Our Story

JETS began as a vision for equipping believers in the Middle East to minister to the people living in the 22 countries of the Arab speaking world. Only four percent of the populations of these countries profess to be Christian and most of these are Christian in name only, having never experienced a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. For this reason, Dr. Imad Shehadeh began the work of founding the institution that is known today as Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS).

Initially, JETS began operation under the auspices of officially recognized local churches in 1991 while the government studied its application for independent recognition. On March 23, 1995, JETS was officially registered by the Ministry of Culture. JETS then elected its first Board of Trustees from the five evangelical denominations that minister in Jordan. Classes were conducted in various rented locations until JETS moved into its owned campus in 2013. 

Since 1995, JETS has continued to grow and develop as an institution of higher theological studies. The founder, Dr. Imad Shehadeh, continues to serve as President as JETS moves towards its fourth decade of existence. JETS is fully committed to fulfilling its mission of equipping Arab leaders for the Arab World, as seen by the number of students that have graduated. 

Graduates currently serve in 26 countries around the world, in capacities such as evangelists, pastors, assistant pastors, youth leaders, women’s ministry leaders, children’s ministry leaders, and other areas of church and parachurch service. To the glory of God, of the 60 Evangelical churches in Jordan, more than half are pastored by JETS graduates. 

JETS maintains seven programs of study, and they are the Certificate in Biblical Studies (C.B.S.), the Diploma in Biblical Studies (D.B.S.), the Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.), the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (M.A.B.S.), the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), the Master of Theology (Th.M.), and the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). Furthermore, JETS constantly seeks ways to serve the community through more flexible program offerings. 

Licensing by the Jordanian Government

JETS founding and launching of operations was in 1991 under the auspices of the Jordanian churches. After the affirmation from the Ministry of Higher Education that Christian theological education was outside its scope of specialties, and under the direction of the Jordanian Lawyers’ Syndicate and government officials, JETS was licensed with the Ministry of Culture on March 23, 1995. On March 10, 2005, the JETS constitution was amended with the approval of the Ministry of Culture to add the phrase “theological seminary” to its Arabic name. Then on April 4, 2005, the Ministry of Culture approved the English name “Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary” with its acronym being “JETS.”

The Goals and Activities According to the Constitution

Articles 4 and 5 of the JETS Constitution specify the goals and activities of JETS as follows: 

Article 4-c of the Constitution: Goals

1. To provide a high level of Christian theological education that is based on ecclesiastical and international standards for theological studies meeting special recognition standards for these studies, with the purpose of equipping pastors, ministers and spiritual leaders for churches. 
2. To help in meeting the needs of churches in Christian education programs that suit our countries’ development culturally and socially, and in congruence with our eastern Arabic traditions. 
3. To help in providing the context for cultural, intellectual and scientific cooperation in our community stemming from the spirit of love and peace heralded by the Christian religion. 
4. To promote the atmosphere of mutual well-being between the followers of different religions as well as interfaith dialogue. 

Article 5 of the Constitution: Activities

1. To offer theological education and training in specialized church ministries such as pastoral, biblical teaching, research, writing, Christian Education, social development, administration, media, counseling, child and family care, music and church worship, archeology and biblical tourism, biblical languages, living languages, and others. 
2. The conducting of seminars, courses, sessions, and lectures that meet the needs of churches, and adopting projects that serve these churches. 
3. The engagement in writing, publishing, and adopting books and literature related to Christian education, producing audio-visual tools and teaching materials, presenting lectures and seminars, and holding other activities that help in achieving the Seminary’s goals. 
4. The cooperation with official government offices and ministries such as the Ministries of Culture, Social Development, Media, Education, and Higher Education; and working also with the schools and institutions that provide academic, cultural, media and social services with the purpose of serving the Seminary’s goals. 
5. The participation in research, conferences, assemblies and scientific seminars that are related to the Seminary’s goals inside and outside Jordan. 
6. The granting of theological certificates according to the level of the students’ achievements. 
7. The exercise of all the activities that help in achieving the Seminary’s goals.