New Degree Programs Page 2
New Vice President and Dean Page 2
BethelSouthwest www.bethel.edu Spring 2013
News for Friends of Bethel Seminary San Diego
New Facilities Dedicated
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n February 9, Bethel University officially dedicated the 14,000-squarefeet addition to its San Diego seminary campus. The celebration included tours of new and renovated spaces, a reception, and a dedication program. Speakers from Bethel included President Jay Barnes, Bethel Seminary Vice President and Dean David Clark, Bethel Seminary San Diego Dean and Executive Officer John Lillis, Professors James Smith and Mark Strauss, and stu-
dents Timothy Nwan, Mark Friestad, and Season Bowers. Carlton Harris, senior pastor at College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego, and Jerry Sheveland, president of Converge Worldwide, also spoke during the service. Five new classrooms have been added to the seminary and existing classrooms have been completely renovated. All of the classrooms have been equipped with state-of-theart instructional technology. In addition, the seminary
Poised for Service
DEAN’S CORNER
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he 2013-2014 academic year has seen some New Directions for Bethel Seminary San Diego. During the past several months, the 14,000-squarefeet building addition for the seminary was completed and operations began in the new facilities. The trans-regional seminary as a whole (Bethel Seminary John R. Lillis San Diego, Bethel Seminary St. Paul, and Bethel Seminary of the East) has called a new trans-regional academic dean and vice-president. Our curriculum has been completely rewritten as we transition from a quarter-based system to a more streamlined semester-based system. And we have added a new “InMinistry” delivery model, which will begin in Fall 2013. Read on to find out more about Bethel Seminary’s New Directions in San Diego. Like us, I think you will be very excited by what God is doing with us and through us these days. •
now houses a beautiful new 375-seat chapel/auditorium. As well as greatly enhancing the seminary students’ chapel experience, the new auditorium allows the seminary to host larger events to serve the Christian community of San Diego. Students now also have access to expanded study, meeting, and lounge space. The new classrooms and these study facilities, along with a spacious patio and prayer garden, constitute a wonderful environment for spiritual retreats and conferences for the community at large as well. We invite you to be a partner in a greatly expanded educational ministry and community outreach through the new facilities God has so graciously provided through generous friends. •
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New Degree Programs
New Seminary Vice President and Dean
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he marriage of ministerial formation and theological education is what makes a seminary experience truly valuable for future pastors, missionaries, and chaplains. Bethel Seminary’s passion has always been to equip women and men who are adept at handling God’s word and skilled at ministering in God’s world. Recently, the San Diego campus has added a new way to experience seminary that seeks to bring these two components of seminary education together in a new way. The InMinistry program, which allows students to complete their seminary training without moving away from home and their ministry setting, has been an important part of the curriculum at Bethel Seminary St. Paul for many years. Starting next fall, the San Diego campus will offer two programs in this convenient format: the Master of Divinity and the Master of Arts in Ministry Practice. Both programs seek to educate leaders for the church in diverse settings. By completing most coursework in an online community and only coming to campus for a short intensive during the fall and spring semesters, students can complete their degree work without uprooting their lives. The cohort format of the program ensures that students build community with others in similar circumstances from all over the country. These two InMinistry programs will also offer our students a new and exciting concentration in Missional Leadership Development, which will give them the tools necessary to serve in ministry contexts at home or abroad with an understanding of some of the most cutting edge trends in ministry practice today. For more information about our InMinistry programs, as well as our traditional programs and the Doctor of Ministry, contact admissions at 619.325.5200 or bssd-admit@bethel.edu or visit seminary.bethel.edu •
n February 7, at the St. Paul seminary campus, Bethel University installed David K. Clark, Ph.D., as Bethel Seminary Vice President and Dean. Before this appointment, Clark served as the university’s executive vice president and provost, and he added leadership of the seminary during the last 18 months after the resignation of the seminary dean. Clark earned a bachelor’s degree in religion with a minor in philosophy from Houghton College, Houghton, N.Y.; a master of arts in philosophy of religion at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill.; and a doctorate in religious and theological studies from Northwest-
ern University and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill. Joining the faculty of Bethel Seminary in 1988, he served as dean of the Center for Biblical and Theological Foundations from 1995 to 2003. In 2004 he began a four-year appointment as senior pastor of Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville, Minn., during which he continued as lead faculty for the seminary’s Master of Arts in Christian Thought program. In 2008 he returned to Bethel Seminary full time as professor of theology, and in 2009 was named executive vice president and provost of Bethel University. “We are called to go to the world as catalysts of spiritual formation,” Clark states, pointing to “partnership” as the seminary’s primary strategy. “We exist to serve God by preparing leaders for the church,” he notes. “Our strategy is developing leaders with and for our partners.” To view the service online, visit bethel.edu/news/articles/2013/february/ clark-installation •
David Clark and his wife Sandy greet well wishers at a reception.
Charge to the new Vice President and Dean by Joel Johnson, Ph.D., Bethel trustee and pastor of Westwood Community Church (Converge Worldwide) in Excelsior, Minn.
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Invest in Bethel Seminary San Diego Students Today
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he cost of quality seminary education is expensive—more than the amount that students pay in tuition. With the current enrollment at Bethel Seminary San Diego, we rely on our ministry partners to provide $250,000 each year for our Annual Fund just to keep the seminary running. You have an opportunity to come alongside the amazing students, faculty, and staff of Bethel Seminary San Diego by supporting our Annual Fund on a regular basis—whether that is annually, quarterly, or monthly. Without your support, our students may not be able to receive the quality theological education they need to go out into the world to make an impact for Christ. Our mission to prepare ministry leaders wouldn’t be fulfilled without your help. Please prayerfully consider
including Bethel in your giving plan this spring—including joining the Dean’s Circle with a gift of at least $1,000—by May 31. As a friend of Bethel Seminary San Diego, your partnership with us has even greater significance than writing a check. We invite you to stay informed through our Bethel Southwest publication, attend some of the many campus events we hold throughout the year, and join us at our graduation ceremonies in June. We appreciate your prayer. Be part of the year-long celebration of preparing God’s people for greater kingdom service! Invest now in a Bethel Seminary San Diego student! Visit bethel.edu/ giving or call 800.238.4352 to donate today. •
Upcoming Events JUNE 7 Graduation Banquet 8
Commencement, 10 a.m. College Avenue Baptist Church
25 Preview Night for prospective students, 6-8 p.m. RSVP to j-wilmer@bethel.edu AUGUST 3 New Student Orientation SEPTEMBER 3 Fall Semester begins
Quick Facts Fall 2012 Enrollment: 212 • 43% Women • 47% Men • 36% People of color Graduates to date: 680 (since 1980) 2013 graduates: 35 Degrees available: • Master of Divinity • Master of Arts (Theological Studies) • Master of Arts in Ministry Practice • Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy • Doctor of Ministry
Cruise: The Footsteps of Paul Rome • Pompeii • Athens • Corinth • Patmos • Ephesus
12 Exciting Days of Biblical Discovery Follow the footsteps of Paul with John Lillis, Ph.D. and Mark Strauss, Ph.D. Trace Paul’s missionary journeys and visit several biblical sites in Italy, Greece, and Turkey during this cruise with guided shore excursions.
October 19-30, 2013 Cabin prices range from $3,298 - $3,998 pp; discount airfare available; additional options and fees apply For details, contact Mitchell Campbell: mitchell-campbell@bethel.edu or 619.325.5227. – 3–
BethelSouthwest
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Bethel Seminary San Diego 6116 Arosa Street San Diego, CA 92115 seminary.bethel.edu/sandiego
FACULTY FOOTNOTES Glen Scorgie, Ph.D., recently published his article “Confron-
Mark Strauss, Ph.D., presented a paper, “The Relative
tational Apologetics versus Grace-filled Persuasion” in Perichoresis, the academic journal of Emanuel University in Romania. In November 2012, he responded to Bethel Distinguished Lecturer Thomas Rausch, S.J., on “Evangelical-Catholic Relations and Christian Witness,” and spoke to the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality in Chicago. In addition to preaching regularly, he offered two presentations at Flood Church in San Diego on vocational discernment and politics, and anticipates leading retreats for Chinese churches in Philadelphia and San Francisco this summer.
Merits of Alterity and Accessibility in Contemporary Bible Translation” as the plenary address for the Nida Institute at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Chicago, Ill., in November. He also saw the release of the first two volumes, Romans and 1st & 2nd Samuel of the Teach the Text commentary series, for which he is the New Testament editor. Published articles include “Gender-language Issues in the NIV 2011: A Response to Vern Poythress,” in the Westminster Journal of Theology (2012), and “Jesus and the Spirit in Biblical and Theological Perspective: Messianic Empowering, Saving Wisdom, and the Limits of Biblical Theology,” in The Spirit and Christ in the New Testament & Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012).
In addition to teaching and preaching in local churches and the San Diego community, Ben Lim, Ph.D., also taught in Malaysia last summer. Workshops included crisis counseling and marital counseling with the Malaysian Baptist Seminary. He also taught on “Holistic Self-Care: Managing the Multiple Stressors of the Christian Life & Ministry” at the main campus of the seminary in Penang, Malaysia. Last July, Lim taught an intensive on Marriage and Family Counseling at the Novelink Fellows Graduate Program, Xiamen, China. Later, together with his wife, Soh Leong Lim, Ph.D., he conducted a seminar on “Emotionally Focused Therapy: Creating Safe Haven for Couples Connection” at HuaQiao University, Quanzhou, China. He will lead a team of Bethel students to minister to the Taiwan Missionary Fellowship Conference in Taichung, Taiwan, in July.
John Lillis, Ph.D., Bethel’s dean, participated in the “International Consultation for Theological Educators” sponsored by the International Council of Evangelical Theological Education in Nairobi, Kenya, last October. Lillis presented a seminar, “Creating Learning Environments in the Classroom” to theological educators from around the world. In April, Dean Lillis will lead a training workshop designed to prepare leading theological educators in South America to become faculty development facilitators with the Global Associates for Transformational Education (GATE), of which he is a founding member and senior associate.