Mission Statement

The Near East School of Theology (NEST) is an interconfessional Protestant Seminary of the churches which confess the historic Christian faith as contained in the Holy Scriptures and expressed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Apostles' Creed. It is a Seminary in the heritage of the Protestant Reformation in its Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican and Episcopal traditions. The churches in the Reformed tradition (Arab Presbyterian, Armenian Congregational) find their theological identity expressed in the major confessions and catechisms of the Reformed tradition. The Lutheran Church represented in the Seminary subscribes to the Augsburg Confession (1530). The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion and is faithful to the Anglican tradition with strong emphasis on the Book of Common Prayer and the historic ecumenical creeds of the undivided church of the early centuries.


I. Theological Affirmation 
  • As a theological institution of higher learning NEST supports churches and Christian believers of the Middle East and elsewhere to be faithful witnesses to God's truth revealed in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the renewal of persons and the transformation of communities and societies. NEST strives to provide a community life informed by its manifold Evangelical spiritual heritage.

 II. Goals and Strategies
  • The NEST serves Christ's church as it shares in the preparation of men and women for the work of ministry. It does so by providing qualified candidates with the necessary theological knowledge, spiritual formation, pastoral training, educational skills and leadership aptitude. It nurtures the faith of ministerial candidates and lay church members for effective concern for, and engagement with, the entire range of human need.
  • The NEST seeks to be a resource center for the Evangelical churches and the community at large for Christian Education and for research on Near Eastern Evangelical heritage and history through its faculty, library, and audio-visual services.
  • The NEST seeks to be a center for interaction and formation of Evangelical thought, in order to further the role of the Church in society. To that end, it engages in reflection, research and discussion concerning issues of peace, justice, human rights, inter-religious dialogue and the environment.
  •  The NEST seeks to cultivate, deepen and nurture ecumenical thought and praxis as it promotes and strengthens the role of Evangelical churches, and the fellowships and ecumenical bodies with which they are affiliated, in the realization of the ecumenical vision.