LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH CENTRE

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The 19th of June 2014 set another landmark in the history of New India Bible Seminary when the new Leader Development and Research Center (LDRC) at Paipad, Kerala was opened for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. A section of this beautiful facility will function as the library of the seminary. The ultimate goal is that the Leader Development and Research Centre will function as the power center for advancing the service of NIBS to develop God-centered leaders in Asia.

LDRC provides learning resources for advanced theoretical and practical research in missions, organizes ministry skill-development training in cross cultural missions, and offers strategic language-based services. Over 2000 learners from across the states of India and neighboring countries in South Asia are expected to benefit annually from this beautiful learning base.

The LDRC,  a 10,400 sq. ft.  two-story  building constructed on the 5-acre campus of New India Bible Seminary, is not just a mere library, but it is also a Center for Research, Progressive Theological Engagement, and Healthy Leadership Development.  Established in 1975, New India Bible Seminary (NIBS) has been serving the Church in India and the South Asian countries  through its approximately 6,000 graduates who  have come out of its portals so far. They work as missionaries, evangelists, pastors, Bible school teachers, children’s home wardens, and so on.

NIBS offers a diploma in Bachelor of Theology, Master of Divinity, and Master of Theology with courses offered to about two hundred men and women every year.  Students come from more than twenty states of India and a score from other South Asian countries.  Its priority is to prepare the young men and women for life. The Management and Administration recognize the importance of imparting life skills to them and giving special attention in helping them become life-long learners. 

Plans are in place to provide opportunities for deserving students to do research to improve the quality of theological education and help them earn their doctorate degrees. Dr. Jaison Thomas, NIBS’s present principal, and his wife Dr. Jessy Jaison, Director for Research and Advancement, both received their Masters from Oxford University Theological School and Ph.D’s from Queen’s University, Belfast.

NIBS is known for its academic excellence, and all its academic programs are designed to ensure that the students become effective thinkers, good communicators, and passionate followers of Jesus Christ. The Seminary believes that competent theological education is comprised of academic formation, spiritual formation, and ministry formation. The curriculum, campus life, and ministry opportunities of the Seminary are designed with all these in mind.

Principal Dr. Jaison Thomas called the ground breaking ceremony, “yet another milestone in the history of NIBS.”  In recent years NIBS has moved towards embracing a missional model of theological education.  This journey has resulted in new courses such as the Master in Holistic Child Development (HCD) M.Th program, the Oral Bible Storying (OBS)program to develop Storying Facilitators for Bible graduates willing to serve among Bibleless languages and more recently a vigorous focus on healthy leader development  - after the Connexions Model of Malcolm Webber’s Leadersource ministry.