Bethel Bible College in Zambia Undergoes Certification Visit
Last month, Bethel Bible College in Lusaka, Zambia, hosted a site-visit team from the Church of God Division of Education Standing Committee on Certification. The purpose of the visit was to assess the readiness of Bethel to move to Level III certification, which indicates the Church of God’s approval for the school to become a degree-granting institution.
The site-visit team consisted of Peter Thomas, field director for Africa; Jürgen Rudolph, education director for Africa; and, Dwain Pyeatt, international coordinator for the Division of Education. The team inspected the student files, reviewed the course syllabi, observed classroom lectures, interviewed students and faculty, and viewed the library facilities. The site-visit team will report their findings to the Standing Committee, and the Committee will then decide on Level III status for Bethel.
According to J. David Stephens, Assistant General Overseer for the Church of God and Executive Director of the Division of Education, under the guidance of the Standing Committee on Certification, the Division of Education is dedicated to helping Church of God international educational institutions improve their services and ministry, and to assist them in preparing for accreditation.
“The site-visit team made several recommendations to the school administration,” Stephens said. “Principal Duncan Mboma, faculty, and staff are very excited about the positive changes that were suggested by the site-visit team. They are working hard to meet the accreditation requirements of ACTEA, the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa. Level III status will help Bethel fulfill the requirements for ACTEA accreditation.”
Rudolph stated he is happy about the possibilities of Level III certification and the continent-wide impact that will be made as Bethel moves toward future accreditation. When accredited, Bethel will serve as the “anchor” school for Church of God educational institutions in Africa. This will enable the other African schools to send their certificate graduates to Bethel to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree in theology.
