CV of dr. Iosif Ton
Born in Romania, 30 Sept. 1934
My parents were among the first who converted to the Baptist faith in our area (in an Eastern Orthodox country).
1941- 1951 Primary and High School in the town of Aiud.
1951-1955, Student at the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature, University of Cluj. Graduated with BA in 1955.
1955-1957, Student at the Baptist Seminary in Bucharest.
1958-1968, Teacher of Romanian Language and Literature in state schools.
1969-1972, Student in Oxford University, England. Graduated with BA, MA. It was during this time that I made contact with my good friend, Rev Ronald Hirst, a Baptist minister in England, and the Romanian Aid Fund was started.
1973-1974, Teacher of Theology and the Baptist Seminary, Bucharest.
1974-1977, Pastor of the Baptist Church, Ploiesti.
1977-1981, Pastor of the Baptist Church, Oradea.
From 1973 to 1981, I was arrested a few times.
In 1974-1976, the Baptist Church of Oradea experienced a great revival. 650 new converts were baptized. In 1977 I became pastor of that church, and in my four years of ministry there, another 850 new converts were baptized. This kind of revival was not heard of in communist Romania before.
In the summer of 1981, I (with my wife and daughter) left the country and settled in Wheaton, IL, USA. In 1982 I became the President of the Romanian Missionary Society. We translated textbooks of theology, printed them in Holland, and smuggled them to Romania to groups of young people who were training for Christian ministry.
We also had a radio ministry to Romania, broadcasted by Radio Free Europe.
In 1990, we returned to Romania following the ovethrow of communism.
On 1st of Oct. 1990 we founded the Baptist Bible Institute of Oradea (now the Emmanuel Christian University).
In the same year, we established a Christian Publishing House in Oradea.
In 1992 we established six FM Christian Radio Stations in six major cities of Romania.
In 1996 I got my Ph.D. in Heverlee, Belgium, at the Evangelical Faculty of Belgium with the thesis entitled "Suffering, Martyrdom and Rewards in Heaven", published as a book by the University Press of America.
From 1996 to the present time I have been a preacher-teacher at large, teaching courses on spiritual life, both in churches and at pastors’ retreats and in theological schools in Romania and Moldova.
I have published seven books in the Romanian language.
During 1985-1987, I preached in different churches in Holland and those sermons were printed in two books.
On 29th August 2004 I was honoured by my fellow professors and pastors on my 70th birthday with a Festschrift (a book honouring a respected academic person) during the evening service at Manastur Baptist Church, Cluj-Napoca.
I am married. My wife’s name is Elisabeth.
We have one daughter, Dorothy. She is married and they have one son.
I still lead the Romanian Missionary Society, as President. This is an organization set up by Romanians from America to minister to Romania. And, of course, I remain a very good friend of the Romanian Aid Fund in the UK.
Josif and Elizabeth photographed in 1984 on a visit to England.
