The vision for the GFTE came from the long-recognized need for a place for theological educators from different denominations and Christian traditions to get to know each other, share experiences and commitments, and develop trust across the traditional boundaries.
In 2013, leaders in education met in Oxford, Seoul, and Busan to discuss this need and the potential for a new organization of some kind that would provide a gathering place for leaders in theological education from the different traditions. At a meeting in Chicago in May 2014, an executive committee was named and plans for the first global meetings were drafted. The executive committee met in Dorfweil (near Frankfurt) in September 2014 and March 2015 to develop plans for the first global gathering.
The first global gathering took place on May 16-20, 2016 at Ferienstätte Dorfweil, and the rest is history. Subsequent consultations took place in 2019 (at Crete), and in 2021 (online, because of the pandemic). Our next global gathering is planned for Nairobi in May 2026.