History

Madras Theological Seminary & College was founded by the OMS International, which was the mother organization of Evangelical Church of India.

OMS International was founded in Japan in 1901 by The Rev. and Mrs. Charles E. Cowman with the help of The Rev. E.A. Kilbourne . The work was born out of the conviction that the Christian message must be taken to the un-evangelized masses as quickly as possible.

Believing that this could best be done by a trained and Spirit-filled national ministry, a distinctive policy of the OMS International is to establish Bible Seminaries in each field for the training of such ministry.

The other distinctive policy is to directly evangelize the masses in obedience to the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20. This has, in a practical way, been done by what is known as the Every Creature Crusade (ECC) ministry, which endeavours to place a portion of the gospel in every home of a given area of Labour. This assures every creature of at least one chance to know about Jesus Christ through the printed word.

Between 1912 and 1917, in a nation effort, 1,030,000 homes of Japan were visited with the message of the Gospel. This distribution campaign was greatly blessed by the Lord and for the first time in the history of the church, an entire nation was covered in a systematic way with the printed Gospel message. One outstanding result of this crusade was the emergence of organized churches as well as some eight hundred preaching points scattered throughout the land. These were ministered to by pastors and evangelists who had been trained in OMS International’s Tokyo Bible Seminary. The fire that was kindled in Japan spread in 1917, to China in 1925 and to various Latin American countries and India in 1941.

OMS International is now working in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal. OMS International is currently operating three Bible Seminaries in India, one in Allahabad, the other in Madras (Chennai) and one in West Bengal as well.

Madras Bible Seminary (MBS), now Madras Theological Seminary & College (MTSC) was founded by the Oriental Missionary Society (OMS) in the year 1953. Since its inception, thousands have been trained as pastors and evangelists and most of them are serving the Lord with the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) in various capacities throughout the length and breadth of India and some even abroad. In the year 1993, the name Madras Bible Seminary was changed to Madras Theological Seminary & College.

Statement of Purpose

Madras Theological Seminary & College (MTSC) is maintained by OMS International in cooperation with the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) to educate men and women for Christian ministry as pastors, evangelists and lay-leaders who are committed to God to a particular service for which they recognize a need for Seminary training. While special reference is made to the ministries of the ECI, MTSC welcomes the opportunity of assisting students from other denominations and independent churches who are seeking preparations for fruitful Christian life and ministry.

Through its faculty, staff and students, MTSC seeks to inspire devotion to Jesus Christ as Divine Saviour and Lord, to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and to consistent Christian living in personal and social realms under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Discipline, study, personal commitment and authentic living are means by which Truth is pursued at MTSC . In the search for truth, student growth, development and preparation for the work of the ministry are the primary goals. Therefore, MTSC seeks to help its students to:

  1. Develop a relationship with and dependence on God through prayer, personal study of the Scripture, worship, witness and service.
  2. Develop a wholesome personal spiritual life consistent with the Word of God as they come to deeper understanding and personal experience of the power of the Gospel.
  3. Develop a vision for worldwide needs and a desire to meet these needs with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  4. Develop attitudes and gifts consistent with the work of the ministry.
  5. Develop relational, communicative skills essential for effective ministry.
  6. Develop the ability to think productively and to understand and evaluate the thoughts of others.
  7. Develop a desire for continual learning and awareness of the educational, social , political , economic and theological trends of the day.

Logo

The Logo is an impression of the motto and goal of the Seminary. The Bible signifies academic reflection. The Dove indicates the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the Church denotes pioneer evangelism and church planting. In total, it symbolizes the academic reflection with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for evangelism and church planting.

Affiliation and Accreditation

Madras Theological Seminary & College has been affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College, since the academic year 1985. MTSC has also been accredited by the Asia Theological Association, which is a member of the International Council of Accrediting Agencies of the World Evangelical Fellowship.

This , it is hoped will add a certain prestige to our work and will be the means of both raising our standards and providing educational resources in order to realize our pursuit of excellence.