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Embracing a God-directed life

Yellowstone Theological Institute believes in a world where we are lifted up by experiencing deeper, more meaningful relationships with God and one another in Christ. In our intentionally nondenominational school, we prepare our students, the leaders of tomorrow, to minister in any setting. We want students to learn, grow and explore. We want you to explore the relationships between community, culture and Christian experience amid the spellbinding beauty of this place—then embrace the God-directed life to which you are called.

Board of Directors

Our board of directors bring a diversity of Christian perspectives to our school community. All are passionate about God’s presence in their lives and strive for unity and understanding in the Christian church, while respecting its varied traditions and theologies.

  • Mr. Joe Billion
  • Mr. Chris Budeski
  • Dr. Bill Fowler
  • Rev. Brian Van Eps
  • Mr. Paul Newby
  • Rev. Dr. Jay Smith
  • Mrs. Karen Gilhousen (Emeritus)

Our Mission

#1 God first:

We are faithful to God’s Word in Christ and embrace His love for the whole world.

YTI approaches the study of theology from a biblical foundation. We expand the lens of study to include theological and ethical reflection, the study of differing religious perspectives, cultural interpretation, engagement with the arts and adventure as well as practical person-to-person ministry experience.

#2 Courageous in faith:

We welcome the difficult questions.

Our programs foster the safe exploration and evaluation of students’ closely-held ideals and beliefs through an individualized mentoring process, fostering healthy spiritual growth in the student.

#3 Truth and love:

We balance a scholar’s mindset with a servant’s heart.

While YTI encourages and challenges faculty and students alike to strive for innovation in their respective fields, our actions remain firmly rooted in our love for God and every individual we meet.

Our Beliefs

Yellowstone Theological Institute stands as a new voice in Christian theological education and community ministry. Our methods are innovative, and yet our beliefs are consistent with Christian Scripture, church tradition, and personal, communal spiritual experience. Our beliefs are just that—our beliefs. We understand that others—both Christians and non-Christians—in our culture and world, may hold different beliefs in regards to Scripture, salvation, resurrection, human sexuality, and marriage. This does not deter us. Our position is not to judge others, but to love unconditionally, without reservation.

  • #1 The Bible—the sixty-six documents containing the Hebrew histories, Israelite legal documents, poetry, proverbs, prophecies, Christological biographies, early church histories, apostolic letters, and apocalyptic prophecies found in the Old and New Testaments—acts as the sole rule of faith for believers, and thus the authority for Christian faith and practice. These documents are “God-Breathed,” (2 Timothy 3:16) through the informing work of the Holy Spirit in the human writers, and form the instruction for our faith. Because the Bible is “God-Breathed”—an instrument of the Holy Spirit—it is the infallible, inerrant, Word of God;

 

  • #2 As determined by the early church, we affirm the doctrine of God as Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three persons bound together by one divine substance, agape love (1 John 4:16);
  • #3 We affirm the Trinitarian nature of creation (grounded in the Father, designed and held together in the Son, and empowered by the Spirit), including the creation and commission of humankind, and humankind’s responsibility to God, as well as the balance of the created order. We affirm that human beings were created for community, in the image of God, male and female, in order to fulfill the mandate of procreation, to relate to one another, and to relate to the Creator (Genesis 1 & 2);

 

  • #4 We affirm the scriptural account of human freewill and yet also the invasive, enslaving nature of sin. Men and women can choose to live as they please; and yet we experience debilitating suffering due to evil in our world. This suffering is not the will of God, but rather the consequences of human choice. (Genesis 3 & 4, Romans 3);
  • #5 We affirm the informing centrality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth for Christian faith and practice (Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19);
  • #6 We affirm that salvation is available to all as the forgiveness of sins through grace and the resurrection to eternal life through belief in, and confession of Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:9-10);
  • #7 We affirm the church as the Spirit empowered “Body of Christ,” commissioned to carry out the ministry of Christ, in the power and direction of the Spirit, until the consummation of all things. To that end we believe that all believers are called to the mission of Christ (Romans 8:1-17; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 Peter 1:4-17);
  • #8 At the end of all things, we affirm the imminent return of Jesus followed by the resurrection of the dead to judgment and eternal life (1 Thessalonians 4-5);
  • #9 In a world with multiple coexisting views on sexuality and marriage, we choose to affirm the calling of believing Christians to sexual expression in male-female, covenant-based marriage (Genesis 2:20b-25, 1 Corinthians 7:1-7, 9);
  • #10 We affirm the scriptural witness to the ministry of both men and women (Mark 15:40-41, Acts 18:1-26, Romans 16:1, Galatians 3:28, 1 Timothy 3:11, etc.);
  • #11 We affirm the existence of both good and evil spiritual beings in the world. These beings either seek to uphold, protect and encourage the will of God, or seek to subvert it (Genesis 18 & 19, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 12:43-45, 1 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 3:5, 11, Matthew 8:28-34, 1 Timothy 4:1, etc.);
  • #12 In summary, we affirm the priority of unconditional love for the Other (God, neighbor, family, and enemy) as the witness and essence of the gospel, and its expression through the church in mission and ministry. Thus, we reject all judgmental thought and actions, and welcome all to share the experience of grace, love, and forgiveness in God with us. (Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 7:1-5; Luke 10:25-37, John 15:12-17, 1 John 3:16, 4:7-14).

Understanding a Changing World

YTI understands that churches around the world do not agree on many points of doctrine, including women in ministry, the nature of human sexuality, the second coming of Christ, the relevance of the Holy Spirit, the nature of worship, and even the nature of the church’s mission. We train our students to work creatively to speak the Gospel to the heart of these conflicts and validate church doctrine in an ever-changing culture. Faculty members teach the various positions taken by the church throughout history. Students who intend to serve in a specific tradition (Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, etc.) will take denomination-specific courses with their ministry mentor.

God’s Truth Lights Our Path

Yellowstone Theological Institute embodies a generous, evangelically oriented theology. Because we are intentionally nondenominational, we provide students with an education that prepares them to minister in any setting or use their degrees in other career opportunities.

Our faculty members examine the influence and truths of other religious and philosophical movements as we work to understand the power of practical Christian character and ethical virtue.

We are in a time of great cultural transformation. YTI recognizes that this moment creates both unprecedented anxiety and exceptional opportunity for the church. We are excited to share the love of Christ to everyone everywhere through the exceptional students who attend our school.

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