Brazil seminary develops E-learning to serve wider Portuguese community

Founded in 1957, São Paulo Baptist Theological Seminary (SPBTS), Brazil, is strategically located in the economic and cultural heart of the country. With a strong faculty of Brazilians with Master’s degrees and PhDs, SPBTS is known in Brazil for its quality theological training. Many of the seminary’s 2,500 graduates are scattered across Brazil and the world doing work in the field.

Some unique course offerings include Brazilian Sign Language and Improvement in Pastoral Counseling.  The seminary also offers basic courses for church lay leaders in theology, Sunday school teaching and music. The SPBTS Missions Center is very active, planning missionary trips and special lectures in the area of missions, evangelization and ministry. The seminary has a biannual Symposia, Cultural Week and theological conferences to further train leaders in the local churches.

In an effort to serve the wider Portuguese-speaking community, an E-learning project has been developed. Through distance learning, SPBTS can offer courses as a supplement to their curriculum without the cost of professors’ travel and lodging. The seminary hopes to use this communication resource via satellite in the future. The seminary is also in the early stages of developing extension programs.

Bachelor of Theology graduate Gildásio Pinheiro Nunes is an adult teacher at Vila Dirce Baptist Church where he also conducts a sports evangelism ministry and Bible study for 20 boys. As a result, nine boys have come to Christ. The ministry reaches out to the boys’ parents as well, and some have become involved with the church. “SPBTS was relevant to my growth as a person and with my family,” he says. “It has helped me to see the world and people in a different way” as he’s learned to teach, preach and counsel.