Welcome to the Society for Caribbean Pentecostal Theology (SCPT)
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his name, I welcome you to the Society for Caribbean Pentecostal Theology (SCPT).
We are a community of faith and learning committed to the Spirit’s ongoing work of formation, for the strengthening of academic dialogue, of the church, and of service to our communities. At SCPT, we seek to embody a ministry of education and service that nurtures in each of us a deeper sense of purpose, vocational clarity, and Spirit-empowered discipleship. Whether you are at the beginning of your path in ministry or scholarship, a student longing for greater faithfulness in ministry, a pastor or leader seeking theological renewal, or a curious mind drawn to the rich resources of Pentecostal and Caribbean theological reflection, know that you are welcome here. This community exists for you!
It is a privilege to have you in this community of faith and learning and to invite you to join us in our common mission:
“To cultivate rigorous, contextual Pentecostal scholarship that serves the Caribbean church and its diaspora, convening scholars, ministers, and students in bilingual dialogue, publication, and formation.”
In John 15, Jesus uses the image of the vine, the branches, and the gardener to describe his relationship with his disciples, with God the Father, and with the lasting work that flows from lives deeply rooted in him. He tells his disciples:
“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”
John 15:16, NIV
This is the heartbeat of our life together at SCPT. We are an ecosystem of exploration, discernment, and discovery, dedicated to helping disciples grow deep roots through rigorous study, shared worship, and a life of faith lived in community. From those roots, we pray that lasting fruit will emerge: fruit that transforms lives, strengthens churches, and brings hope to the Caribbean and beyond.
As we step into this new season, we claim Psalm 84:7 as a guiding word: “They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” By God’s grace, SCPT is already being established and strengthened, and I believe this is only the beginning of what the Lord will provide as we move forward in Christ’s mission to form faithful and fruitful disciples.
The church today, in the Caribbean, in the diaspora, and throughout the wider world, faces profound challenges. There is growing distrust of institutions, including the church. Many no longer believe it is necessary to know God in order to live a morally meaningful life. People are content to create meaning for themselves, treating God either as irrelevant or as a convenient symbol for their preferred causes. Added to this are the moral and intellectual uncertainties surrounding how artificial intelligence will reshape the ways people relate to God and to one another.
In such a moment, theological education must do more than grant degrees or credentials. It must provide real resources for the church in real time. We will offer support for academic formation while also finding creative ways to accompany congregations, pastors, and leaders as they carry out this shared work. New ways of being a theological community must be developed, tested, and put into practice, with the clear goal of being an accessible Society that makes a difference through the people and faith communities we equip.
I invite you to take this step with us as SCPT undertakes this work. As we do so, we will keep the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center. We will pray, discern, and innovate to strengthen the church in all its expressions, across different denominations, ethnicities, languages, and geographic boundaries. Our hope is to articulate more clearly the goodness of Jesus Christ, to recognize the gifts of the Spirit, and to listen carefully for the ways God is sending the church to meet the deep needs of the world around us.
Our community is a space that deliberately stimulates both the life of the mind and the life of the soul. Scholars, ministers, and students work together to create learning experiences that lay the foundation for effective, Spirit-led ministry. These experiences take place both inside and outside the academic world: in the texts we read, the conversations we share, the questions we wrestle with, and the moments of deep reflection that arise along the way. Here, academic excellence and spiritual formation are not competing values; they are inseparable.
We understand theological education as more than the transmission of knowledge. It is also a process of critical awareness, spiritual formation, and communal empowerment. Drawing on the rich traditions of Pentecostal scholarship, we are creating spaces where Caribbean voices, languages, and experiences contribute meaningfully to theological discourse. We seek to challenge inherited assumptions, cultivate intellectual freedom, and empower scholars, ministers, and students to engage critically and faithfully with the realities of our churches and societies. In this way, theological reflection becomes not only an academic endeavor but also a transformative practice of discipleship, service, and Christian witness. We are intentionally building a society that listens carefully to our Caribbean context, honors our languages and cultural memories, attends to the lived realities of our people, and responds with theological integrity and pastoral wisdom.
Faithful leadership requires both the courage to confront difficult realities and the hope to imagine a future shaped by God’s promise. As a community founded in 2026, we are called to honest reflection, compassionate listening, stewardship, and wholehearted commitment to the mission Christ has entrusted to us. In these formative months, we are carefully establishing the structures, relationships, and practices that will shape the life of SCPT for years to come. We seek to do so with humility, transparency, and compassion, preparing the Society to respond to a changing church and world while educating and forming faithful, imaginative, and effective leaders for generations to come.
The theologian Howard Thurman offers a fitting reminder for a community in its earliest season:
“Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish where always the boundaries are giving way to the coming of others from beyond them—unknown and undiscovered brothers [and sisters].”
Howard Thurman, The Search for Common Ground (1971)
As SCPT begins its work of institutional formation, we are called not merely to organize structures but to commit ourselves to one another, building a community marked by trust, mutual respect, belonging, and a shared commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is in that spirit that I invite you to explore our website. It sets out the founding vision of the Society, the principles that guide our early decisions, and the path we are beginning to walk together. It names the challenges of launching a new theological community while reaffirming our commitment to building a society where every person is treated with dignity, and where belonging, justice, and reconciliation remain essential expressions of our Christian witness. My hope is that it will foster greater understanding, encourage dialogue and faithful discernment, and strengthen our shared commitment to the flourishing of SCPT in service to the academy, to Christ’s church, and to God’s mission in the world.
Please do not hesitate to write to me with questions, comments, or suggestions, or simply to introduce yourself. I would be especially glad to hear from you directly at l.quinonesroman@scptheology.org.
In the name of Jesus,
Dr. Luis A. Quiñones-Román
Founder and President
Society for Caribbean Pentecostal Theology
