EGST was jointly founded in 1997 by the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC), the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) and the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE). Together, they represent virtually all of the Protestant evangelical churches in Ethiopia. This joint ownership is an excellent example of partnership and cooperation in Ethiopia by brining ecumenical diversity into unity. EGST is registered in Ethiopia according to Proclamation Number 691/2003 by the Ministry of Federal Affairs to serve church and society with the objectives of teaching, research and community outreach services in Ethiopia and beyond.
EGST is fully accredited by the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA) which recognizes the relevance and teaching standards of EGST’s programmes as well as the overall administration and resources of the school. EGST’s graduate programs are also validated by the prestigious Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. In order to further strengthen its standards and improve its efficiency and effectiveness, EGST is partnering with other reputable international universities and research institutions.
Governance and Management
EGST is governed by a constitution and bylaws and overseen by the Council of Owners and Board comprised of EECMY (40%), EKHC (40%) and ECFE (20%), to whom the administration of EGST is fully accountable.
Day-to-day academic and administrative management is under the Faculty Council and Administration Council chaired by the Director. The main administration units are headed up by the Heads of Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Development and Communications and Student Affairs.EGST has had four directors: Dr Peter Cotterell, former Principal of London School of Theology and EGST’s founding director from 1997 to 1999. He was succeeded by Rev Dr Debela Birri who retired at the end of 2007. Succession passed to Dr Desta Heliso who completed his term at the end of 2015 and was succeeded by Dr Misgana Mathewos in January 2016.
The founding vision was born within the Mekane Yesus Seminary (MYS) of EECMY and the Evangelical Theological College (ETC) of EKHC, but the growing need for contextually relevant and affordable graduate level theological education in Ethiopia was perceived within all evangelical churches in the country. So the involvement of the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE) was deemed essential in order to facilitate the sharing of the school by the other evangelical churches of Ethiopia. The leaders believed that the constitutional right to freedom of religion and the remarkable growth of churches in Ethiopia provided an unprecedented opportunity to impact society through leadership and scholarship that are creative, biblical, contextually relevant and thoroughly informed by a transforming vision of God’s purpose in and for the world. It was this vision that led to the establishment of EGST and which continues to drive EGST forward today.