Welcome to Örebro Theological Seminary
Academic Programs
Örebro Missionsskola (English name Orebro Theological Seminary) includes several educational programs with around 200 full-time and 160 part time students from a wide variety of denominations. The theological seminary is the largest program with 300 students enrolled during the academic year 2008-2009. It is a four-year program, but a number of students are also admitted for one or two years of study. An alternative way of getting into ministry in the church is to follow the two-year (with an opportunity to take a third year) church-based theological program called SALT (Scandinavian Academy for Leadership and Theology) that has been running for over ten years now. SALT is a network including some Swedish, Danish and Norwegian partners as well. Other programs are a one-year Bible course for lay people and a one-semester course for new missionaries. We also have a one-year program designed for teachers of religious studies in Swedish schools, a cooperative effort with the state University of Örebro. The first year of the seminary program is also given as part time distance learning courses. The number of applications is growing, especially for distance courses. The Swedish students are eligible for state grants and loans for their studies.
We welcome international students to our English speaking courses. We encourage students from Europe to come as exchange students in the Erasmus program. For more information about the Erasmus program, see here.
Important: We do not currently admit students from outside of Europe.
English speaking courses at Örebro Theological Seminary, the academic year 2008-2009.
Location
Örebro Missionsskola is situated immediately adjacent to a growing university of around 14.500 students in Örebro, a city of around 100.000 citizens. In Sweden housing is normally not provided by the schools but our students benefit from a large supply of lodging in the area available to students. Thereby the students at Örebro Missionsskola share the terms that apply to other students.
Faculty
The faculty of Örebro Missionsskola consists of about 15 full time lecturers and a number of part time lecturers. Eight faculty members hold PhD and a couple more are pursuing doctoral studies. The lecturers also teach in other schools in Sweden and abroad.
Affiliations
A merger between three Baptist/evangelical denominations in Sweden, Örebromissionen, Helgelseförbundet and Fribaptisterna, brought as a consequence that Örebro Missionsskola is owned by Evangeliska Frikyrkan (internationally known as Interact). Örebro Missionsskola also cooperates with the Pentecostal movement in Sweden in a three year church based theological program and with the Swedish Alliance Mission in a similar program.
A Basic Curriculum
The first two years are designed to give a basic degree in theological studies. This degree is accredited by the Swedish Authorities for Higher Education and the costs are also subsidized by the state. The following two years more specifically aim at preparing the student for Christian work in churches and missions. These two years have a number of elective courses where the students can specialize towards church ministry, teaching or transcultural work. The four year program offers a Bachelor of Theology degree (210 ECTS) in the Swedish university system.
Now and the Future
We have been happy to find that our school enjoys a good reputation and evidently corresponds to a demand for contemporary evangelical theological education. We are happy for the network of contacts with other institutions both within and outside our country; agreements exist between some theological schools that enable students to take some courses in other countries. Our four year program is accredited for being comparable with the Master of Divinity degree through EEAA (European Evangelical Accrediting Association) and the SALT program has received accreditation on Diploma level (two years) or Bachelor level (three years). From 2007 we partake in the Erasmus program for international exchange between students and staff. We have special agreements with Angarsskolen in Norway, and Evangelische Faculteit in Brussels (more information here). For the future we are interested in developing more international contacts, especially in establishing a recurrent exchange of students and staff with academic institutions in the two-third world.
