(Updated March 2009)
The Rwanda Institute of Evangelical Theology (RIET, also known by its French acronym FATER: Faculté de Théologie Evangélique au Rwanda) exists to enable its students to mature as disciples of Jesus Christ, in order to become fishers of men (Matthew 4:19), and so to participate in God’s mission by themselves making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
Accordingly the faculty has the following fundamental values:
1. It is evangelical: it bases its whole life and teaching on the inerrant word of God.
2. It is transformational: it seeks the transformation of its students in conformity with the image of Christ.
3. It is missiological: it assists its students in the development of their spiritual gifts – including leadership, teaching, evangelism and others – so that they may faithfully engage in God’s redemptive mission to Rwanda and beyond.
4. It is contextual: its goal is that the unchangeable word of God should be faithfully applied to the realities of the contemporary world in Central Africa – and especially in Rwanda – and elsewhere.
5. It is integral: it pursues a profound integration of the spiritual, cognitive and practical in all areas of its life and in the lives of its students.
Background
RIET is now almost 7 years old. The vision for the school came from the Alliance Evangélique au Rwanda or AER (Evangelical Alliance of Rwanda), a body which embraces between 20 and 30 church denominations and a few para-church organizations, and is affiliated to the Association of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA). A number of its member churches felt the need of training for their own leadership and, following some consultation with Africa Inland Mission, decided to work together in the setting up of a theological school rather than each trying to establish their own. It was founded by the Alliance Evangélique au Rwanda (AER) in November 2001. It is therefore a genuinely Rwandan initiative rather than an imported solution to Rwandan concerns as perceived by expatriates. It constitutes a testimony to the faith of the Alliance’s leadership who pushed ahead with the project despite a lack of material support, but motivated by a concern that Rwandan believers be effectively led and discipled.
The lack of a good centre for training church leadership at a tertiary level has been a longstanding problem in Rwanda and the issue has become a critical one since the genocide of 1994 for a number of reasons. First, numbers of pastors were killed in the genocide, while others were implicated in the atrocities and imprisoned. Second, the participation of some professed Christians in the genocide indicated the very low level of effective discipling that had been taking place within the church. Third, in recent years the country has been developing and there is a growing middle class as well as significant urban congregations. A well-trained church leadership is important if these people and churches are to be adequately led and taught as believers. The often poor preaching and teaching in churches highlights the problem to which the Faculty seeks to respond.
The Rwandan churches also face other problems. There is a growing Muslim presence evidenced by a large new mosque in the centre of Kigali. The fraudulent ‘health and wealth gospel’ is communicated in some churches and also through occasional ‘evangelistic campaigns’ in Kigali. And the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a major impact on the country. Consequently, the faculty aims to provide a solid and biblically based evangelical training for pastors and other leaders within the Rwandan church, a training that equips them to minister the gospel in their own context.
27 students have already graduated and the second group are finalising their dissertations. There are at present 62 students in four year groups. Most of the students are actively engaged in church ministry and so teaching takes place through evening classes.
RIET has survived its early years despite significant difficulties, including the problem of finding consistent Rwandan leadership for the school, through the perseverance of the Alliance. Their desire is that the school should move forward and there has been some progress over the last few months.
