History and Mission

In the spring of 1964, the Lord gave Dr. Moses Yu and a group of believers a vision for training workers for the Kingdom of God. However, it was not until 1973 that the vision became reality. Five students enrolled in the first year, using the Berkeley Gospel Center for classrooms and doing practice work in some of the Chinese churches in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1976, a brother was moved by the Lord to donate an apartment complex for the seminary ministry. It provided space for both classrooms and student residence.

In 1978, Christian Witness Theological Seminary (CWTS) was approved as a private post-secondary educational institution in the State of California. In 1984, CWTS was authorized by the California Superintendent of Public Instruction to confer bachelor and master degrees.

CWTS is authorized under Federal Law to enroll non-immigrant students from overseas.

For more than thirty-five years, by the grace of the Lord, CWTS has provided training for a good number of Christian workers in North America and around the world. In the summer of 1996, we moved to the city of Concord, which is in the East Bay Area. Then in January 2009, we moved to Milpitas in a transitional phase. Subsequently we moved to a larger and better campus in San Jose in early 2010. We now offer the Doctor of Ministry degree, three Master degree programs, two Diploma programs and two Certificate programs. We have a team of seven full-time faculty, and over fifteen visiting faculty members. Our students come from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, East Asia, North America and around the world. Apart from training full-time Christian workers, we also provide training for lay leaders. Since 2004, we have established a teaching center at Chinese Church in Christ, San Jose, California, offering part-time Master programs and diploma programs. In addition, we have various extension centers in the Bay Area and outside California offering courses leading to a certificate for lay theological education.

Since 2004, CWTS has been accepted by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada as an Associate Member, and we strive to attain full membership in the near future.

Our Future Goals

Looking to the future, we will work diligently towards the following goals:

1. To equip men and women for the kingdom ministry on behalf of the Chinese churches worldwide.
2. To promote lay theological education among the Chinese churches.
3. To contribute to the development of Biblically-based theology for the Chinese churches.

It is our belief that CWTS is not only a theological seminary, but also a spiritual movement to promote a true knowledge of God, a whole-hearted dedication to serve Him, and the pursuit of excellence. Our emphasis is not only on academic excellence, but also on holistic education for the whole person. We strongly believe that good theological training would significantly contribute to the growth and renewal of the Chinese church worldwide. In the days ahead, CWTS will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, continue to endeavor to accomplish her mission.