HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EUROPEAN

PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

By David Bundy

The European Pentecostal Theological Association (EPTA), came

into being 16 March, 1979, in a room provided by the Freie Christen-
gemeinde, Vienna, Austria. At that meeting the purpose, goals and
modus operandi were chosen along with a name. Officers were elected
and charged with preparing a draft of a constitution to be considered at
the next meeting.1 Such was the foundation of what should prove to be a
very significant movement toward interchange and cooperation in
European Pentecostal theological education. In order that the import
might be best appreciated, let us briefly consider the history of theo-
logical education within the Pentecostal movements of Europe and the
move toward significant cooperation.

lEuropean Pentecostal TheologicalAssociation,Minutes of ConstitutionalMeetingin

Vienna,Austria on March 16, 1979. 7 pps. photocopy. Hereafter, EPTA, Minutes, 1979.
The author was present at the meeting.

David D. Bundy (Th.M., Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky), serves as

Dean of the Institute of University Ministry, Louvain, Belgium.David is a Ph.D. student
at the Catholic University of Louvain, as well.

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I. HISTORY OF PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGICAL
EDUCATION IN EUROPE

A. Initial Attitudes

As in other areas of the world, the Pentecostal movement in Europe

is the product of a reaction against the orthodoxy-which it considered
dead-of the last half of the 19th century. This notion included a
rejection of the institutions viewed as primarily responsible for the
spiritual climate of the national churches.2 The eventual exclusion from
and/or polemic with those churches served only to reinforce this
antipathy toward formal theological education. Important also was the
sociological profile of the Pentecostal movement. Most of the men who
became successful and influential leaders were comparatively un-
educated. Malcolm Hathaway has suggested five additional reasons for
the "reaction against professional ministry":3 1) the urgency of evangel-
ism and immediate need for pastors, 2) emphasis on the parousia,
3) emphasis on spiritual gifts for ministry, 4) financial stringencies,
5) lack of qualified teachers.
'
B. Before World War II

This attitude was and is widespread.4 However, already before

World War II there was three Bible schools founded:5 1) Bible School
of the Filadelfia Church, 2) Elim Bible College, and 3) Gdanska Instytut
Biblijny.

2Walter J. Hollenweger,Handbuch der Pfingstbewegung.Geneva, 1965-1967. Inaug.

Diss. Zurich. Photographic Reproduction, American Theological Library Association, p.
209, hereafter Hollenweger, Handbuch Compare Hollenweger's Enthusiastisches
Christentum Die Pfingstbewegungin Geschichteund Gegenwart(Zurich : Rolkf Brockhaus,
1969), p. 538. E. T., The Pentecostals (London: SCM, 1972), p. 472, hereafter,
Hollenweger, Pentecostals. This section is not included in the Spanish edition, El
Pentecostalismo Historia y Doctrinas (Buenas Aires: La Aurora, 1976). See also the
observation of Hollenweger, Handbuch, I, 29-32.

3Malcolm R. Hathaway, "Trends in Ministerial Training" Papers Presented at the

Second Meetingof theEuropean Pentecostal TheologicalAssociation,Brussels, Belgium311
January-2 February. 1980. (Leuven: Institute of University Ministry, 1980), p. 18,
hereafter, Hathaway, Trends.

4Hollenweger, Handbuch, p. 1753, quotes from an article by Donald Gee "Bible

Schools are Unnecessary," The Pentecostal Testimony38/81, August 1957, p. 8: "'Bible
Schools are Unnecessary. "' That is exactly what I used to say for many years; and I
believed it too! It is a fitting revenge that in the Providence of Go I now find myself
installed as the Principal of such an Institution.

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 ° 1) The Bible School of the Filadelfia Church, Stockholm,
Sweden was founded by Lewi Pethrus in 1915.6 It was and has
remained very closely tied to the church, training missionaries
and pastors for the satellite churches.

2) The Elim Bible College (Capel, Dorking, England) "was

established by the Elim Pentecostal Church in 1926 in order
to provide training for young men and women in a call to
specialized branches of Christian serve in Great Britain and
overseas The school remained in London until 1965 when
the building was razed by the local council.8 It continues to
'
provide excellent educational opportunities for its students.
Because of the possibilities for examination at the London
Bible College and the University of London, it affords by far
the best possibilities for educational advancement of any
European Pentecostal theological schooL It has also the best
theological library of any Pentecostal school in Europe.
Although limited primarily to English language materials and
smaller than some, it has a good Pentecostal periodical
collection and some archival material.

3) The Gdanska Instytut Biblijny (Danzig, Poland) was

founded by G. H. Schmidt of the Osteuropaischen Mission9 in
1936 It had more influence than any of the other schools
during the pre-World War I period providing Pentecostal
preachers for "Germany, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia,
Estonia, Bulgaria and Switzerland."11 Many of the leaders

6Nils Bloch-Hoell,The Pentecostal Movemen?Its Origin.Developmentand Distinctive

Character. (Oslo Universitetsforlaget, 1964), p. 181. Hollenweger,Handbuch, p. 2022.

7Catalogue and Prospectus, Elim Bible College and Missionary Training Institute,
Capel, Surrey, England, (N.d.), p. 3.

8Ibid.

9John Thomas Nichol, The Pentecostals (formerly Pentecostalism)(Plainfield, N.J.:

Logos, 1966, pp. 194-195, 200). Hereafter, Nichol, Pentecostals. Nichol notes, pp. 194-
195, on the basis of W. Dawidov, "Kosciol Chrzescijan Wiary Ewangeliczney",Th. M.
thesis, Protestant Faculty, Warsaw University, that Schmidt was a naturalized American
from Poland who had returned under the aegis of the Russian Eastern European Mission
. Hollenweger,Handbuch, pp. 1982-1984.

l0I have been unable to verify to my satisfaction this beginning date.

Handbuch, p. 1984.
11 Hollenweger,,

17
 of the European Pentecostal movements taught there includ-
ing N. N. Nikoloff of Bulgaria, G. H. Schmidt of Danzig and
Doanld Gee who would later be instrumental in founding the
Assemblies of God Bible School in England.13

When Hitler's armies marched across Poland, however, the

Danzig school, being dependent on American funding14 was ill
prepared to face the holocaust and closed in 1939, Schmidt
even being imprisoned for six months.15 .

C. After World War II. Proliferation and Development

After World War II there was a rapid proliferation of Bible schools

and training centers.16 The International Bible Training Institute,
Burgess Hill, Sussex, England, was founded in 1945 by Fred H. Squire
to train missionaries.17 Bibelschule Beroa, which started out as the
"Theologisches Institute," Stuttgart in 1951, before moving to
Erzhausen-bei-Darmstadt and taking its new name in 1954,18 was
begun by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Christengemeinden in Deut-
schland (ACD).19 Altogether there are today more than 27 Pente-
costal theological schools with full time faculty, a serious curriculum and
residence program.

1' Ibid..
'
l3Hollenweger, Handbuch, p. 1743, cf. note 4.

l4?ichol, Pentecostals, 195.

15Holienweger, Handbuch, p. 1983. ,

1616Asevidenced during the foundational meeting of EPTA, 11 March 1979, there is

no agreement among European Pentecostal educators as to what constitutes a Bible
School. Generally, we would say that a training school is a short term (less than 1 year)
program which prepares students for one form of ministry and, normally, makes no
pretension of academic soundness.

l7lbid., p. 1802.

1825 Jahre BibleschuleBeroa 1951-1976. (Erzhausen-bei-Darmstadt: Schonbach,

1976), p. 66, and 30 Jahre ACD 1947-1977. Jubilaumsfeier der Arbeitsgemeinschaftder
Christengemeindenin Deutschland KdoR im CongressCentrum Hamburg, 30. September
bis 1. Oktober 1977. (Frankfort am Main: Sekretariat der ACD, 1977), p. 24.

l9Hollenweger, Handbuch, p. 1490.

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 This rapid extension of educational programs reflected a profound
change in attitude toward theological education among Pentecostals in
Europe.20 Donald Gee articulated his impressions in his article "Bible
Schools are Unnecessary":

(What made me say that Bible Schools are unnecessary?) I

foolishing felt that I was doing pretty well as a pastor ... and
later as a writer of sorts ... More solid ground for saying that
Bible Schools were unnecessary was the fact that my col-
leagues in those pioneering days of the Pentecostal Movement
were several rugged, old pioneers who, like myself, had never
been to any Bible School, but were doing solid work of God. A
few of them were 'unlearned and ignorant men' in the most
literal sense of the words. What must be plainly understood,
however, is that they were men of strong natural intelligence
and ability ... Truth requires us to admit that alongside them
were scores and scores of other men who accomplished little
through sheer lack of ability ... These would be leaders of
assemblies did not have either the knowledge of the Word, nor .
the knowledge of how to obtain the knowledge, nor yet the
ability to pass on acceptably the little they did know.211

To meet the need for trained competent workers there has been a
tendency to establish short term schools, and seminars, both regular
and irregular in curriculum. These tended to collect a library of sorts22
and evolve into a residence program. It goes without saying that these
are outside of the normal educational channels of the European
countries. This later phenomenon is both by design and by circum-
stance. Hollenweger perhaps slightly overstates the case when he says
that, "the first task of Pentecostal Bible schools is to build up a spiritual
bulwark against evolutionary theories and biblical criticism."23 How-

20Hathaway, Trends, p. 19.

'
2lHoUenweger, Handbuch, p. 1753 quotes from an article by Donald Gee, "Bible
Schools are Unnecessary." The Pentecostal Testimony38/31 August 1957, p. 8. See above
. note 3a

22To this date, only the Centrale Pinkster Bijbelschool, Zeist, has done serious
archivalwork. Otherwise,apart from Professor Hellenweger's personal collection,there is
no library with an extensive Pentecostal collection including both periodicals, printed
books, other media, and archives.
23Hollenweger, Handbuch, p. 32.

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 ever, the education perceived to be needed was one that was practically
pastoral and untainted by modernist teaching in a context in which the
supporting church body could control the teaching and teachers. The
model, consciously chosen, was the American Bible school approach to
education and curriculum which was radically foreign to the educa-
tional traditions of Europe. So far, only Elim Bible College, Bibelschule
Beroa and the Centrale Pinkster Bijbelschool, Zeist (formerly Den
Haag-24 Scheveningen, Holland) have achieved European recognition
of their degress. By this it is meant that the course of study figures on
salary scales and that graduates with proper secondary education can
teach religion and education courses through the secondary school leveL
In American terms it is a B.A. with a teaching certificate. The Inter-
national Correspondence Institute is accredited by the Accrediting '
Commission of the National Home Study Council. 25 Continental Bible
College, St. Pieters-Leeuw (near Brussels), Belgium, offers a fourth year
B.A. program and is planning a "fifth year" program. It is however,
organized as an American corporation incorporated in l'vlissouri26 and is
not accredited27 which mitigates against its degree being acceptable to
European education ministries.
The only exception to the above is, ironically, east of the Iron
' Curtain. Only the Seminarul Teologic Penticostal of Bucharest,
Rumania, is accredited as a university level program. This was one of the
requirements of the Rumanian government as a condition for its
establishment and has resulted in the highest recognition of any Pente-
costal education effort anywhere in the world.
Also, the Biblijsko-Teoloski Institut of Zagreb, Yugoslavia, has
been perhaps the most creative in adapting its program to the needs of
the local churches and now has nearly 200 students involved in
extension studies during which the student can complete the first year

24The Centrale Pinkster Bibleschool replaced the Nederlandse Pinksterbkjbel-

schooL Groningen, founded by E. A. Graf. (Nichol, Pentecostals, p. 188). For the
foundation of the present school (1967), see R. L. Leach, ASynopsisof theDeveloprrcent
of
the Assembliesof God Work in the Vetherlands. Unpublished report, January 1970, and
Prospectus Centrale Pinkster Bijbelschool, p. 4.

25 Catalogue/Student Handbook International Correspondence Institute (Rhode-

Saint-Genese : ICI, 1977), p. 12. ICI is also a member of the European Home Study
Council and the International Council for Correspondence Education.

26A Self-Study Report (St. Pieters-Leeuw: CBC, 1980, unpublished), pp. 13. 112-
113.

2ï Ibid. p. 1

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of school as a prerequisite for the second and third year of residence
studies.
The practical result of this situation is that the European Pente-
costal Bible schools are in desperate need of government recognition
and an access into the regular graduate programs of European univer-
sities for their students without first having to send them to the U.S.A.
for an accredited degree from where many never return, or, if they do
return may have become culturally too Americanized to minister in '_ .
Europe.
It must also be mentioned that Pentecostal schools, as a matter of
theological principle, are refused permission to join with the evangel-
ical accrediting associations. This is primarily because of the refusal of
American evangelical mission groups to associate with Pentecostals in
Europe and, most importantly, the blind adherence of the German
evangelicals to the 1909 Berlin Declaration.28 To show how rabid this .
critique becomes, it is necessary only to point to the article of Peter
Beyerhaus in which he declares that David Wilkerson and Teen Chal-
lenge ministries to be "un-reformation, unbiblical" and corrupt and
insists that they and all of the Pentecostal movement are filled with
`evil-spirits' "29: this from a missions specialist and seminary professor!
Thus, the Pentecostals could not look to the evangelicals for coopera-
tion in educational programs and resources. They have been forced to _
find their own way.

II. WORKING TOWARD COOPERATION

The need for cooperation between Pentecostal schools was first felt
to be urgent in Germany for the reasons outlined above. Therefore the
seven German language school theological schools of Germany and
Switzerland formed a loose association of Bible schools for mutual im-
provement and cooperation. The meetings are hosted by individual
schools to converse money. Sessions are devoted to upgrading educa-
tional methods, reports of research in education as well as other
concerns felt by members of the faculties and institutions. These

28For a summary of the issue and literature in English, see HoUenwegerPente-

costals, pp. 218-230. For completedocumentation see HoUenweger,Handbuch, pp. 1361-
1407. The text of the Berlin Declaration is found pp. 1400-1403 to which the Mulheim
Conference gave a careful answer, texts pp. 1403-1407.

29Peter Beyerllaus," 'Haben wir nicht in Deinem Namen bose Geister ausgetrieben'
(Mt. 7, 22)," Vorabdruckaus dem Monatsblatt Durchbtick und Diens4 Juli, 1970, 6 pps.

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"seminars" are very inclusive with all faculty and staff being urged to
attend.
The Assemblies of God (U.S.A.)-sponsored Bible schools have also
cooperated but at an administrative rather than a faculty level. This
cooperation was the direct result of efforts by Warren Flattery, now
Director of ICI Europe, to increase awareness of educational programs
around the world sponsored by the Assemblies of God, U.S.A. with the
view to increasing their effectiveness. At the Locarno Conference, June,
197 3,°3o he presented his findings. He observed:

The result of this session ... was a request for a special

Eurasia Education Meeting (which) was called for January
21-25, 1974.311

This has led to a series of meetings each year to discuss standard-

ization of curriculum, leadership training and coordination of programs
as well as comparative studies.32 .
The impetus for a wider cooperation came in the context of the
Pentecostal European Conference (PEK). The chairman of this con-
ference, Jakob Zopfi, of the Schweiz Pfingstmission, in a letter to PEK
committee members dated Emmetten, 12 July 1976, urged that a work-
ship in education be held in conjunction with the conference.33
This resulted in a workship entitled "Onderwijs-Eudcation-En-
seignement-Padagogik" led by G. Wesley Gilpin, Principal, Elim Bible
College, and Teun J. de Ruiter, Assistant Direction of the Centrale
Pinkster Bijbelschool Den Gaag (now Zeist) Holland, at the PEK Con-
ference held at Den Haag, Holland 1-6 August, 1978.34 Four papers

30 Warren Flattery, Report on Eurasia Education Meeting January 21-25, 1974

(unpublished document), p. 2.

311bid.

3 ? %varrenFlattery, ComparativeStudy of theBible SchoolPrograms suggestedby the

RegionalCommitteeson Education for WestAfrica, Eurasio, Far East and Latin America
for the Bibleschools in their respectiveregionsand the Bible CollegeProgram offeredby the
International CorrespondenceInstitute (unpublished docun.ent), January, 1975. This
study makes no attempt at evaluation of the programs but lists the courses offered and
makes suggestions of possible relationships with the ICI program.

33jacob Zopfi, Letter "PEK 1978" Emmetten (Switzerland, 12 July 1976, p. 2.

34Programa. Pinkster Europa Konferentie, Den Haag, Holland, 1-6 Augustus

1978, p. 24.

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were presented: 1) Peter Kusmic (Director of Biblijsko Teoloski .
Institute, Zagreb, Yugoslavia) "Pentecostal Training Institutes in
Europe," 2) George Flattery (Director ICI, Brussels, Belgium), "Effec- .
tive Teaching Methods for Pentecostal Education," 3) Paul Weresch
(Lecturer, Bibelschule Beroa, Erzhauses, W. Germany), "How to Relate
Theory to Practical Needs in the Ministry," and 4) D. L. Richards,
(Director, Centrale Pinkster Bijbelschool), "The Relation Between
Church Training and Training Institutes."35
At this conference it was decided to discuss the accreditation of
schools and the possibilities of founding an association under the aegis
of which cooperation and coordination of resources could be furthered
after the Pentecostal European Fellowship (PEF) meeting in Vienna,
March, 1979.36
Thus, "fifteen representatives of eleven Pentecostal theological
schools in Europe met at ... the Frieie Christengemeinde ... in con-
junction with the Tenth European Pentecostal Conference and Lezders
Seminar..."37 on 16 March, 1979. It was decided to form an associa-
tion (EPTA) and stated, "that the general purpose of EPTA (is to) be
'
the promotion of Pentecostal learning, ministerial training and theologi-
cal literature, and that the immediate purpose be the fostering of ex-
change and cooperation between member institutions."38 The eleven "
schools represented39 were to serve as the nucleus of the new
organization and twelve additional schools verve sent written invitations
to join the association. 40 G. Wesley Gilpin (Elim Bible College) was

35jbid. Unfortunately these papers have not been published.

36Personal notes taken at the meeting The PEF is a conference for leaders of
churches with a fraternal relationship with the Assemblies of God, U.S.A.,EPTA however
is a completely independent organization

3?EPTA, Minutes 1979, p. 1.

38Ibid, p. 6

39The founding institutions: Assembliesof God Bible College,Mattersey, England;

Bibelschule Beroa, Erzhausen, W. Germany; Biblijsko-Teoloski Institut, Zabreb,
Yugoslavia;Centrale Pinkster Bi?belschool,Zeist, Nederland; Elim Bible College,Capel,
Dorking,England; European Bi5leSeminary, Rudersberg, W. Germany;Instituto Biblico
de Portugal, Fanhoes, Loures, Portugal; Institute of University Ministry, Leuven,
Belgium; International Bible Training Institute, Hook Place, England; International
Correspondence Institute, 3russels, Belgium; and Edward Czajko, New Testament
Lecturer at the Bible Schwl of the United Evangelical Church, Warsaw, Poland.
40EPTA Minutes, 1979, pp. 1-3, 5.

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elected chairman and Heinrich C. Scherz, (President, European Bible
Seminary, Rudersberg, W. Germany) was chosen to be the secretary 1
It was decided to hold the Second Meeting of EPTA in Brussels, 311
January to 2 February, at ICI, Brussels, Belgium.42
The second meeting of the association took place as planned in
Brussels, Belgium, and was hosted by the International Corre-
spondence Institute.43 At this gathering, a constitution was approved.
The result is basically a two-pronged organization which admits both
institutional and individual members. The organization has, for the
present, completely avoided reference to accreditation, primarily
because the number of schools controlled by American churches makes
the others perceive this idea as leading to an extension American
influence over the others. They find themselves unable to compete
financially with the larger American churches.
However, there is a serious concern to promote "excellence and
effectiveness in Pentecostal scholarship, ministerial education and
theological literature."44 The members are also committed to the mini-
mizing of overlap of resources, exchange and cooperation in the matters
of faculty, though the problems of language (nine are now represented in
EPTA), international boundaries, and different national laws governing
education impose certain difficulties for cooperation.
At the Brussels meeting, discussion of the constitution was inter-
spersed by the presentation of four papers addressing concerns felt by
the members. G. Wesley Gilpin, Chairman of EPTA, called for excel-
lence and integrity in Pentecostal theological scholarship, Lye. R.
Hathaway (Elim) discussed trer.ds in the theological education, George
Flattery (ICI) raised the issue of accreditation, Hubert Jurgensen
(European Bible Seminary) drew upon his own experience as a doctrinal
student at Tubingen and Strasbourg for his survey of contemporary
theological trends in light of the Pentecostal understanding of

41 Ibid., p. 4 .

42Ibid., p. 6.

43 Minutesof the SecondMeetingof the European hntecostal TheologicalAssociation

31 January- 2 February 1980 Brussels,Belgium,p. 1, hertafter EPTA, Minutes, 1980. The
author served as secretary for the sessions in the absence cue to illness of Heinrich Scherz.
At this meeting four additional schools were represented: Continental Bible College, St.
Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium; Seminario Evangelico Espanol, 14madrid, Spain; Troens Bevis
Bible & Misjons Intitutt, Kvinesdal, Norway; and Sem4arul Teologic Penticostal,
Bucuresti, Rumania.

44EPTA Minutes. 1980, p. 3. (Constitution Art. 2, no. 1)

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 Christianity and David Petts (Assemblies of God Bible College) made a
presentation on "Classroom Methods in Theological Education." The
papers have been published.45
The next meeting of EPTA is to be hosted by the Assemblies of
. God Bible College and Elim Bible College at Elim Bible College, Capel,
Dorking, England, 12-14 February 1981.46 An important agenda item is
to be the further consideration of a statement of faith for the organi-
zation.

III. CONCLUSION

There is no doubt that an organization such as EPTA was desper-

ately needed. It remains, however, to be seen if an adequate com-
promise can be worked out between institutional and individual
scholarly needs which would allow both aspects of the association's
goals to be realized optimally, and whether or not the German language
Bible schools and the Assemblies of God Bible schools will allow the
association to progress without either of the older groups bolting to form
a competing accrediting or scholarly association. It is to be hoped that,
through a strong EPTA, academic quality could reach the point that the
schools could be recognized as equivalent to university training in
Europe.
Finally, one point must be stressed. The search for recognition for
their scholars does not mean that the participants in EPTA have
rejected the early Pentecostal concern that untrained ministers and
evangelists be recognized and accepted by the churches. They do not
want to insist on the completion of a prescribed educational program as
a prerequisite for valid ministry. In most circles there is a concern to be
as flexible as possible, but also to offer each student the possibility of
choice.

45 PapersPresented at the Second Meeting of the European Pentecostal Theological

Association, Brussels, Belgium 31 January 2- February, 1980. (Leuven: Institute of
University Ministry, 1980, 55 pps.

46EPTA, Minutes, 1980, p. 2

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