To be apprenticed to Jesus means we must spend unhurried time with Him. Not just to use Him but to love Him and to be loved by Him.

Singapore Bible College (SBC), an evangelical and interdenominational seminary, was founded in 1952 by pastors and leaders from the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and independent churches with the support of the Chinese Church Union, Christian Nationals Evangelism Commission (CNEC) and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF).

The mission of SBC is to glorify God by training faithful servants of Jesus Christ for the edification of the church and the urgent evangelisation of the unreached.

SBC exists for three major purposes.

Firstly, SBC exists for the urgent evangelisation of the world. One of our graduates, Badamdorji, returned to his home in Mongolia and has trained hundreds of disciples of Jesus Christ to evangelise thousands of Mongols. Another graduate, the Rev Hardi Farianto, was involved in planting 104 indigenous churches in 13 provinces across Indonesia.

Ms Doris Chan, a graduate from The Methodist Church in Singapore, is now serving in Cambodia as a teacher and trainer. Six of our School of Theology and Counselling graduates have started a missionary training centre in Phnom Penh under Gospel Operation International. In partnership with OMF International and CNEC, SBC has groomed many missionaries and Christian workers in various harvest fields.

Secondly, SBC exists to serve the churches. We have dedicated ourselves to leadership training for many years. Among our graduates are Singapore’s Lutheran Bishop, the President of the Evangelical Free Church, and leaders who promote intentional discipleship locally and globally. We are in a continual process of modifying our leadership training model in order to develop effective spiritual leaders for the next generation.

Thirdly, SBC exists to further theological education by training theological educators. As more Bible colleges are started in the East and South East Asia, our key strategy at SBC is to help equip their trainers. To that end, we have produced graduates who are teaching in 19 seminaries and Bible colleges in many countries. We also deploy our faculty to teach in some of these seminaries and assist in their curriculum design.

What is it like to study at SBC?

SBC provides an integration of formal (classroom), nonformal (outside-classroom) and informal (daily life) learning experiences in a worshipful and loving community in order to equip impactful leaders for the glory of God. To produce effective communicators of God’s Word, servant leaders of God’s church and creative thinkers of God’s ministries, SBC seeks to be Biblebased, Christ-centred, Church-oriented, Mission-directed and Context-relevant.

Dr Clive Chin, Dean of the School of Theology, shares: “SBC equips students with understanding of biblical-theological foundations, cultural trends that have an impact on life, church and society, personal and spiritual development, and skills requisite for effective leadership and ministry.”

SBC comprises four Schools – School of Theology (English), School of Theology (Chinese), School of Church Music and School of Counselling. Both Schools of Theology offer numerous Master’s degrees, besides the Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry programmes. The Master of Arts in Counselling is accredited by the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC). In addition, the Centre for Continuing Theological Education offers certificate programmes in English and Chinese through evening courses.

The current enrolment of full-time and part-time students stands at 469 from 25 nations. They come from 15 evangelical denominations, including 50 Methodist students from Singapore and other countries. Since its founding, SBC has graduated about 3,000 alumni serving in 40 nations as pastors, adaptable pastormusicians, missionaries, church planters, theological educators, counsellors and Christian workers.

Here is what three graduands from the class of 2015 have to say about their experience of pursuing an education at SBC:

Hatmuanting, India, Master of Divinity

“Through three years of pursuing my MDiv, SBC has prepared me with quality theological education for leadership and service. I’ve discovered the incredible gift of growing in the knowledge of who God is, and who I am in Christ through a deeper understanding of His Word. I have also learned how to think, not only critically, but also biblically and theologically. It’s amazing how our skilled professors commit themselves to our intellectual development and spiritual growth, both in and outside the classrooms.”

Naw Thandar Aung Kyaw Soe, Myanmar, Bachelor of Church Music

“God put me into a place where I not only received a good education, but also learned from the professors. They serve the Lord with faithful hearts, train the students to be adaptable pastor-musicians, and take care of the students as their own children. “I can proudly say that our School of Church Music professors are like candles that burn themselves out in order to give light. They sacrifice their best for us by investing and passing on their knowledge to each one of us. Their lives and ministries have made a great impact on me in preparation for my future ministry.”

Lee Chiang Hai Mike, Singapore, Master of Arts in Counselling

“The School of Counselling is a close-knit family and this sense of belonging and closeness made my time in SBC a very memorable and meaningful one. I was attracted to this program as the MAC course is accredited by SAC, and the theological subjects would help equip me in God’s Word. I find this program rigorous in equipping me with clinical skills in various counselling techniques, modalities, micro-skills and a very important framework of integrating psychology with theology.”

Mike Lee’s experience can be attributed to a full-time faculty of 28 dedicated professors, and adjunct lecturers who impart their knowledge to the students. Like the student body, professors represent various denominations and hail from several Asian and overseas countries. This creates a sense of belonging that some students have become accustomed to.

Nearly all professors have doctoral degrees in their respective fields of study, as well as ministry experience as pastors, missionaries, Christian Education directors, music pastors, and professional counsellors. This further boosts every student’s education experience.

Presently, SBC is governed by an interdenominational Board of 25 pastors and professionals, from whom a Management Committee of 9 members is elected every two years. In addition, Sub-Committees are formed to facilitate governance in specific functions.

SBC is a faith-based organisation dependent on God to provide through His people and churches. The students’ tuition fees cover 30 per cent of their total cost. Supplementary income contributes another 23 per cent and the remaining 47 per cent is raised from God’s people.

We thank God for placing SBC in Singapore to strategically serve our nation. In August 2015, SBC will celebrate SG50@SBC, themed “Navigating the Future with Faith and Faithfulness”. Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon, who served as Bishop of The Methodist Church of Singapore from 2000 to 2012, will be a keynote speaker at this event.

At our Spiritual Emphasis Week this year, Dr Solomon shared: “To be apprenticed to Jesus means we must spend unhurried time with Him. Not just to use Him but to love Him and to be loved by Him.” May we in SBC continue to love God, be loved by Him, and faithfully work with the Church to share His love with all the world.

Singapore Bible College

9-15 Adam Road, Singapore 289886

Tel: 6559-1555

Website: www.sbc.edu.sg

Enrolment – 2 intakes per year (January & July)

Facilities: (numbers in brackets are seating capacity)

Worship Hall (600)

Lecture Theatre (200)

Multipurpose Hall (100)

15 Classrooms (25–75)

Library

Book Shop

The Haven counselling centre

For more information on SBC and our courses, go to www.sbc.edu.sg

Billy Chiang is the Director of Development at Singapore Bible College (SBC).  He wrote this article with valuable input from the Rev Dr Michael Shen, Interim Principal of SBC.