Zhejiang Theological Seminary in Hangzhou held a series of events to celebrate its 40th anniversary, including a service of gratitude, a celebration ceremony, an evening program, an art and calligraphy exhibition, and a smart campus showcase on November 8.
The celebration was attended by officials and Christian leaders from Zhejiang Province and Hangzhou City, national and regional Christian leaders, local Christian artists, entrepreneurs, directors of the Hangzhou YMCA and YWCA, alumni from diverse areas, and the entire faculty and student body of the seminary, reported the seminary.
During the worship service, the seminary choir sang a hymn "Clouds in Life", and Rev. Lou Shibo, vice president of the Zhejiang Christian Council and vice president of the seminary, delivered a sermon titled "Unparalleled Love."
The thanksgiving ceremony included speeches from political and religious leaders. Mr. Shao Zhong, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission, highlighted four aspirations: adherence to a sound educational approach; genuine improvement of academic quality, cultivating “dual-competency” talent well-versed in religious doctrines and traditional Chinese culture; promoting cultural enrichment; and upholding rigorous governance of the seminary.
Rev. Shan Weixiang, representing CCC&TSPM, extended his congratulations. He recalled how forty years ago, Rev. Cai Wenhao started the seminary in the crowded courtyard of Sicheng Church with the funding of 20,000 yuan. He hoped that Zhejiang Theological Seminary would prioritize academic research and fulfill its role as a "threefold base"—a center for culture and arts education, anti-cult awareness, and social service.
At the evening gathering, Reve. Zhang Zhongcheng, chairperson of Hangzhou TSPM, preached on “His Unspeakable Grace.” The Zhejiang Agape Choir, founded on April 22, 2013, by the Sacred Music Ministry of the provincial Christian Council, performed. This choir comprised 40 members, including seminary faculty, music directors, and key members from varied church choirs throughout Zhejiang.
Introduction of Zhejiang Theological Seminary
After gatherings resumed, Zhejiang held six consecutive volunteer training sessions in the spring of 1982 to meet pastoral needs in the province. In October 1984, the Zhejiang Theological School was established. It was later renamed Zhejiang Theological Seminary on June 26, 1985, and initially located on the first floor of Sicheng Church. The school began as a two-year junior college, adding a one-year advanced course in 1987, with around 40 students.
In the spring of 1990, in cooperation with Hangzhou CC&TSPM, a new five-story building was constructed behind Sicheng Church, and the seminary moved to this new facility in the spring of 1991. In 1995, the two-year program was extended to three years, with around 70 students.
In September 2000, Zhejiang Theological Seminary relocated to a new campus shared with the Zhejiang Christian Training Center, covering 12 mu (1.98 acres) with a floor area of 8,616 square meters (2.12 acres). In addition to the three-year theology diploma, it opened a class for two-year graduates returning for further studies, a cultural enhancement section (theological preparatory equivalent), a sacred music course, a one-year advanced study program (now reorganized as the Biblical Studies program), and a two-year Biblical Studies program. It had around 180 students.
With continued growth, the seminary completed the construction of its Phase II project on the original vacant land, with a floor area of 3,570 square meters. The project was completed at the end of 2005, with portions of the classrooms and facilities operational since the autumn term of 2006. On November 14, 2011, the seminary upgraded to a religious institution of higher education, offering pastoral studies, theology undergraduate courses, Bible studies, sacred music courses, and correspondence studies. Its library now houses over 70,000 books.
