Near East School of Theology (NEST)

The Near East School of Theology (NEST) was established in 1932 through the merging of two programs founded by Protestant missionaries in the Near East: the School of Religion in Athens and the School of Religious Workers in Beirut. The Near East School of Theology can trace its roots even farther back to about 1835. NEST is one of the very few theological programs in the region that has obtained national higher education accreditation. Most of its faculty have PhDs, earned from some of the top universities around the world. NEST presently serves around 90 students, both in person and online, through its theological education and leadership training programs in the Near East.

NEST is an interconfessional Protestant seminary serving the churches that confess the historic Christian faith as contained in the Holy Scriptures and expressed in the nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. It has roots in the Protestant Reformation in its Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Episcopal traditions.

Mission: NEST supports churches and Christian believers of the Middle East and elsewhere to be faithful witnesses to God’s truth revealed in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the renewal of people and the transformation of communities and societies.

Mandate and Goals: NEST serves Christ’s church by providing qualified candidates to be equipped with the necessary theological knowledge, spiritual formation, pastoral training, educational skills, and leadership aptitude.

• NEST seeks to be a resource center for the Evangelical churches and the community at large for Christian Education and for research on Near Eastern Evangelical heritage and history.
• NEST seeks to be a center for interaction and formation of Evangelical thought. It engages in reflection, research, and discussion concerning issues of peace, justice, human rights, inter-religious dialogue and the environment
• NEST seeks to nurture ecumenical thought and praxis.

Future Objectives: NEST looks forward to a new season of growth and expansion of its ministries at the service of the church and in society. 

Our strategic objectives in the near future include:

• Develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for the upcoming three to five years, outlining clear objectives and outcomes made in collaboration with our multiple stakeholders.
• Develop and broaden areas of specialism within our curriculum with formal and informal, theoretical and practical, and educational and formational elements.
• Strive toward a larger and more diverse student body, sustained by new faculty to support the new vision and programs.

• Establish new institutes of excellence in research and practice, seeking educational and formative partnerships with neighboring universities, civil society, and NGOs.
• Transform NEST into a neighborhood hospitality hub, conduct urgent updates to the building, and create an environment that welcomes youth.
• Practice environmental stewardship, transitioning toward green energy as part of NEST’s commitment to creation care.