Raleigh Biblical Recorder, NC
July 7 2004
Seminary grows church planters
By Tony W. Cartledge
BR Editor
ASHTARAK, Armenia – The Theological Seminary of Armenia stands on a
high ridge above the village of Ashtarak, about 20 minutes from the
capitol city of Yerevan. From the windows of its dining room in the
dormitory building, one can look above the roofs of nearby apartment
buildings to gaze upon snow-capped Mount Aragats, more than 14,000
feet tall. From a window in the chapel of the classroom building, one
can see the biblical Mountains of Ararat rising beyond a scattered
forest of power lines.
The view, like the seminary itself, is inspiring. The school’s first
classes were held in 1998, in facilities at Central Baptist Church in
Yerevan. On June 26, the seminary graduated its second class of
pastors.
Seminary students pose outside the dormitory as they look toward
graduation. Rector Asatur Nahapetyan and faculty member Gagik
Tarrerdyan are front and center.
The seminary does not accept a new class of students each year, as in
American schools. Rather, a single class is recruited and trained for
three years, building close relationships among the students and
simplifying the class schedule. After graduation, another class
begins its course of study.
The degree programs are more professional than academic. Most
students have a high school education, though some have more, and
some less.
The three-year track for pastors typically includes about 20
students. A two-year Christian Education program of about 30 students
trains additional workers for the churches.
Armenian culture expects men to serve in the role of pastor,
according to Asatur Nahapetyan, who is rector (equivalent to
“president” in America) of the school. The Christian Education
program, however, is predominantly composed of female students, and
Nahapetyan acknowledges that the churches depend heavily on the
contributions and informal leadership of women.
Women, in fact, make up at least 80 percent of the membership in most
Armenian churches. A large percentage of those women are elderly or
unemployed, contributing to the difficulty of churches becoming
self-sufficient.
The seminary budget of just over $50,000 annually is funded almost
entirely by donations. Most students attend on scholarship, and also
receive funds to facilitate travel to their church assignments on the
weekends. Although Armenia is no larger than the state of Maryland,
poor road conditions require some students to ride public buses for
eight hours or more to reach their church field.
Seminary facilities consist of two primary buildings. A three-story
academic building contains classrooms, offices and a small chapel. It
was constructed in 2000 with funds raised by a former International
Mission Board missionary. In 2002, N.C. Baptist men constructed a
companion building to provide dormitory rooms and kitchen/dining
facilities.