Our History
In the mid 1960s, after hearing God's call to ministry, Narayan Nair, his wife, Savita and their two young children, traveled to Australia so he could attend AFCI's Illawarra Bible College. Narayan, who converted from Hinduism to Christianity, had a longtime dream to establish a similar college in his homeland of Fiji. This dream was conceived from a heartfelt desire to train and equip others to spread the gospel throughout the thousands of South-Pacific islands.
His dream came true in 1974 when the College of Theology and Evangelism Fiji (CTEF) opened. This fully accredited seminary has grown steadily each year.
CTEF was born out of the desire to obey the Apostle Paul’s injunction in 2 Tim. 2:2, New American Standard Bible (NASB). “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” For many years the institution was known as Fiji Bible College. In 2000, the name was changed to Fiji College of Theology & Evangelism. In 2012, when we requested registration from the Fiji Higher Education Commission, they stipulated that in order to gain registration, we have to change the College's name to “College of Theology & Evangelism Fiji.” We complied and the College is now registered as an institution of Higher Education.
Initially, the College only offered a two year Diploma in Evangelism. We are now registered to offer a Certificate and a Diploma of Theology, a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, a Bachelor of Divinity, a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education and post graduate degree in Master of Arts in Biblical Studies.
With the focus on teaching and equipping saints to spread the gospel throughout the South Pacific, Narayan implemented two strategies to complement the school's accredited Undergraduate and Post-Graduate Degree program:
A Graduate Program, which offers students with a Bachelor degree the opportunity for higher education without leaving the region.
Correspondence Courses and Off-Campus Programs, which provide flexibility to students unable to live away from home during their studies.
Other programs, specifically designed to ensure the gospel's flow to the farthest corners of the region, have been hugely successful as well:
Pastor Training Seminars and Deeper Life Conferences have been developed to provide support, encouragement, and continuing education to pastors and lay leaders.
Mass Evangelistic Events are conducted by AFCI and in partnership with other groups like The Billy Graham Association.
A Literature Department supports the efforts of each evangelist as they work in their specific ministry setting by providing, among other things, translation of Christian media into the many native languages of this region.
A Library, funded by supporters of AFCI, is the most recent addition to CTEF.
Today, Narayan's original dream has provided training for more than 10,000 men and women. The outflow of CTEF students and their commitment to spread the gospel in their homelands continue to impact large portions of this region.
In addition to his efforts with CTEF, Narayan Nair, AFCI's National Director of AFCI-South Pacific, also leads a large team of dedicated Nationals in Ministry throughout this region. Many of these are former students who share his vision to change all the South Pacific for Christ.
For over forty-five years, we have been faithfully obeying Paul’s command, teaching the Bible as the inerrant, infallible word of God upholding the historical Christian faith.