By Jeffrey Robertson
As a Bible college for training Caribbean leaders, WISE (Windward Islands School of Evangelism) held its first classes on the island of St. Lucia in 1979. After moving to St. Vincent in 1980, WISE spent 35 years on that island and then 10 years in Barbados, welcoming students from Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti, St. Vincent, Barbados, and other Caribbean countries. God blessed the school with over 300 graduates who are serving today in over a dozen countries throughout the Caribbean and beyond.
But in recent years many factors combined to create a decline in enrollment. The Covid pandemic prevented students from traveling to WISE, and its effects are still being felt. Political turmoil in Haiti prevented many Haitians who wanted to come to WISE from being able to do so. But beyond those easily observable factors, important cultural changes were taking place. Young people across the region were far less willing to commit two years to studying in residence away from their home country. Other opportunities and pressures presented themselves in a changing environment. The ever-increasing challenge of recruiting students forced us to ask some very difficult questions.
Was the current model of training leaders still viable and sustainable? Was it good stewardship? Was it fulfilling the mission? Could a different model be more fruitful in coming years while still allowing us to pursue our goals of teaching, encouraging, and equipping leaders? Wrestling with these questions led the board of WISE to make a very difficult decision.
It’s important to understand that the mission of helping to raise up leaders for Caribbean churches is what gave birth to WISE in the first place. In other words, the mission preceded the model. For a long time, the Bible college served as a productive model in fulfilling the mission. But we believe the time has come to try a different approach.
So early in 2025, WISE announced the transition to a new model of ministry. In a word, WISE will go to the churches in the Caribbean rather than hosting students in one location. As of August, 2025, WISE ceased to be a full-time residential college offering a degree program. Going forward, we will offer various learning opportunities by visiting the churches in the region.
WISE plans to engage in at least three different kinds of activities in the Caribbean: (1) Training Retreats – Brief on-site retreats for teaching, encouragement, and fellowship; (2) Theme Classes – Week-long classes offered in churches on selected topics; and (3) Online Studies – Short studies in a variety of Biblical and practical subjects. WISE will also participate in conferences and other similar activities in collaboration with local churches. (Although the acronym no longer strictly applies, the name “WISE” will be retained because of its familiarity.)
This model, while not offering academic credit, has at least three distinct advantages:
- Focus. By going directly to the churches themselves, we will be able to focus on and be more responsive to their needs. As one Caribbean leader put it, “This new model of WISE looks rather promising as it is now being tailored to meet the needs of the working Church leaders and by extension their congregation.”
- Flexibility. We can be flexible in the subjects addressed. We can draw upon a wide network of teachers and resource people in the U.S. and the Caribbean. We can minister in a wide variety of locations: Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and others. And we can invite teams from U.S. churches to serve on trips with us.
- Facilitation. We love the idea of being facilitators for our brethren in the Caribbean. We desire to partner with churches to help God’s people grow in their faith. We want to be a catalyst for new leadership development. And in particular, this new model will enable us to better serve our graduates and be a blessing to them. Previously, it was often hard to find ways to partner with them. But the new model will place an emphasis on ministering to our alumni throughout the region by coming alongside them, encouraging them, and providing additional training for ministry.
Change is not easy. But in the midst of this change, WISE remains committed to its historic mission statement: to help evangelize Caribbean societies and encourage growth to spiritual maturity through the development of leaders for the church. It is that mission which will continue to guide our efforts going forward. By being proactive now, we envision a future where we can build upon all that WISE has done in the past, a future in which WISE may continue to be a blessing to the churches of the Caribbean. As another Caribbean leader said, “To my understanding, this new approach is an excellent choice and I believe that it will allow you to impact more lives.”
We are excited for that opportunity!
For more information about WISE and its new model, write to: wisemissions@gmail.com.
Jeffrey Robertson is a member of the Windward Island School of Evangelism’s board of directors and former professor.
Queridos siervos de Dios, es una pena que no se pueda contar con una institución de educación formal y sistemática como era WISE. Pero gracias a Dios que podrán seguir ayudando a las iglesias de esa región mediante las visitas periódicas que hagan. Nuestras oraciones en favor de ustedes. Quien les escribe es fundador del Tree of Life Christian School de San Carlos, una escuela de enseñanza primaria y secundaria en Chile, En noviembre estaremos celebrando 50 años de labor para la gloria del Señor en la zona., Tenemos pequeñas iglesias en la región, pero no contamos con un instituto bíblico de capacitación. El misionero Mike Boyce con su esposa Tabi nos han ayudado con algunas semanas de enseñanza para nuestros pastores y líderes.