Since 1959, the Italian Evangelical Bible Institute has served the Italian evangelical churches by supporting them in the formation of believers through various approaches and strategies. Our motto is "prepared to serve".
The heart of IBEI is the academic formation program where along with cognitive growth we emphasize character and competence development, in the context of community. In other words: know, be, serve... toghether!
IBEI offers academic degrees accredited by the ECTE because it desires to provide a quality formation and give students opportunities to continue their ministry preparation by studying in other schools.
Through the basic formation program, the publishing house and seminars, IBEI reaches those who desire to begin an educational path and grow in their faith and in their ability to serve.
IBEI is a non-denominational institute, with Doctrinal Values where the emphasis is placed on the authority of Scriptures. Professors and staff are motivated by love for the Lord and progress of the Gospel.
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The "Istituto Biblico Evangelico" (or the English equivalent, Italian Bible Institute) was founded in 1959 near La Spezia by missionaries of the Greater Europe Mission (GEM). In 1961 it was relocated in a villa of Montesacro (Rome), and under the guidance of the missionaries Royal Peck and Bernard Oxenham developed its ministry until in 1982 it moved to its current location, a country house of the eighteenth century in the outskirts of Rome. Following the example of the other Biblical Institutes founded by GEM in Europe, since its inception the Italian Bible Institute (IBE) wanted to be an "interdenominational" Institute and offer its services to all Evangelical Churches. Thus the first students and staff of IBE came from various evangelical denominations. At the same time, the first missionaries attended Plymouth Brethren assemblies and established a special contact and connection with this group of churches. This however did not express an assimilation or identification with these churches and IBE remained an American Missionary work. At the beginning of the 80's it was decided to make IBE a less "foreign" and more "Italian" work giving life to an association that reflected its national character. Consequently, in agreement with GEM, in 1983 the Association "Istituto Biblico Evangelico Italiano" (IBEI) was founded. It was composed by Italian believers who had the trust of the churches and denominations they came from and with whom IBE had already collaborated (plymouth brethren, baptists, mennonites, independent missions etc). This led to a greater connection and exchange with these churches and from these came most of the students, teaching and administrative staff. Thanks to these people IBEI has developed and expanded its work. Thanks also to its missionary origins much of the teaching staff has been composed of foreign missionaries, mostly theologically trained Americans who worked in Italy allowing IBEI to raise its program the European academic standards. Through time the percentage of qualified Italian professor shas grown and this has contributed to make IBEI increasingly Italian, not only from the organizational perspective but also in the functional and teaching aspects. In 2019, building on the experiences and knowledge gained over several decades, and thankful to the Lord for His faithfulness, IBEI reaffirmed its interdenominational roots and its call to serve all Italian evangelical churches, as evident by our doctrinal values (1.4), our teaching content, and the ecclesial diversity of the student body and faculty.
IBEI's vision is to be a school available to all Italian evangelical churches to carry out a training service for the growth of the church in Italy, with the end result of propagating the Good News of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ, and thus helping to fulfill Jesus' mandate, "Go and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." IBEI is an interdenominational ministry and considers the Bible as the absolute authority and reference regarding matters of faith, ethics and morals. Our motto is "Prepared to Serve," which summarizes our mission to come alongside evangelical churches in the training of believers, broadening and deepening their biblical-theological knowledge, developing their practical and specific skills, and fostering their character and relational growth in the community context. An emphasis is placed on teaching the Word of God, to implement the principle of 2 Timothy 2:2: "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust them to faithful men...who are also able to teach others." To fulfill its mission, IBEI offers various educational services:- at the basic level, through the IBEI-Emmaus Introduction to the Bible courses;- at the academic level, through the Residential School, the Extension Schools and the Online Asynchronous School and the Online Synchronous School. In addition, it offers conferences/seminars of various kinds, and publishes the theological journal Lux Biblica.
IBEI's organizational structure is composed of a legal association whose members support our school's ministry. The association gathers in a General Assembly that takes place once a year. The Assembly elects the Board of Advisors, which is currently composed of the following individuals The Board nominates the Exective Committee, which is currently composed of:
The Board nominates the Exective Committee, which is currently composed of
To become a member of IBEI's association, contact the secretary.
The doctrinal values of IBEI, which correspond to the statement of faith of the Italian National Evangelical Alliance, express the cornerstone of the Christian faith. The members of the IBEI Association as well as the teaching and non-teaching staff and IBEI students must embrace and live by its standards.
Based on these statements of faith and in accordance with the fundamental truths of biblical Christianity we believe
…. that the Holy Scriptures, in the canon recognized by the Evangelical Christianity, have been given to us by God. They are divinely inspired and infallible. As the Word of God, they are our supreme authority in every matter of faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21; Mt. 24:15; Ps. 119:105).
…. in God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Ps. 102:27; 28:19; Jn.5:7).
… in our Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator, God manifested in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary, fully man but without sin. We believe in His divine miracles, in His bodily resurrection, and in His return in power and glory (Col. 2:18; 7:14; Heb. 4:15; Acts 2:22; 1 Pet. 3:18; Mk. 16:19; 1 Tim. 2:5; Luk. 21:27; Jn.4:30,31).
… that, because of sin, the entire human race is corrupted and lost, and that man, sinner and lost, can be saved only by the expiatory death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ – by faith and not by works – and by the regeneration operated in man by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:12; 1 Pet.1:19, 20; 1 Pet.1:19,20; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5).
… in the person of the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, to convince the world of sin, to impart life to the sinner who repents and believes in Christ, and to dwell in fellowship with the believer, sanctifying him through the truth, and giving him the strength to live a holy life, a life of witness and service for the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 16:13,14; 16:8; 6:63; 1 Jn. 5:1; Rom.8:9; 1 Pet. 1:2; Acts 1:8).
… that the Church is the body of which Christ is the Head. It is composed of all those persons who, having believed in Christ for their salvation and having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, are spiritually united in the body of Christ. (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12; Col. 1:18).
… in the bodily resurrection of all the dead; of the righteous to eternal and blessed life with our Lord, and of the unrighteous to judgment and eternal punishment (Jn. 5:28,29; 1 Thes. 4:16,17; Rev. 20:11-15).
The Bible is the final authority and constant reference for all theological teaching at IBEI. IBEI interprets scripture according to a literary-historical-grammatical hermeneutical method based on the understanding of the original authors’ aim. The constant reference to Scripture is fundamental to discern between revealed Truth and ecclesial traditions, human experiences, and intellectual reasoning which, although contributing to biblical understanding and personal faith, remain subject to Scripture.
This approach enable students to understand the biblical truths, to recognize the exegetical difficulties, and to root and deepen their theological convictions without having denominational beliefs imposed on them.
The differences in position and/or interpretation of points that go beyond the above-mentioned doctrinal values are addressed with the intention of making students reflect on the reasons for such differences. Students can then develop their own positions (1 Pet. 3:15; Titus 1:9) and be able to argue, analyze the validity, and distinguish their relevance to defend the truth of the gospel from spiritualist, rationalist and philosophical non-biblical contaminations.
Moreover, teachers will help students to discern the actual importance of various doctrinal questions when dealing with issues on which there is no uniformity of views in the evangelical churches.
In the Bible itself we see that issues of primary importance (Mat. 23:23; 1 Cor. 15:3) coexist with issues of secondary importance and can be simplified in a diagram of concentric circles that differentiate the absolutes of the Biblical faith, one’s convictions (important at the level of the local church), opinions, inclinations and questions about unresolved issues.
When categorizing a theological question, one needs to take into account the clarity and frequency of its treatment in the Bible, the relevance to the message of the Gospel, the broad consensus between believers (past and present) and its effect on the personal and ecclesial life.
The ability to distinguish between the absolutes of Biblical faith and other categories will be protection against compromising fundamental truths and creation of unnecessary divisions on marginal issues.
Based on the doctrinal values, IBEI embraces and promotes the following values in all its educational efforts:
Holiness and Maturity: we underline the importance of growth in holiness, that is, one’s own moral virtues and consecration to God, in all that we do (study, practical service, community interaction). This growth aims to be balanced, to involve the whole person, and to result in a solid personal maturity.
Unity and Community: we appreciate the vastness and the richness of God’s family at a global level, including the appreciation for one’s own ecclesial identity. This appreciation should lead to a true love for the family of God, a sensitivity towards the needs of local churches and a growth of relationship within and between local churches.
Faithfulness and Relevance: we believe that knowledge and love for the Bible will lead to biblical thinking, anchored on the Scriptures. This faithfulness to Scriptures will also manifest itself in a lively involvement in the current society, allowing one to be salt and light in this world.
Ability and Utility: we promote the acquisition of vision and abilities that are necessaries for an active service that is useful and loving, both at a local and global level. These competences should develop individually in light of Spiritual gifts, natural talents, and of the needs of the local church and missionary endeavors.
Quality and Love: we strive for a quality formation that reaches the stated goals. This quality will manifest itself on all levels: in rigor of academic studies, in the preparation of teachers, in practical service, and in the commitment to love students and churches.
We believe that the Christian life is characterized by growth in various aspects. For this reason, IBEI adopts the model of the “Four Cs” as an approach to stimulate a balanced growth in our students. This philosophy of teaching, on doctrinal and ethical values, is central in the outcome of each educational which should reinforce the four fundamental aspects of life and promote a more holistic growth, in one’s personal relationship with God.
Growth in Knowledge (Conoscenza): growth in knowledge pervades the entire Bible and implies the need for an authoritative text that reveals to man what he must know about God: the Bible itself. The Jewish concept of knowledge implies theory and experience as well. Therefore the acquisition of biblical and theological content must lead to reason biblically and theologically. Since this ability is not innate in humans, IBEI seeks to develop it and to apply Biblical content to daily life.
Growth in Character (Carattere): knowledge is a “necessary but not sufficient condition” for real spirituality. One of its final aims is character transformation and growth of moral virtues in light of one’s personal relationship with God and his neighbor, stimulating the desire to pursue what is right and good.
Growth in Abilities (Capacità): The will of God is that the Church and all believers serve Him by using their abilities according to their specific gifts. This implies serving the Lord in the best possible way by striving to develop excellence without accepting mediocrity.
Growth in the Community (Comunità): The community aspect underlines the relational emphasis that our entire growth must have. Throughout the whole biblical message, believers are never asked to live a life apart from the context of the local church and civil society, where they must serve, witness, and exercise their gifts.
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