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A Brief History of Assemblies of God Bible Schools in Latin America

By Dorothy Cederblom

It’s good to pause and reflect upon the past in order to evaluate where we are now and to set new goals for the future.  The ministry of Bible schools in Latin America is a wonderful example of the vision and efforts of those missionary and pioneer workers to prepare ministers for the great harvest that we have been experiencing in the last decades.

How did this process begin almost 70 years ago?  With fervor, these first pioneers focused upon building a foundation of training for pastors and workers.

OUR HISTORY

As soon as people responded to the message of salvation they testified to their wonderful experience and won others to the Lord.  They were so new and without experience with the Lord that it was wise to offer preparation to these “leaders.”

Because of the rapid growth of the work it was impossible to visit and teach each small congregation that sprouted.  Bible Schools were established where workers would be able to study for three months.  This plan was started because of the great need to train national pastors in a way that made it accessible based upon the time these workers had available and their academic preparation.

They were given basic training for ministry that stretched these students considering their educational abilities.  The things they learned in class were vital and were immediately put into practice in the churches where they were pastoring.

Ralph Williams, the first missionary to arrive to El Salvador to begin the Assemblies of God work in Central America, gave this report in his diary:

The Bible School was declared a true success for the pastors and students.  They had vowed to continue their studies next year because they had taken such large steps in spite of the humble beginnings.  These first workers and pastors became the core around which the rules of Christian doctrine, conduct and ministry were formed that had such a tremendous influence upon the whole Christian community and the growth of the work of the Lord. 

         We weren’t satisfied with to stay where we started, however.  We decided to offer some preliminary studies during the weeks before the students arrived for their regular classes.  What would be the best way to proceed?  Brother Chico created the format for the Brief Course.  I wrote the Bible lessons for the selected courses.  My wife Jewyl typed the courses.  They included:  Personal Evangelism, Sunday School, Doctrine and Reading and Writing were included as subjects.  The classes lasted four weeks.  The plan was successful from the very beginning.

The membership profile, that was predominantly rural in the beginning, changed.  There was more liberty to preach the gospel in the large cities.  Many from the country migrated to the urban centers looking for work.  Bible schools began offering night classes and classes on Saturdays so students could study and work secular jobs at the same time.  Additional subjects were added to the curriculum and the program was expanded to four years.

In addition, those Bible schools that had students living on campus taking classes during the day were not growing like the night and Saturday programs.  In the cities there were better opportunities to study, available for all ages.  And many of the new believers were professionals who also wanted to prepare for ministry in their churches.  This phenomenon required that the quality of the professors be improved.  Libraries expanded and became a priority.

The physical appearance of the Bible schools today is much different that during their humble beginnings 70 years ago.  But our objectives and fundamental principals haven’t changed during these years of progress.  And we shouldn’t forget that the values and priorities upon which our Bible schools were founded are the same today.

THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

There were three fundamental principles that formed the basis of the structure and development of the ministerial education program.

The first principle was the belief that all believes are called to be workers for God.  There never existed the idea of separating a select group of the “called.”  Each new convert responded in obedience to God and felt the need to win others.  Simple classes on doctrine were taught before the services began.  These classes were open to everyone, especially for the new believers.

The converts testified as an overflow of fervor and as such needed teaching and direction so that their testimony would have effective results.

These studies were conducted in an atmosphere saturated by the movement of the Holy Spirit.  And the students were son moved into a place of leadership and ministry in a small group.  The focus was pre-ministry training, rather training while they were ministering.

The second principle that dominated the ministry training program was accessibility to studies.  Classes were adapted to the lifestyle of the area.  The needs of the students dictated the curriculum used and it was adapted based upon their level of academic ability.

The third principle that guided the growth of the Bible school was the responsibility of each teacher to share of his life and be a mentor to his students.  The teachers spent time with their students; they ate with them, praised the Lord with them in the services, and counseled them in during those informal times when students felt free to open up.  They were highly motivated to disciple their students and they felt a personal responsibility for the development of character and their spiritual life.

In one country of Central America it was noted that all of the executives of the Assemblies of God received their training in a Bible school that wasn’t in the capital city.  It was located in a part of the country that was sufficiently far enough away that the professors couldn’t commute to the school each day to teach.  They would spend a week or two with their students, not just sharing in class, but also participating in all of the activities of the Bible school.  What resulted was a mentor/professor relationship with the students that produced recognized leadership in ministry.

These same principles should be the foundation of our evaluation of where we are today and should guide us in our decision-making for the future.

Even though we know that the needs in each country change, the need to prepare leaders is greater than ever… the only way that the Bible school can stay faithful to its call is through a methodical self-evaluation and by asking itself specific questions.

This is the challenge before us and we will respond as the Holy Spirit leads us.

Certainly God has blessed the work of the Assemblies of God in Latin America.  The Bible schools and other training programs have produced workers and godly leaders, and our growth has been phenomenal.  To God be the glory!  However, with all of the success and acceptance that we are enjoying today, there is the danger to maintain the status quo and possibly lose the Pentecostal fervor that was the impetus of our movement.  How is the time to objectively evaluate what we are doing in our training programs today, to reaffirm our reason for being, to set goals for the future that are truly subject to the eternal plan of God, and to look for ways to fulfill these goals.