One of the most stimulating aspects of working at London Theological Seminary (LTS) is the wide variety of the backgrounds of the men who we train.
With students from four or five continents coming to London Theological Seminary, the cultural mix is ideally suited to training pastors and preachers for the global village in which we now all live. How did this come about?
Lloyd-Jones’s vision
Following the death of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1981, the Board of LTS set up a fund in his memory to help men from Eastern Europe and from developing countries come to study at the Seminary. In 1977, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ML-J) had been the driving force behind the establishment of LTS, whose exclusive aim was (and remains) the training of men for preaching and pastoral ministry. The objective of the new fund was to enable men from other parts of the world, who would not otherwise be able to afford it, to train at LTS. They would then return to their home countries to minister.
Across the globe
Men have come from Poland, Romania, Hungary, Armenia, Macedonia and Greece and, beyond Europe, from the Philippines, Burma, India, Nigeria, Madagascar and Ethiopia, among others. Ravaka Rajo from Madagascar was at LTS from 2002 to 2004. He returned to pastor a church in his home town of Antsirabe and has recently taken on responsibility as principal of the Baptist Seminary there. Noel Espinosa (LTS 1988-90) returned to the Philippines after studying in London and now heads the Grace Ministerial Academy in Cubao. Titus Ndoen (LTS 2004-2006) is now ministering as chaplain in the International Christian School in Jakarta, Indonesia. Meng Chai Ong (LTS 1984-86) is ministering in Malaysia.
UmaKanta Sharma (LTS 2009-2011), converted to Christ from a high caste Hindu background and is now ministering and evangelising in Nepal. John Htaw (LTS 2010-12) has returned to his native Burma to minister and teach at a seminary among his own people. Tamas Burjan (LTS 1997-99) is ministering in Hungary. These examples could be multiplied. We thank the Lord that so many men have been equipped for service across the world in this way.
Recent restrictions
More recently, however, all has not been plain sailing for visa students wishing to come to the UK to study. Difficulties have arisen as a result of the much stricter immigration policy introduced by the last Labour government and continued by the current Coalition. In an attempt to stem abuse, a completely new system for granting student visas was brought into effect in 2007/8. This involved the vetting and licensing of each institution wanting to continue to take visa students. The changes thus affected small privately-funded colleges like LTS, as well as much larger institutions.
Each college, including LTS, had to be inspected and approved by the authorities and its courses validated. The content of what is taught on the course was not subject to approval or investigation. However, every other aspect of the institution (including its facilities, accommodation, catering and work spaces) were inspected and attention paid to the standards of the teaching provided. The process was time-consuming and expensive, but LTS, along with many other seminaries and colleges, was successful in obtaining the necessary accreditation.
Radical overhaul of system
The Coalition government then decided that a radical overhaul of the new system was required. The Conservatives had made an election promise to bring down net immigration substantially and the student route was seen as an easy target to help meet this pledge. These changes meant a further round of inspections and approvals, from a different accrediting agency, with further work and expense. Again, LTS, like other colleges, negotiated these successfully. LTS thus remains fully licensed to take students from any part of the world for study.
Negative effects
However, the government initiatives in this area have not been without their effects. We have noticed a significant drop in applications from countries, such as Burma and the Philippines. We believe that this may, in part, be due to the increasingly poor reputation which Britain now seems to be gaining as a place to study for international students.
Two other factors are also relevant. Visa students at private institutions like LTS are no longer permitted to take on part-time paid work (as they used to, particularly during vacations, to help fund personal expenses during their time here). Also, they are not able to bring their wives and families. While students coming to study on an ML-J bursary would normally have come alone, other visa students — e.g. from South Africa, Australia or North America — would generally have come with their families. They are no longer able to do this, with the result, of course, that such men are far less likely to come to LTS to study.
Taking action
What are we doing in the face of these new challenges?
Firstly, we are not giving up on the countries where historically we have had students coming to us on Martyn Lloyd-Jones bursaries. We are encouraging suitable men from countries such as the Philippines, Burma, Ethiopia, Nigeria to consider applying to study at LTS on an ML-J bursary. We are contacting church leaders in those countries to encourage them to send us men who can return to their home country after training at LTS to minister. We hope thereby to keep the multicultural ethos of the seminary.
John Owen Centre
Secondly, we have developed a scheme whereby students from visa countries can come to study under the auspices of the John Owen Centre at LTS, for periods of up to six months (as the visa requirements are less strict for shorter periods). Their studies are supervised by Dr. Garry Williams, Director of the Centre, and may consist of individualised study plans or attendance at LTS lectures, or a mixture. So far, we have seen men come from Burma, Cuba, Ethiopia and India on this scheme. They have prepared teaching material for their seminaries back home and sermon series for preaching and carried out biblical and theological studies to further their own understanding. This is an exciting initiative that we are eager to see develop.
Needs in Europe
Thirdly, we are recognising the enormous need for faithful gospel ministry on our doorstep, in continental Europe. There are significant signs of a real re-awakening to the great truths of the Reformation in Germany, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Romania and elsewhere. We are in contact with a number of men involved in leadership in churches and seminaries in these countries. We want to help train men for ministry in these parts of Europe. To that end, the Board of LTS has recently decided to extend the ambit of the Lloyd-Jones fund to cover suitable students from anywhere in the world, apart from the UK (for which we have a separate fund).
Although countries in western Europe are comparatively wealthy, the churches in them that hold to a Reformed theology are often small and struggling and unable to afford the costs of sending a man to seminary. Yet, without the rigorous training which a full-time seminary provides, it may be difficult for the kind of strong, sound, theologically-rooted leadership needed in these countries to develop. We very much hope that the extension of the Lloyd-Jones fund will benefit suitable international students, wherever they come from.
Robert Strivens is Principal of London Theological Seminary.
If you would like further information about the Lloyd-Jones fund, please contact admin@ltslondon.org or write to LTS at 104 Hendon Lane, London N3 3EJ. LTS is a registered charity, no. 281464.
