Vision
A center of theological excellence with innovative and transformative programs, highly motivated and well-qualified faculty, up to date physical facilities and technological support, financially stable and self-sustaining, and contributing effectively to the transformation of church and society.
Mission
UTS is committed to promote excellent theological education that is faithful to the gospel of Christ and responsive to the needs of a highly globalized world, and to develop committed as well as highly competent leaders who can serve effectively the complex needs of faith communities, wider society, and the whole of creation.
Core Values
Christ-like Faithfulness
Christ-like faithfulness is at the heart of our core values. Like Jesus who was faithful to God (Hebrews 3:1-2) and the reign of shalom, Christ-like faithfulness is our fundamental response to the life- giving, liberating, and sanctifying grace of God, which we have received through Christ. Without this at the core of our values, it is easy to get lost in the midst of competing claims and demands and, thereby, miss the point of our being (Matthew 6:33).
Ecumenical Openness
Ecumenical openness and solidarity with the wider humanity and creation springs from the Spirit working in, through, and around us (John 3:8). We are open to others not in spite of but because of our faith in Christ. We cannot be truly faithful to Christ and be contextually relevant without being ecumenically open because at the heart of the incarnation is God’s radical hospitality, and that the challenges we are facing demand ecumenical cooperation if we are to contribute effectively to the transformation of the world.
Prophetic Boldness
Prophetic boldness is a long-standing and much-pronounced core value of the “School of the Prophets” in which the community continues to express its prophetic message of solidarity and hope with the violated and oppressed (Luke 4:18) by “Preaching the Word” boldly and relevantly. When the culture of silence pervades the social climate, graduates of UTS dare to speak truth to power with prophetic boldness and courage until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24).
Contextual Timeliness
Contextual timeliness is one of our core values; it is an expression of the Gospel (Hebrews 1:1-2). We are not only called to be faithful, we are also called to be contextually timely, which means to be relevant in responding to the needs of faith communities, wider society, and the whole of creation. The Gospel is good news only in relation to context. There is no good news apart from context because God’s liberating and reconciling acts are experienced only through the mediation of the world.
Compassionate Witness
Compassionate witness goes along well with the rest of our core values. We strive and dare not only to preach the prophetic Word of God boldly, but also compassionately and humbly because of our solidarity in suffering and hope. Our daring prophetic speech comes with pastoral responsibility, which is to speak and witness to the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Through compassionate witness we carry out with pastoral competence the ministry that has been entrusted to us by the One who became the servant and pastor of all.
