Deploying a Seminary
While the BTS student population was growing, so was the number of alumni who wanted to be better prepared for church leadership in the Balkans. Kimberly and Dwayne began to investigate their options for offering a more advanced theological education. “We started contacting schools in America,” said Dwayne. “We were mostly ignored because we were so small, but from the beginning, Grace Theological Seminary was respectful and gracious to engage with us.”
Conversations surrounding a partnership with Deploy, Grace’s competency-based theological education program, began in 2020. The Baldwins worked with Dr. Freddy Cardoza, dean of Grace Theological Seminary, and Gabe Tribbett, director of Deploy, to take the existing Deploy program and tailor it to the Serbian context and needs.
“We were very excited by the initial discussions and the alignment of values,” said Tribbett. “Grace Seminary had already been seeking opportunities for international partnerships, so when the Baldwins reached out, we knew this was the avenue we wanted to go down.”
Once the partnership was established, the Baldwins could focus on finding a location, recruiting students and securing monetary resources for the seminary.
In 2021, Dwayne began keeping a planning sheet for opening the seminary. “I wrote, ‘raise $500,000 for a new building,’ mentioned it to some people from church and promptly forgot about it,” he said.
A sweet surprise came about six months later when Dwayne and Kimberly received notice that a benefactor from their church wanted to donate $500,000 toward a building. The Baldwins began looking at buildings and settled on one, but before they could secure the building with a down payment, the benefactor’s finances fell through.
“When the original building fell through, we gave up,” Kimberly reflected. “But one of our supporters encouraged us to ask for funds again.”
Despite a discouraging situation, God’s faithfulness prevailed beyond their wildest dreams. After sending a request for donations to everyone they knew, the Baldwins were surprised when HeartCry Missionary Society reached out to them, offering to cover 50% of the funds for a new building. The donation renewed the Baldwins’ hope, and they continued to receive donation pledges from church members and the surrounding community.
“The Lord really encouraged us through that,” recalled Kimberly. “It was like a rollercoaster every week — we would get discouraged and then receive another pledge. It showed us that we were not doing it; the Lord was bringing people to us.”
As the Baldwins searched for another building, they found an even better location for less money. This three-story building had a large kitchen, dormitory space, commercial bathrooms, classrooms and additional land for building expansion.
“God knew we needed a building to make a statement that this school is legitimate and the education we offer is important,” said Kimberly.
The Hope of a Nation
On Friday, August 21, 2023, Akademija Teoloških Nauka (ATN), or the Academy of Theological Sciences, officially opened with an all-day orientation for its first cohort of six students. Cardoza and Tribbett virtually welcomed the students to Deploy’s first international branch and Serbia’s only accredited evangelical seminary.
“Seeing actual faces and interacting with students on the other side of the Atlantic was surreal,” said Tribbett. “My goal was to make them feel like they truly are Grace students. They’re not second tier; they are a part of us.”
Dwayne still reflects on that first day with awe, calling it the best initial day he could have imagined.
Now, with a full academic year nearing completion, ATN is looking forward to new growth, new students and a continued partnership with Grace Seminary. True to the U.S. Deploy model, students are mentored by various ministry practitioners, or “proctors,” and spend the majority of their time applying their learning at their local churches. But ATN includes a Serbian-inspired twist. The program is conducted in a cohort, allowing students to review content, provide encouragement and discuss their questions in person.
“I am thankful that Grace agreed to do something like this across the ocean,” said ATN student Boban Ivaškovic. “This is the only program like this in the Balkans, so it bears a great burden, and it is hard to emphasize how great this is. Grace may never see the results, but we are very grateful.”
Looking forward, Dwayne and Kimberly are excited to see where God takes ATN and the students at the seminary. “We would love to see ATN students get their Master of Arts in Ministry Studies to become BTS professors and leaders,” said the Baldwins.
“We want to have confidence in the people we are training, knowing that they will be able to carry on this work of God — to be discerning and humble.” But more than anything, the Baldwins are praying for the hope of the nation. “Ultimately, we pray that through the partnership of ATN and Deploy, Serbia will become a country known for its hope in Christ Jesus.”
Learn more about a master of arts in ministry studies through Deploy!