Italy

Verbum Evangelical Institute of Theology

MEMBER SCHOOL

Faculty at ITEV

               Number of Graduates: 83 | Churches Impacted: 25               

To provide church-centered theological training that equips pastors and church leaders to handle God’s Word rightly and shepherd Christ’s flock for His glory.

Man speaks in class at ITEV
Class at ITEV
Teacher at ITEV
Students at ITEV

MISSION

KEY DETAILS ON VERBUM EVANGELICAL INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY

About

  • ITEV exists to help pastors and church members study the inspired word for love of the incarnate Word.

  • ITEV exists:

    • To promote sound theology that is exegetical, systematic, historical and edifying.

    • To serve local churches in their work of edification and evangelism.

    • To prepare pastors to serve the local church.

    • To create resources that are contextualized, accessible and multigenerational.

  • We plan to use a hybrid approach, combining the accountability of regular online meetings with intensive in-person weekenders. The in-person weekenders are combined with our pastoral seminars, where students have the opportunity to interact with pastors already serving in full-time ministry. In addition to active service and discipleship in their respective local churches, every student will be paired with a pastor mentor.

Training

  • Certificate of Theology: An online program for church members which focuses on hermeneutics, Bible introduction and systematic theology. Students can go at their own pace or complete the program in two years.

    Diploma of Pastoral Ministry: A three-year program for aspiring pastors which focuses on biblical exegesis, New Testament Greek, expository preaching and pastoral ministry.

  • TMAI training in Italy began in 2004 on the island of Sicily. After various iterations of the training center, our school was relaunched in January of 2025. We embark on this new chapter with excitement as the Lord has put together a staff and board of pastors of local churches who share a vision for theological education in Italy.

  • We aim to equip 10 Italian men with Master of Divinity-level training and see them serving the Lord as full-time pastors in the next 10 years.

Context

  • Population: 60,964,931 (2024 est.)

    Ethnic Groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north, Albanian-Italians, Croat-Italians, and Greek-Italians in the south) 

    Languages: Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German-speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area), Croatian (in Molise) 

    Religions: Christian 80.8% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim 4.9%, unaffiliated 13.4%, other 0.9% (2020 est.) 

    Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

    Refugees (Country of Origin):  21,441 (Nigeria), 17,706 (Afghanistan), 17,619 (Pakistan), 11,193 (Mali), 8,405 (Somalia), 6,324 (Gambia), 5,768 (Bangladesh), 5,463 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 169,165 (Ukraine) (as of 23 February 2024)  

    Stateless Persons: 3,000 (2022)

    Note: 861,413 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-March 2024) 

    Stats from CIA.gov

  • Italy has contributed much to the Western World through its legal systems, literature, art, culture, and innovation. In 1861, Sicily, Sardinia, and the regional states of the peninsula were united under King Victor Emmanuel as the nation of Italy. In the early 1920’s, Benito Mussolini established a fascist dictatorship. Under his leadership, Italy allied itself with Nazi Germany in World War II only to be defeated at the end of the war. In 1946, a democratic republic ushered in a time of economic revival and Italy joined the Economic and Monetary Union at the close of the 20th century. Italy is a member of the EC and the EU, as well as a charter member of NATO. In addition to the economic disparity between the poorer southern and more prosperous northern regions, the nation struggles with slow economic growth, high unemployment, corruption, and organized crime. Once the heart of Catholicism in Europe, the country still maintains much of its Catholic heritage and tradition.  

    Compiled from CIA.gov, Operation World, and Joshua Project

  • Class at ITEV

    “My joy in being part of ITEV…comes from working together with a group of faithful men who seek personal holiness, being guided by biblical principles and depending on God to accomplish what ITEV intends to do.”

    Sebastian Mendez, Faculty Member at ITEV

  • Class at ITEV

    “I cannot but thank the Lord for all the workload I have because though it is challenging it is also edifying and I am learning more and more each day. I am truly grateful for the way the Lord is using ITEV in my life.”

    Cristina De Lucia, Student at ITEV

  • Class at ITEV

    “I appreciate ITEV’s focus, especially on pastoral care. If we want to see people grow in their spiritual life, we must recognize that they don’t just need information; they also need relationships.”

    Gabriele Piciulo, Staff at ITEV

  • Faculty at ITEV

    “I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to study at ITEV in the past year. The Lord has truly blessed me through the studies we had and the things I have learned from the professors.”

    Cristian Careddu, Student at ITEV

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