THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION BY EXTENSION COLLEGE

(Association incorporated under section 21)

EQUIPPING ANYONE ANYWHERE FOR MINISTRY

TEE College is Provisionally Registered with the Department of Education.  Registration Certificate No. 2008/HE08/002 20 Gantner Street, Haddon, Johannesburg.  P O Box 74257 Turffontein 2140. Tel : +27 11 683-3284  Fax : +27 11 683-3522  admin@tee.co.za   

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About TEE

What is TEETEE CollegeMission & Vision

What is TEE

Theological Education by Extension began in 1963 at the Evangelical Presbyterian Seminary of Guatemala, South America.  Teachers at this seminary were struggling with the question of how a single seminary could prepare ministers for a diverse range of ministry needs.  They embarked on an experimental programme based on the belief that the seminary would need to go to the student rather than the student coming to the seminary.  This enabled the context of the student to be taken into consideration and used as a part of his/her training.

Many of the prospective seminary students were already running parishes and involved in various areas of ministry.  Now, instead of abandoning ministry work and uprooting themselves and their families to attend a residential seminary, they remained at home ..... remaining economically active and involved in their ministry.  Instead of attending lectures they studied course material (especially written for education by extension) supplied to them by the seminary and they met regularly in groups with a tutor to discuss the academic work and how it related to the praxis; the actual practice of ministry among God's people.  Thus TEE is not merely correspondence or distance education; it is supported by a tutorial structure which enables the study to become contextualised.

The idea developed of decentralising the training of ministers.  The concept spread initially to the Caribbean (Honduras and West Indies) and  Latin America (Columbia, Bolivia and Brazil).  It then spread to North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa.  Today, TEE programmes are found in the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Madagascar, Mauritius, Pakistan, India, Australia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Zaire, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and Southern Africa.   

            

TEE College (Southern Africa)  

In 1975, the Joint Board for the Diploma in Theology appointed a committee to investigate the possibilities of a TEE programme in Southern Africa.  The National Committee for Theological Education of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) then took up the work of the Joint Board and submitted a report of their findings to the SACC.  On the 23 March 1976 a formal agreement was reached to set up a TEE programme in Southern Africa.  Therefore, TEE College was established in response to the needs of the church.

From its inception, TEE was an anti-apartheid institution which provided Theological Education within a non-racist, non-sexist, ecumenical and multi-lingual setting.

Its purpose is to provide training in Christian living, witness and service by the extension method of education, on an ecumenical basis.  TEE is designed to assist the natural leaders in the Church to better equip themselves for a more effective ministry (a ministry that is to be understood in the widest possible sense).

The training of local tutors and the provision of contextualised study materials is part of the function of TEE College (Southern Africa).

TEE College (Southern Africa) is an ecumenical theological training college which is supported by nine member churches.  It provides contextual theological education by extension (correspondence study supported by a tutorial structure and a network of Regional Centres).

TEE College has been referred to as an theological technicon ...... taking the classroom, programmes and courses to the student, which enables him or her to continue in their employment as well as their service in their church whilst receiving their training.

This allows theology to be applied and become contextual, relevant and meaningful.
 

The focus is on

              Knowing .......

                             Being .......

                                        Doing .......

TEE College has been granted full accreditation by the Council on Higher Education.  Registration with the Department of Education is underway.  

Mission Statement

TEE College's mission is to : 
  • utilise multi-media resources
  • develop tutorial groups
  • suitably train staff
  • create and implement an appropriate and well-ordered infrastructure

in order to convey practical, relevant and contextual course material within a non-discriminatory and ecumenical setting for students from diverse backgrounds in Southern Africa.

 

Vision Statement

TEE College seeks to :
  • create and maintain equal opportunities for Theological Education by Extension
  • enable and empower an increasing number of students from diverse denominational, cultural and educational backgrounds
  • equip it's students for ministry (lay and ordained) so that they can serve their communities by freely sharing the content of their Christian faith and addressing the changing needs of Southern Africa.


The TEE College is presently situated at 20 Gantner Street, Haddon, Johannesburg.