THEOLOGICAL EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION OF EURASIA (ТЕАЕ)
Theological Evangelical Association of Eurasia is a voluntary association of educational and other evangelical institutions and associations in Eurasia to better serve the churches in the field of education.
In the summer of 2022, on the initiative of different schools, a meeting was organized at the Almaty Bible Institute in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where representatives of different evangelical schools were invited to come together to think about the future of the schools’ joint ministry. Representatives from 18 schools from different countries came to this meeting. There was a tremendous unity in the understanding that a new association should be established, which was proposed to be called the Theological Evangelical Association of Eurasia. A declaration of intent to establish this association was adopted and a roadmap for the establishment of the association was developed. A working group was elected to implement this project.
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TEAE Constituent Assembly
On October 27, 2022, the founding meeting of a new association was held: the Theological Evangelical Association of Eurasia, with more than 40 participants, representatives of 29 organizations from South Korea to Belarus. The meeting was very constructive and a vote was taken to establish the association. All voted unanimously in favor, and in conclusion Leonid Mihovich, president of the Baptist Union of Belarus, addressed the participants of the new TEAE association.
TEAE participation in ICETE-22
A further step was to present the new association at the ICETE-2022 meeting in Izmir. From November 14 to 18, the 18th global consultation of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE) C-22 was held in Izmir, Turkey. Several representatives of the new TEAE association were able to be at the consultation. Important meetings were held. There was a meeting with the ICETE leadership: ICETE International Director Dr. Michael Ortiz and Administrative Assistant Dr. Orbelina Eguizabel.
The meeting discussed TEAE’s entry into the ICETE family. Michael Ortiz welcomed TEAE’s aspirations to become part of ICETE. It was agreed that concrete steps for TEAE to join ICETE will be taken after the TEAE General Meeting (scheduled for April 26-28, 2023) elects the Association’s Council, Chairs and Executive Director.
There was also a meeting with leaders of international organizations, official partners and participants of ICETE. There were many other important meetings.
TEAE General Assembly 2023
The next step in the development of the Association was the General Meeting of TEAE, which was held in Kyrgyzstan on April 26-28, 2023. The forum brought together 56 representatives from 38 educational institutions and organizations from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and other countries. Presidents, Council and Auditing Committee of the Association were elected. Academic Dean of the Almaty Biblical Institute Yuri Skurydin was elected President from Asia, Rector of the Moscow Theological Institute Sergey Yastrzhembsky was elected President from Europe. Alexander Spichak from TVSEMINARY was elected executive director. The meeting approved the main documents, such as the Charter and academic standards, which will enable the Association to fulfill its functions and tasks.
