atLaNtIC baPtISt bIbLE COLLEgE REUNION CONqUEROR DayS
Transcription
atLaNtIC baPtISt bIbLE COLLEgE REUNION CONqUEROR DayS
Winter 2010 Edition DR. Charles Petitt Preaching Schedule February 15-17 BBFI Annual Conference Savannah, GA February 27 - March 7 Baptist Mid Missions Conference Sao Paulo, Brazil March 14 Mid-Way Baptist Church Raleigh, NC March 21 Capital City Baptist Church Columbia, SC March 28 Cedar Grove Baptist Church Asheboro, NC (tentative) May 9 Crane Bible Baptist Church Crane, MO May 9 Cherry Street Baptist Church Springfield, MO May 10 Baptist Bible Fellowship Springfield, MO May 16 First Baptist Church Milford, DE Atlantic Baptist Bible College Reunion february 19 Conqueror Days February 22-23 Teacher Recruitment Day March 16 Alumni Homecoming and Banquet March 19 Stevens Lecture Series April 12-13 Celebration days May 6-7 For more calendar events, see the Calendar Page at www.pbc.edu 420 S. Broad Street • Winston-Salem, NC 27101 1-800-937-5097 or 1-336-725-8344 • www.pbc.edu By Chris Ronk, a CPA With all of the grim news about unemployment these days, it seems impossible to locate any segment of the economy that is actually growing. However, according to the IRS, the number of registered nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the US has increased more than 50% in the last 15 years to over 1.5 million. According to the US Department of Labor, the nonprofit sector now represents more than 10% of total employment in the United States and has far outpaced the for-profit and government sectors in job growth during the last 10 years. Despite these facts, relatively few institutions offer specific training to equip future leaders and managers in this rapidly growing area. Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School offers a quality program in management for nonprofit organizations combined with a quality, Bible-based ministry program designed to properly equip the future leaders of ministries around the world. The Management for Nonprofits minor (www.pbc.edu/ Mgt4NPOs) is part of the new BA Christian Ministry degree. This degree requires two separate minors, which means the new management minor can be paired with a variety of other minors, including Pastoral Studies, Student Ministries, Church Education, and Missions (visit www.pbc.edu/ BAChrMin to view a complete list). The courses within the minor are also available as electives to students outside the program and to graduates desiring to strengthen their management and administrative skills. Taught completely online, the flexibility of the online format will allow those currently serving full-time to benefit from the curriculum. The objectives for the Management for Nonprofits minor are: • To develop a biblically correct form of management that balances fiduciary responsibilities with ministry purposes and objectives • To expose students to major financial concepts, principles, and strategies and MBA in Nonprofit Management and an experienced Director of Business in a nonprofit setting. In addition to teaching the courses for the Nonprofit Management Minor, Chris is currently a consultant to several Christian organizations. From the President’s Pen May the Circle Be Unbroken by Dr. Charles W. Petitt, President He was just another West Indian boy playing soccer with his friends on the street that day when I stopped my van to invite them all to visit Community Baptist Church which still met in a large tent with a dirt floor. He quickly promised to visit in hopes that the big white man would get back in his van and drive out of their soccer field so that they could continue with the game. But Dexter Kirby came to church as he had promised . . . and kept coming. Then one Sunday an event occurred that changed his life forever. My message about the realities of hell from Luke 16 was used by God to produce great fear of eternal judgment and deep conviction of sin in Dexter’s heart. He responded to the public invitation that day and trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Who could have guessed that a few years later I would be the president of Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School, and Dexter Kirby would have earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Piedmont? More importantly, he has now returned to his home country and is launching the most fruitful church plant in St. Vincent’s history. In only five months he has led a number of souls to Christ, and his new church already enjoys one of the largest attendances of any church on the island, in spite of the fact that most of the churches are over forty years old! It is difficult to find adequate words to express how blessed I feel as I watch missions come full circle. The training I received in Bible college equipped me to plant churches in the United States and in the West Indies. I passed that teaching on to James Jackson who became the pastor of the church I planted in St. Vincent (which has now become Dexter’s sending church). Pastor Jackson then discipled Dexter Kirby and eventually sent him to Piedmont where he has just completed his Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies through our outstanding online program and is now planting a vibrant new church and training the next generation of Christian leaders. You can see why I believe so strongly in Bible college and graduate school education. It simply works. In addition, online delivery provides flexible, advantageous options that were unavailable only a few short years ago. Elsewhere in this Newsline, you can read Dexter’s testimony of how online education has been so beneficial to his training and accommodating of his busy life and ministry. Perhaps you or someone you know would benefit from these online programs as well. I invite you to visit our website at www.pbc.edu or give us a call at (336) 725-8344 or (800) 937-5097. We would love to help you reach your fullest potential. Jerry Hullinger, Th.M., Ph.D. Professor in the bible department We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jerry Hullinger has joined our Bible Department. Dr. Hullinger was born and raised in Illinois, graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and then completed a Bachelor's degree at Colorado Christian University. While a student there, he was also the associate pastor of a church. The Hullingers then moved to Dallas, TX where he completed his Th.M. and Ph.D. degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary. From there, Dr. Hullinger pastored a church for six years in Memphis, TN and served as an adjunct professor at Crichton College in Memphis. After that period of ministry, the Hullingers moved to Florida where he taught seminary and college for seven years. Dr. Hullinger enjoys writing and has published numerous articles in several different theological journals, including “The Problem of Animal Sacrifices in Ezekiel 40-48,” Bibliotheca Sacra 607 (1995); “The Contribution of the Transfiguration to a Literal View of the Kingdom,” The Journal of Ministry & Theology 2 (2004); and “Two Atonement Realms: Reconciling Sacrifice in Ezekiel and Hebrews,” Journal of Dispensational Theology 32 (2007). He also enjoys reading commentaries and theology, traveling in the U.S., and eating out. Dr. Hullinger’s philosophy of teaching centers around the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. “I believe that God revealed no more or no less than what we need to know. I try to challenge students, cause them to think, and yes, frustrate them at times in confronting them with the Scriptural text. It is my desire that their beliefs and actions conform to what Scripture alone says, without addition or subtraction.” This spring Dr. Hullinger is teaching Pauline Epistles II, New Testament Survey, Theology of Isaiah, and Acts. With the launch of the Spurgeon School of Online Education in 2005, Piedmont has become not only a premier training center for those desiring to pursue full-time Christian service, but one that offers flexible options on how to pursue that training. The Online School allows students to continue their full-time jobs as well as their ministries in their local churches while pursuing their education. The benefits of classroom interaction have been incorporated into the Online School as well. Classes are kept small, and interaction with the professor and classmates is required. To date, approximately 600 students have enjoyed the flexible option of pursuing their training with at least one online class through our Spurgeon School of Online Education. After graduation from the Air Force Academy, I attended pilot school and am currently flying E-8’s for the Air Force. However, I have always wished for opportunities for more in-depth Bible Study. When I reached the stage of my career where a Master’s Degree was the next appropriate step, I decided to pursue a degree in Bible. I enrolled in the MABS online program and just completed my first class while deployed to the Middle East. Air Force Tuition Assistance paid for about three quarters of the cost and Piedmont’s Military Appreciation Scholarship covered the rest. The online program has been easy to use, and my class has been a nice distraction from the stress of the deployment. It is a great way to earn a degree. I’m a student at Piedmont Baptist College – and an MK in Germany. I can be both at the same time thanks to the online courses PBC offers, and I am very thankful for that! It is very hard to find an equivalent to college on a biblical basis here, and I’m glad to be able to be taught in the Word of God, even from the other side of the ocean. My parents moved here when I was only 11 months old, so Germany and our family’s ministry here have become very important to me. We are in a very small church in upper Bavaria, and I am glad to be able to say that I am a part of this small group of people. I have grown right along with them, and hoping not to sound repetitive, I am thankful for the online courses because they give me the opportunity to grow not only in my church family, but also in college life. Men’s Basketball: The 2009-2010 season began with two returning players and a new coach. Coach Kent Hogan, a former player in the early 2000s, began his coaching with inexperienced but eager players to take on the tough competition in the South Region of the NCCAA. The schedule began with several of the top teams in the league. Winning against Trinity Baptist and Appalachian before the break gave the guys a lot of encouragement to welcome the start of the second half of the season. Returning from the break, PBC opened up with a win against Washington Bible College in the 22nd Annual Classic, which was a boost to the team’s confidence. Women’s Basketball: The PBC ladies finished with a 6-4 record before the Christmas break, one of our best starts since 2000. The team consisting of 6 freshmen, 3 sophomores, and 2 juniors have shown a lot of confidence in each other. Early in January the team has a 2-2 record in Regional competition, losing by a combined total of 8 points in its 2 losses. The team’s sights are set on positioning itself to be seated in the top 4 as the playoffs approach. You can see the schedules of both teams by going to the website. The coaches and players will enjoy meeting you when they are in your area. GO CONQUERORS. When I found out about the new online minor, Management for Nonprofits, I was excited. This minor is so fitting for the ministry God has called me to as an executive director of a local pregnancy care center. I completed the first online class this past fall, which covered marketing and fundraising. Although I was already involved in marketing and fundraising in my ministry, the information was interesting, practical and educational. I have already been able to put into practice some valuable information I learned from this one online class. I look forward to the next class in the spring as I am sure it will prove to be just as valuable to me. After taking this class, I am convinced that it would be beneficial for anyone who is going into the ministry, whether as a pastor, youth pastor, Christian School principal, or other para-church minister. It also helps to have a professor who is so well versed in this field. I am thankful PBC is offering this minor and has such a qualified professor to teach it. Thank you Piedmont Baptist College for this opportunity! It was early in my senior year at Atlantic Baptist Bible College when the news came: ABBC would be merging with Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School. This meant the campus in Virginia would be closing at the end of the fall Semester. What was I going to do? I had finished most of my schooling, but I needed that last semester. I had already accepted a Youth Pastor position in Vermont, and my wife and I were traveling back to Vermont each weekend. We had a lot of decisions to make. It wasn’t really feasible for us to move to North Carolina for one semester and then back to Vermont. It seemed like my degree was in jeopardy. Then I was introduced to the online program at Piedmont. This would allow me to move to Vermont and serve at my church full-time. Completing my last semester online was the answer to our problem. I believe that God had worked it out so that I could finish my degree and still graduate on time. Needless to say, thanks to Piedmont’s online program, I graduated in May of 2009. My online experience was great, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if it is difficult for you to live near or on campus. All I could see were problems, but now looking back, I can see that they were opportunities and not problems. Upon graduating with a BA in Biblical Studies from Piedmont’s main campus in 2007, I then returned to my native Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. As a missionary now serving in the Caribbean, I don't have much time for extra activity. Therefore, when someone suggested that I enroll in the graduate program at PBC&GS, instinctively I thought it was a laughable idea. “How can I adequately balance ministry and academics, without one being jettisoned?” I asked myself. Two and a half years later with a Master’s degree under my belt, the answer is as clear as daylight: PBC&GS offers the most flexible and convenient online graduate program that is highly interactive and taught by competent professors. It is only due to this type of “ministry-friendly” graduate program that I was able to accomplish my MABS and establish a vibrant church plant simultaneously! Ironically, the online classes that I was able to take while establishing this church plant in St. Vincent did not take away from my efficiency but added to it! Many courses presented me with the answers that were so indicative of my current situation. Had it not been for the training that I received from PBC&GS, I can honestly say that I would not have been able to establish a church plant in a mere five months that averages close to a hundred people. This institution has not only helped me with the theory but also the practical. During the Piedmont presidency of Dr. Charles Stevens, a near-legendary series of meetings occurred annually in January called the Mid-Winter Bible Conference. It utilized speakers as diverse as Dr. R.G. Lee, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, who was called at that time the “Prince of Preachers,” and the exceptional Bible teacher, Dr. Lehman Strauss. During this time I was a Gospel-starved biology major at Wake Forest University. To drive across Winston-Salem and hear strong, scholarly men preach the Word of God in the historic Salem Baptist Church auditorium was like oxygen to a suffocating man. Wake Forest had taught me that Bible preachers were intellectually inferior, but listening to men such as those noted above reinforced in me the credibility of the belief in the Scriptures. Eventually I even surrendered to God’s call into full-time ministry and enrolled at Piedmont to pursue a ThB and eventually an MA in Pastoral Theology. Today Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School, still standing firm in the Word of God as in the years when Dr. Stevens was President, has its own version of the Mid-Winter Bible Conference, now named the Annual In-House Bible Conference. This year’s conference was held January 25-28, and the theme was “Eschatology in the 21st Century.” To present four complementary views on the Bible’s depiction of future events, four alumni of PBC, serving currently as faculty members in the Bible Division, were this year’s preachers for the conference. Dr. Tim White (’78) opened the conference and spoke on “Revelation 21 and 22: The Eternal State.” Dr. White is an experienced pastor as well as a trusted professor of Theology and Expository Preaching. He is currently teaching Church Administration and Pastoral Internship in addition to other courses. I followed Dr. White and spoke on “I Corinthians 15: the Great Resurrection Chapter.” In addition to chairing the Bible Division, I am the professor of Biblical Interpretation I, II, and III and New Testament Survey. I have used my Piedmont training in hermeneutics, exegesis, and sermon delivery for over 38 years of pastoral ministry. Dr. Hoyle Bowman (’55) was our third speaker this year and delivered the topic “Revelation 20: the Great Millennium Chapter,” which was the theme covered in his doctoral dissertation. A long-time fixture at Piedmont, Dr. Bowman was Dr. Stevens’s choice to teach Biblical Interpretation I and II and Theology in Piedmont’s formative years. He has 45 years (!) of Piedmont teaching experience. Concluding our conference was Dr. Rob Decker (’84), pastor of a growing church in Kernersville and also professor of Pentateuch and Counseling & Theology. Dr. Decker spoke on “How to Stay Together When the World is Falling Apart.” This message drew heavily on the Bible’s teachings regarding the coming tribulation. Dr. Decker is a thorough expositor of the Word of God and is an expert in applying the Word to modern men and women without compromise. In addition to having four alumni deliver this year’s conference, we implemented a new tradition of having a Round Table Discussion follow our first meeting. All who attended the conference that morning were invited to join the Bible Division for coffee, discussion of the conference topic, and questions. We hope more will make time to attend this discussion in the years to come. As I reflect on this year’s conference, I am reminded that Dr. Stevens and his four “E’s” (Exegesis, Evangelism, Ecclesiology, Eschatology) are still in evidence today at Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School. Alumni, we want to keep in touch with you via email. Please send your email address to alumni@pbc.edu. Enrich Your Ministry: The Newsline is very pleased to launch a new, regular feature: “The Graduate School Forum.” We plan to share with you news about the Graduate School and theological research that will enrich your ministry. Professor Wayne Willis Joins the Graduate School Faculty: After a one-year sabbatical to complete his PhD courses, Prof. Wayne Willis returned to Piedmont to join the Graduate School faculty as professor of Theology and Chair of the PhD Theology concentration. Prior to this new appointment, Prof. Willis served for 10 years as Chair of the Bible Division at Piedmont Baptist College. Dr. Petitt has affirmed Piedmont’s commitment to its historic doctrinal statement, unchanged for 63 years. The appointment of Prof. Willis to this critical position is consistent with that commitment. Students will appreciate Prof. Willis’s scholarship and dedication. We welcome Prof. Willis to the Graduate School. Your Questions Answered: If you have a question about a biblical or theological subject that requires research, please email it to mcmanusl@pbc.edu. One of our Graduate School professors will research it and email the answer to you as well as publish it in the Newsline as space will allow. Join Us For One of These Summer Classes: MODULES: (Contact information: mcmanusl@pbc.edu; 336-714-7986) May 10-14 May 10-14 May 17-21 June 7-11 June 14-18 June 21-25 July 12-16 ONLINE: May 10-June 28 July 5-August 23 Critical Issues in NT Theology Homiletics Advanced Ecclesiology Biblical Philosophy of Leadership Research Design and Procedures Psalms Advanced Studies in Ethics Luethy White Bowman Trachian Price Braithwaite Hartog Ephesians Church History II Theology II (Spanish) Acts (Spanish) Introduction to the OT Theology III Tyler Hartog Willis Smallman Braithwaite Willis The Church and the Law: A one-day seminar with attorney Homer McMillan will take place on Friday, March 12. Reservations: mcmanusl@pbc.edu; 336-714-7986. • To acquire the ability to prepare, understand, and explain basic financial statements • To be able to utilize the latest technologies for information gathering, analysis, and reporting • To understand pertinent regulatory and legal requirements for nonprofits, churches, etc. The 18-credit-hour minor includes a hands-on practicum/internship plus the following online courses: • Marketing, Fundraising, and Public Relations • Financial Management and Legal Issues • Human Resources and Office Management • Organizational Theory and Behavior • Strategic Management and Governance • Management Information Systems Churches and para-church ministries should demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism, competence, efficiency, and excellence. To accomplish this, ministries need solid financial management, proper legal compliance, and efficient staffing. This new minor will equip our students to help meet these needs. The courses are designed to expose students to the various challenges facing nonprofit managers and to provide the methods and skills necessary to respond. If you are interested in attending a class, contact Admissions at admissions@pbc. edu or dial 800.937.5097. 420 S. Broad Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 and Graduate School Permit No. 29 Winston-Salem, N.C. PAID U.S. POSTAGE Non-Profit Org.