Costa Rican seminary emphasizes “Being, Knowing and Doing” the faith

The Evangelical Seminary for Pastoral Education (ESEPA) in San José, Costa Rica, was founded 23 years ago to train pastors for their churches. It began with a few students and only offered night classes. ESEPA now offers day and night classes with training at the certificate, diploma, bachelor and master’s levels. Approximately 10% of Costa Rican churches send their students to the interdenominational seminary.

ESEPA trains evangelical leaders to address the problems of the church in Costa Rica and throughout Central and South America. The training is threefold: strengthening Christian character (“Being”), acquiring biblical theological knowledge (“Knowing”) and developing skills for effective leadership (“Doing”). To integrate faith with life and learning, all students and faculty have a regular ministry.

ESEPA students and 209 alumni are involved in pastoring local churches and leading international ministries based in Costa Rica. Some are serving internationally in over 20 countries as church planters and translators. Many more serve in their local churches while they work in secular professions.

“Because of ESEPA’s graduates,” writes an ESEPA faculty member, “churches are more solid and visionary…and a truly worldwide vision for the Gospel’s advance has found a home in many congregations who are now sending Costa Rican missionaries.”

In addition, ESEPA created a Christian Education Center to strengthen the community’s churches, parents and schools through education. ESEPA cooperates with other institutions in the area by sharing library facilities, offering online courses to outside students and ESEPA professors visiting to teach courses. ESEPA also plans to offer all BA and MA programs online in the next several years.