IBTS is delighted to be able to congratulate Elie Haddad on the successful defence of his PhD thesis at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Elie is well known throughout the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and serves as the President of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Lebanon. Elie’s thesis was entitled ‘Developing a Missional Ecclesiology for the Local Baptist Church in Lebanon’ and provided an assessment of how the Lebanese crises of the last ten years, as well as theological education, have helped shape the Lebanese Baptist Church. Elie said, “My ultimate passion is to witness a Lebanese Baptist Church with an effective missional witness among its neighbors. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to offer a theological framework for the Lebanese Baptist Church to consider as it revisits its ecclesiology to match its evolving praxis.”
ABTS holds a strategic place in the mission and work of the EBF family and under Elie’s leadership has continued to grow in influence and capacity to further theological education across the Middle East. IBTS is proud to have Elie among its alumni and looks forward to continued fellowship and cooperation with Elie and ABTS in the years ahead.
