Covenant Magazine - [Winter 2006]

The Magazine of Covenant Theological Seminary

Covenant

Vol. 21, No. 4

Winter 2006- 07

SHAPING

a Shepherd’s HEART

FROM THE PRESIDENT

WINTER 2006- 07 Shaping a Shepherd’s Heart FEATURES

Before Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, he spent 40 years living in the desert and working as a shepherd for his fatherin-law, Jethro. He had tried once before to be the liberator of the Jewish people, but that attempt ended disastrously—with murder and a panicked flight into exile. Moses had not been ready to lead God’s people then, but through those long years in the desert, the Lord slowly molded and shaped the heart of the man He had chosen to shepherd His flock and lead them to their destined home in the Promised Land.

And so it is even today with those who are called to shepherd God’s people— whether they are bringing the Gospel to faraway countries or pastoring churches just down the street, our ministry leaders must be molded and shaped for their task by a long and close association with the only One who can properly prepare them: the Master Shepherd Himself.

That is why one of our core values here at Covenant Seminary is a focus on pastoral training that aims not only to educate the pastor’s head, but also to shape the pastoral heart. In this issue of Covenant, Dr. Zack Eswine looks at this core value and offers some insights into why it is such an essential element of the Covenant Seminary experience.

Equally important to the pastor’s training is a firm grounding in the truths of Scripture—an intense immersion in the Word of God that soaks into a man’s soul and transforms him into the preacher and teacher God wants him to be. The men who wrote the Westminster Standards knew this too, which is why the seminal documents they put together resonate so strongly with a passion for preaching that reflects their love of the Word. These men and their work still have much to teach us about preaching today, as I attempt to show in my own article in this issue.

Another vital part of pastoral training is the development of leadership skills.

We try very hard at the Seminary to identify and nurture those abilities in our students and to provide opportunities for them to develop these skills in real-life ministry settings.

For some men, though, as the article by Dr. John Michael Patrick Sr. makes clear, the development of these skills—and even the process of getting a solid theological education—must take place under less-than-ideal circumstances that nevertheless testify to the glorious working of God, who never ceases to provide His people with the shepherds He knows they need.

As this Christmas season approaches, let us be thankful indeed for the gracious act of God in giving the world His Son, the Good Shepherd, whose voice we know and love and who leads us beside still waters to our everlasting home.

2Homeless for the Holidays

In the wake of a natural disaster, the wife in a military family considers the true definition of “home.”

6Insights from the

Westminster Standards for Today’s Preachers A love for God’s Word influenced the writing of the Westminster Confession of Faith and offers time-tested wisdom for those charged with proclaiming God’s truth to the Church.

16 Strengthening Leadership

A DMin graduate explores the need to increase theological training opportunities for African-American ministry leaders.

20 Keeping Our Promise to the Future

Seminary board member Fleetwood Maddox vows to do his part to ensure that qualified, Reformed Gospel messengers remain in the pulpit.

CONTENTS

10 reaching a worldwide audience

12

Alumni profile

14

Jeff Rickett CORE VALUE Pastoral Training

22

harvest of joy

24

Seminary news & events

27

alumni news

B AC K

student Profile

COVER

Dane Ortlund

Bryan Chapell, President

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat, I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet.

By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow, Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

COVENANT COMMUNITY

— James Nicholson, 1872

A

s Thanksgiving draws near, we often reflect on God’s abundant provision and His evident care for us. In a spiritual sense, we are humbled by the approaching Advent season, where we consider Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, taking on human flesh. We are grateful for His willingness to identify with us in our weakness, and we praise Him for remaining sinless so that He could one day offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice demanded by God’s justice.

After the joyous Advent season, we ponder new beginnings. In this moment, we sense that, for all the year’s failings and evident sin in our lives, we don’t have to carry the burdens of the last year—or any year. For those who trust Jesus’ sacrifice instead of their own self-righteousness, they are declared righteous in God’s eyes. We at Covenant Seminary seek to remind our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that redemption has come to this broken world in the person of Jesus, and His sacrifice removes all our sin and subsequent guilt.

photo by Brett Steen

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necessary evil of modern life is the constant requirement to fill out forms.

When you go to the doctor, register for school, open an account, mail something, apply for anything, or join a group—just about anything these days involves filling out forms. People in the military start to do this in their sleep. Eventually they have whole families’ social security numbers memorized. On every form, I am asked my name, address, occupation, etc. Name, I can handle; address gets tricky as we move around so much; but occupation always gives me pause.

I have, since marriage, almost always been able to work at home. So that word makes me smile. You wives and moms know why. Putting “none” in that blank is insulting. The number of “jobs” I have would fill a page.

The word “housewife” seems a bit dowdy. I think of being married to my house or chained to it like some kind of prisoner. I have a friend in the U.S. Air Force who calls herself a “domestic specialist.” I like that one.

But what I usually put on that line is “homemaker.” I like the idea of being the one who makes our house a home, a place of rest and peace, a retreat from the craziness of work, school, shopping, etc.

“Home” has been an evolving concept for me. It began with growing up in a very stable home in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I moved once in my whole childhood—a few miles away when I was three. I have had two faithful photo by Brett Steen parents who also grew up in Cape. I have friends with whom I went to school from kindergarten through college. These days, those kinds of roots are rare. I went to college and graduate school no more than a three-hour drive away. Then, during seminary, I married fellow student Michael Howard. From that point, life became progressively more adventurous.

200-mile radius of our families in Missouri and Tennessee. God, in His often humorous providence, took us to plant a church in Utah in 1996.

It was a wonderful experience, full of challenges. During our eight years there, we had our second child, lived in four different houses, and Mike joined the Air Force Reserve as a chaplain.

In the years following 9/11, Mike began to be called up for active duty often. His job was to fill in for chaplains who were deployed to the Middle East. After we moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, Mike was called up for five months of active duty. He lived at the base, and we saw him on weekends. Also during his assignment, Mike began to feel called to full-time air force ministry. This meant resigning from his job as Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) campus minister at the University of Utah when he came home from his duty assignment in March of 2004.

I knew we had enough savings to get us through being jobless until October. When October came, the U.S. Air Force still had not decided whether or not they wanted to hire a man who was nearing 40 and had had major back surgery. We needed some income, so Mike took a four-month assignment in Oklahoma to pay the bills. Our house had been for sale for nearly seven months without one offer. Meanwhile, I was homeschooling our two children and decided that I did not want to spend another winter in Utah without my husband.

I came “home” to my parents for three months while we waited on the air force. It was a very tough time for the kids and me,

Geographical Journey

My ideas of home began to take shape as our family grew. We left seminary and moved to Richmond, Virginia, where Mike took an assistant pastor job and we had our first child. Two years later, we began to pray about church planting and boldly prayed that we would go anywhere God wanted—as long as it was within a

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even though I was back “home.” Some time around that Christmas, through the providential intervention of friends in high places, the air force accepted Mike. As we waited for our assignment, I remember not caring where they sent us if we could only know something. I also remember saying, “Please God, don’t make me live in Biloxi, Mississippi.” When Mike called to tell me where we were going, his words were, “Honey, this is going to be a great sermon illustration.” I knew I was in trouble.

Again, it was God’s sense of humor. We moved our family to Biloxi in February of 2005.

We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we liked our new home. We had a lovely little base house less than 200 yards from the back bay of Biloxi with a beautiful view. The kids started school in August, and by then I had met some friends, joined a church, was learning to play tennis, and had competed in my first triathlon. The Sunday following my triathlon, we evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee, as Hurricane Katrina headed straight for our new home. We left with two kids, one dog, one cat, and a weekend’s worth of clothes. We put a few items up on shelves before we left, in case we got some water.

Within four days, we heard that our home had four to five feet of water, and families were asked to relocate indefinitely. Our back wall had been blasted out by the flood surge, tossing furniture as if in a washing machine. Mike was to head back to work in a week.

This would be our third winter in a row living apart and the fourth different state in which we had lived in the past year. Thankfully, my sister arranged for me and the kids to move to Jonesboro, Arkansas, for the time we needed. The kids loved going to school with their cousins, and we were living practically free of charge in a wonderful home that was for sale. What a blessing it was to be near family during that time.

When I thought about returning to Biloxi, I didn’t know how to feel or what to think. Honestly, it scared me. Nothing would be as I remembered it. For a while, I didn’t want to go back. I felt what my children felt—that we should all just live with my sister in Arkansas. It was safe, peaceful, and life could move forward nicely. That was what home meant to me—being together and safe. I had seen enough news coverage to know some of what I could expect in Biloxi. A friend’s letter described it as “a town lost in a survival existence, caught somewhere between normal everyday life and a life destroyed.” My concept of home had been

stretched and pushed to the limit. After that, when people asked me where I was from, I didn’t know what to say.

In November 2005, we were assigned a new house that was one block from our old one and approximately four feet higher in elevation. It was with mixed feelings that we moved in after Christmas. Every time we would drive into our housing area, we would drive by our old house that was now marked with a big red “X” to show that it had been condemned. Inside were our memories. Where was home?

Reconsidering Home

As the holidays approached, I wanted nothing more than to be home for Christmas. But honestly, I didn’t know where that was on the map. Pieces of my heart were spread out in different places. Is home really “where the heart is?” One thing I have learned is that my heart cannot be trusted. It pulls me and twists me around and fools me. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things…who can understand it?” My heart says that if circumstances are good and my house is safe, warm, and comfortable, then I am home.

After the hurricane, many friends helped me restock my kitchen. As I began cooking again, I felt a sense of home. For many people, family, food, beautiful surroundings, matching pillows, soft carpet, fluffy towels, pictures on the wall, and a Christmas tree make them feel at home. All of these are good things that seem to promise comfort, peace, and security, but how can they be home if there is no true security in them?

Very few of us have ever truly been homeless. Most of us have a place to call home, even if that place isn’t where we currently live. Whether you have a “back home” or a “home away from home,” we all have places that give us the feeling of home. Imagine one of those places destroyed by a storm. What does that do to your sense of security? Being without a home would make us feel very anxious. I have seen that in my own life. I have placed my sense of security and peace in having a place I call home. I put my trust in this, and I know this because every time it has been taken away, I have felt great anxiety and restlessness.

When they did not trust and obey God, they became homeless.

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

The Israelites and Me

The Old Testament tells the story of a people who are longing for a place to call home. After 400 years of slavery in a foreign land, the Israelites were finally given the land which God had promised

God connected Israel’s trust in Him to their possession of a place to call home.

to them. As they were about to enter it, they faltered in their trust of Him. As a result, they wandered for 40 years. When they finally entered and settled in the land, they continually failed to trust God. As a result, God allowed the Assyrians to scatter the people of Israel to the winds and allowed the Babylonians to capture Judah. God connected Israel’s trust in Him to their possession of a place to call home. He never left them, but He allowed them to wander and suffer captivity away from their home as they questioned His character. When they did not trust and obey God, they became homeless. God said of Israel through the prophet Hosea, “I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me. They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail upon their beds” (Hos. 7:13b–14a).

I have whined just like that. This is how I become homeless.

I speak lies about God when things don’t go the way I want. I say He doesn’t love me or He is unjust or impotent. I live in anxiety and fear when I can’t see things that make me feel secure. I don’t trust Him and am like a homeless orphan. I know my heart is doing this by what comes out of my mouth: I complain. I worry out loud. I lash out at my kids. I even cling to things.

I have pondered the story of the Prodigal Son a lot. I think of him when I realize that I am acting like an orphan. I imagine that part of the story of which we only receive a glimpse— the whining. I imagine that there was plenty of whining and complaining before the Prodigal Son finally came to his senses and returned home. He only returned when he felt great need.

This is how God brings us home. We stop lying, whining, and complaining, and we fall to our knees and see how much we need our Father.

tomorrow, or next hurricane season. Will it be a storm of nature or a storm of life? I have had to consider what truly is a home and what kind of home I need and want to protect my family from what comes our way. I do know that a home is not a structure; they blow away. It is not coordinated pillows, pretty pictures on the wall, and a wreath on the door; these fade and change with fashion. It is not even people we love. Our love is strong, but it cannot keep the storms away.

Home is being right with God. God hasn’t called me home to a place. He has called me home to Him, to build my home on the solid rock of Christ. When I am home I trust Him because He is who He is, and I obey Him because I trust Him. Luke 6:48 says, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.

And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built” (esv).

Regardless of circumstances, the storms of life, or where we live, we can be home. It involves seeing our need for a real home. It also takes repenting of looking to our circumstances to save us; resting in knowing that God welcomes us back to Him; being quieted from our whining, stressing, and complaining; and trusting that the One who goes before us will help us when things get rough.

I am reminded in Zephaniah 3:17 that we can run home every day. It says, “The lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

This is the most important home any of us will ever need.

Defining Home

Have you ever had a moment like that? Did you run home and let Him embrace you and kiss you and say, “Welcome home child”? This is home: coming back to God, collapsing into the arms of Jesus and letting Him give you peace, rest, security, joy— what the idols promised but could not give.

When will the next storm come? It could come today,

SHANNON HOWARD Shannon (Roper) Howard graduated with an MAGTS from Covenant Seminary in 1991. She is married to Michael Howard (MDiv ’93), and they live in Biloxi, Mississippi, where Mike is a chaplain for the U.S. Air Force and she works at home. They have two children, Walker Leigh (age 12) and Mike Jr. (age 9).

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I nsigh ts F rom Th e

Westminster Standards For Today ’s Pr each e rs

F

www.covenantseminary.edu This article is adapted and abridged from a talk originally given by Dr. Bryan Chapell at The Westminster Confession Into the 21st Century, an international conference held in Pennsylvania in 2004. A print version (in slightly different form) appeared in the spring 2005 issue of Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review. A downloadable audio version of the talk, as presented as part of Covenant Seminary’s 2004 J. R. Wilson Preaching Lectures, is available online through our Ministry Resources at www.covenantseminary.edu. Though addressed primarily to preachers, the themes Dr. Chapell examines here have important implications for all believers regarding how we hear, handle, and live by the Word of God.

or many years a statue of John Knox stood outside St. Giles Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. From the pulpit of St. Giles, the man known as “The Trumpeter of God” heralded the truth of the Gospel, braved death to oppose a Catholic monarchy, and led the Reformation whose fruit we are. Yet, soot and pollution were allowed to dark-streak the statue, and now the figure appears not only stained but also neglected. While gazing on the statue (now more a site for tourists than one of national pride), one cannot help but question how the Reformation that the forsaken statue represents could have any lasting significance.

The answer to such a question yet trumpets not from the mute figure’s lips but from his fingertips. Long ago the sculptor determined to depict Knox with the finger of one hand curled into the core of the pages of his Bible, while the finger of the other hand points to the Bible itself. The sculptor portrays what Knox can no longer say, yet what we still believe: “This Word of God is the foundation of our faith, the source of truth that will never fail and the fount of hope that does not stain, rust, or fade away.”

The Primacy of the Word’s Authority For the Westminster divines the Word’s primacy (i.e., supreme status) as a spiritual authority rests on the understanding that the Bible is simply and unequivocally the Word of God. This understanding had profound implications on their view of preaching—implications which still have power and meaning for us today.

Inherent Authority

Chapter One of the Confession (note the priority order) lists the many “incomparable excellencies” by which the Bible “doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God” (Westminster Confession of Faith [WCF] I.5). The divines also write, “The authority of the Holy Scripture . . . dependeth not on the testimony of any man, or Church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof . . .”

(WCF I.4).

Since the Bible has no peer authority, it must be interpreted in light of its own statements. While acknowledging that all matters are not equally clear (WCF I.7), the Confession says, “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself…” (WCF I.9). Then, lest any make the argument that the Bible is true but does not adequately address all the spiritual challenges we face, the divines add, “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture . . .” (WCF I.6).

The statue of Knox trumpets for us the message that the Westminster Standards still echo regarding our preaching: the necessity of the primacy of the Word. Webster’s Dictionary describes primacy as “the state of being first in importance.” For the pastors and teachers of the Westminster Assembly, the primacy of the Word meant that the Bible was the first and final judge of all spiritual matters. The Bible rules over tradition, experience, and reason. While each of these human factors can contribute to our understanding of what the Bible means and how it may apply, Scripture’s inherent meaning is God-given, inerrant, unchanging, and supremely authoritative.

Competing Primacies

Final Authority

For the Reformers, the primacy of the Word stood in contrast to two other primacies of their era: papal primacy and intellectual primacy.

The primacy of the pope was, in general terms, the principle that the authority of the Roman prelate not only governed the church, but also was the means by which to interpret Scripture. The other challenge to the primacy of the Word was the pre-Enlightenment advocacy of the primacy of reason. In Central Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the weight of medieval papal authority was being challenged not only by ecclesiastical Reformers, but also by secular philosophers who dismissed the need of revelation and the Spirit in order for truth to be known. Reason was sufficient. And for the Empiricists who followed, reason—combined with the revelations of experience and observation—would not only unlock truth, but also throw off the shackles of church authority that had kept truth unattainable.

The Reformers’ stand for the primacy of the Word was an implicit rejection of both papal and intellectual primacy.

The Reformation standard of sola Scriptura was both derivative of, and twin of, the battle for the primacy of the Word.

This has a foundational implication for our preaching— and for all other aspects of our lives as Christians. We must go to God’s Word to discern what we must say to God’s people. The Bible is the source of our sermons. No other source has sufficient authority or scope to ground our message—not church tradition or human reason.

So concerned were the divines to protect the unique authority of the Scriptures that they were careful to guard against their own words being used as a final authority.

They write, “All synods or councils, since the apostles’ times, whether general or particular, may err; and many have erred. Therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith, or practice; but to be used as a help in both” (XXXI.3; cf. XXV.5 and XXXI.2). Even where there is controversy, we are required to resort to Scripture to settle the matter. The Confession says, “The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture” (I.10; cf. I.8, XX.2 and Westminster Larger Catechism [WLC] #3).

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common people did not understand. Such theology and practice starved the people for the Word and substituted an almost superstitious sacramental practice for the Spirit working by and with the Word.

By placing emphasis on the primacy of the Word, the Westminster divines necessarily placed a renewed primacy on preaching. But, if you convince a man that he can present the very Word of God that communicates the benefits of redemption, the danger is bibliolatry—the assumption that the paper and ink or the order of the words on the page somehow have spiritual power.

The Westminster divines sought to guard against this problem by emphasizing that “The Spirit of God maketh the reading but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing and humbling sinners…”

(WLC #155; cf. WSC #89). The point is that the meaning of the Word, not merely the presentation of the words of the Bible (or the hearing of the verses), is the means of the Spirit’s blessing.

The divines taught that “They that are called to labour in the ministry of the Word, are to preach sound doctrine . . . making known the whole counsel of God” (WLC #159).

The whole counsel of God included all the matters of salvation and sanctification.

They also said that preaching should focus on the Incarnate Word as the unifying theme of all Scripture (WCF VII.5; VIII.6; WLC #34 and 43) and on the love of God that alone can be our true motivation for obedience to Him and service to others (WCF XX.I).

What implication does this have for our preaching?

Christ’s grace always anchors our message. If that sounds strangely un-Reformed, it is only because our Standards are categorized according to theological topics rather than according to a homiletical method. However, when the subject of preaching arises, the grace threaded throughout Scripture becomes the superstructure undergirding all subjects and texts addressed. All Scripture rightly understood and contextualized beacons the necessity and hope of God’s grace.

Preaching Authority

When we preach from the Bible, we preach with its unique authority; when we do not preach from the Bible, we preach without authority. The Larger and Shorter Catechisms identify “the word, sacraments and prayer” as the “outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption” (Westminster Shorter Catechism [WSC] #88; WLC #154; cf. WCF XIV.1). With these statements the divines remind us that the presentation of the Word has so much authority that our God and His benefits become as present to the Church in preaching as He is in sacrament and prayer. Thus, when we preach apart from His Word, we deny His people His presence in their midst. But, when we preach the truth of His Word, His voice yet resounds in the Church. Thus, we are able to be very bold because we speak the oracles of God, not the traditions or opinions of men.

Spiritual Authority

The Word is not made effectual by our gifts or arguments, even though reverence for God and His Word requires us to prepare “as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The divines emphasize the inherently spiritual nature of the preaching task. Though they say the Word displays its truth by its “many incomparable excellencies,” nonetheless “our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts” (WCF I.5; cf. WCF VIII.8 and WLC #4). The Word works only as the Spirit that inspired it impresses the truthfulness of the Word upon the heart of the hearer. Thus, the Confession refuses to allow us to consider the preaching of the Word merely a task of sufficient eloquence or of the mechanics of research and recital. Instead, we are urged to “preach sound doctrine, diligently . . . [and] plainly, not in the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power . . .” (WLC #159).

The Primacy of the Word’s Message

The Primacy of the Word’s Ministry

By following the lead of Scripture in pointing away from human giftedness as the true source of pulpit power, the Westminster divines force us to consider the power of the Word itself. But we need to be careful to understand how power accompanies the preaching of the Word. The divines were not simply advocating the primacy of the Word’s authority; they were advocating the primacy of the Word’s message.

Worship prior to the Reformation was characterized by the primacy of the mass rather than the message. The understanding that grace was communicated ex opere operato through the Eucharist made the preaching of the Word secondary and, in common experience, superfluous. Grace was conferred by the sacrament; and the sermon—when it was delivered—was most often in Latin, a language the COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

The Westminster divines also valued and elevated preaching because it was seen as the primary means by which God ministered to His people in the Church.

The Primacy of the People’s “Necessities and Capacities”

This idea may jar us a bit. Almost cliché in our circles is the notion that we preach for the glory of God—that while we preach to people, God is the audience; and while the people’s obedience is our concern, His glory is our goal. The Standards are somewhat less idealistic but more Biblical.

They refuse to allow the glory of God to be the sole, chief end of preaching. “They that are called to labour in the

ministry of the word, are to preach . . . with fervent love to God and the souls of his people; sincerely, aiming at the glory of God and their conversion, edification, and salvation” (WLC #159, emphasis added). We are not allowed to forget God’s people when we preach of God. Their good and His glory constitute the chief end of preaching.

The Westminster divines capture this dual obligation in a phrase of pastoral genius and heart. The divines say that pastors should preach “wisely, applying themselves to the necessities and capacities of the hearers” (WLC #159; emphasis added). Yes, we must consider what people need to hear, but we must also consider what they are capable of hearing, as Jesus did when He said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (John 16:12).

Pastoral concern for the “necessities and capacities” of hearers surfaced in numerous aspects of the divines’ homiletical instruction, as presented in The Directory for the Publick Worship of God that accompanied the Standards.

The divines clearly wanted to advocate an expository method that focused on the Scriptures themselves but was guided by a pastoral heart. As ministerial tasks make him aware of the most pressing needs of his congregation, the pastor is to concentrate his message on “those doctrines chiefly intended [by the Biblical writer], and make most for the edification of hearers” (emphasis added).

ought to be full of light, and such as may convey the truth to the hearers’ heart with spiritual delight.” I confess a special appreciation for this last phrase, which speaks so clearly of the pastoral concern of our Standards and so soundly answers those who believe that really Reformed preaching allows no content but propositional argument.

Receiving almost as much discussion in the Directory as doctrinal development is the preacher’s obligation to apply the Word of God. The divines say of the preacher, “He is not to rest in general doctrine, although never so much cleared and confirmed, but to bring it home to special use, by application to his hearers.” The Directory will not allow us simply to describe duties but says the preacher must “teach also the means that help in the performance of them.” In other words, not only does application require the preacher to tell God’s people what to do based on the Word; he also needs to explain how to do what the Word requires.

Because God is glorified in the obedience of His people, the proclamation of their duty is as integral to Scripture’s message as the proclamation of God’s glory. The Westminster divines knew that we preach faithfully when the glory of God and the good of His people remain inseparable in our sermons and have joint primacy in our hearts.

The Primacy of the Pastor’s Heart

What may show the heart of the pastors and teachers of the Westminster Assembly more than these specific suggestions about preaching are the adverbs they used to describe the preaching task:

The Primacy of the People’s Edification

Westminster sermons are to be characterized by “sparingly citing sentences from ecclesiastical writers or other human writers, ancient or modern, be they never so elegant.” The goal is the hearers’ understanding of, and growth in, the Word of God, not the display of the preacher’s eloquence or erudition. At least a dozen times the Directory urges plainness or clarity of expression in preaching in order that “the meanest [humblest] may understand.” What is most true to the Word and needful to the hearers drives the Westminster homiletic.

Distinguishing their preaching from some in their time (and from some in our time), the Westminster preachers advocate three components for the sermon.

They that are called to labour in the ministry of the Word, are to preach sound doctrine, diligently . . ., faithfully . . ., wisely . . ., zealously, with fervent love to God and the souls of his people; sincerely, aiming at his glory, and their conversion, edification, and salvation. (WLC #159) Great power of intellect and grasp of doctrine were theirs, and yet, when the divines wrote of preaching, their words were remarkably trusting in God’s Word and Spirit and remarkably loving of God’s people. This is a very simple and compassionate faith that remains ours to treasure and to proclaim.

Doctrinal division of the text (i.e., explanation) Illustration w Application w w

In this, the Westminster tradition not only reclaims the expository method advocated by John Calvin, it also maintains the homiletical method that is most ancient and consistent in the history of preaching.

For explanation, the preacher is “to regard more the order of the matter than of words [of the scriptural text].”

The sermon is to be structured and expressed in such a way “that the hearers may discern how God teacheth it [i.e., the truth] from thence [i.e., the text].” “The arguments or reasons are to be solid,” but also the “illustrations . . .

Dr. Bryan Chapell Dr. Chapell has served as president of Covenant Theological Seminary since 1994.

He also teaches a homiletics class, which many students consider foundational in their understanding of the role of a pastor and how to craft a Christ-centered, grace-filled, and God-glorifying sermon.

www.covenantseminary.edu

R e a c h i n g A

Worldwide audience

Covenant Seminary expands its international pastoral training ministry by freely sharing 21 master’s-level courses.

V

Vision for Covenant Worldwide In Luke 12:48, Jesus says,

“…Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required…” (esv).

O

ur Heavenly Father is building His worldwide Church and calling the nations to Himself, but, in our broken world, resources for equipping congregational leaders are not distributed equally. The U.S. Center for World Mission estimates that roughly 2 million pastors in developing nations (many of them bi-vocational) have no theological education.

These pastors’ churches need their ministries, and their families can’t afford to lose their income by sending them to school. As awareness of the scope of this need spreads, how is the worldwide family of God responding? By God’s grace, Covenant Seminary has found its place among several equipping organizations, such as the Maclellan Foundation (an organization with a passion for developing nations), who are answering this critical need. The Seminary has responded by launching Covenant Worldwide— a non-degree granting, free educational resource that offers 21 master’s-level courses to those who may not have the opportunity to pursue seminary training (www.covenantseminary.edu/worldwide).

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

“The Lord has raised up many teachers and training institutions in the Reformed tradition, which obligates us to share these blessings with the wider Church body,” says Greg Perry, assistant professor of biblical studies, who serves as director of Covenant Seminary’s distance education program and Covenant Worldwide.

Through the Seminary’s Web site, self-learners and groups can download print and audio materials from master’s-level courses, fulfilling Covenant Worldwide’s mission “to provide ready access to grace-centered, high-quality theological training by minimizing the barriers of distance, cost, and language.”

Networking To Reach a Global Audience

In 2005, the Christian Education Charitable Trust (created by the Maclellan Foundation) granted funds to Covenant Seminary for the purpose of translating and transcribing materials to create ministry resources that could benefit international congregational leaders and other self-learners around the world. Additional funds granted to the Seminary from the D. D. Davis Foundation

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Using the Materials

enabled the Seminary to launch a test version of the Covenant Worldwide Web site with these materials in December 2005.

Almost immediately, traffic to Covenant Seminary’s site tripled.

Though the response was positive, much work remains to make this resource accessible to a broad audience.

Most of the finances given from the Christian Education Charitable Trust currently support transcription and editing efforts. The goal of transcribing and translating work is to equip international pastors with tools to teach and transfer Biblical education to lay leaders—often those within a house church setting. Class lectures are first transcribed and edited in English to create a stable and theologically sound manuscript that serves as a standard for translation. Next, written materials are translated into various languages. Once written translation is complete, partner organizations will identify native speakers who can create audio files for these courses.

Professor Perry explains that, through our partnerships with the Maclellan Foundation and Mission to the World, Hindi and French translations are already underway. “In the next phase, we want to create a broader network of editors and translators so that we can translate all these resources into Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, and Farsi,” Perry says. Directors are beginning these discussions with organizations who share a similar mission.

Here are a few helpful questions self-learners or discussion leaders could ask when using materials downloaded from Covenant Worldwide. w How

would you summarize the lecturer’s point

in your own words? w What

questions would you address to the lecturer

in the light of other areas of knowledge? w What

are some ways this material might apply

in my particular ministry and cultural context?

i S i ON ProVIDe

EQUIP

international pastors with the tools they need to foster Biblical education in their local churches

multiple translations of materials to international pastors and ministry leaders so that churches have accurate and easy-to-use tools for training house church leaders

FocuS

translation efforts on locations where we have partners who are well-networked within a community (Maclellan Foundation in India and Latin America; Mission to the World in Latin America and French-speaking Africa)

Mutual Benefit

translate

all materials into Hindi, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, and Spanish

Where We Are Now

“As a seminary, it’s tempting to think we are the teachers who have all this knowledge to give to others,” shares Perry. “However, the truth is that we have a lot to learn from, say, our Christian brothers and sisters in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. If we are going to reach other ethnic groups, we need to be open to what we will learn from ministry in their cultural contexts and what appropriating the Reformed tradition looks like for them.” For example, Jesus’ encounters with demon possession leap off the page for a Ghanaian. “Power encounters between village witch doctors and Christian pastors are very common in parts of Africa,” Perry says. “Furthermore, we have a lot to learn about how Scripture applies among growing immigrant populations in the major cities of North America. We need not only to give good content, but also to learn from those with whom we are sharing.

This will increase our effectiveness overseas as well as here in the U.S. as we minister to increasingly diverse populations.”

Utilize

as translators and editors international students who come to Covenant Seminary and teach them how to use materials as well as learn from them about their ministry contexts

Already, Covenant Worldwide materials are being used by campus ministers, local churches, and training institutes on other continents. A significant opportunity has been created by the growing need to respond adequately to user questions and to provide additional training. According to Perry, the FAQ section of the Covenant Worldwide Web pages are helpful, and the course pages provide assistance with technical aspects of downloading.

With the understanding that we have an awesome responsibility to God’s worldwide Church, Covenant Seminary dares to share these resources, remembering Acts 20:35, which says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (esv).

Jackie Fogas Jackie Fogas works in the Public Relations department of Covenant Seminary as the senior copy editor and special projects coordinator.

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ALUMNI PROFILE Val and Jeff Rickett and their children, Samuel and Amanda

A New Kind of Church Planter

A

different kind of city is emerging—born in part to counter the unwieldy sprawl that marks most urban areas and born as a reaction to the continual disintegration and fragmentation of life and family. Planned communities seek to integrate green spaces with marketplaces, schools with recreational centers, and homes with businesses—all within walking distance of each other—to enhance residents’ lives.

One of the earliest such cities is Columbia, Maryland (founded in 1967), a city that, rather than being a traditional urban center, is actually a compilation of ten villages. Central to Columbia is a neo-Jeffersonian approach to religious equality. Dismissed by some as typically syncretistic, such religious diversity presents exciting challenges for those desiring to see the Gospel transform Columbia and the 90,000 or so lives there.

“Because of our desire to participate in serving the community, we’ve been favorably received by many,” says Jeff Rickett (MDiv ’97). Jeff and his family—wife Val and children Samuel and Amanda—moved to Columbia in the spring of 2005 to plant a church. “We’ve gained a reputation as a church that cares about the community and as people who are interested in figuring out what it means to live life.

The Gospel teaches us that.”

The prospect of escape from urban anxiety and busyness is the draw for many Columbia residents. And yet, in this Mayberry-meets-Metropolis community, the Ricketts still see how the tyranny of the urgent affects the lives of the people there. Located near Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC,

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

Columbia is home to many professionals and politicians. “It’s a community of well-educated people,” Jeff says. “Success is a mindset. Sports are huge, as is achievement of any kind. There are lots of young couples, mostly families with two incomes— which out here is a necessity because of the cost of living.”

Idyllic? Far from it, as sin continues to mar the lives of the cities’ residents. “There is a lot of divorce and a rise in homelessness and people struggling with addictions,” Jeff says. “People are hurting—and there are many people who were hurt by the church and walked away.” Despite the intentional emphasis on spirituality woven into the city plan (churches within walking distance), only 14 percent of the people attend church of any kind. In such an environment, evangelism takes different shapes.

“I find myself just listening to stories—often fascinating stories—about people’s lives,” Jeff notes. “I realized that I have to be willing to forsake my agenda and enter the hearts of these people, to journey with them. And I have to be willing to say that I don’t have all the answers.”

Jeff goes on to explain: “This community is so busy doing— going and going. There is little rest, the kind offered by the

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Gospel. So we ask, ‘How can we help provide rest for this community? How does the Gospel speak to the busyness of their lives?’ ” One of the earliest outreaches begun by the church is aptly called “The Oasis.” These events offer fellowship and include some form of corporate interaction and often music.

Jeff explains that The Oasis focuses on people who live in direct proximity to where an event is being held. They hope to develop new relationships with people of various ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds.

For the Ricketts, diversity is not just an ideal to be achieved—it’s a core value.

“Ultimately, our goal is to be Gospel centered, relationally connected, service oriented, and multiracial.”

This emphasis on being multiracial is born partly out of necessity (Columbia

has a large number of Asians and African Americans) and partly out of a desire to see the church look like the Kingdom of God. “From Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s desire to bring the nations and their people to a real, vibrant, and personal relationship with Himself,” Jeff says. “What’s amazing is that our Lord has primarily called His Church— His beloved Bride—to bear witness of His beauty and grace to the communities where we live.”

The Ricketts’ personal experiences have also helped shape their Kingdom perspective in a radical way. Jeff and Val struggled with infertility while in seminary. They also lost a child in late-term pregnancy. “That was impossibly hard,” Jeff recalls.

“But through it, God captured our hearts. Jesus was our rest.”

Later, the Ricketts adopted Samuel and Amanda, who are African American. Their children have been active—or more

precisely, essential—participants in opening doors for Gospel ministry in Columbia.

“There are tons of kids in our neighborhood, and it seems that they are always hanging around our house,” Jeff says with a smile. “Our kids have also helped us build relationships. God has used Samuel’s love and friendship to draw in a neighborhood boy and his mother, both of whom have been hurt by the brokenness of relationships.” He continues, “Every day I have to ask, ‘How can the Kingdom of God renew and change this community?’ ” This is a question church planters all over will need to ask. After all, integrated models for building urban communities are taking similar shape throughout the nation. Cities such as Denver and Chicago have begun rezoning urban areas to accommodate mixed-income housing, inclusionary zoning for schooling, and integration of green spaces and dwelling spaces. In light of such realities—and in response to Columbia as a new kind of city—the church took on the name NewTown.

“NewTown passionately desires to be missional,” says Jeff. “Our motivation is not because we believe God will love us more if we are but because we have been greatly loved through Jesus. He is our motivation! He has saved us from so much—even death itself—and we want to share with the Columbia community His radical love in winsome and practical ways.” In direct contrast to the urban flight of previous generations, church planters like Jeff are entering cities with a passion for the lost.

“God calls us to love people first,” Jeff says. “Because we are in union with Christ, by being in the presence of unbelievers, Christ is there, and He is working. The heartbeat of NewTown is to enter into the community of Columbia and show Christcentered compassion.”

Joel Hathaway Joel Hathaway (MDiv ’04) serves the director of alumni and church relations at Covenant Seminary.

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www.covenantseminary.edu

Core Value #5

With this, the local church is valued. The task of the elder is appreciated. The pastoral responsibility of the elder is paramount.

For these reasons, focusing our efforts on pastors is strategic.

Those who love God’s Word feel the responsibility to rightly handle it and to pass its teaching intact to the next generation.

They also know that the well-being of the Church often follows the well-being of its ministers. Covenant Seminary loves God’s Word. Therefore, the Seminary’s commitment to the fidelity of Scripture, coupled with our responsibility to tomorrow’s children, forges our sense of obligation to equip today’s pastors.

The Master of Divinity degree (MDiv), ordination track, is the hallmark of Covenant Seminary. Equipping our pastors saturates our curriculum. This does not mean that the education of non-pastors is absent here. Covenant Seminary’s commitment to train pastors for the local church leads us to offer support degrees such as the Master of Arts in Educational Ministries (MAEM). Support degrees train non-ordained persons who are passionate about the local church to come alongside pastors with their needed gifts. As a team, trained pastors and those who support them buttress the pastoral responsibilities of the local church and offer strength and vision to the next generation.

Pastoral Training We believe that our primary task is to train students for pastoral ministry (including church planting, campus ministry, chaplaincy, and missionary service). To accomplish this task, we have gathered a faculty of pastor-scholars experienced in ministry as well as advanced scholarship. These professors enable us to serve students in other programs and the broader Christian community while continuing to enhance pastoral training. To strengthen pastoral training and all of our educational programs, we continually seek to assess and improve student learning and development.

PASTORAL TRAINING

S

even core values amplify and clarify how Covenant Theological Seminary understands its purpose. In the fifth installment of our series on these core values, Assistant Professor of Homiletics Dr. Zack Eswine discusses the Seminary’s pastoral training emphasis and shares some insight about how this came to be a core value of Covenant Seminary.

“Pastor” describes What do we mean by “pastor-scholars,” a physician of the and why is this important to Covenant soul. He is wise Seminary? Does this mean every toward the practical professor is also a pastor? realities of being human. He is skilled with love to care about those realities. The pastor loves people and seeks their welfare in Christ. “Scholar” describes the learner/teacher of the Word and world. He is thoroughly familiar with the Bible. He is well-studied in the Bible’s interpretation as well as its cultural implications and challenges.

Covenant Seminary desires scholars who love people and labor for their welfare in Christ. We seek to hire pastors who are saturated with the Bible, conversant with doctrinal matters, and wise toward cultural dialogue. The Seminary seeks men who possess both research abilities and relational presence.

For this reason, Covenant Seminary seeks professors who have served as pastors, who possess doctoral degrees and are experts in their fields, who are committed to the standards of the Presbyterian Church in America, and who share the grace-oriented ethos of the Seminary. Finding such professors is not always easy, but it remains our stated conviction and commitment. This does not mean that every professor is currently the pastor of a local church. But it does mean that each professor is actively pastoral in his service to the church.

Our professors serve as pastors, interim pastors, Sunday school teachers, pulpit supply, counselors, and consultants. They are active members and leaders in St. Louis-area ministries.

We focus on training pastors for at least three reasons. First is the ministry of the Word.

Every Christian is called to speak and live the things of Christ. They do so according to the grace given them, out of their love for God, their neighbors, and their enemies. Within this community of testimony and love, however, God provides some whose vocational task is the ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4).

Second is the vocational minister’s role in the mission of the local church. Gifted Christians are meant to learn, grow, and serve God by loving Him and their neighbors in the world.

Importantly, vocational ministers of the Word are meant to equip the Church for this purpose (Eph. 4:11–12). Called ministers equip gifted members. These together form the testimony of Christ in the world. The third reason for this focus is our Presbyterian heritage, which highlights the role of elders.

Why does Covenant Seminary focus on pastoral training rather than keeping its focus broad?

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

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Every Christian has been discipled as a follower of Jesus within one or more theological heritages. This is also true for us at Covenant Seminary.

Students come from a variety of Christian backgrounds, but Covenant Seminary serves as the Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America. Therefore, the heritage in which our professors and students experience ministry is that which the Westminster Confession of Faith and its catechisms describe. The pastoral training that the Seminary offers is explicitly founded upon this heritage.

Likewise, as an institution, the Seminary’s historical distinctives lead us to train pastors to be faithful to Scripture, committed to a covenantal view of life, and to live lives of love and mission founded upon the grace of God in Christ. Furthermore, we believe that doctrinal commitments require relational presence.

Pastoral training requires the classroom. But the classroom by itself is insufficient. A student who gets an “A” in class but cannot work with people will unwittingly do harm to himself and the Church. Therefore, professors seek to foster group interaction in class and meet regularly with students outside of class. In other words, pastoral training at Covenant Seminary requires students to make a commitment not just to the classroom, but also to the community of their peers. Our prayer is that when students graduate from Covenant Seminary they actually love Jesus and people more than when they first arrived.

How do we define “experienced in ministry” based on our denominational standards and institutional history?

We say that our faculty members are advanced in scholarship.

How does having pastor-scholars enable Covenant Seminary to serve the broader community?

To begin, pastorscholars are ordinary people. Our faculty comprises persons who bring a multitude of life experiences to their task of pastoral training. In addition to their family lives, most possess significant training and work experience outside of the Church. They understand the kinds of issues that those who work outside of ecclesiastical settings face.

In addition, our faculty members possess training in their fields of scholarship, which enables them to address a multitude of issues from science, ethics, history, and religions, to governments, technologies, cultural traditions, and linguistics. Our faculty offers resources which enable pastors and ministry leaders to address a range of complex issues that concern those inside and outside of the Church. Consequently, our faculty members are regularly called upon to participate in national and international events and dialogues. They participate in discussion panels, respond to news media, and address college campuses and professional organizations. They serve on various task forces and agencies. Their articles and essays are printed in various publications. In this way, the pastor-scholar combination works with and through the Church for the purpose of cultural change and Kingdom impact.

The primary value of this What is the value in having pastoral training as an emphasis is Biblical fidelity. emphasis of Covenant With our emphasis, we desire Seminary, and how do you see to picture substantially for the students benefiting from it? next generation what the Bible describes as a Christ-honoring ministry. Another value of this emphasis is cultural impact through the local church. Love for the Church need not hinder cultural engagement. Love for the Church fuels its mission. Our emphasis fosters active cultural engagement with the Gospel. When the Church recovers her sense of purpose, the culture discovers her source for truth and preservation.

Another value is ministry longevity. Ministry challenges pastors.

Scripture, covenant, grace, relational presence—these form, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, what pastors need to sustain a lifetime of ministry. Furthermore, cultural brokenness has depleted our relational stamina. Many do not know how to work through conflict or rest amid joy. Because the Church is increasingly comprised of those who lack relational stamina or who possess relational suspicion, students require theological training that encompasses relational perseverance.

I see evidence of student benefit in the multitude of testimonies that we receive from churches and students. I hear it in their voices on the telephone or in their words through e-mail. By this I do not mean that every story is one of perfection. Rather, I mean that students are walking through the ordinary with the stamina that grace provides and the wisdom Christ gives. I also see evidence of student benefit in our pastoral retention rate for the first five years of ministry. These indications establish our assurance that God’s strength is currently at work in our weakness.

Students committed to the Scriptures, founded on the covenantal perspective of our Reformed heritage, oriented by grace, and relationally present are moving from St. Louis to communities throughout the globe. Among the many persons and ministries that God uses to advance His Kingdom, this is Covenant Seminary’s contribution. dr. zack eswine Dr. Eswine serves as assistant professor of homiletics and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Covenant Theological Seminary.

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Strengthening Today a growing number of African-American pastors see that theological education is important. Why hasn’t this always been the case, and how can we support these men in their efforts?

C

ovenant Seminary DMin graduate John Michael Patrick Sr. sheds light on the history, blessings, and some of the obstacles the African-American pastor

faces as he leads others toward Biblical knowledge. This article is a slightly adapted excerpt from Dr. Patrick’s dissertation.

The discovery of the valued impact of advanced formal theological training on leadership development in the life of the African-American pastor is of utmost importance within the life of the African-American church. While informal training has been, and in some sense still is, very important in the survival and the sustaining of the black church, the current situation now seems to necessitate a new kind of leadership.

If the African-American church is to have a viable future, the need for professional seminary education for its pastors appears to be critical.

When one considers the history of the African-American people in light of their pilgrimage and progress in this country, it is absolutely necessary to consider the impact and the importance of the African-American church in that process. The black church has been the very heart and soul of the African-American community since its inception.

The history of the black church in America is a story of faith in God and the triumph of His power. African Americans have a distinct heritage and have made many important contributions to American history. Many historians have seen the church as the most important black institution in American life, not only as a religious force, but also as a social and political force as well.

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Leadership Very few people in America, whether black or white, would disagree that the black church has been the preeminent institution during the course of the black experience in America.

Whether it is seen as the cradle of the Underground Railroad movement during the days of slavery or as the catalyst for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, the black church in America has been and continues to be a primary influence in the American black community.

During the last third of the nineteenth century, black churches became not only some of the earliest formal institutions that blacks themselves actually owned and controlled, but also the single agencies of social and economic cooperation. They were the principle arenas of black political activity and the most significant instruments of black education.

Concerning what happened during the time of slavery, Dr. Tony Evans, a leading African-American preacher in our times states: The Black church was the greatest expression of comprehensive biblical Christianity in the history of America, because it was able to merge truth with practice. The primary reason blacks remained sane during the worst of times was due to the role of the church as the guardian of our collective identity under God. As the center of community life, the church kept us from allowing either the social situation of slavery or the culture from determining our identity or existence. It made us understand that God, and only God, was the one who defined our humanity and destiny.

If the black church has been the preeminent institution within the black community in terms of its influence on the shaping and development of African Americans in this country, there is also very little doubt that the African-American minister has been the central figure in the history of the black experience in America. The impact of the minister’s leadership has been felt not only within the area of religion, but also in the political, social, and economic realms of society.

The evangelical backgrounds of the Baptists, Methodists, and Pentecostals—which held a primary place in the black church— did not have stringent educational demands for black pastors; the only requirement was evidence of a personal call from God to the ministry. The anti-intellectual and fundamentalist strains of those traditions have made it difficult for innovative church leaders and bishops to make professional seminary education a requirement for the ministry.

Historically, most practicing black clergymen in Alabama, especially in rural areas, have had no formal theological seminary training. Rather, those who could articulate their call have been nurtured in their church traditions. The articulation of the call for black clergymen often has taken place by attending ministerial fellowships and local, state, and national church meetings that provide some level of training for the pastor.

The black pastor may also be nurtured in the traditional way that most black pastors have been trained—what may be called the “learn-by-doing” approach, or trial and error. A black pastor from such a perspective usually relies on one or two other pastors

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www.covenantseminary.edu

Free Degree Every year Covenant Seminary works to financially assist students who are called into full-time ministry.

Through the Kern Foundation Scholars, the Founders Scholarship, and the Strategic Church Leadership Awards, 25 MDiv students are receiving 100% tuition-paid scholarships this year.

Are you interested in speaking with an Admissions representative about Covenant Seminary degrees and scholarships? If so, please contact the Admissions office at 1.800.264.8064.

whom he has chosen as mentors and on whom he can call when a crisis arises in his church.

According to Dwight Perry, the pathway to the prominent role of pastor is markedly different within the African-American experience than it is in the broader European-American experience. European Americans tend to pursue formal theological training, ordination, and then vocational ministry, while African Americans tend to place the pursuit of formal training at a later date, if at all.

For the African-American minister, typical qualifications for ministry include the following. w Conversion

If you are considering how God may be calling you to invest in the next generation of church leaders through assisting with these scholarships, please call John Ranheim at 1.800.264.8064 or 314.434.4044.

ministers who can perform beyond what has been the norm in the African-American experience. While informal training has been, and in some sense still is, very important to the survival and the sustaining of the black church, the current situation seems to dictate a necessity for a new kind of leadership among its ranks. It is obvious that some changes need to take place.

Changes should not be made simply for the sake of change, but rather change must come because of a new demand to speak to a world that is more sophisticated and to a church that is more educated than ever before. It has been my observation, as one working directly with African-American pastors (in my former role as assistant dean at a seminary for more than 12 years), that those pastors who have received advanced formal theological training in the state of Alabama have benefited significantly in the areas of personal spiritual growth, leadership development, community outreach, and ability to better handle the Word of God. I believe that if someone were to take a sample of the progress of the African-American church, it would reveal that churches which have shown the most improvement over the last 20 years are churches that have had leaders who have received some level of formal training at highly structured theological seminaries.

experience

w Call

to ministry experience (sometimes simultaneous with conversion)

w Some

level of participation in ministry after the call has been acknowledged

w Preaching w Call w In

of a trial sermon and licensure

to a church and ordination

rare cases, pursuit of formal training

These African-American churches, which sponsor the most creative and innovative programs in the community (especially in the larger black evangelical church), usually have well-trained pastors. These churches are generally made up of well-educated people who understand the role and impact that a church can have on the community it serves.

There is a strong need among most African-American congregations in the Church today for formally trained COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

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CONCLUSIONS In light of my research, I have reached several conclusions, which represent great challenges for seminaries, the Church, and communities where African-American pastors serve as leaders.

How Seminaries Can Help

Seminaries must be intentional about recruiting AfricanAmerican pastors. The evidence from the literature and from the findings of my study shows that there is a growing desire among African-American pastors to pursue advanced theological training. They are convinced that it makes a difference in their personal and ministry development. However, there have been times when such pastors have felt locked out of the pursuit of theological training. Seminaries could be more strategic in seeking an audience with these pastors during local, state, and national convention meetings.

Seminaries could also provide a structured and relevant yet flexible curriculum which would allow these African-American pastors to achieve the maximum benefit from their individual seminary experience. This can be achieved by getting input from African-American students themselves as to what their individual needs are, employing African Americans as part of the leadership staff, or a combination of these. Practical courses that would give these men some hands-on training should also be a major part of such a curriculum.

In addition, seminaries could provide scholarships to help African-American pastors pay for their theological training.

Often these pastors are bi-vocational, receive very low pay from their churches, and have families to care for. Trying to pay for seminary training can be a heavy burden for these men.

Any help that a seminary can give would be beneficial.

Because most of these African-American pastors are bi-vocational, it could be difficult for them to uproot their families to move to a seminary location. It would be helpful if seminaries would set up strategically placed extension sites to further accommodate these pastors in their quest for theological training. Offering some evening courses further meets the needs of the African-American pastor. Along with all of this, it would be of great benefit to most of these pastors if there were people at the leadership level to help mentor and advise them and to shepherd them through the seminary process.

of God in this area by providing some assistance for associate and assistant pastors.

More and more, the African-American church is demanding an educated clergy. Rather than getting rid of current pastors for lack of education, churches can contribute to helping these pastors pursue some level of theological training. Churches could also help free up a senior pastor by providing some financial assistance to associate or assistant ministers to take some of the load off the pastor. A church could offer time off for the pastor to get away for personal study and serve as a “cheerleader” for him while he is away.

Further, when a church has a pastoral vacancy, it could pursue pastors who are already trained, especially at the advanced level.

The focus should not be on style, but rather on substance. Search committees should look for men of character who have put their time into meaningful study of God’s Word.

Having trained people in leadership positions could make the difference in the churches where these men serve as pastors.

Leaders can also use their influence to promote theological training at the advanced level. Pastors tend to listen to people for whom they have a great deal of respect.

Getting the Community Involved

While the community would have the least influence on the advanced theological training of the African-American pastor, there are at least two things that it can do. First, local community organizations, civic groups, and political organizations could partner with churches (in some cases) to help support churches with pastors who want to reach the communities around them. Second, they could strategically utilize the gifts and abilities of theologically trained clergymen at various civic or political events.

This study was conducted from the perspective of an African-American pastor in Alabama. Despite this context, the conclusions of this dissertation lead me to hope that more and more African-American pastors will pursue advanced theological training. It has also led me to hope that more seminaries—especially predominantly white, Reformed, evangelical seminaries—will open their doors to AfricanAmerican pastors who want to pursue theological training at the advanced level.

The desire of African Americans to pursue such training is growing and will only continue to do so. May we, as seminaries, churches, and communities across this great land work together to make this happen for the future of the Kingdom.

How African-American Churches Can Assist

As part of a pastor’s income package, African-American churches could provide a line item for further or continuing education.

This would be a boon for those who do not possess advanced degrees or for those who want to continue sharpening their ministry skills. Churches could also help advance the Kingdom

DR. JOHN MICHAEL PATRICK SR. Dr. Patrick serves as solo pastor of Greater Northside Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, a small, 56-year-old church of about 250 members. The church’s only other pastor was the founding one, who retired when he was in his nineties. When Dr. Patrick took over, he saw an urgent need to implement the ministries of teaching, preaching, and outreach that he received at Covenant Seminary. The church has grown tremendously within the last three years.

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capital campaign

K e e pi ng

OUR PROMISE To The f uture

T

he congregation watched as the young parents stood before the pastor to present their infant child for baptism. Everyone listened intently as the parents responded affirmatively to the vows to bring up their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Finally, the pastor turned toward the congregation and asked, “Do you, as a congregation, undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?”

Like everyone else in the church that day, ruling elder Dr. Fleetwood Maddox raised his hand to show his consent to the vow. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his side and turned to see his wife, Katie, jabbing him with her elbow. She whispered slyly, “How are you personally going to help these parents do this? Are you going to go to their house and help them teach this child?”

Maddox was momentarily taken aback by the question.

He hadn’t really thought about the full meaning of the vow he was taking that day—and had taken many times before.

Struck by his wife’s point (and her elbow), the weight of the responsibility to which he and the other members of his church were agreeing began to dawn on him.

He thought a moment, then said, “No, I’m not likely to do that. But I know what I can do. I can make absolutely certain that there is always a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in the pulpit of the church to preach the Word of God to that child.”

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

This realization of the trans-generational aspect of the Gospel was, for Maddox, the beginning of a personal quest to fulfill his vow before the Lord to care for His children and the children of the church.

While some people may fulfill that vow by teaching a Sunday school class or being involved with other kinds of children’s or youth activities, the Lord provided a somewhat different avenue for Dr. Maddox. In the early 1990s, he was approached about serving on Covenant Seminary’s Board of Trustees. Convinced that this was an excellent opportunity to put his vow into action, Maddox accepted. He has served on the board ever since.

Maddox remembers thinking, “How can churches raise up godly children if they don’t have a steady supply of strong Reformed pastors leading the church along with the ruling elders? And where will these pastors come from?” “There are only a handful of good Reformed seminaries that believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and teach the Gospel,” he says.

“The goal of Covenant Seminary is to train pastors who will pass on the Gospel to the next generation. That resonated with me. I wanted to be involved with something like that.”

So Maddox, who heads a flourishing ophthalmology practice in Macon, Georgia, began putting his considerable personal influence to work promoting awareness of the Seminary among members of his congregation and mentoring

20

young men who showed promise as possible future church leaders.

He and his wife also rethought the way they stewarded their financial resources so that they could provide the maximum benefit to Christ’s Kingdom. Though it has often been difficult to say no to some very worthy causes, they decided to limit their support to three areas that directly promote Christ: the Church, missions, and Covenant Seminary.

In his time on the board, Maddox has seen many changes at the Seminary. When he began his tenure, the school was still relatively small—only 150 students—and often struggling financially. Today the Seminary is training more than 1,100 students for pastoral ministry and other forms of ministry service. It is blessed with many loyal supporters who have helped the institution not only grow, but also expand its impact and influence well beyond its roots in a small southern Presbyterian denomination.

“I always go home encouraged from board meetings,” Maddox says. “I see so many people on campus from all over the United States and from all over the world. It’s very exciting to see so many brothers and sisters in the Gospel and to know that we’re not just a southern group any more. The Lord is greatly blessing Covenant Seminary.”

Maddox, who also serves on the Executive Campaign Committee for the Seminary’s current By His Grace, For His Glory capital campaign, is particularly excited about the changes planned as a result of the campaign, which is raising $12.5 million to increase the Seminary’s ability to carry out its mission through enhanced training programs, endowed faculty chairs, and a variety of campus improvements. One of the most important aspects of the campaign is the construction of a major new academic building that will provide more classroom space, allow more effective use of other campus buildings, and create greater opportunities for enriching relationships between students, faculty, and staff.

Maddox sees the campaign—and support for the Seminary in general—as essential not only for the health of the institution itself, but also for the health of the future Church.

“We’re growing rapidly in our numbers of students,” he notes.

“We need to ensure that we have church leaders who are prepared to take the Gospel out to the world. We need to ensure that we can properly educate those who come here to become pastors for the next generation.”

Fleetwood Maddox is doing his part to see that this happens.

His prayer is that others will also begin to take seriously the vows they take at baptisms and do what they can to fulfill their promise to the future.

“We all need to take responsibility for our part of that vow,” he says. “Everyone can do something.”

Online Giving Now Available!

1. Log on to

www.covenantseminary.edu

2. Click on the Make a Gift icon on the right side of the screen, or go to the Alumni & Friends section and choose Invest in the Mission from the secondary menu.

3. Once you select Make a Gift , a Web page indicating ways you can support Covenant Seminary will be shown.

Select one or more of the four options.

4. Once you make your selection(s), you will enter a secure site. Fill in the name, address, and credit card fields, and indicate the amount of your gift.

5. Please denote any special instructions (i.e., memorial gift information, special request for Seminary employee contact, etc.) on this screen.

6. Once your credit card information has been processed, a confirmation page will appear and a follow-up e-mail for your records will be sent.

Rick Matt Rick Matt (MATS ’05) uses his gifts to serve Covenant Theological Seminary as the associate director of public relations.

21

www.covenantseminary.edu

Harvest

O

J

of I

Philippians 4:18 tells us that giving to God’s Kingdom is not only “a fragrant offering… pleasing to God,” but also a treasure “credited” to an eternal “account.”

Director of Planned Giving Marvin Fornwalt shares a few words with us about what God’s Word can teach us about having an eternal perspective in our giving, and he offers charitable giving options for year-end donating.

n the fourth chapter of Philippians, we learn that while Paul was doing God’s work here on earth, the Philippian church provided for his needs again and again. Paul explains that this giving caused him to rejoice because of the blessings the givers would receive: “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (Phil. 4:17).

As we support the work of God’s Kingdom—joyfully offering back a portion of all that God has graciously given to us—we are sowing seeds that will ripen into a harvest of rejoicing in Heaven.

Let me illustrate.

to God’s call to serve in Africa. While he was proclaiming the Gospel to people in Africa, a national gave his life to Jesus Christ.

Eternal Rewards

While we often do not get to see the blessings of our financial gifts fully develop within our lifetime, we can, according to Scripture, have full faith in the knowledge that God is working all things—including finances—together for His purposes.

One day we will see the heavenly harvest of what the Lord has beautifully completed through our obedient stewardship of His resources.

This will be the day the faithful steward in the pew gets to heaven and experiences the thrill of knowing that he was used

by God. He will know when that African national puts his arm around him and says, “I’m fruit. I abound to your account.

God sovereignly used your giving to make possible the salvation, calling, training, and sending of that young man to share the Gospel with me. By God’s grace, I am your fruit.”

Why should you and I develop a lifestyle of giving?

There are many reasons, but one of the most important is to further the Kingdom of God—both in our own lives and in those around us. In this way, a lifestyle of giving opens the way to a heavenly harvest of joy.

Temporal Gifts

At a church one day, a man placed a contribution in the offering plate. During the same service, a young person committed his life to Jesus Christ. Not long after that, a representative of a Christian camp spoke in the same church, and that same faithful steward who had just given his gift placed another contribution in the offering plate. The young person who had accepted Jesus Christ attended the camp, and, while there, received a call to the ministry.

Next, a Christian college spokesman came to the church, and the man sitting in the pew gave another gift as the offering plate was passed. That young person who felt called to the ministry received his training at that college and later went on to seminary.

When a missionary visited, the man sitting in the pew continued his pattern of giving. After hearing the missionary speak, the young person who had prepared for ministry responded COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

Y

MARVIN FORNWALT Marvin Fornwalt has served as the director of planned giving at Covenant Theological Seminary for 11 years. His background working as a CPA and in investments and annuities has been a great blessing to the seminary community and its supporters.

22

How To Give Online

Cash This is the most popular way to give

For your convenience, you can now go online to give

a gift. To take a deduction for it on your

a gift to Covenant Seminary. This new feature allows

2006 taxes, the only requirement is that your

you to donate using a credit card. If you would like to

check is dated December 31, 2006, or

support Covenant Seminary as it trains pastors and

before and your envelope is

ministry leaders to transform the world with the

postmarked or delivered

power of the Gospel, we encourage you to utilize

by this date.

this new, user-friendly feature.

www.covenantseminary.edu

Options for Year-End Giving

Property With Retained Benefits It is possible to make a contribution to a charitable organization and retain income

The following forms of giving

from the property transferred. In addition, you

provide several options to year-end gifts.

New IRA Law

can receive an income tax charitable deduction

keep in mind when planning

Under the recently

even though you maintain income benefits. Your

passed Pension Protection

gift can be designed to meet your income needs and

Act of 2006, donors over the

provide maximum tax benefits.

age of 70½ are qualified to

Whether you own stocks, bonds, real estate, or even a personal residence or farm, by guaranteeing today that the property will be available

Appreciated Property If you own property (such as stocks,

to a charitable organization at

bonds, or real estate) that has appreciated in

your death, you can receive

value, it may be advantageous to contribute that property—especially if you don’t want to maintain the

an income tax charitable deduction now.

property in your investment portfolio.

make an IRA donation to a charity without paying income tax.

For additional details about this new legislation or how we can support your charitable goals, please contact Marvin Fornwalt at marvin.fornwalt@ covenantseminary.edu or 314.434.4044.

You will not have to pay taxes on the capital gains, and your income charitable deduction will be for the full fair market value of the property. Timing your gift of securities is important. If the securities are sent directly to a charitable organization or delivered to the organization’s broker, the valuation and your deduction will

Gifts From Businesses

be based on the date of transfer.

If you own your own business, you can receive

However, if you send the securities through your broker to be

a charitable deduction for contributions up to 10 percent

transferred to the organization’s name, then the transfer date is

of the corporation’s taxable income in 2006.

the date the securities are actually transferred on the books in

Gifts can be cash, inventory, equipment, or crops.

the issuing corporation. Because the date is unpredictable,

Many businesses find it more convenient to give

you need to make sure that it is completed before year

cash-alternative contributions.

end and on a day when the market is favorable.

Life Insurance Corporate Matching Gifts

You may give ownership of an existing life insurance policy to charity and claim an income tax charitable deduction for the cash value of the policy. You may also take a charitable deduction for remaining premium payments as you make them.

If you wish to purchase a new policy naming a charitable organization as owner, you may claim an income tax charitable deduction for your contributions toward the payment of premiums.

Before giving a gift of life insurance, make certain that your state considers a charitable organization as having an

If you are employed by a corporation, you may want to ask about corporate giving programs. Many businesses match gifts made by their employees to approved or qualified charities. If you are unsure about how to do this, please contact your employer’s personnel or human resources office.

insurable interest.

23

www.covenantseminary.edu

SEMINARY Welcome New Students

&

news

Events

Covenant Seminary thanks God for the blessing of another group of Gospel messengers who began their training on the Seminary campus this summer and fall.

Here are some statistics on this group of new students.

New Faculty Book

In his book On Being Presbyterian (P&R, 2006), Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) pastor and seminary professor Dr. Sean Michael Lucas suggests that being Presbyterian means embracing distinctive beliefs, practices, and stories as one’s own. As new members, church officers, and potential Presbyterians explore beliefs such as God as King over all of life, practices such as Presbyterian church government, and stories such as the founding of the PCA, they will understand and move to embrace this way of being Christian. Written in a non-technical style, On Being Presbyterian is an unique resource for assimilating and equipping believers.

Average age of full-time students

28 Number of states represented in new student class

39 (MO, IL, GA, VA, and SC are the top five.)

Eating Disorders Conference

Number of denominations represented in new student class

On September 29 and 30, 2006, Covenant Theological Seminary teamed up with Remuda Ranch (in Arizona) to host Hunger Pains, a conference about eating disorders that drew more than 200 attendees.

One lecture explored the core issues of spiritual hunger, body image, and family and relationship dynamics. Another sought to increase the understanding of the types, thought patterns, fears, and roots of perfectionism and their relationship to eating disorders. It also included how-to-help workshops.

Dr. Richard Winter (director of Covenant Seminary’s counseling program) led the conference along with Dr. Jennifer Lafferty (adolescent psychologist at Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders), and MAC graduates from Covenant Seminary Caleb Mitchell, Lillian Werner, and Travis Stewart.

Caleb was and Travis is on staff at Remuda Ranch.

13 Number of countries represented (besides US)

5 (Bahamas, Canada, Croatia, Great Britain, South Korea)

Percentage of new MDiv students who are married

63.1%

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

24

SEMINARY NEWS (CONT.)

Enrollment Team Update

Calendar

The Advancement staff excitedly welcomes new To find out about Seminary Enrollment members who will serve all prospective happenings and events, students, helping them discern their call to ministry and visit our Web site at the institution that might best match their educational www.covenantseminary.edu. needs. In addition to admissions responsibilities, this team is also charged with student retention programs.

To accomplish our strategic expansion goals, the team has been challenged with growing the student community by five percent each year as we expand our mission of training the next generation of pastors and church leaders.

The team includes these new members: Brad Anderson, senior director of enrollment; Melinda Conn, director of financial aid; JeremyKicklighter, director of admissions; and Kent Needler, assistant director of admissions.

New Enrollment team members (left to right: Brad Anderson, Melinda Conn, Jeremy Kicklighter, Kent Needler)

Distinguished Preacher Leads Lectures Every year, Covenant Seminary offers the J. R. Wilson Preaching Lectures, a series on preaching named for Joseph Ruggles Wilson, the nineteenth-century Presbyterian preacher and father of former President Woodrow Wilson.

Dr. Richard Bewes was this year’s featured lecturer. He spoke at this event in conjunction with the Connect Conference, which brings together ministry leaders and their spouses to encourage and support them in their ministries.

Dr. Bewes is a preacher, pastor, broadcaster, hymn writer, author, and Christian communicator. He led two churches in the southeast of England and then was appointed by the Crown as rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, following in the footsteps of John Stott and Michael Baughen.

Previous Wilson lecturers include Dr. Tim Keller, Dr. John Piper, and Dr. Robert Smith.

Listen to their dynamic presentations online by checking out the Seminary’s Ministry Resources at www.covenantseminary.edu/ resource. Type “Wilson Preaching Lectures” to search the database.

25

New Board Members

Paul Stoll Paul Stoll, a ruling elder in Elgin, Illinois, has been involved with Covenant Seminary since childhood.

His parents often welcomed professors into their home, and he has had the pleasure of knowing personally all four of the Seminary’s presidents— Drs. Rayburn, Barker, Kooistra, and Chapell. He is passionate about the growth of God’s Church through the clear and understandable proclamation of the Gospel.

Jonathan Seda Jonathan Seda (DMin ’02), a pastor for more than 25 years, greatly desires to see people of various backgrounds united in the corporate worship of God. Largely influenced by his childhood as a missionary kid in Cuba and Venezuela, he eagerly supports the movement in the PCA that desires to transform it into a denomination of churches that reach people of every race and social class with the Gospel.

www.covenantseminary.edu

SEMINARY NEWS

(CONT.)

to Israel has been The summer 2007 trip ernational concerns. placed on hold due to int joining members of the However, please consider s. ff on these upcoming trip Seminary’s faculty and sta Italy summer 200 8

Germany/Switzerland summer 200 9

Scotland/England summer 201 0

Israel/Egypt summer 201 1

Greece summer 201 2

notice :

Caretakers of God’s CreaefafertiInsotitunte held its fall 2006 lecture

Student Services News & Events

The Francis A. Sch the er. The lectures explored series at the end of Octob is on ati cre d’s t caring for Go question of whether or no uld sho s something Christian actually a calling or simply al ent tt, professor of environm consider. Dr. Calvin DeWi l Studies Institute for Environmenta studies, Gaylord Nelson ent nsin-Madison, and presid at the University of Wisco l Studies; nta me Institute for Environ emeritus of the Au Sable Resources, ia Department of Natural Tim Keyes of the Georg the n; and Greg Pitchford of Wildlife Resources Divisio topic. s thi on ke Conservation spo Missouri Department of

Chapel

At Covenant Seminary this year, we will continue to make our chapel times an important and vital part of student growth and life. Chapel is and has been a time where students come together with faculty and staff to be encouraged by the Gospel of grace in worship through the preaching of the Word; prayer; hearing testimonies; and the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will grow us into deeper fellowship with one another as we embrace individually and corporately our need for the Gospel.

Fr

Nov 3

President Emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Tu

Nov 7

Dr. Jay Sklar

Fr

Nov 10

Dr. Robert Peterson

Tu

Nov 14

Dr. Dan Zink

Fr

Nov 17

Dr. Mark Dalbey

Tu

Nov 21

Dr. Robert Vasholz

November 17 7 p.m.

Place: Rayburn Chapel at Covenant Theological Seminary Date:

Time:

The Francis A. Schaeffer Institute, along with Student Services, will present an evening of classical repertoire performed by Covenant Seminary students and spouses of students. This recital is part of our overall desire to help future pastors and ministry leaders gain exposure to a broad range of God-glorifying musical expressions in the Church and beyond. We also hope to encourage the ongoing development of the musical giftedness of our students while in seminary.

Covenant Seminary is seeking a Vice President for Academics to oversee academic programs and personnel. The candidate must hold to the doctrinal standards of the PCA, have church and academic leadership experience, an earned doctorate, and be committed to pastoral training rooted in grace. Interested persons should contact President Dr. Bryan Chapell at 12330 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63141 or bchapell@covenantseminary.edu.

Dr. Niel Nielson

Dec 1

Dr. David Calhoun

Tu

Dec 5

Dr. Zack Eswine

Fr

Dec 8

Dr. Bryan Chapell

COVENANT | Winter 2006 - 07

Vice President Position Open

President of Covenant College

Fr

Italy

Student Recital

Dr. Robert Cooley

Tu Nov 28

Lake Magg iore,

26

ALUMNI

news

We Want To Hear From You!

Kurt (MDiv ’96) and his wife, Jill, are serving with Mission to the World (MTW). They married on May 14, 2005, and have been approved for career service with MTW. Many know Kurt as “the hat man.” Kurt and Jill will work with the International Presbyterian Church (IPC) and are helping plant nationally led churches to reach the growing number of Middle Eastern immigrants. The IPC is a denomination begun in the sixties by the late Francis Schaeffer.

Alumni, we consider you family, and we’d like to keep in touch! Please let us know where in the world God has called you, and fill us in on what you’re doing there.

Update us about your family as well. Send e-mails to alumni@covenantseminary.edu and written correspondence to Alumni News, Attn: Joel Hathaway, 12330 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63141.

Immediately after graduating from Covenant Seminary, Paul (BDiv ’56) and Lorraine Alexander started a Presbyterian church in Huntsville, Alabama. Beginning with 14 members, the church was particularized nine months later. The church participated in starting ten other congregations. In 2001, Paul and Lorraine went to Ukraine, where Paul served as director of Mission to the World Ukraine. The Alexanders returned to the US in September 2005.

Paul is in the process of forming an MTW partnership in Ukraine dedicated to helping our fledgling Christian school movement in that nation.

Rev. Adrian Das (MDiv ’05) did the propounding of the questions. Others involved were Greg Myers and Steve Heil.

Congratulations to Matthew V. Novenson (MDiv ’04) on receiving a Master of Theology in New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary in May. Matthew will continue working on his PhD at Princeton Seminary. His wife, Michelle (MATS ’04), works as a distance education mentor for Covenant Seminary while caring for Hans, their 1-year-old son.

This spring, Jill Boehmer (MATS ’06) took a job as a freshmen counselor in the Admissions office at Missouri Baptist University. She looks forward to serving God and others by working with students as they transition into college.

Bryan (MDiv ’98) and Krista Pierce are church planting in Rome, Georgia, where they recently moved after completing a church planting residency program at Perimeter Church in Duluth, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta). Prior to this call to church planting, Bryan was the director of admissions at Covenant College on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. The Pierces have three children: Sam, Mae, and Levi, ages 6, 3, and 1, respectively.

After serving for six years at Clemson Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, Michael (MDiv ’00) and Kirby (MATS ’99) Hall have moved back to Missouri with their three children, McKenzie Reid (age 4), Carter Anderson (age 3), and John Thomas McCarley (18 months). Michael serves as the minister of youth and families at Kirk of the Hills (PCA) in St. Louis.

Congratulations to Bryan Stewart (MDiv ’01) on receiving his PhD in religious studies (New Testament and early Christianity) from the University of Virginia (UVA). Bryan will be serving as adjunct faculty at UVA this next year while coediting a volume on the Gospel of John in The Church’s Bible series (due fall 2007). Bryan, Jennifer, and their children, Eowyn (age 5) and Riley (age 2), live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Greg Johnson (MDiv ’97) was recently installed as associate pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. He has served as assistant pastor there since 2003. Greg is also working on final revisions to his dissertation for a PhD in historical theology at Saint Louis University. His subject is the historical development of the quiet time.

In August, John F. Jones IV (MDiv ’03) left University Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico (where he has served as associate pastor), to become the senior pastor of Intown Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon. John and wife Karen have three children: John (age 7), Erik (age 4), and Linnea (age 2).

Stephen Stout (DMin ’88), pastor of Prosperity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, for 27 years, recently left that post to pursue PhD studies in Biblical theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Stephen also teaches at Carolina Evangelical Divinity School in High Point, North Carolina, and serves as pulpit supply for the Shearer Presbyterian Church in Mooresville, North Carolina. He has served as recording clerk for Central Carolina Presbytery since 1992.

Stephen and his wife, Marlene, enjoy being grandparents to Brock, whose father, Adam Mumpower, is an associate pastor at Southlake Presbyterian Church in Huntersville, North Carolina.

(Mom Deirdre used to teach there as well.)

Aaron Myers (MDiv ’06) was ordained and installed as the youth minister at Center Grove Presbyterian Church in Edwardsville, Illinois. Dr. Jay Sklar, Old Testament professor at Covenant Seminary, preached. The associate pastor, Rev. Don Hulsey Jr. (MDiv ’99), gave the charge to the session. The charge to the minister was given by the senior pastor, Rev. Anthony Casoria.

27

www.covenantseminary.edu

ALUMNI NEWS

(CONT.)

Want To Connect With Other Alumni?

The Alumni Portal is your connection back to the Seminary. It features special links to the most recent placement openings, the ATLA Serials database of theological publications, a calendar of seminary news and events, an e-mail forwarding service, and an alumni directory. The Alumni Portal offers the opportunity to stay connected with your friends and former professors. It was designed with you in mind and is just one way we invest in you throughout the lifetime of your ministry.

Graham Waterhouse (MDiv ’03) recently returned from a term with Mission to the World (MTW) in Bangkok, Thailand.

While there, she helped start Joy Kids, a Bible club for children, and helped develop the New Community English for kids.

She also served on the outreach team for Rahab Ministries, a mercy ministry to women in prostitution. Graham began a new position at Kirk of the Hills (PCA) in St. Louis as director of children’s ministries this summer.

Births Dave (MDiv ’04) and Lisa “Chip” Baggett rejoice in the birth of their third child, Elena Beth, born April 26. Weighing in at 7 lb. 9 oz. and 21.5 inches long, Elena was welcomed by her twin older brothers, Jadon and Nathan (age 2). Dave and Chip are looking to plant a church in the near future.

In order to access all the great benefits of the Alumni Portal, you must log in from the Seminary Web site, using the Alumni Portal link (under “Alumni & Friends”). Access this directly at www.covenantseminary.edu/alumni

Joe (MDiv ’03) and Kate Bruni welcome Ava Kathryn, daughter of the Covenant, born October 20, 2005. She joins her two older sisters, Olivia (age 5) and Eliana (age 3). The Brunis live in Hockessin, Delaware, where Joe serves as the youth minister at Berea Presbyterian Church.

Jeff (MDiv ’96, ThM ’99) and Heather (Harrison) (MDiv ’99) Dryden were pleased to welcome Molly Jane, born February 25, 2006. Molly joins brother Willem at home in the Manor House at English L’Abri, where Jeff and Heather are workers.

Matt (MDiv ’03) and Bethany Redmond welcomed Matthew Knox into their family on January 26, 2006. Knox joined big sister Emma Caroline, who is 3 years old. Matt currently serves as the director of student discipleship at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, Mississippi.

Jon and Katrina (Buch) Hostetter (MAC ’97) welcomed their second child, Helen Ruth, into their family on March 31, 2006.

She joins her 2-year-old brother, Micah. They live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Katrina continues in her private practice counseling one day a week.

Joel (MDiv ’04) and Jessica Rinn welcome their fourth child, son Etienne Elia, born June 1. He joins his three older siblings, Nicolas (age 9), Emeline (age 6), and Annaelle (age 3). The Rinns live in Verona, Italy, where they serve as church planters with Presbyterian Mission International (PMI).

Rick (MATS ’05) and Rebekah Matt praise the Lord for the birth of their fourth child (and third son), Timothy Lee, who came into the world on July 22. Timothy weighed in at 7 lb. 13 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Big brothers Davey (age 10) and Ethan (age 4) and sister Sarah Jane (age 7) were ecstatic.

Russ (MDiv ’99) and Amy St. John welcomed their fourth child, Jack, on April 20. Jack joins siblings Reid (age 5), Brett (age 4), and Evelyn Belle (age 2). Russ serves as pastor of Oakwood Presbyterian Church in State College, Pennsylvania. For six years prior to this, he was an associate pastor for a United Reformed Church congregation in Washington State.

Amelia McLean was born to Duane (MDiv ’98, MAC ’98) and Julie Otto on May 8. Amelia joined siblings Calvin (age 8), Sophia (age 6), and Libby (age 20 months). Duane is the associate pastor at Lakemont Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia.

Chris (MDiv ’00) and Patience Peters were doubly blessed with the births of Chalmers Moore and Cannon Macabee on May 14, 2005. The twins were lovingly welcomed by big brother Cotton Michael. Chris continues to serve as pastor of equipping and assimilation at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Death The Covenant Seminary community expresses condolences to the friends and family of Mrs. Virginia “Gina” Lawrence (MAC ’98), who went home to be with the Lord on July 24, 2006.

Gina volunteered much of her time and put great energy into serving the Women’s Auxiliary and Covenant Seminary.

We will miss her.

Paul (MAC ’97) and Courtney Rawlins welcomed their first child, Benjamin Noxon, on June 19. He weighed 7 lb. 15 oz. and was 21 inches long. Paul serves as the director of institutional research for Covenant Seminary.

Courtney is a current MATS student.

28

www.covenantseminary.edu

BRIEFLY STATED

Executive Editor David Wicker Managing Editor Stacey Fitzgerald Editor Jackie Fogas Assistant Copy Editors Rick Matt Nicolle Olivastro Photography Joel Hathaway Kelly Park Photography Brett Steen Design and Production 501creative, inc.

Circulation Nicolle Olivastro Editorial Contributors Bryan Chapell Zack Eswine Jackie Fogas Joel Hathaway Shannon Howard Rick Matt Nicolle Olivastro John Michael Patrick Sr. Covenant Theological Seminary 12330 Conway Road St. Louis, Missouri 63141 Tel: 314.434.4044 Fax: 314.434.4819 E-mail: covenantmagazine@covenantseminary.edu Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (esv) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News publishers. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

“

J U S T I F I C AT I O N without sanctification would be no salvation at all.

It would call the leper clean

and leave him to die of his disease; it would

forgive the rebellion

and allow the rebel to remain an enemy to his king….

Remember that the LORD JESUS came to take away sin in three ways.

He came to REMOVE

”

the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and last,

the presence of sin.

Volume 21, Number 4. ©2006

– CHARLES SPURGEON – ALL OF GRACE Covenant is published by Covenant Theological Seminary, the Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America.

The purpose of Covenant Seminary is to train servants of the triune God to walk with God, to interpret and communicate God’s Word, and to lead God’s people.

CAMPUS

O lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name….

– Nehemiah 1 : 11a (esv)

Please pray for SEMINARY families during this Christmas season. Because pain and brokenness abound, pray for healing and hope in the hearts of those who are hurting.

As students approach the final weeks of the semester, pray for endurance and strength for projects and exams.

Ask the Lord for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation over the holiday break.

Continue praying for the Seminary’s capital campaign.

Pray for President Chapell, Dave Wicker, John Prentis, Wilson Benton, and others as they continue to travel and meet with donors.

Pray for the distance education students

who will gather on campus in January for a one-week residency. Pray that the personal interaction with the faculty and other students would further their studies and deepen their relationship with Christ Jesus.

NATIONAL Praise God for Urbana 06, InterVarsity’s student missions convention to be held for the first time in St. Louis December 27–31. Pray that the theme You Have a Calling would encourage and motivate the 25,000 young adults who are considering how God might use them to spread His Kingdom around the world.

Continue praying for President Bush as he leads the country into a new year. Pray for constant wisdom as he makes decisions that affect many nations.

Remember all the Hurricane Katrina victims

throughout the holiday season. Pray for the Lord to continue giving hope to those affected as they rebuild their cities, homes, and families.

Pray for recent grad Jill Boehmer (MATS ’06), who took a job as a freshmen counselor in the Admissions office at Missouri Baptist University. Pray that she would be an ambassador for Christ as she works with students who are transitioning into college.

Intercede for Bryan (MDiv ’98) and Krista Pierce

as they follow God’s call to plant a church in Rome, Georgia.

Lift up their family during this transition and pray that God would call strong Christian leaders to the church so it can serve the brokenhearted in Rome.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

– Galatians 6:10

INTERNATIONAL

Ask the Lord to be evident as the recent violence between Hezbollah and Israel has caused many deaths, pain, and suffering. Pray for peace between the groups and that the leaders would address the root causes that have given rise to the crisis.

Pray for the world and its leaders as they interact with North Korea about its missiles and weapons programs.

Pray that North Korea’s leaders would be persuaded to end all testing and give up their nuclear plans.

Please remember the missionaries around the world who are risking their lives to share God’s Word. Pray for their safety and continued endurance.

Pray for the churches and Christians that are being persecuted on almost every continent in the world. Proclaim God’s faithfulness, and pray that their hope would endure.

– Hebrews 13 : 3

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

INTERCESSOR

Lift up the potential students and families who are considering attending Covenant Seminary in the next year. Ask the Lord to give them faith and clearly guide their footsteps.

Winter 2006- 07 A Quarterly Calendar of Prayer Requests for the Covenant Seminary Community

Robert A. Peterson

Zack Eswine

Covenant Comes to You… Professors’ WINTER Speaking Schedules Bryan Chapell

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Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Director of the DMin Program

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J anuary 4–7, 2007 Atlanta, GA. American Society of Church History winter meeting.

TOPIC: “Interpreting Presbyterian History: Mainline, Oldline, Sideline.”

N ovember–February Covenant Presbyterian Church; St. Louis, MO. Pulpit supply.

Assistant Professor of Church History and Dean of Faculty

Sean Lucas

N ovember 15–17 Washington, DC. Evangelical Theological Society conference. Presenting a paper.

N ovember–February Hope Presbyterian Church; Collinsville, IL. Preaching.

Professor of Systematic Theology

N ovember 5 Grace Presbyterian Church; Kirkwood, MO. Preaching.

N ovember 19 Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church; St. Louis, MO. Preaching.

D ecember 3 Grace Presbyterian Church; Peoria, IL. Preaching.

J anuary 11–15, 2007 Londrina, Brazil.

Christ-Centered Preaching conference.

F ebruary 3–4, 2007 Hueston Woods Resort and Conference Center; Oxford, OH. Ohio Valley Presbytery men’s retreat. Speaking.

F ebruary 10–11, 2007 Covenant Life Presbyterian Church; Sarasota, FL. Global Missions Festival.

F ebruary 18, 2007 Covenant Presbyterian Church; Chattanooga, TN. New sanctuary dedication service.

J. Nelson Jennings Associate Professor of World Mission w

N ovember 4–5 Timonium Presbyterian Church; Baltimore, MD. Missions conference.

Merida, Yucatan (Mexico).

Teaching about world religions. w J anuary 13–20, 2007

Old Orchard Church; St. Louis, MO. Sunday school. Teaching. w J anuary 21 and 28, 2007

F ebruary 3–4, 2007 Hueston Woods Resort and Conference Center; Oxford, OH. Ohio Valley Presbytery men’s retreat. Speaking.

N ovember 10–11 Christ Presbyterian Church; Clarksville, TN. Family retreat. Speaking.

S undays, November–December Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church; St. Louis, MO. Preaching.

President and Professor of Practical Theology w

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F ebruary 27, 2007 Gordon-Conwell Seminary; South Hamilton, MA. Pastors’ forum.

Hans Bayer Associate Professor of New Testament w

N ovember 5 St. Louis Christian Church; St. Louis, MO. Preaching.

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F ebruary 4 and 11, 2007 The Covenant Presbyterian Church; St. Louis, MO. Sunday school. Teaching.

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STUDENT PROFILE Children of professionals and businessmen often follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Sadly, the same is not necessarily true for children of pastors.

Having seen the difficulties of ministry, many pastor’s kids leave the Church for a season.

Others choose occupations that isolate them from any kind of church service.

Some abandon the faith altogether. Few actually enter the ministry, which makes stories of such second-generation ministers all the more compelling.

Dane Ortlund (MDiv ’05, current ThM student) is one such example. As the son of a pastor, his journey into ministry took many turns. “My mission in life as a freshman majoring in business/economics at Wheaton College,” says Dane, “was to live the American Dream—with a bit of Christian icing thrown on top. My goal was to make money, enjoy my weekends, and wind up in heaven. On the outside I was a good enough guy, but I was living thoroughly for myself.” Dane experienced a formidable reshaping of vision while at Wheaton.

“I met an older man at Wheaton named Lyle Dorsett—a professor and a pastor of a local church. Here was someone who knew what it meant to be saved. Christ, for him, could not be compartmentalized. Dr. Dorsett’s contagious passion and joy caused me to question what I was living for.” Dorsett’s influence, tethered with other experiences, led Dane to see the Lord as the center of his life and to conclude that God had created him to work in the church.

Dane began his MDiv studies at Covenant Theological Seminary in 2002. “My years in seminary have been the best years of my life,” Dane confesses. “There have been disappointments and struggles, but the Lord has poured out goodness on me—a loving and supportive wife; humble, Christ-revering professors; and a happy church home.” In a form of self-reflection, Dane rhetorically asks the question of Psalm 116:12, “ ‘What can I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?’ ” (esv).

Dane shares, “For a Christian, ‘ministry’ is not optional.

To be a Christian is to be a minister. As for me, I don’t want to waste my life. I want to be useful to God. Here is how I see it:

In a

’s Father footsteps

Dane Ortlund (far right), an MDiv graduate from Covenant Seminary and current ThM student, feels called to full-time pastoral ministry—just like his father, Ray (far left), and brother Gavin (second from left), who just started his studies at Covenant Seminary.

Brother Eric (third from left) serves the Lord as a professor.

Some Christians are preoccupied by believing and defending right doctrine, but this can produce dryness and pride. Others are preoccupied by heartfelt affection and worship, but this can produce indifference to Biblical truth. My mission in life is to help people see not only that these two—head and heart, theology and doxology—coexist, but also that they in fact feed off each other.” Dane’s ThM studies of Corinthians have furthered his understanding in this and other matters.

“Corinth was very much like urban America: large, ethnically diverse, and rife with sexual and material idolatry,” Dane explains. “And in 2 Corinthians, Paul persistently hammers home the paradox of Christianity—rooted in the experience of Christ himself—that strength comes through weakness, glory through shame, gain through giving. Through, not despite.

Paul shows the Corinthians that they are misguided at the most basic level. They thought, ‘More is more.’ Paul says, ‘Less is more.’ In the climax of the epistle, Paul declares, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’ ” The application of such truth is timely and relevant to today’s strangely comfortable Christianity. It seems paradoxical. “But,” Dane adds, “it’s the heart of the Gospel and the example of Christ.”

That Christlike example is also exhibited in the life of his pastor-father, Ray, who has been a strong support for Dane.

Speaking of his father, Dane says, “I grew up in a home of love and happiness. I think Dad—more as a father than as a pastor— gave me a foundation from which I felt secure to pursue the Lord’s calling for my life.” So enabled and secure in love, Dane continues on the journey to becoming a second-generation minister—to which the life of his father becomes more and more a testimonial. “The older I get,” Dane says, “the more I value the chance to see the life and work of a godly pastor up close.”

Joel Hathaway Joel Hathaway (MDiv ’04) is the director of alumni and church relations at Covenant Seminary.

He focuses on maintaining contact with graduates and encouraging them in their ministries.