NEWS PROVIDED BY
Dallas Theological Seminary
Aug. 13, 2026
DALLAS, Aug. 13, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS), a ministry of Asian Christian Academy in India, have formed an academic partnership to help launch ETS’s Master of Arts in Christian Counseling program and prepare the school eventually to sustain the program independently.
Beginning in Fall 2026, ETS will launch its Master of Arts in Christian Counseling program with an inaugural cohort of eleven students. As part of the partnership, students will complete their Bible and theology coursework through ETS while taking selected counseling courses from Dallas Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Counseling Ministries curriculum. Participants will enroll as nondegree students at DTS for the counseling portion of the program, which will be delivered through a combination of online instruction and in-person teaching by DTS faculty.
The partnership grew from a years-long relationship between DTS and ETS. Ongoing conversations through those years identified a growing need for biblically grounded counseling training to equip pastors, ministry leaders, and future counselors to serve churches and communities throughout the region.
Founded by Dallas Theological Seminary alumnus Isaac John, ETS shares DTS’s mission of equipping Christian leaders through biblically grounded theological education. Together, the two institutions will work to strengthen theological education while equipping Indian leaders to develop sustainable counseling training within their own context.
Stephen George, President of ETS, said, “ETS offers degrees for pastors, theologians, and ministry leaders in India, but as the church continues to grow, we identified a need for qualified Christian counselors. DTS has been a long-time partner of ours, and we’re honored to cocreate a pathway to raise up a generation of biblically rooted counselors throughout India.”
Michael Ortiz, Vice President for Global Ministries at DTS, added, “Our long-term plan is to equip qualified counselors and professors in India so that ETS can take over the degree and offer it independently of DTS. This is what global multiplication and discipleship look like, where we plan ahead and collaborate for the benefit of the church worldwide.”
This partnership reflects DTS’s and ETS’s shared commitment to equipping Christian leaders through biblically grounded theological education while strengthening local institutions to serve the church in India and beyond.
For more information about Evangelical Theological Seminary, visit https://www.ets-india.org.
For details about the counseling ministries program at DTS, visit https://www.dts.edu/academics/degrees-programs/master-of-arts-in-counseling-ministries.
SOURCE Dallas Theological Seminary
CONTACT: DTS Media Relations, 800-387-9673, mediarelations@dts.edu