It's been 12 years since the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) program has started in Korean churches and contributed to the raising up of leaders in the church. There are 2,500 churches in Korea and 300 in the U.S. that are currently using the extension program. TEE has served as an alternative option for discipleship training and theological training, and is designed in such a way to make it easy for anyone to start the program. As a result, many local churches have been actively participating in the programs.
TEE was first suggested in 1960 in South America by Dr. Ralph Winter, who has had a tremendous effect in world missions today. The program also integrated ideas from Dr. Ted Ward, who brought up the idea of a "fence model," and British missionary Tony Barratt. It started as a system in which people would be able to receive a theological education without a school building, without the physical presence of a professor, and without separate funding for maintenance of the school. Hence, in the perspective of the students, this program had opened a way in which they would be able to receive a theological education without having to attend a seminary in the city, and still be able to serve in their local church while also completing their studies.
The Korean TEE ministry has hosted countless TEE seminars in the past, but this time around, the Korean TEE ministry wanted to create a more meaningful space, and is planning to host a conference.
The conference will be taking place at Anaheim Beautiful Korean Church of the Nazarene from October 23rd to the 24th. Terrick Barratt, the president of SEAN International, which had been a contributor in writing the textbooks since the beginnings of Korean TEE ministries, has been invited to speak at the conference.
"This will be one of the greatest opportunities to learn about TEE, as witnesses of the TEE history will be present," said Pastor Soon-Jin Han, one of the organizers of the conference.
"We're especially happy because in the past, we've had seminars for Korean-speaking pastors about English ministries, but this is the first time that we will have an actual conference for all ministers and pastors who are serving in Korean and/or English ministries," he added.
The TEE curriculum includes 30 different topics such as evangelizing, ministry nurturing, and other advanced curriculums. The program has expanded to 110 countries and over 80 languages, and the credit received from this curriculum is recognized by countless universities. Those who attend the conference and stay for the entire curriculum will be recognized as having completed the basic TEE leadership seminar, and will be able to apply into practice all of the topics that were covered in the conference.
Those who will be speaking at the conference include Pastor Terrick Barratt, Pastor Soon-Jin Han, Pastor Il-Kyung Kim, Pastor Hong-Il Park, Pastor Yoong Choi, Pastor Bong-Ha Lee ad Pastor Hong-Il Lim, the last two of whom will be translating.
The conference will start at 9:30 AM and end at 5:30 PM, and those invited include KM pastors, EM pastors, EM leaders, missionaries, those in the education department in their respective local churches, married couples, and others. The registration fee is $100, which includes the cost for lectures and food, and there is a 50% discount for one person for registered married couples. Those who have previously attended a TEE seminar are also eligible for a 50% discount in the registration fee.
