Colleges & Seminaries

Colleges & Seminaries highlights the schools and training programs that prepare leaders for lifelong service in the church. Explore articles on Christian higher education, ministry formation, theological training, campus life, and the work of colleges and seminaries connected to churches and the Restoration Movement. You’ll find news, profiles, interviews, and updates about programs, initiatives, and events—along with stories that inform and encourage students, faculty, alumni, and church leaders. This hub helps readers stay connected to the people and institutions shaping future ministry.

April 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Alberta Bible College Appoints New President

Alberta Bible College, Calgary, AB, Canada, announced the appointment of Dr. Stanley N. Helton as its new president effective July 1, 2015. Helton has served as professor of Bible and ministry, and later, academic dean with Western Christian College, Regina, SK, Canada. His congregational ministry experience spans almost 20 years working with all three streams in the Restoration Movement: Disciples, a cappella, and independent churches of Christ and Christian churches. He served churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Orleans, LA, and Chicago, IL, before pursuing full-time teaching and doctoral studies. He grew up in a small Oklahoma town. Helton

March 3, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something Special

By Mark A. Taylor It happened again, this time on the campus of Lincoln Christian University on a cold Friday night a couple of weeks ago. Mark Mittelberg, a best-selling author, widely traveled speaker, and well-known Christian apologist, was speaking to leaders about LCU”s initiative “Room for Doubt.” But before he talked about the materials he”s helping to develop for this ministry, he paused to speak about the movement of churches that will promote and use them. Mittelberg is something of a celebrity in general Evangelical churches; his résumé includes stints on staff at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago and

January 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Colleges Discussing Collaboration

“Nebraska Christian College is studying the possibility of collaborating with Hope International University to begin a Christian University system with other colleges throughout the country,” according to ncinitiative2015.wordpress.com, a blog set up to  provide updates on the discussions. The blog entry goes on to say,   John Derry, the President of Hope International University (http://www.hiu.edu) reached out to Nebraska Christian College in hopes of beginning talks of mutual collaboration. This original email exchange led to two subsequent meetings between President Derry and the Executive Team of NC to discuss ways in which this collaboration could drive mission to a greater extent. We are

December 29, 2014

Christian Standard

Church/Christian College Joint Ventures

By Jennifer Johnson Although this NACC workshop was designed to find new ways for churches and colleges to work together, some are already leading the way with innovative programs and creative solutions. “¢ Hope International University, Fullerton, California, created its School of Advanced Leadership Training, or SALT, program several years ago after its president, Dr. John Derry, observed the increasing number of churches creating their own leadership training programs. Derry and his team created a flexible curriculum to offer practical and biblical material to church members and staff at a range of commitment levels. “Participants may audit the courses for

December 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Churches & Colleges Working Together

By Jennifer Johnson At this summer”s North American Christian Convention, representatives from Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Ozark Christian College, Milligan College, and several churches participated in a workshop to discuss how our churches and our schools can partner to build stronger relationships and develop the leaders we need. “The changing landscape in America requires kingdom workers with a global perspective who can confront a secular culture with a Christian worldview,” says Phyllis Fox, director of church relations and the Youth in Ministry program at Milligan College and the coordinator of the workshop. “How can our Christian colleges and universities best prepare

December 17, 2014

Christian Standard

Green Transitions to Become LCU’s 7th President

The Lincoln (IL) Christian University Board of Trustees announced today the unanimous selection of Dr. Don Green as LCU”s seventh president. Green has been serving as LCU”s transitional president since June 1. Though he has been acting with the full authority and responsibility of the office since June, his official tenure begins immediately. Green is a graduate of Lincoln Christian University (BA from the former Lincoln Christian College and MDiv from Lincoln Christian Seminary) and earned his DMin from the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Trinity International University, Deerfield, IL. Green has been an integral part of the Lincoln Christian community

November 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Johnson to Begin Offering Free Online Course on Acts

By Jennifer Johnson Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) has announced it will begin offering its Acts of the Apostles course online to the general public. “This course is intended for church leaders, Sunday school teachers, and other Christians who are motivated to learn about the book of Acts on a deeper, more advanced level,” the school writes. “Course participants will not earn college credit; consequently, Johnson University is providing the course free of charge as a service to the church.” Dr. Gregory Linton, professor of New Testament at Johnson, designed the course. He has taught the book of Acts for 15

October 17, 2014

Christian Standard

Higher Education and the Kingdom of God

By Wye Huxford The realities of the present are something quite different from our memories of the past. Nowhere is this more true than what we think about Christian higher education.  In Brian MacLaren”s A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey, Neo, the high school science teacher with a PhD, is having an exchange with Casey, a young lady who is considering attending seminary. Casey wants to know why Neo never advised her to go to seminary. Neo responds: “For someone as young as you, it would be so good if there was

September 12, 2014

Christian Standard

New President Appointed at Dallas Christian College

The Board of Trustees of Dallas Christian College announced this week its appointment of Dr. Brian D. Smith as the college”s next president. Smith comes to DCC from Johnson University Florida, where he has served most recently as associate provost. Before that, he served as vice president of academics at Florida Christian College, where he had previously held the positions of associate dean of academics and institutional effectiveness, and registrar. The appointment follows a national search that began nearly one year ago after the resignation of President Dusty Rubeck. Smith will begin his tenure as president on Nov. 1. Smith

August 25, 2014

Christian Standard

The Lego Principle

By Matt Proctor Several years ago, two of my nephews accompanied their mom on a visit to a friend”s house. Ben was 8. Brian was 6. Their mother”s friend was a very neat lady, to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. (I have a friend who says, “I have OCD, only I like to call it CDO because then it”s in alphabetical order.”) This woman had a place for everything and everything in its place. Though childless, she did have a few toys and handed Ben and Brian a bucket of Lego bricks: “Here boys, you can play with these.” What”s

August 24, 2014

Christian Standard

Just What Were You Thinking?

By D. Clay Perkins President, Mid-Atlantic Christian University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina After a board meeting for one of our excellent parachurch ministries, two friends, both of whom are very sound and successful in businesses, asked me what they thought was an awkward question. Both knew I had owned and managed two successful businesses and directed the business of a megachurch. “Just what were you thinking? Why did you become a Bible college president?” They went on to say things like: “Talk about a lousy business plan . . . the government subsidizes higher education student tuition with a plethora

August 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Collaboration: The Key to Strength

By John Derry President, Hope International University, Fullerton, California In 2008, I wrote an article for CHRISTIAN STANDARD called “The Future of Christian Church Colleges.” At that time, I anticipated challenges for our schools as they responded to changing demographics, new technology, and increasing accountability demands from government regulation and accreditation agencies. Shortly after the article appeared that March, our country entered the Great Recession. Virtually every industry was affected: banking, automotive, manufacturing, housing, retail, construction, health care, social services, and many others, including higher education. It created a new pressure point exacerbating financial challenges that were already severe. A 2012

August 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Six Stepped Down

By Greg Swinney Collectively, they have nearly 70 years of faithful service to Christian higher education, six bachelor”s degrees, six master”s degrees, and four doctorates. They oversaw total combined annual budgets of $43 million. And they all have recently stepped down from presidencies of Christian colleges. We asked them to roll up their sleeves, sit back, and share their stories with us. In alphabetical order, they are: “¢ David Faust, Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University (president, 2002″“14) “¢ Richard Milliken, Nebraska Christian College, Papillion, Nebraska (1999″“2014) “¢ Ronald Oakes, Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri (2005″“13) “¢ Keith Ray,

August 18, 2014

Christian Standard

A Contrarian Perspective on Today”s Christian College Students

By Jon Weatherly Professor of New Testament and Dean of the College of Bible and Theology, Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee Conventional wisdom about Christian colleges doesn”t strike me as all that wise. Let me explain why. Having spent more than half my life as a student or teacher in Christian institutions of higher learning, I feel like an expert. That is, I feel like an expert not in the reality of Christian higher education, but in the opinions that other people have about Christian college students.  I have known many such students over the years, and some I have come

August 17, 2014

Christian Standard

Charting Some Changes (a Seminary Professor’s Reflections)

By Robert Hull Professor of New Testament, Emeritus, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee I have had the rare privilege of spending my entire teaching career (33 years) at Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Johnson City, Tennessee. With all the caveats about the risks of generalizing, here are my reflections on some changes during the last couple of decades. The Students Educationally, about half our students come from Christian colleges or universities (20 years ago we would have said “Bible colleges”) and the other half from secular colleges or universities. Some of them are ready to hit the ground running, but

August 16, 2014

Christian Standard

College: It”s Different These Days

By Steve Richardson Chair of the Biblical Studies Department, and Associate Professor, Pacific Christian College of Ministry & Biblical Studies at Hope International University, Fullerton, California These observations are anecdotal and generalized. They are not the result of research but impressions shared by several faculty members who have taught more than 20 years at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. Many students vary from these generalities, of course. On the whole, today”s students are different in significant ways from their counterparts 10 to 15 years ago, and this presents challenges to teaching staff. Some of the statements may seem critical

August 10, 2014

Christian Standard

What Every College Kid Needs

By Mike Kerrick From a campus minister, ideas for the students in your life. What do you give someone who is going off to college? A new laptop computer? A phone/data upgrade? A devotional book on keeping faith at college, with a nice note inside: “Praying for you every day”? These are all good ideas, especially because they point to the thing needed most in college: healthy relationships. From my experience ministering to college students, let me tell you what I mean.   Healthy Relationships Begin with God According to the Barna group*, up to 61 percent of Christian students

August 8, 2014

Christian Standard

From College-Bound to “˜I GO Bound”

By T.R. Robertson “Behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city” (Acts 20:22, 23, King James Version). Corey Courtwright is a country boy at heart. He grew up with a love of fishing and farming, like most of his fellow college of agriculture students. Now he makes his living constructing integrated fish farming systems and training people from all over the world how to use aquaculture and agriculture technology to develop sustainable farms. It”s the sort of education-to-career path most parents

July 1, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

God”s Work””and Ours

By Mark A. Taylor Several facts are clear as we look at reports from colleges and campus ministries in this issue: “¢ These are tough times for Christian colleges. As more than one writer mentions, a perfect storm of difficult situations has caused much navel-gazing and budget cutting among college administrators everywhere. Small secular colleges are facing many of the same pressures, and this is some consolation, but not enough. If the economic or cultural climate is jeopardizing the future of public colleges, why should we believe it won”t threaten “ours” as well? “¢ But despite the threats, God is

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