Theological Education by Extension in Malawi (TEEM)
TEEM was founded more than 30 years ago as a nationwide, distance-learning theological institution. Over the intervening years, it has provided practical training to thousands of students.
Background
The concept of Theological Education by Extension (TEE) was conceived and first used by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala in the 1970’s. Today, TEE programmes are widely used in many countries around the world.
It is important that church leaders are able to access training that will help deepen their biblical and doctrinal knowledge, as well as their personal relationship with God. However, it is not always possible for such people (particularly lay leaders) to leave their home environs or churches to attend a residential course at a Bible or Theological college, or they may not be able to afford the fees involved.
Recognising these difficulties, TEE, as an alternative leadership training system, brings theological, biblical and practical leadership training to people right where they live and worship. TEE is largely a church-based training programme that attempts to train students in a church setting, so that they can immediately apply their learning to the ministry they’re involved in within their local context.
TEE in Malawi
TEEM is TEE in the Malawian context, providing self-study course material on basic biblical, doctrinal, practical and ministerial subjects.
TEEM’s main focus in recent years has been the provision of a Diploma in Theology (in English) which is accredited through the University of Malawi and is the only distant learning course in the whole of Malawi. At present, efforts are under way to strengthen TEEM’s Lay Leadership courses and to translate them into the main languages spoken in Malawi.
On occasions, the students come together and meet in small groups to discuss their studies and reflect on the consequent implications for their own faith and ministry. Included in the programme are seminars aimed at helping students to engage with a range of topical and practical issues.
An advantage of TEEM is that it enables recognised lay church leaders to receive training without having to leave their church, family or occupation. In addition, many of these leaders (especially those from rural areas) don’t have any academic qualifications or have only had a very basic education, so they can’t apply to attend a formal academic institution. Yet, as these leaders have the call of God on their lives, it is important that they should receive training that will help them both personally, and in their ministry and congregations.
An urgent priority for TEEM is the updating of its curriculum. Some courses need urgent revision and rewriting, while new courses need to be designed and implemented. In addition, the balance between academic, spiritual and practical elements of the material needs to be addressed, so that TEEM can maximise the benefits gained by its students and the churches they serve. It is hoped that these needs will be addressed by TEEM’s new Executive Director, Dr Volker Glissmann.
Location
TEEM’s main office is in Zomba in Southern Malawi, seen here in the photo on the left.
TEEM also has offices in Lilongwe, covering in the Central Region, and in Mzuzu in the North.
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