 50's
and 60's, carried on a sizable Bible school and theological seminary in Taiwan.
The TTM founded the Tsung Tsin College, the predecessor of the Lok Yuk Seminary,
in 1864, which was been recognized by historians as being the earliest seminary
in China.
In late 1992, LTS moved into its new campus on the top of Tao Fung Shan. The
construction of this campus was the result of a "Pilgrimage of Faith"
which had begun in 1985, and which was realized with the financial and prayer
support of Christians in Hong Kong and around the world. This campus, which
is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in the Third World, is
built in the traditional Chinese style and is decorated with original artwork.
It is truly a place of beauty and provides an ideal setting for prayer, worship,
and study. The relocation project verifies once again the significance of local
and international cooperation. Therefore, since the relocation, we have increased
and intensified our efforts to seek collaboration among Lutheran churches, other
denominations and various church organizations.
Locally, we sought support for our vision from other churches and encouraged
them to join with LTS as member churches. In 1993, the Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran
Church became a member church along with the Methodist United Church which joined
the seminary as an associate member. In 1996, The Lutheran Church Hong Kong
Synod not only joined us as an associate member but also cooperated with us
in training seminarians by sending faculty to teach and sending students to
learn in LTS. In the same year the Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church because
of the significance of lay leadership for the church and for society generously
allowed us to use one floor of their premises in the Zion Building in Kowloon
as our Theological Education by Extension Centre. Because of their generosity,
our evening training program is blooming. In 1997, the Lutheran Philip House
also joined us as a member church. These churches bring with them their experience
and resources, all of which work to the fulfillment of the mission of LTS and
fortify its foundation for theological education.
During these years, we have worked closely with other institutions to provide
training programs for our students and other Christians. We enjoy mutual support
with Tao Fong Shan Christian Center and the Institute for Sino-Christians Studies,
both located on the same mountain as LTS. The Hong Kong Christian Institute
works in concert with us to offer social awareness courses to provide our students
with vital knowledge of the society and so equip them better to serve as the
church carries out its mission. In 1994, as part of the process of the computerization
of our library, we sought to share our resources with other institutes and so
initiated to organize the EIN (Ecumenical Information Network). Through this
network, LTS along with other libraries aims to provide information for Christians
in Hong Kong and other parts of the World. At present, the EIN is made up of
eight theological Libraries in Hong Kong whose holdings, numbering 300,000 volumes
in all, are catalogued in one common computerized system. This allows people
from all over the world the opportunity to access information and carry out
research from what is the largest Chinese theological common data base in the
world. Inter-library loans, retrieval and sharing of information and efficient
use of resources are all enhanced in this way.
Even with the fine facilities of our new campus, we at LTS understand that in
order to train our learners to have greater vision, wider horizons, advancement
in contextual theology and enthusiasm for mission, contact with learners from
other ecclesiastical and cultural traditions is needed. To this end two actions
have been launched:
First, the Seminary actively formulated plans for recruiting students from places
outside Hong Kong. After visiting Jinling Union Theological Seminary in Nanjing,
the first group of three students from Mainland China arrived in Hong Kong on
Chinese New Years Eve in 1995. We also reached an agreement with the Association
of Theological Education in Myanmar and in a spirit of cooperation, LTS has
been willing to work hand in hand with them to enhance the educational standards
of their theological teachers in the seminaries of the Association. In 1995,
the first students selected by the Association of Theological Education in Myanmar
came to study in Hong Kong. This teamwork is still continuing up to the present.
Beginning in 1995, the Seminary joined hands with the Christian Council of Asia
to help build up the reserve of theological teachers for the churches in Cambodia.
In the latter part of 1999, again working with the Christian Council of Asia,
four students came from Vietnam to Hong Kong, to be trained for future service
as professors for the seminary in Vietnam. This is extremely significant as
the church in Vietnam is now waiting approval by the government to resume seminary
training after decades of forced closure. In 2002, we welcomed two students
from Laos to study at LTS.
Secondly, to further widen the scope of our students, we have made efforts to
build exchange programs for students, faculty and publications with other seminaries
and universities. In 1997, LTS with five other renowned theological education
institutes formed the International Network in Advanced Theological Education
(INATE) and now we have exchange programs with India, Brazil, South Africa,
Hungary, Norway, Costa Rica, and Canada. Further, we also have exchange programs
with various institutions in the United States, Finland, Germany, Taiwan, and
Mainland China.
With learners from more than eighteen other countries, and after years of effort,
LTS is gradually emerging from being a local seminary to becoming a regional
seminary. Furthermore, it has grown from a school whose primary task was to
train ministers for pastoral work to a school where theological seminary faculty
members are being trained as well. Among all the cooperation programs, our contribution
in the Mekong River Region is especially valued by others institutions and LTS
has been elected by the Lutheran World Federation as the first coordinator of
the Leadership Development, Cultural and Religious Studies in Mekong Region
Network in June 2002.
Because of the synergy created by the various connections and cooperation in
the past years, LTS has experienced rapid growth. Comparing our situation 9
years ago, before moving into the present location, with the figures for 2001,
there is a 96% increase in students, a 271% increase in faculty and 205% increase
in income.
As noted above, LTS has encountered rapid change both internally and externally
during the past decade. Internally, new faculty members contribute original
ideas. Externally, the information era has also has created new challenges for
the world. In order to build a shared vision to bond us together in meeting
the needs of church and society, between 1992 and 2001 we formulated our mission
statement twice. The latest mission statement was completed in 2001. It elaborates
our aims of teaching, for both ministers and lay leaders, to be: the encouragement
of spiritual maturity, academic excellence; to resolve the tension between theory
and practice; to heighten concern for society; develop hearts for ministry,
enthusiasm for mission, skill in teaching and commitment to life-long growth.
To accomplish these aims we made a major
revision of our curriculum. We created timely programs and abandoned programs
that are outdated. Further, we established three institutes: the Institute for
the Study of Luther in the Asian Context (April, 2001); the Institute for Mission
and Intercultural Studies (September, 2001) and the Tao Fong Spiritual Formation
Institute (May, 2002; along with Tao Fong Shan Christian Center). In this way,
we can pool a variety of gifts inside and outside the Seminary and make it possible
to carry out its aims.
Although there are undoubtedly some formidable challenges awaiting us in the
twenty-first century, it is encouraging to remember how much has been accomplished
in the past by the grace of God. It is also important to be aware of how well
equipped we are now. LTS possesses a remarkable faculty, is clear about its
mission, and is favored with a collegial spirit. It is exciting to contemplate
the exhilarating possibilities that lie ahead as we engage our students in the
stimulating process of learning so that their lives will make a tremendous difference
for churches and societies.
