Our History

In 1979, fifteen mission organizations met together in Vienna, Austria to address the critical need for leadership training in Communist-controlled countries. At that meeting, Biblical Education by Extension (BEE) was founded. A co-founder of Internet Theological Education by Extension (iTEE) Global was present at that three-day conference. He served as a one of the founding board members. BEE has been a successful distance-education program, meeting the need of thousands of church leaders since July 1979.

The BEE focus of ministry—multiplication, teachers going to the students, facilitated learning, and group-learning—are concepts that permeate iTEE Global today.

In 2003, BEE World started to use the internet for education. Then, it redeveloped courses so that textbooks were no longer required, and all course content could be delivered digitally. What is more, BEE World showed how online education could integrate well with Jesus’ principles of developing leaders. It seemed a natural progression when BEE World started Internet Biblical Seminary, an early provider of online education. Truly, there was much to celebrate regarding innovative new methods of theological education.

Building upon such a foundation and upon their own 40 years of experience in international ministry, a few ministers began meeting together. They were praying and visualizing how the internet could navigate past several practical hurdles in missions. For instance, how could the digital world make biblical training accessible in nations like Zambia, Uganda, or Haiti? They sensed God’s leading to launch iTEE Global, which was first recognized by the state of Illinois on June 19, 2014. A few months later, iTEE Global received its IRS 501c3 tax-exempt status in October 2014. Its accreditation by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability came in 2016.

iTEE Global began expanding quickly and started to provide learning centers in several countries. To formalize and better organize these centers, iTEE Global founded iTEE University in the fall of 2019 as its educational arm. iTEE University is currently seeking accreditation through Association for Theological Accreditation (ATA) to offer three distinct programs for pastoral leaders: Certificate, Diploma, and Associate of Arts. Through iTEE University, iTEE Global has now offered courses in over 40 countries in multiple languages. It has also partnered with many ministries and education institutions to help with discipleship and training needs. Some cohorts in North America and Africa are composed of individuals affected by disabilities, which is a great praise!

By integrating partner curricula, new approaches to training, biblical principles of discipleship, and proven educational technology and resources, iTEE Global is diligently working to address the global challenge of training church leaders. It is a joy to be involved in multiplying disciple-makers across the world.