OUR VISION

To be a Christ-centred, distinctively-Baptist, theological training institution recognised for its excellence in equipping persons called by God to Christian ministry.

OUR MISSION

To provide quality biblical, theological, and pastoral training primarily for pastors and local church leaders in the Caribbean region that is affordable, accessible, and applicable in the Caribbean setting and beyond.

OUR OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the seminary—in line with the school’s mission and vision—are:

• Objective One – to offer quality, affordable, evangelical, theological education primarily focused on the English-speaking Caribbean that delivers and executes a spiritually transformative, intellectually challenging, and professionally focused learning experience that engages the reality of a world in need of redemption at every level. 

• Objective Two – to strengthen the role of NCBTS as a provider of theological education and practical pastoral training through collaboration with theologically compatible conventions, associations, churches, Christian non-profits, educational institutions, and individual Christian leaders to enhance student experience, strengthen faculty expertise, and assist the churches of the Caribbean. 

• Objective Three – to prepare indigenous pastors and church leaders for local church-based ministry in the Caribbean and beyond by equipping them to think theologically, engage globally, and live biblically. 

• Objective Four – to inspire students, ministers, and church leaders for life-long learning. 

• Objective Five – to promote and facilitate professional development of existing and future members of the academic community in order to achieve excellence in teaching. NCBTS will seek to develop five PhD students who will assume the teaching future role. 

All aspects of the organisation support the vision, mission, and objectives of the seminary. The instructors are credentialed faculty members who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who have had experience ministering and teaching in Baptist institutions. The physical plant is the campus of a Baptist church, the Cayman Islands Baptist Church, ensuring the availability and functionality of the facilities and that the context for learning is in line with the seminary’s mission. The administrative structure, management, and all educational activities support the mission and vision of the institution, being directed by and aligned with and committed to each.

OUR CORE VALUES

Christ-Centred

We affirm the ancient proclamation, "Jesus is Lord." He is the hope of the world and the head of His church. We expect students, faculty, and staff to exemplify the highest standards of Christian behaviour. We believe the basis of leadership and the foundation of Christian ministry is godly character. We are consecrated to a life of spiritual growth and moral integrity. Christian values such as love, kindness, obedience, faithfulness, perseverance, service, and humility are shared and modelled by faculty, staff, and students.

Biblically Based

We are dedicated to a biblically based education that enables students to integrate faith and practice. We treasure the Bible as both inerrant and infallible and are devoted to correctly handling the Word of truth. The Bible is the primary textbook in every class. We unashamedly build our theology from it, gauge our practice on it, and measure our faithfulness by it.

Distinctively Baptist

Who we are as Baptists is largely determined by what we believe. We are traditional, conservative Baptists, living out distinctive foundational beliefs including believer’s only baptism, personal faith, a serious commitment to discipleship, local church autonomy, evangelism and missions, freedom of conscience and its corollary, religious liberty, and the sole authority of God’s Word for faith and practice. Our doctrinal beliefs are aligned with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. These beliefs may be summarised in seven core statements or confessions:

• We believe the Bible is the Word of God, “a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error, for its matter.” The Bible is our absolute authority—our sole authority—for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12). We believe Jesus is the living Word of God (John 1:14).

• We believe in the one true and living God Who is “an intelligent, spiritual and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe …The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being” (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; 1 Kings 8:23; John 20:17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3; Romans 8:9-11). We believe Jesus is God incarnate (John 1:14).

• We believe that man, created by God in His image as a unique creation without sin, “was endowed by his creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race … whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man, therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love” (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; Psalm 8:3-6; Romans 3:10-23). We believe Jesus loves every person (John 3:16).

• We believe that salvation is by grace and “is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Who by His own blood (through the Cross) obtained eternal redemption for the believer.” Salvation or the new birth “is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification by grace through faith is at the heart of the Gospel. We believe the saving work of God is inclusive of regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. Furthermore, we believe salvation is eternal. We hold to the eternal security of the believer, believing that once a person is saved, that person will always be saved (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:23). We believe Jesus alone saves (Hebrews 7:25).

• We believe that sanctification is “the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled (by grace) to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.” Spiritual growth in Christlikeness is the understood course for every believer who engages in a life-long discipleship under the Lordship of Christ (Luke 9:23; Romans 8:9-11; 15:16; Ephesians 4:15; Galatians 4:19; Philippians 1:6; 2 Peter 3:18). We believe Jesus is our righteousness and sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30), the indwelling Christ Who is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

• We believe the church is “a local body of believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing two ordinances (Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.” We believe the New Testament church has two officers: pastors (overseers) and deacons (Matthew 15:16-19; Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3). We believe Jesus is the Head of His Body—the Church (Colossians 1:18).

• We believe “Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.” We believe Jesus is coming again to reign forever on a New Earth. (Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 24:27-44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40, 48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 15:24-28, 35-58; 2 Cor. 5:10; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 1:5; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thess. 1:7ff.; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Rev. 3:11; 11:15; 19:16; 20:1 – 22:13).

Uniquely Caribbean

While the Word of God remains the same, the context in which we teach it is unique. We exist primarily to serve the 8.5 million English speaking people in the Caribbean. Currently, no other Baptist seminary exists in this region. NCBTS exists to meet the growing needs of churches and the changing needs of leaders who serve them.

Church Centered

NCBTS exists for the church. Our goal is to assist the church by training pastors and leaders who will accurately and faithfully handle the Word of God as they lead the people of God in the Mission of God. We value the church as God's primary strategy for reaching the world with the Gospel. Our goal is to help churches become all that God intends them to be. We expect students, faculty, and staff to be active participants in the life of the local church.

Globally Focused

NCBTS serves the Caribbean, but desires to impact the world. We exist to train spiritual leaders who will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple believers in God’s Word around the world. We affirm that evangelism, discipleship, and missions are the mandate of our Lord to His people and are the heartbeat of NCBTS.

Lifelong Learning

We believe that a call to ministry is a call to learn. Thus, ministerial training is a lifelong process. We desire to train students and equip pastors and church leaders for the roles to which God has called them. For many this will mean pursuing their degree. For others, it will mean ongoing theological training and networking with other leaders.