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Spiritual Formation
Maintaining spirituality along with intellectualism has been a big challenge to many intellectuals. More often than not many people complain that many Christians who have had higher education have lost their spiritual steam. The Good News Theological College and Seminary, being aware of this challenge, trains students to maintain a balance between spirituality and intellectualism.
Students worship thrice daily (from Monday to Friday) - 5:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Each service begins with a prayer and a time of praises. The Bible is then read. One of the students preaches or leads a service of praises, prayer or testimonies. A lectionary is usually prepared on books of the Bible. Some of the lecturers of the seminary lead weekly teaching services on one of the evening services. Students learn some exegetical methods through such weekly teachings. Worship services on all the days last for thirty minutes except the 11:00 a.m. service on Wednesdays.
The Lord's Supper is administered on Wednesdays. Students approach the day with self-examination and confession of sins. Experienced ministers of God are usually invited to preach on Wednesdays. The purpose is to give an opportunity to know some practical ways of preaching and interpreting the Bible. Once every month a pastor is invited to share tell his/her life story and ministerial experiences to the students and staff. The guest may either be renowned or unsung. Students ask questions after hearing the life stories and ministerial experiences. Offerings are taken during Wednesday worship services.
Mentorship is another means of spiritual formation at the Good News Theological College and Seminary. Groups of students have a mentor who meets them at times scheduled by the mentor and the students. Matters of mutual interests, personal challenges and other non-academical issues are treated at meetings between mentors and students. The lecturers are the mentors.
The Dean of Students, who is also the acting Chaplain, counsels and instructs students on some matters relating to spiritual growth, inhibition or stagnation. Besides all these, students are encouraged to study the Bible devotionally personally and daily. The New International Version Study Bible and the New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible are Bibles authorized by the administration of the Seminary for devotional studies.
Each year arrangements are made to enable students to go on an outreach. Students stay with some African Instituted Churches for a period. During that period they teach, counsel, preach, lead worship services, and exercise their spiritual gifts. Ministers of their host churches observe the students and later speak to them about the results of their observations. Reports about the ministries of the students are submitted to the administration of the seminary after the outreach program. Lecturers study the reports and continue working on the dynamism of spiritual formation of the students.
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