The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America reached a milestone last month when 19 Adventist pastors received a doctorate in ministry from the Miami-based Inter-American Theological Seminary during a ceremony at Montemorelos University in Monterrey, Mexico.

Montemorelos was the first of nine IATS sites throughout the church territory to host the doctoral academic level graduation.

“To produce the first generation of many to become graduates with a doctoral degree ... proves the capacity, capability of IATS to produce doctoral level education successfully,” said IATS president Dr. Jaime Castrejon.

Church leaders in the region began studying ways to provide higher education for its ministers in 1986.

With the help of the church’s flagship seminary school, Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, IATS wrote a constitution and by-laws. The new seminary began coordinating with Andrews to offer graduate programs in theology to ministers at three initial sites: Montemorelos University, Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico and Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica.

Other sites have been added: the University of Southern Caribbean in Trinidad and Colombia Adventist University in Colombia. Four more sites were added in the 1990s, totaling nine sites where ministers could pursue master degrees in pastoral theology through Andrews.

IATS became self supporting in 2000. “We have come a long way,” Castrejon said. “Seven years since 2000 and here we are already graduating the first generation of doctorates.”

Castrejon, who holds a Ph.D. in religious education with administration of higher education, says the benefits of IATS can be seen throughout Inter-America.

“Pastors are better able to speak to the membership as they stand behind the pulpits in our large cities, parishes and college churches with a master’s degree than they were when they only had their bachelor’s or college level training,” Castrejon said.

Since 2003, IATS has graduated 335 students at its nine sites. Next year, IATS expects to graduate ministers now enrolled in the doctoral in ministry program at Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica.

The Inter-American Theological Seminary is accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association and is pursuing accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools.