The Ranaivoarisoa Family
Going to the Baptist Seminary of Madagascar
Our Vision is to Strengthen the Churches in Madagascar through Solid Theological Education
About Us
We are Mandimby & Tiana RANAIVOARISOA and are originally from Madagascar. We got married in July 2016. Since then, God has blessed us with 3 boys, Harena (7 yo), Arianala (5 yo), and Kaleba (2.5 yo).
Mandimby came to the U.S. in 2013 to pursue his Theological Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) in Fort Worth, TX. He graduated with an MDiv in 2017. He is now finishing his PhD in Church History.
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Tiana came to the U.S. in 2016. She graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2021 with an MDiv with a concentration in Women's Studies. She is currently going through the ACBC Certification (Biblical Counseling).
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We live in Fort Worth, TX, and attend Rock Creek Baptist Church in Crowley, TX, where Mandimby serves as an elder.
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We joined Reaching & Teaching International Ministries (RTIM) and were appointed missionaries in 2024.
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For more information about us, we invite you to read this interview that SWBTS made with us. Click here.
About Our Ministry
Even though Madagascar enjoys the freedom of religion and the openness of the country, it also comes with other challenges, such as liberal theology, Christian cults, growing Islam, secularism, globalization, and sexual revolution.
Additionally, we face internal challenges, such as nominal and syncretistic Christianity, social and cultural issues (domestic violence, abuses, corruption, etc.) and political unrest.
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THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AS MISSIONS
We believe that the Malagasy churches need to be able to offer a Biblical answer to these challenges. That is why we want to equip them through solid Theological Education.
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God called us to go back to our home country, Madagascar in order to serve at the Baptist Seminary of Madagascar or Fanofanana Teolojika Batista Eto Madagascar (FTBM). Everything we learnt in the U.S. in our studies, we want to give it back to our country.
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We launched this Baptist Seminary in August 2022 with the help of many friends and colleagues. The seminary is one of the theological arms of the Baptist denomination in Madagascar. Since 2022, the Seminary has seen about 70 students, with an average of 15 students per semester. ​
Currently, we run the Seminary completely Online until we move to Madagascar, God willing, by end of May 2026.​
How Does a Seminary Respond
to the Need?
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law, and keep it all my heart;
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to dishonest gain.
Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.
Establish Your word to Your servant, And that which produces reverence for You.
Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your ordinances are good.
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness
(Psalm 119:33-40, NASB 1998)
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Faith Seeking Understanding VS Rationalism
The main endeavor is to do theology within the framework of faith, which is received through the preaching of the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17). Seeking understanding then, is done in the submissive attitude of a believing heart. Rationalism on the contrary, seeks to establish faith, and by extension, theological truths, primarily on the authority of reason, thus rejecting any truth that cannot be explained by, or beyond the explanation of reason.
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Rightly "Dividing" the Word of Truth VS False Gospel
False gospels are ravaging the spiritual landscape in Madagascar and Africa in general. These are fueled by a sordid lust for dishonest gain. Thus, we cry out with the psalmist, “incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain.” The African church is in urgent need of theological “sanitation” through a pure and uncompromised preaching and teaching of the Word of Truth.
3
Theologizing with the Great Tradition VS African Theology
“Contextual theology” is all the rage in recent years. While it is true that theology should be expressed in ways that the people of God can understand and relate to, we cannot lose sight of the fact that Christians have been doing theology for two thousand years. That history, or “great tradition,” has left a trail of precious gems of theological reflection and formulation to be treasured by us who come after them. In a very real sense, we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Yet not only do we learn from their insights, but we also learn from their errors.
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Cultural Engagement VS Postcolonialism
In countries like Madagascar that are former colonies of a European nation, postcolonial ideologies tend to cloud the gospel truth that, in God’s providence, surfed the waves of colonialism. This creates an attitude of rejection vis-à-vis certain aspects of the gospel deemed offensive to the indigenous cultures, as merely a “white man’s religion.” We believe that God’s Word transcends culture and is the ultimate judge of any culture. We seek to proclaim God’s Word from within our own culture and call upon its authority to judge our culture.
Address
1700 J T Luther dr. Apt 431
Fort Worth, TX 76115
Phone
682-313-6736