Evangelical Theological Faculty

[EduCativ]

The ETF is found in Heverlee, a suburb of the century's old yet vital city of Leuven. Leuven is only a stone-throw away from Brussels, Europe's heart, and close to the national airport. The history of Leuven as a university town goes back to 1425 when the university was founded. Erasmus, Vesalius, and Mercator are some of the great minds that studied here. The buildings of the oldest university in the Low Countries adorn almost every corner, and the city life is buzzing during the academic year due to over 55,000 students residing here. It makes sense that Leuven is known as the student city in Belgium.

Leuven has many treasures: a beautiful historical city center with pearls such as the town hall built-in 1439 or the even older Grand Béguinage. The new museum M, the botanical garden, charming shopping streets, restaurants, and outdoor cafes. You will find plenty of opportunities to enjoy culture, nature, and sport. In Leuven, there are several small Protestant Evangelical Churches. In the surrounding area, you will find even more.

It is easy to get around in Leuven by bicycle or public transport. Leuven itself is also easily accessible:

• The town lies at the intersection of two major motorways.
• There is a train station in the center of the town.
• Brussels airport is 15 km away.

ETF has to deepen, strengthen, and equip the international evangelical movement at an academic level. This is why our faculty is a destination for anyone who wishes to prepare him/herself scientifically to take on roles in churches, religious education, Christian organizations, and the mission field. Through scientific research, publications, and life-long learning, ETF contributes to the theological reflection of the evangelical movement in Belgium, the Netherlands, and worldwide. The task of ETF is, therefore, to place all its activities in the service of God and our neighbor.

The ETF wants to equip people to take their place in Church and society to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in the world. Our approach is Bible-based, at the academic level, and culturally enriching.

In the Reformation tradition and line with the worldwide evangelical movement, we study the Bible as the primary and authoritative source for Christian life and thinking. The attention we spend on the Scriptures does not eliminate the importance of tradition, reason, and experience. But to perceive the Bible as the Word of God emphasizes the importance of scientific exegesis of the Old and New Testaments. It also means that the Bible receives a central place in our education, research, and service.

We are convinced of the importance of up-to-date and scientifically grounded education and offer recognized degrees at an academic level (Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D.). At the same time, we stimulate spiritual formation in combination with the development of leadership skills.

People from a whole range of countries/continents and church backgrounds study and work at our institution. This multicultural atmosphere enriches the formation, broadens the horizon, and prepares our students working, living, and believing together in an intercultural society and church context.

As an academic institution, ETF is relatively young, born out of the Bible Institute Belgium work, which originated in mission work among Belgian soldiers during World War I.

ETF is located in a former Jesuit seminary on the outskirts of Leuven city. You can see the small tower on the top of our buildings peeking out from over the trees from a great distance. You find this very peaceful and open environment at only a 30 minutes walk from Leuven's historic and lively city center.

ETF has its student accommodation and chapel in two wings of the older part of the building. A newer and recently renovated wing (the Jesuits' 'book tower'), the academic center is located, where you find our library, classrooms, and offices.

Our theological library contains a quickly growing collection of about 100,000 books, along with access to critical digital databases such as EBSCO and ProQuest. The ETF library serves a dual purpose: it stimulates and supports the study and research of students and professors and serves as an evangelical study center for Belgium and the Netherlands.

The library of ETF is located on the first and second floor of the academic building. On the third floor, works older than 1960 are kept. Periodicals older than 1995 are kept on the eighth floor. The materials on these floors are available on request. You can consult the largest part of our collection through the online catalog.

The ETF library provides wireless internet, scanning, printing, and copying facilities, but primarily: a quiet place to study. Interested parties can access the library utilizing a visitor's card, available at the library office.

Anyone in need of books outside of our collection will find the most extensive theological library in Europe at less than five kilometers of ETF: the Maurits Sabbe Library of the KU Leuven. A membership card to this library also gives access to the Central Library and other relevant specialist libraries of the KU Leuven, such as the Higher Institute of Philosophy.

The Evangelical Theological Faculty (ETF) in Leuven is a unique institution for higher university education. We are located in the oldest University City in the Benelux, in a country where Protestants are only a small minority. Simultaneously, as one of the few evangelical institutions for higher education in Europe, ETF has an impact that reaches far beyond our national borders.

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