About ATS
A local, church-based training institute, preparing men and women for the ministry of the Word of God, so His holy name may be glorified.
Our Mission
Agricola Theological Seminary is a local, church-based training institute that exists to serve the Church by preparing pastor-theologians and Christians to serve the local churches by the Word of God so that God’s people can be nourished by his Word and his holy name be glorified.
The only institution that will last past the end of history is the same that the Bible calls “the Bride of Christ”: the church. Thus, ATS exists to serve the church by preparing pastor-theologians to shepherd local churches by the Word of God. Our theology and curriculum are formed in conscious participation in and service of the church. God, who wishes for his name to be worshiped in all creation, is still working to spread the gospel of his Son to all the corners of the earth, to every tribe and nation, for the joy of all peoples.
ATS intentionally emphasizes this mission of God so that its pastoral graduates will bring that vision to their new congregations in Finland. It is only by his Word that man knows God, and it is God’s Word — through the prophets and apostles — by which man is to live. Therefore, we believe that Christian theology, Christian ministry, and Christian living cannot exist apart from the hearing of the Word of God. God and his Word are the primary focus of our curriculum, and will be the primary focus of our pastoral graduates.
To achieve this, we focus on Christ, community, and character. We study Scripture to better know Christ, his gospel, and the richness of his Word. We encourage community by coming together on learning days prepared to engage and encourage each other. We develop and maintain character through the ATS student covenant, providing accountability and integrity to our students’ learning.
Our Values
Faith
There is no greater or more basic act for human beings than to believe that their Creator exists and that He has brought salvation through His Son Jesus Christ alone, that is, to have faith. Our goal is that our graduates will deepen their own faith and work to nourish the faith of those under their care in their congregations.
Joy
The Triune God is the source of all life, goodness, love, and joy. Therefore, the Christian and the church should be overflowing with the joy that is a fruit of God’s presence. The first duty of the pastor is to be joyful in God through Christ, and to proclaim that same joy to the church and world.
History
In His wisdom and love, God providentially orders and governs all of history for His glory and for the good of His people. ATS’s program seeks to connect its curriculum and graduates to that history of redemption, so that churches may marvel at God’s preservation and guidance of His people in grace and truth.
Our History
Agricola Theological Seminary began as a cooperative effort between two local church plants in Finland's capital region in 2010. Seeking to train elders and leaders in their respective congregations, the planting pastors initially cultivated leaders through a robust reading plan and mentoring relationships. Though it was never the intention to move beyond the borders of the founding churches, over the years the vision for ATS expanded into a strong emphasis on the local church, the training of pastoral theologians and expository preachers, and for robust biblical theology that is joyful. Along the way, ATS has been helped by the generosity of many visiting teaching fellows, academic partners, and individual mentors. Today the institute joyfully submits to the authority of its founding churches while offering training programs and degrees to those around Finland and from abroad.
Few know the name of Mikael Agricola (c. 1510 – 9 April 1557) outside Finland; however, his legacy of dedication to the Bible in its original languages, the theology of the Reformation, the beauty of creation and culture, and the Finnish language and people is a great influence on our vision of Christian ministry and education. Agricola became the father of the modern Finnish language (much like Tyndale to English, and Luther to German) when he translated and published the New Testament in Finnish in 1548. He was Finland’s first Protestant bishop, as well as the principal of a theological school and a Renaissance thinker.