Registered churches in Shanghai supported the East China Theological Seminary with contributions on Theology Days, which fall on March 16 and 17.
Shanghai churches designated the third weekend in March as Theology Days, which were dedicated to praying for and donating to the seminary. East China Theological Seminary was established in 1985 through a joint effort by the CC&TSPMs in Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Shanghai, reported Shanghai CC&TSPM.
At present, the seminary recruits students who major in theology and sacred music. Among the four-year undergraduate program in theology, 60% of the classes are theology courses and the rest are arts and science courses; in addition, there are some elective courses. The church music program aims to train pastoral talents with high musical literacy who can integrate theology and sacred music into pastoral care and worship and teach the concept of sacred music in the church. Enrolling students from churches across China, the Department of Sacred Music offers courses covering biblical studies, theology, music skills, and music theory, changing from two-year degrees to four-year degrees in 2015.
With 1,620 graduates in the past, 165 students are currently studying at the school with 14 full-time faculty. Rev. Xu Yulan, chairman of Shanghai TSPM and a graduate of the school, is now the chairman of the board, and Dean Rev. Xie Bingguo, president of Shanghai Christian Council (CC), is also an alumnus of the school.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
