By Randall Murphree
December 16, 2002

(AgapePress) - "Some pastors are leading from behind," the fervent pastor/seminarian declares. "This is not right. We are supposed to be in front of the sheep. Only there can we be the example." He is preaching to fellow students at Global Theological Seminary (GTS) near Jinja, Uganda.

John Fulks, David Gladstone and Todd Kincaid, missionary-teachers at the seminary, listen intently. Their goal is to be examples for their 55 students, then to prepare them for preaching and spiritual leadership in their churches and communities.

The 37-acre GTS campus lies on a gently sloping hillside overlooking Lake Victoria. The peaceful setting is stark contrast to what the small African nation has endured over the past three decades. After Idi Amin, the "Butcher of Uganda," was driven from power in 1979, the nation was soon victimized by an AIDS epidemic. The impact of both still lingers as the nation tries to rebound.

"Uganda is a recovering nation," says Fulks. "It is also wide open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why Global Theological Seminary is so vital in Uganda and East Africa." To accomplish that end, GTS not only teaches a full complement of seminary courses, but also teaches in villages across the country.

The latter program, Global Bible Institutes, is overseen by Kincaid. The Institutes serve pastors who cannot drop everything and move to Jinja to attend seminary for three years. Kincaid visits each site twice a year.

"The Bible Institutes are a two-year program," says Kincaid. "Nationals teach it in local languages, and students get one year’s seminary credit. We’ve got eight men who are teaching out in the Bible Institutes. Two of them also teach here at the seminary."

The cost of a GTS education -- $200 a year -- sounds like an incredible bargain by U.S. standards, but for a Ugandan pastor that price tag often puts his dream out of reach. To make seminary education possible for Ugandan pastors, GTS helps secure scholarships, provides on-campus work and conducts projects to reduce expenses of the overall operation.

About 26 acres are cultivated in revenue-producing sugar cane and coffee beans. In addition, the seminary grows vegetable gardens and farm animals for food. It is in these projects that students may work to pay for part of their expenses.

The campus has the feel of tradition and depth much greater than its nine-year history. Colorful landscaping includes flame trees, low borders of kie apple shrubs and bottle brush trees with their bright red blooms. Facilities include the main building, a U-shaped structure that houses office, classrooms, library and dorm rooms.

The library has about 10,000 volumes. After a shipping container filled with new books arrived recently, the seminary had to construct a Ugandan banda study area, a round, open-side, grass-roof structure. It sits on a concrete pad and houses tables and chairs crowded out by shelves for the new books.

Auxiliary buildings include the bathhouse and a guesthouse for work teams that visit. "Most of the people who come [on teams] would be pastors who come and teach for a couple of weeks," says Kincaid. "Sometimes we have teams come in and help with routine maintenance -- painting, building, things like that."

GTS President Harold Cathey founded the school in 1993. Cathey, Fulks, Kincaid and Gladstone all work under the umbrella of Global Outreach International. They are not salaried by Global, but each raises his own support. They envision the seminary having more and more impact in all of East Africa. Finances and facilities are two factors that will help determine the rate of that growth.

"The greatest thing you can do for GTS is to pray for the students, teachers and the churches," says Fulks. "And every business needs finances to operate. God’s business is no exception. Every dollar that is sent to Global Outreach is distributed exactly where it has been designated."

Financial gifts may be earmarked for needed building expansion, student scholarships or missionary support. Fulks also urges people to come and see the work going on at GTS.

"Students from GTS have planted and grown many evangelical churches and have led countless people to Jesus Christ," says Fulks. "As much as Uganda is open and searching for direction to God, the most effective way of leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is to plant and grow strong, Bible-believing, gospel-preaching, New Testament churches with Ugandan pastors." GTS is doing its part.