[6] The Commission of Immigration and Deportation, Ministry of Justice, Republic of the Philippines, has approved APNTS as an educational institution for non-immigrant students.

The Seminary actively aims to foster a holistic faith community where diversity of cultures is celebrated, and gender equality in leadership and opportunity is embraced.

Governance of APNTS is tasked by the articles of incorporation to the board of trustees who are elected usually every four years by members of the Church of the Nazarene in the Asia-Pacific Region.

In the mid-1970s, General Superintendent Eugene Stowe and Director of the World Mission Department of the Church of the Nazarene Jerald Johnson articulated the need for a graduate-level theological seminary for the denomination in Asia.

Johnson and Owens decided to purchase the Children's Garden orphanage run by the Methodist church and formerly owned by the wealthy Tamayo family.

However, changes in administrative responsibilities after the general assembly of June 1980, which resulted in Johnson's election as one of the six general superintendents, and L. Guy Nees being elected as the new director of World Mission, and the subsequent appointment of Owens as director of the Asia Region, caused some reappraisal of the siting of APNTS in Manila.

Students represented various countries in the Asia and South Pacific regions[14] Owens moved to Manila in 1980 and began arguing that APNTS ought to be a distinct entity, rather than an extension of NTS.

As extension classes were held over the next few years, general church leaders decided that the new seminary should become autonomous from NTS, with its own board of trustees and corporate identity.

On 22 September 1982, upon the recommendation of Owens, the World Mission Division officially renamed the school Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary.

Owens saw the necessity of developing a resident and increasingly Asian and Pacific faculty, which could apply the church's theology to the contexts of the students.

Verguhese later withdrew due to his health, and Agbuya decided to remain in Angeles City and teach at APNTS only part-time.

The first Work and Witness team to serve at APNTS came in January 1983 from Australia to renovate one of the wooden cottages to be used as a dormitory for male students, while Agbuya taught in one of the modules.

[14] On 3 August 1983, the Commission on Immigration and Deportation, Department of Justice, Republic of the Philippines, gave its approval for APNTS to begin as an educational institution for non-immigrant students.

The faculty included Owens, Agbuya, Dr. Ronald and Mrs. Neva Beech (long-time missionaries in the Philippines), and Dr. Floyd Cunningham.

Fairbanks turned his attention to separating and transferring the financial records and administration of the school from the regional office to the seminary, and to helping the faculty articulate a mission statement for APNTS.

In planning for the future of APNTS, Fairbanks and Jim Edlin, the academic dean (1986–1988), wanted to expand the number of Asian and South Pacific faculty members as quickly possible.

Those who have served as Campus Development co-ordinators have been: Fairbanks resigned from APNTS in July 1989 in order to accept the presidency of Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Ohio.

Janice Nielson played the organ, taught Christian education of children courses, and began Kid's Klubs.

He also oversaw the beginnings of computerized systems in accounting, in registrar's records, and in the library, and secured better funding for regional faculty members.

Discussions with the Wesleyan Church culminated in that denomination's appointment of and support for Dr. Stanley Clark who served full-time from 2000 to 2004 teaching Christian education.

In 1996 the Commission on Higher Education gave recognition to a Master of Arts Christian Communication (MACC)degree program.

In November 2000 Nielson secured a revision of the composition of the board of trustees to include more Asia Pacific region members, and election of them by fields.

Dr Floyd Cunningham, a foundation faculty member, and academic dean of APNTS, was appointed Officer in Charge in September 2001.

"[24] Since its inception in June 2006, the FSC has offered informal training, seminars, workshops, and focus programs conducted to prepare ministers for effective ministry through media.

Working with Professor Kwon is an international team of instructors from the US, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines, offering a variety of academic, media and ministry experiences.

The new network was interconnected with a newly installed fiber optic backbone, providing reliable gigabit speed connections among all major buildings on the APNTS campus.

Upon his election, Cunningham stated, "As a graduate school in the Wesleyan tradition, APNTS has a great mission to prepare men and women for Christlike leadership and excellence in ministries.

We will endeavor to 1) energize students to fulfill the world mission of Jesus Christ, 2) build a creative team of professors and staff, 3) expand holiness graduate education through distance programs, and 4) reach out to the local community.

APNTS graduates have gone on to pastoral, teaching, missionary, administrative and many other forms of ministry in various countries, including: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States of America.

According to its leaders, the purpose of the school, to offer a quality graduate theological education to the people of Asia and the Pacific, has borne and continues to bear fruit.