Yu-Shan Theological College and Seminary

Founded on Biblical principles, the school was established to train aboriginal Christians to serve the church and community as a pastor, a social worker, a musician, or an educator. By being engaged in the study of aboriginal society and culture, the school devotes itself to the articulation of contextual theology that the Gospel of God's kingdom will be realized in the aboriginal society.

Brief History

Yu-Shan Theological College and Seminary, first called the Taiwan Bible Institute, was founded on September 15, 1946, with the purpose to train ministers for the newly started aboriginal churches. The Rev. Yung Chun Wen was the first Principal. In April 1957, the name of the school was changed to Yu-Shan Bible Institute, and in September of that year, the Rev. C. M. Kao was commissioned to be its Principal. Originally the school was located in Fu-Shin village near the entrance of Taroko Gorge, but on March 27, 1959, the school moved to its present site and was renamed Yu-Shan Theological Institute.

In 1968, the Department of Family Education was formed, following by the Department of Theology. In 1972, the name of the Department of Family Education was changed to the Department of Christian Education. The Association of Theological Education of South East Asia (ATESEA) recognized the B.Th. degree in 1975, and in 1977, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan approved the new name of the school as Yu-Shan Theological College. In 1982, the Department of Church Music was established. In 1993, the Board of Trustees approved the Master of Divinity program, and the name of the school was changed to Yu-Shan Theological College and Seminary (YSTCS). To meet the needs of the new developmental trends of Christian ministry, the Department of Christian Social Work was established in 1997. The seminary endeavors to train people with different specialties such as social work, education, music and theology, to serve God in the church and society.

Rev. Wu Ming Yi, who is from the Amis tribe, was installed as the first aboriginal President on June 17, 1992, and in 1995, Rev. Tung Chun Fa, a Paiwan, was appointed to the position. From August 2001, Rev. Pusin Tali (also know as Kao Wan Chin), a Tayal, served as the Acting President until August 2002, when he was formally appointed as the President. All the leaders of the school have continued the fine traditions of the past while at the same time developing the school to serve the future needs of the aboriginal churches and society.

Currently, the three seminaries affiliated with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Tainan Theological College and Seminary, Taiwan Theological College and Seminary, and YSTCS, simultaneously hold the annual entrance exam, which is identical, for the Master of Divinity Program as the basic curriculum is the same. In August 1999, YSTCS began accepting non-aboriginal students in order to help the aboriginal students to experience more inter-racial and cultural understanding and ministry. However, YSTCS still emphasizes doing theology with aboriginal cultures and in the social and cultural contexts of the aboriginal people while participating in God’s mission among the aboriginal people. This is to fulfill the purpose of YSTCS that the Kingdom of God will be on the aboriginal society as in heaven.

Faculty

The YSTCS has 18 full-time faculty members. They are aboriginal, Han Taiwanese, a foreign missionary from the United States, and a volunteer from Canada.

Among the 18 faculty members, two have a D. Th. degree, nine have a M. Th. (or S.T. M.) degree and seven have a M. A. (or M. R. E. or M. C. E.) degree.

Departments

Within the seminary, a Graduate School of Theology, offering a M.Div degree, has been established and recognized by ATESEA. The college has a Religion Department, a Christian Education Department, a Church Music Department, and a Christian Social Work Department. The Theological Education by Extension Department (TEE), grants a Bachelor of Ministry degree and a Master of Ministry degree.

Students

Total number: 171

M. Div. program : 60

M. A. program : 2

B. A. R. program : 62

M. M. program : 23

B. M. program : 24

Graduate School	M. Div.	Year	Number	Sex	Total
		1	20	M: 34 F: 26	60
		2	21
		3	19
	M. A.	1	1	M:1 F: 1	2
		2	1
College	Department of Christian Education	1	6	M: 12 F: 8	20
		2	3
		3	9
		4	2
	Department of Church Music	1	2	M: 2 F: 6	8
		2	2
		3	2
		4	1
	Department of Christian Social Work	1	7	M: 13 F. 13	26
		2	8
		3	9
		4	2
	Department of Religions	3	2	M: 4 F. 4	8
		4	6
Master of Ministry			23	M:18 F:5	23
Department of Lay Theology			24	M:15 F:9	24


Center of Research and Extension Programs of Aboriginal Theology and Mission


The purpose of establishing the Center of Research and Extension Programs of Aboriginal Theology and Mission is to enable the seminary to be the facilitator of aboriginal Christian communities and to be the enabler of Christian ministries, to participate in the mission of God, through developing and researching of aboriginal theology and mission, strengthening the ministry related to Christian mission by using both the centripetal and centrifugal approaches.


The major activities of the center include research and an extension program. Pastors, elders, experts, and scholars are invited to participate in seminars and workshops on the research of aboriginal theology and mission; research is also conducted on aboriginal churches, societies, and cultures; symposiums, proceedings, reports and dissertations from the aforementioned efforts as well as The Yu-Shan Theological Journal are published periodically.
Extension programs are offered to promote continuing education programs in cooperation with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. Presbyteries, local churches and other organizations hold workshops, training courses, etc.

Library

Number of Books ……. 31,678
English …………. 11,860
Chinese ………….17,120
Japanese ………….2,350
Other ……………….348

Periodicals …………………256
English ………………44
Chinese……………..152
E-Journals……………60




The Director of the Library works with two full time workers. There are eight part-time student assistants. One system librarian (computer technician) serves the library online system and computers of the entire school.

The library was relocated and renovated in 1999 which resulted in a better reading environment for the students. Good and valuable Chinese theological books are available in our library. The plan for the library is to buy more theological books in English, especially in the fields of ethnic studies, feminist theology, and those written by Third World theologians. The number of journals and periodicals are also increasing. Sixty theological e-journals are also accessible (ATLA Serials).


Fifteen computers are available for use in the library. Internet is accessible to students in their dormitories.



Relationship between Yu-Shan and the Churches

During the past five decades, YSTCS has graduated about 900 students who are participating in God’s mission through pastoral care, evangelism, Christian education, music ministry, and social service. Within the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, there are 1219 congregations, 513 are aboriginal. Most of the ministers serving aboriginal churches are Yu-Shan graduates. YSTCS has played a crucial role in the Christian mission among the aboriginal people.

The YSTCS attempts to serve the aboriginal churches through different programs. Besides the M. Div. program and the different departments in the college, the YSTCS holds continuing education programs for ministers and lay people, both on and off campus. The relationship between YSTCS and local churches is very good. In fact, without the support from the local churches (more than 70% of the budget), YSTCS could not make this impact in the aboriginal community. The third Sunday of May is the “YSTCS Sunday” established by the GA of the PCT. Most local churches make a special donation for YSTCS on this Sunday. The YSTCS has also received special funds from several local congregations to support special programs. Most continuing education programs of the seminary are supported by these special funds. The funds for many student scholarships are from the local churches.

YSTCS keeps a good relationship with the other two Presbyterian seminaries. YSTCS is also a member of the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia, the Taiwan Union of the Protestant Theological School (ATESEA), and the Taiwan Association of Theological Education (TATE) and participates in the activities of the North East Asia Association of Theological Schools (NEAATS).

We are planning to build up a working relationship with the colleges and university around Hualien. Already there is an exchange of faculty members as several of our faculty have been invited to join their staff as part-time instructors, and we are host to several of theirs. All in all, it is a very enriching exchange of ideas.


Future Perspective

The aboriginal people in Taiwan are a minority, making up less than 2% with a total population of 448,710. Since YSTCS is a theological school primarily for the aboriginal people, it seeks to be the facilitator of aboriginal Christian communities, to be the enabler of Christian ministries, to participate in the mission of God through developing the research of aboriginal theology and mission, to encourage the ministry related to Christian mission by using both the centripetal and centrifugal approaches. Therefore, we do our best to carry the “faculty development program”.

YSTCS is planning to construct two buildings, namely the Chapel and the Center of Research and Extension Programs of Aboriginal Theology and Mission. After the completion of the new buildings, YSTCS will be better equipped to serve the needs of the church and community in Taiwan. Our prayer is that we may use these new facilities to serve God even more and better than before.


How You Can Help

1. First, and most importantly, pray for the ministry and outreach of YSTCS. Four times a year a newsletter is published with special news, needs and concerns.
2. Make a donation to the construction of the new facilities, the student fund, general operation fund, faculty development fund, or library fund. A receipt will be sent for tax purposes.
3. Volunteer opportunities are also available.