In pursuit of our mission Africa Reformation Theological Seminary holds the following core values and convictions:
Submission to Biblical Authority
ARTS is committed to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired and inerrant Word of God and the only infallible, totally trustworthy, sufficient guide, and final authority for all matters of thinking, life and practice and for the church’s worship and mission in the world.
A Love for the Gospel, the Church and Missions
Our lecturers are men and women who love the gospel of grace, love the bride of Christ, the church, and are passionate about worship, evangelism, preaching, church planting, biblical discipleship, biblical counseling, church revitalization and world missions and who wish to impart a heart for the church and the lost world to our students. Since God has ordained the church as His agent to do His work in this world, the church is central and indispensable in all ministry. The goal of ministry is, according to Ephesians 4:7-16, to build up the church in her worship and work to be healthy and mature, to speak the truth in love and thus to carry out her God-given mission. The training of pastors at ARTS focuses on equipping them to equip church members and congregations to do the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ. Healthy, biblical churches are the source and goal of missions.
Reformed and Confessional
We gladly affirm the theology that grew out of the 16th century Reformation and is contained in the great confessions of this era including the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Canons of Dort (1619) and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (1647-8). ARTS is committed to Reformed theology. Each year our teaching faculty members affirm their agreement to these confessional standards. These confessions summarize what the Bible teaches and establish the doctrinal orientation for all our classes and instruction. The essence of Reformed theology is a willingness and zeal to conform all of life to the Word of God.
A Diverse Student Body
ARTS welcomes students from a variety of churches and traditions who are serious and sincere in their pursuit of theological education. We currently have students from many denominations and from Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Holiness and Godliness of Life More important than intelligence and talent for fruitfulness in gospel ministry is godliness. Robert L. Dabney once said “The prime qualification of a sacred orator is sincere, eminent piety.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne has said “A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.” Our lecturers seek to pursue, model and promote true holiness and godliness among our students.
A Balanced, Caring Community
While we do not believe that the Seminary is a church or can take the place of a church, we do believe that learning takes place best in a community of love, encouragement and accountability. ARTS seeks to become a community of serious scholar-servants who love God with all their minds and hearts, and who love others for His sake. Because both zeal without knowledge and knowledge without godly zeal can only injure the church, ARTS seeks to develop among lecturers and students a community where there is a balanced combination of solid learning, Christ-like piety, loving fellowship, caring community life and a strong sense of mission and outreach to a lost world for the sake of Christ’s fame and his gospel.
Preparing our Students for Ministry in an African Context
Africa has special needs and challenges. Effective pastoral and church ministry in Africa requires specialized sensitivity and training. ARTS’ calling is to address the complex issues confronting the church’s witness on our continent and to develop and equip pastors and church leaders who can wisely apply biblical principles to Africa’s challenging and rapidly changing context.
Academic Excellence
Effective African church leadership will increasingly require spiritual maturity, scholarship, keen biblical insight and analytical and critical discernment. In order to train leaders for tomorrow, ARTS will increasingly pursue academic rigor and academic excellence.
An African and International Faculty
ARTS is an African institution with growing number of African lecturers. However, there is an intentional international partnership of Reformed teachers working together with Africans to carry out the ARTS mission.
Church-Based Training
The church is God’s agent for his work in this world of redeeming a people for his glory from every tribe, tongue and nation. The life of the local church is the best place to learn and prepare for church ministry. ARTS seeks to train future pastors through experienced pastor-mentors and through student internships in local churches.
A Biblical Worldview
A pastor needs a biblical worldview to minister effectively to believers and to the lost. ARTS aims to equip students through extensive training in biblical and theological knowledge in order to cultivate a Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Word of God.
Equip Women and Pastors’ Wives for Effective Church Ministry
While ARTS does not endorse the ordination of women as church officers (elders, preachers or deacons), we are firmly committed to the importance of women’s ministry in the life of the church. Women are warmly welcomed to our academic programs. Our two degree programs equip women for non-ordained ministry and equip wives of students to be effective pastoral partners and teammates.
Extension Education
Many pastors in Africa are unable to pursue residential theological education. ARTS plans to develop extension centers in the future. These will have the mission of taking theological training to strategic centers and providing intense course work for pastors and leaders unable to travel to Kampala.