There are a number of theological seminaries in Indonesia, but one recently started is the Amanat Agung Theological Seminary, located in Jakarta. It was established in 1997. In its first year it had sixty students, who were eager to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. One member of staff graduated from the Evangelical Theological College of Wales three years ago after achieving a Ph.D. degree — he is now the main tutor in the seminary. The seminary aims to give the students a solid biblical foundation, to equip them to labour in the field.
Unfortunately, we do not have many well-qualified men to train the students; we urgently need more teachers to teach people who are eager to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Amanat Agung is where I hope to teach. The seminary has only a few books in its library, mostly imported by the generosity of people who live abroad. Our books are therefore in English, but some of them have been translated into Indonesian. These books are very good in content and written with a reformed emphasis. They will enable students to interact with modernistic literature and help them to discern between the true and the false.
A number of church-workers conferences have been arranged this past year in Indonesia, where a speaker from USA or from the UK was invited. We do not have as many conferences as we would wish, since it is very difficult to obtain permission from the government. Through the conferences we receive good Bible teaching to develop our spirituality. The attendance is very good, with pastors, missionaries, church workers, Sunday school teachers, lay people, and also unbelievers present.
