CBTS, as it is commonly called today, started in 1947 in Belo. Missionaries from the North American Baptist denomination were organizing churches at the time and saw the need to train pastors to serve in these churches. So CBTS was established.  The first student body was comprised of fourteen part-time students. Rev. Don S. Ganstom was appointed as the first principal-teacher, assisted by Rev. Stephen N. Nteff and Mrs. Lois Ahrens. Clearly from the beginning the hand of the Lord was upon this educational enterprise. The student body continued to grow steadily.

After three years of existence, CBTS was moved to Mbem in 1950. The student body continued to grow to 28 students. The growth of the school also made imperative the appointment of part-time teachers. Missionaries took turns to go to Mbem and teach for a month or more.  In 1954 after considering many things, including future expansion, the school was moved to Ndu with 41 students. As the school expanded its programs, dormitories and staff quarters were constructed. During the time of 1954-1959 classes were held in temporary buildings.

1. The Scripture

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of God’s instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and is and will remain to the end of the world, the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. We believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and is a testimony to Christ, who is the focus of divine revelation. Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11, 89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

2. God

There is one and only one true and living God, who is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of the Universe, and who is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

2.1 God the Father

God as Father exercises providential care over all things: His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history. He works out all things according the purposes of His grace. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all wise. To those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ, He is indeed their Father. In His attitude toward all men, God is fatherly.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:lff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7

2.2 God the Son

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He revealed and did the will of God perfectly and took upon Himself human nature and identified Himself completely with man, but was without sin. He obeyed the Father perfectly and died as a substitute on the cross, thus making provision for the redemption of men from sin. He died, was buried, but was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before his crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man; reconciliation between God and man is effected through His Person. He will come again in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He dwells in all believers now as the living and ever-present Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4.

2.3 God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and fully God. He is the one who inspired holy men of old to write the Scripture. Through His illumination He enables men to understand truth. He glorifies Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He effects regeneration in men and brings them to the Saviour. He baptizes every believer at the moment of regeneration into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and gives spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His Church. He seals the believer for the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16.

3. Man

Man was created by the special act of God. He is in God’s image. God created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender (man as male and female) is part of the goodness of God’s creation. Man was created without sin and was endowed with freedom of choice. Yet, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through Satan’s temptation, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence. Thus, his posterity inherits a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of GoDip.Th.e sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29.

4. Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who through His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. The process of salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Without personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, there is no salvation.

4.1 Regeneration

This is the new birth of believers. It is a work of God’s grace in which believers become new creations in Christ Jesus. It involves a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are works of grace that cannot be separated.  Repentance is a sincere turning from sin toward God. Faith is accepting Jesus Christ and committing the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

4.2 Justification

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of righteousness of all sinners who believe in Christ. This blessing is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but through redemption that is in and through Jesus Christ. It brings us into a state of peace and favour with God.

4.3 Sanctification

This is the process by which the regenerate persons gradually attain to moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in their hearts. Sanctification begins in regeneration where the believer is set apart to God’s purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. It continues throughout the earthly life and is only completed at death.

4.4 Glorification

Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14.

5. The Church

The universal Church is the entire Body of genuine believers in Christ throughout the ages from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. A New Testament church of Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. The church observes two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each church operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In this type of congregation, each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as LorDip.Th.e scriptural officers of the church are elders (pastors) and deacons. Both men and women are gifted for service in the Church but the office of elder (pastor) is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3

6. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is an act of obedience which symbolizes the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.  Baptism is the prerequisite for the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorate the love of Christ as demonstrated through his death and resurrection. In so doing, the members of the church anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12

7. The Lord’s Day (Sunday)

The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It is a day that commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private.  Activities on the Lord’s Day’s should be in accordance with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10

8. The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular reign over men who acknowledge Him as King. The Kingdom is particularly the realm of salvation into which men enter by faith and childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians are to labour and pray that the Kingdom should come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age.

Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22

9. Last Things

God will bring the world to its ultimate end in His own time and His own way.  According to Scripture, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. Then, the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell with the Lord forever in Heaven.

Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13

10. Evangelism and Missions

It is the duty of every Christian man and woman, and the duty of every church of Christ to seek to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all nations.  The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by all other methods sanctioned by the gospel of Christ as the greatest manifestation of this love.

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15;

11. Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. We are therefore under obligation to serve Him with our time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to us for the glory of God and the helping of others. All Christians should cheerfully, regularly, and systematically contribute of their means to the advancing of the cause of Christ on earth.

Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2.

The purposes and objectives of CBTS are as follows:

Objectives: Training at CBTS integrates both theory and practice at all levels. The following general objectives are designed to define the scope and purpose of the programs offered by the Seminary. The Seminary exists to provide biblical, theological, historical, and practical training in Christian ministry for pastors, administrators, chaplains, theological teachers, and other Christian workers within the Cameroon, Africa and beyond. Graduation from this institution should enable a student to demonstrate growth and development:

1. SPIRITUALLY, by cultivating a dynamic personal understanding of the triune God as he relates to daily living. This should be evidenced by an active commitment to Christ and the administration of his church;

2. CULTURALLY, by a consistent Christian witness within an African context in order that the verbal witness of the church will be relevant and effective in practical social experiences;

3. INTELLECTUALLY, by a comprehensive understanding of the truth of God revealed in the Scriptures of living Christian doctrines, and of the illumination given by historical development within the church;

4. VOCATIONALLY, by translating intellectual foundations into concrete ministry experiences issuing in the edification of the body of Christ.

EVALUATION OF OBJECTIVES: For the evaluation of the courses in the various programs, we identify those courses dealing with the student’s personal Christian life as having the aim of developing the student spiritually. The assigning of prayer partners, Evangelism Week, staff-student retreats, and the Missions Conference are further parts of the program to assist students in this spiritual growth. These fall into the ontological domain of the personal being of a person in ministry.

Training at CBTS focuses on helping students maintain a healthy balance between theory and practice by building strong ties between matter taught and the contextual realities. This helps the student to better minister relevantly in diverse contexts.

The development of the student intellectually is seen to consist not only of those courses focused on the Scriptures, Christian Doctrines, and the History of the Church, but also to include those general education courses which support and aid the student in relating these to the world in which s/he lives.

We see the vocational development of the program as being mainly those courses that deal with relating the background gained in the other areas of study to the work of the Christian minister in his/her community. Whereas, intellectually, he may learn Biblical truths, in his vocational development he learns to present these truths to his congregation.

The Child Care Center (CCC) started in 1972 as a children’s room to care for children whose mothers were studying in the Women’s Ministries Department. Originally there were 25 pre-schoolers who were cared for by two paid baby-sitters. Today the Child Care Centre is a quickly growing ministry, caring for children whose parents are studying in the Seminary.  It is also open to serve the outside community.  A dedicated staff is committed to taking care of these children and helping them to grow physically and spiritually.

The number of children at the Child Care Center increased with the surging enrolment at CBTS.  Considering both the increased number of the children, and the need for their safety, the Administration decided to begin a nursery school.  The proper care that children received in the school became a motivation for the inhabitants of Ndu to send their children to the school.  This naturally evolved into a complete Primary School.  In 2012 the Cameroon Ministry of Basic Education recognized the school as a Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Bilingual Primary and Nursery School.  The school graduated its first batch of Class Six pupils with a 100% success at the Cameroon Government Entrance Examination.