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Interserve Partner Martin shares an update from SEAN:
Every year well over 200,000 people do SEAN Bible courses, in more than 100 countries and 70 languages around the world…
SEAN (Study by Extension for All Nations, pronounced ‘Say-Ann’) was established in 1971 by the late Tony Barratt, a UK missionary serving in Chile. Tony realised that Theological Education by Extension (TEE) Bible courses were the only way to equip enough people to lead the rapidly growing numbers of congregations in Chile at that time, because unlike residential Bible colleges, TEE trains people where they are.
Tony’s idea was a success: people were trained and took on work and leadership roles in many churches. News spread about SEAN, creating growing demand from potential users worldwide. The small SEAN team now includes several Interserve Partners, and since the 1970s they have forged partnerships with organisations in 113 countries to translate, produce and deliver SEAN courses in their different contexts:
Digital courses
SEAN courses have been in print since the 1970s, but digital ‘e-learning’ versions are being used more and more widely, particularly since the COVID pandemic. Also increasingly popular is ‘m-learning’ – courses studied via mobile phones. In 2024 SEAN undertook further development of its e-learning platform ‘GrowSpace’, which now makes these courses available in four languages, with three further translations coming soon.
Reaching diaspora groups
SEAN courses are widely used by refugees, migrant workers, international students, long-term immigrants, and other people who are on the move in diaspora groups. For example, a group of Asian migrant workers living in the Middle East were recently able to complete the six sessions of SEAN’s ‘Life of Christ’ course.
Encouraging persecuted believers
SEAN courses are widely used by Christians facing persecution, working with partner organisations around the world. The SEAN course ‘The Big Picture’ has recently been translated into an Asian ethnic minority language, by local Christians in a region of Southeast Asia known for its hostility to the Christian faith.
Serving those facing poverty
SEAN TEE courses are widely used by Christians facing poverty. In one of the poorest countries in Asia, a partner organisation has more than 6,000 local people doing SEAN courses.
A SEAN team including an Interserve Partner is working with Tearfund and others to devise a new TEE course promoting the ‘Church and Community Transformation’ process. ‘CCT’ helps churches to work with their local communities to address local needs by using local resources, a form of ‘Asset-Based Community Development’. The new CCT course is due to be launched in 2026, and has great potential to equip Christians around the world to tackle poverty and help develop their local communities.
SEAN’s enduring legacy continues to grow, empowering believers across cultures and contexts to lead, serve, and transform their communities through accessible, life-changing theological education.