Information about John Wesley Theological College
John Wesley Theological College
Wesley János Lelkészképző Főiskola
Address: H-1086 Budapest, Dankó u. 9-11.
Mailing address: H-1410 Budapest, Pf. 200.
Telephone/fax: (+36-1) 210-5400
Email: wjlf@wjlf.hu Web-site: www.wesley.hu
“The world is my parish” - This is one of the most famous statements, John Wesley the eighteenth-century Anglican clergyman and founder of the Methodist church said. By this sentence he affirmed that the whole person as well as the whole world must receive ministry and healing. Wesley was convinced that Christian faith must be inseparably connected to responsibility for the physical and mental well-being as well as the spiritual health of all mankind. Thus, beyond reforming the Anglican Church, his goal was to address the social needs of his age. The College acknowledges and claims the purposes of John Wesley, namely solidarity and readiness to help society’s afflicted and outcast persons.
The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship founded the John Wesley Theological College in 1987, and the school was accredited by the Hungarian national government as a religious higher educational institution in 1991. From its beginning, a five-year program in theology and a four-year program for Christian education teachers have been offered. In accordance with the Wesleyan belief in Christian social responsibility, and in response to obvious social needs, a program of social work education was instituted in 1993.
About 80 students are annually enrolled in the religion programs while more than 900 are matriculated in the social work and 90 in the pedagogy program. Thirty nine fulltime teachers and 125 adjunct faculty comprise the college teaching staff.
Mindful of the many students who must be gainfully employed in addition to their student status, John Wesley Theological College provides flexible scheduling and individual arrangements as needed. It also honors parallel studies in other accredited institutions.
Instruction is supported by effective methodologies (problem-centric teaching, small groups) and current technology (video, computer etc.). The campus houses classrooms, library-archives of 80 thousand volumes, computer, music and fitness rooms, art workshop studios, faculty offices, a small restaurant and a chapel. On-site dormitories accommodate 80-90% of the students who come from outside the city of Budapest. The College buildings are located in the heart of the inner city of Budapest within the 8th district and next to the “Oltalom” shelter and hospital for homeless people.
JWTC is a church school with a mission to the present world. It does not expect or require alignment of faith either from students or teachers, but it attaches faith and hope for the future that “Each will be like a refuge from the wind, and a shelter from the storm. Like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.” (Isaiah 32:2)
Education of theologians, pastors and teachers of divinity
These education programs prepare students primarily for pastoral and teaching services in the sponsoring church, The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship (MET). Secondly they ensure the attainment of universal theological, scriptural, practical theological, pastoral and pedagogical knowledge that qualify the students for ministries in various churches or wherever they are needed.
The education program is five years in length years for theologians and pastors, and four years for teachers of divinity. It is possible to graduate through a modified correspondence course. The College can accept 40 new students each year.
The education of social workers
A social worker attends to people with serious difficulties who are without natural support (family, friends, colleagues) or ability to help themselves. The College prepares social workers to be employed in state institutions, institutions of self-government or non-profit (church, foundation, society) institutions. The following areas of social work are commonly addressed: child-welfare, family-welfare, elderly or homeless care, disabled care, provision for psychiatric patients, for people with addictions, and assistance to refugees, minorities and adjudicated criminals.
The curriculum for social work students is regularly 3,5 years (BA) in length. The College can accept 120 regular students and 70 correspondence students each year. The tuition fee is 180,000 HUF per year. The College welcomes students with disabilities and provides handicap accessibility for most of its classrooms.
Bachelor of Arts in Pedagogy Starting
September 2006 based on the new laws and national requirements, John Wesley Theological College has started its basic training of pedagogy on full-time and part-time course.
The basic training gives opportunity to students to attain the qualification of Bachelor of Arts, and be qualified as paraprofessional in pedagogy.
The time of education in both full-time and part-time courses, 6 semesters.
Optional specializations: pedagogical assistant, educational assistant, pedagogical-research assistant
During the Pedagogy BA program, students can attain the theoretical and practical basics of pedagogics.
This will enable the students to take an active part in organizing and performing educational and tutorial tasks in and out of schools. Their professional skills will be needed in schools, child welfare institutes, local governments, manpower-centers, museums, educational establishments, social- and religious organizations, non-profit foundations and educational ventures. At the same time they prepare for possible master studies on a high level.
The goal of the Pedagogy BA studies is to train experts
- to take an effective part in operating general education and pedagogical services,
- to successfully continue their studies on higher level if they want
- and to provide a fundamental training that is useful in personal life as a high level culture of communication, sociology and pedagogy.
The carefully articulated combination of coursework and field experiences systematically transmits the accumulated knowledge of pedagogy and sociology and prepares theoretical and practical experts.
The initial part of the study offers philosophical, sociological, communicational, pedagogical and psychological studies as an introduction.
The main part is the study of education sciences and related branch of knowledge. Within this part numerous electives are available for the students.
In the differentiated part of the course, students can choose one of three specializations: pedagogical assistant, educational assistant, or pedagogical-research assistant. These lines offer both theoretical and practical knowledge to help forming ability and sensibility.
During the program the students can also select the special module of being prepared for the profession of teaching; the completion of this module helps the admission to the teacher training MA programs.
Completing the BA program permits the students to enter their master studies in
- pedagogy (which prepares them to be pedagogical researchers, valuation experts pedagogical lecturers etc.)
- or other sciences.
Further information:
www.wesley.hu, Telephone: (+36-1) 210-5400
General information:
Telephone: (+36-1) 577-0502, E-mail: wjlf@wjlf.hu
Social work
Telephone: (+36-1) 210-5400/108; E-mail: szocialismunka@wjlf.hu
Theology and Religious Education
Tel.: (+36-1) 210-5400/224; E-mail: teologia@wjlf.hu
Pedagogy
Tel.: (+36-1) 210-5400/108, E-mail: pedagogia@wjlf.hu
Rector: Dr. Gábor Iványi
2007