Örebro School of Theology – An Introduction
Academic Programs
Örebro Missionsskola (English name Örebro School of Theology) 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 some 300 students enrolled during an academic year. It is a four-year program, but a number of students are also admitted for one, two or three 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 1,5 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 students are eligible for state grants and loans for their studies.
English speaking courses offered at Örebro School of
Theology
Location
Örebro School of Theology 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 School of Theology share the terms that apply to other students.
Faculty
The faculty of Örebro School of Theology 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 School of Theology 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 two year program gives a basic degree in theological studies, whereas the four year programme leads to a Bachelor of Theology degree (180 ECTS). The degrees are accredited by the Swedish Authorities for Higher Education and the costs are also subsidized by the state. In the four year program, one fourth of the courses more specifically aim at preparing the student for Christian work in churches and missions and these courses currently do not render credit points in the Swedish university system. However, the four year program is accredited by the European Evangelical Accrediting Association (see below).
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 programme for exhange between students and staff within Europe. We have special agreements with Ansgarsskolen in Norway and Evangelische Theologische Faculteit in Brussels. 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.
Homepage: www.orebromissionsskola.se
Örebro
School of Theology – a new name
On 9 September 2010 it was decided that Örebro Theological Seminary should change its English name to Örebro School of Theology. Founded by John Ongman in 1908, the school has fulfilled its core activity to educate and train pastors, leaders and mission workers for the church. The school has been a member of The European Evangelical Accrediting Association (EEAA) since its inception in 1979 and got accredited by this body in 1991. In 1993, the seminary became accredited by the Swedish state to grant degrees in Theology/Religious Studies (from 2004 on the Bachelor level). Today the school offers a wide variety of courses and programs targeted at various groups. In addition to the core acitivity mentioned above, which reflects the seminary tradition, the school also trains other groups, for example teachers in Religious Studies in the public schools. Thus, we feel that the new name, “Örebro School of Theology,” better reflects the current profile of our institution.