Tag Archives: Education

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 2

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FBBC&TS Exists as a Baptist institution of Christian Higher Education. As a Baptist institution, we believe in the primacy of Scripture over creeds and the formulations of councils. We consider the New Testament, especially the Epistles, to be foundational for faith and practice. We hold to the two ordinances: communion as a memorial of Christ’s death and believer’s baptism by single immersion as a public testimony to the truth of the gospel. We believe in the New Testament origin of the Church and so we distinguish between the Church and the nation of Israel.

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 1

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Adopted by the Board of Directors—September 15, 2006 Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary exists as a Fundamentalist Baptist institution of Christian higher education to disciple vocational Christian workers and leaders for local churches throughout the world. Faith Exists as a Bible College. In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair, William H. Jordan heard Evangelist D. L. Moody speak about the importance of training Christian workers for the ministry. Deeply impressed by Moody’s comments, Jordan developed a burden to establish a school to carry on that vision.

Why Should Missionaries Attend Seminary?

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Missionaries should attend seminary because they ought to train well for the challenges on the mission field. The apostle Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the church, certainly was well trained. His life and accomplishments would constitute an impressive resume, which would include the following: apostle personally called by Christ, theologian par excellence, and published author whom the Holy Spirit used to pen some of the letters included in the Bible—the world’s all-time best seller, with an estimated two and a half billion copies sold since 1815.

Mission Statement: Conformity or Conviction?

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“At First Baptist Church we are committed to…” “Our mission is…” Do you have such a statement in print or posted at your church? If any organization should have a mission statement, it would be a local church. But a mission statement must be more than an implementation of a popular trend, as one book on church evaluation reminds us: “For some organizations, including congregations, vision statements are just so much window dressing. Like earlier ventures into management by objectives and strategic planning, formulating vision statements can function primarily as a ritual—a rather empty one—that a congregation engages in because other organizations and congregations are doing it, or because a denomination requires it, or because the congregation’s leaders think it might be a good idea.

Selecting a Seminary

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Are you in the process of selecting a seminary? Do you know someone who is? Do you regularly give advice to potential seminarians as they work their way through the selection process? You probably will not be surprised to learn that I recommend Faith Baptist Theological Seminary (FBTS) to potential seminarians. Very simply, all those who desire to train for ministry within Baptist fundamentalism should consider attending FBTS. I propose three reasons why you and others should consider FBTS. First, FBTS provides advanced academic training and grants degrees that are regionally accredited.

My Swan Song

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What does one say when one is about to depart from the institution that he has loved and served for 41 years? Is there a Scriptural text that deals with that subject? Yes, there are several. In the O.T., Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David each gave a farewell address. In the N.T., Peter and Paul both wrote of their impending death in their final epistles. One’s final message is sometimes called a “swan song,” a term based on an ancient belief that the swan knew the hour of its death and announced it with a great cry or sweet song.

Rote Memory

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In educational circles for the last half century or so, the words “rote memory” have become almost offensive to many. If the object of education is to teach people to think and to feel deeply, it seems either wasteful or damaging to require them at any level to memorize facts and lists. According to this idea, teaching rules of grammar may block the student’s creativity. Making him learn the multiplication table is a waste of his time when he can play store in school or buy a calculator cheaply in the check-out line.

A Call for Relevance

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The need for relevance is a problem faced by most Christian workers today. However, this struggle is not new to our time. Even the Apostle Paul dealt with it. Historically, it has been the more liberal theologians who made relevance a key concern in the ministry. They cared more for people and their needs than for the Truth of God’s Word. Now it has become a significant factor in conservative theology. One of the more recent evidences of this change has been the ascension of relational theology and the decline of transactional theology.

Family-Based Youth Ministry

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Perhaps no other area of Christian ministry thrives more on trends and fads than youth ministry. It is fascinating to peruse recent youth ministry periodicals and publications and to observe what new innovations youth ministers are trying. Some fads exhibit pure creativity; others push the envelope; a few are even disturbing; but most fade off the scene of youth ministry as soon as they appear. Youth ministers certainly have an inclination to stay on the “cutting edge” of youth culture. However, there is one trend infiltrating the ranks of youth ministry that is more than just a passing fancy; it is called family-based youth ministry.1 Over the past decade a flurry of articles and books have appeared promoting this new way of doing youth ministry.

Functional Churches

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The local church is the only visible expression of the universal church, the body of Christ. As such, a living body must function consistently and well. In practical ways, though, how can the leaders of the local assembly bring Biblical body function into being? One fact remains startlingly clear. Christians do not grow in isolation. There needs to be a commonality with each other. Further, New Testament Christians were not given the choice as to whether or not they wished to function.