After planning and praying for almost 25 years, missionaries of the Far Eastern Gospel Crusade (now SEND International) finally realized their vision for a graduate-level training institution when Asian Theological Seminary came into existence. The first two professors were Dr. Charles Sell and Dr. Elliott Johnson. In 1969, they held the first evening classes with 23 part-time students at the Crusade Student Center in Lerma Street, Sampaloc, Manila. With increased enrollment, ATS moved to the Ben-Lor Building near West Avenue Circle in Quezon City.
In 1971, Dr. Cary Perdue was appointed Acting President. Continued growth in the student body under his leadership necessitated an increase in faculty and resulted in the transfer to a three-bedroom house at 55 Panay Avenue. Again the new location soon became too small. For the third time ATS had to move, this time to the Fascon Building on Roosevelt Avenue, San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City.
As ATS grew, so did its support from the evangelical community. In 1975, the Conservative Baptist Mission and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship joined SEND International as co-sponsoring missions. Expanded sponsorship facilitated the incorporation of ATS under a Board of Trustees that represented each sponsoring mission and several national churches. The task of ministering to a broad spectrum of evangelical traditions presented a challenge to ATS.
With the arrival of Dr. William Dyrness in 1974 and Dr. Chester Wood in 1976, ATS gained a reputation for scholarship that attracted students not only from the Philippines but also from other Asian and Western countries. Under their guidance, ATS offered its first Master of Theology (Th.M.) program in 1980.
While Dr. Stewart De Boer was president, the Seminary in 1980 acquired a 1,382 sq. m. campus located at 54 Scout Madriņan St., Quezon City. The original seven-bedroom house was remodeled to provide a permanent home for the Seminary. Rapid growth of faculty and student body marked the succeeding years. In 1983, ATS launched its Extension Programs and in 1986, a second Th.M. was launched, this time in Communications.
When Dr. De Boer resigned in 1986, Dr. William W. Simons, a retired ATS faculty member, assumed the duties of president. Dr. Simons led the two-phase major building expansion which was completed in 1989.
The long search for an Asian president ended when Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit was installed as president of ATS in 1989. In the same year, ATS inaugurated its first regional center, ATS Bacolod. It also welcomed the Christian Reformed World Mission as the fourth co-sponsoring mission and an affiliate study center was begun: The ATS Center for Transformation Studies (ACTS).
Accreditation was also part of the forward thrust of the Seminary. On November 22, 1991, ATS obtained accreditation from the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA). This accreditation was granted again in 1999. In 1992, Asia Theological Association (ATA) gave a five-year recognition of the Master of Divinity programs. In 1999, ATA reaccredited all the Master of Divinity programs together with all the Master of Arts and Graduate Diploma programs. In 1994, ATS was granted government recognition and continues to relate to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
ATS sponsored, in 1993, Christians in the Marketplace, a consultation of Christians involved in various fields of the secular world. This gave birth a year later to an organization named Network of Christians in the Marketplace. The ATS Lay Institute, or ATSLI, was also started, with the vision of equipping Christians in the marketplace to be salt of the earth and light of the world in their places of work.
In 1994, ATS broadened its mission statement and formulated its statement of core values. While retaining the historic role of preparing pastors for urban churches, ATS now accepts a growing responsibility for the equipping of lay leaders. At the same time, the missions programs have expanded, with the goal not only of producing more missionaries but also missiologists who will grapple with the issues of the 21st century.
More attention is now being given to spiritual formation, with the appointment of a Chaplain and the establishment of Care Groups. Field work is also stressed, with internship programs now also in place.
The seminary currently offers 21 lay and professional programs in seven majors: Biblical Studies, Christian Education, Counseling, Lay Studies, Missions, Pastoral Studies, and Theology.
In its 30-year history, ATS has grown into a major interdenominational
seminary serving approximately one hundred different churches
and parachurch organizations in the Philippines and throughout
Asia. God is faithful and He alone deserves the glory and
praise!
