The Chin Christian Institute of Theology (CCIT), formerly known as Zomi Theological College, was established by the missionary Chester Strait in 1928 to meet the growing needs of the Churches for pastors, Church leaders, educators, and missionaries in the Chin Hills and Myanmar as a whole.
The Bible School was briefly closed during World War II, and subsequently the missionaries opened the Bible Schools based on their missionary stations: the Johnsons in Hakha Town (1948) and the Nelsons in Tedim Town (1947). However, the schools were closed as the political change in the country forced the missionaries to go home in 1952. In 1953, the Zomi Baptist Convention (ZBC), later named as Chin Baptist Convention (CBC), reopened the Bible School in Tedim Town. In 1954, the School was moved to Hakha Town and from Hakha to Falam Town in 1959 respectively. Upgrading the academic status, the school’s name had been subjected to several changes: Zomi Baptist Convention Bible School in 1953; Zomi Baptist Bible School (December 1956); Zomi Baptist Theological School (1960); Zomi Baptist Theological Seminary (1974); Zomi Theological College (1983); and Chin Christian Institute of Theology (March 2013).
Since 1953, CCIT has been the only theological institution constitutionally owned and operated directly by the Chin Baptist Convention (CBC), with its affiliated members of 29 Associations and 915 Local Churches (as of today). CBC is also affiliated with Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) in terms of faith and practices. Corresponding to its purpose, CCIT has already produced more than 1018 Christian ministers, missionaries, and community leaders until today.
The success of CCIT led to the extension of the certificate program to graduate programs. In 1982, the school was accepted as a member institute of the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA). Subsequently, ATESEA accredited CCIT’s B.Th in 1991 and M.Div in 2014, respectively. The Seminary now offers the following programs: Dip.Th, B.Th, B.Min, M.Div, and MATS. Up until now, CCIT also worked with four sister schools for B.Th joint-program: Chin Christian University in Hakha; Tedim Theological College in Tedim; Bethel Theological Seminary in Kalemyo; Union Theological Seminary in Matupi; and All Nations Theological Seminary in Yangon.