ECWA Theological Seminary, Aba (ETSA), is a graduate level theological school geared toward those who are called to be leaders, whether in Church, Para-church ministries or in the Corporate world. In early 1960s, SIM/ECWA leaders from Jos met several times to discuss the matter of establishing a Bible School in the Eastern Region of Nigeria to meet the manpower needs of ECWA that was, at the time,
extending her ministry to the Eastern part of the country. Plans were made and a Christian Training Institute (C.T.I) was opened at Ohuru in 1965. The first intake was made up of six students with the Local Pastor serving as the Principal and the teacher. The Institute was located a few kilometers from Aba, using the already existing small church building as lecture room. A year later, the school was relocated to its present site at Umuokea Village, on a piece of land regarded as a Virgin bush called “evil forest” known as Ogwugwu Nkpa; a land that served as a dumping ground for everything considered accursed and evil such as twin babies, lepers, those with swollen stomachs etc. The College was up-graded to the status of Bible College the same year - 1966. After about 25 years of intensive teaching and learning, the need for up-grading the standard of the College became necessary. In 1992, the College was officially up-graded to the status of Theological College, and in 2005, it was up-graded to the status of a Seminary.
