minary W orld Class Seminary - Bethel Seminary - Bethel University

Seminary of the EastBethel Seminary ofthe East TeachingCentersPhiladelphia CenterChelten Baptist Church1601 North Limekiln PikeDresher, PA 19025215.659.1000215.641.4804 (fax)Tyrone Perkins, DirectorNew England CenterFaith Baptist Church22 Faith AvenueAuburn, MA 01501-1806508.721.0888508.721.0888 (fax)508.230.9335Noel Sherry, DirectorNew York CenterFirst Baptist Church of Flushing142-10 Sanford AvenueFlushing, NY 11355718.539.6822, ext. 218718.939.9136 (fax)Michael Herbert, Center DirectorIris Holder, Henry Kwan, Director TeamMetropolitanWashington, D.C. CenterFirst Baptist Church of Glenarden3600 Brightseat RoadLandover, MD 20785-2414301.386.9415301.386.6270 (fax)301.386.6275Esther Gordon, DirectorBethel Seminary of the EastAdministrative Offices2325 Maryland Road, Suite 225Willow Grove, PA 19090215.659.1000888.The.East (toll free)215.659.1066 (fax)History of BethelSeminary of the EastIn the 1960s, Conservative Baptistsbegan to dream of a seminary in theNortheast Corridor of the UnitedStates. On October 3, 1979, a feasibilitycommittee was formed to study theneeds and desires of corridor churches.On March 23, 1982, at Nanuet, N.Y.,the committee presented its analysis tomessengers from 44 of those churches.In the fall of 1983 a constitution andbylaws were accepted and Seminary ofthe East was inaugurated as a graduateschool of ministry preparation.The vision included a church-baseddiscipleship model of training thatwould have flexibility and sensitivityto issues of contextualization. It wouldalso concern itself with developing astudent’s intellect, character, and skills.The need for renewal and evangelism inthe dense population of the Northeasthelped to fuel the vision.Seminary of the East opened its firstteaching center in 1985 in Dresher, Pa.,using the facilities of Chelten BaptistChurch. The second teaching centeropened in the second largest city inNew England—Worcester, Mass.—in1987. In 1990, a third teaching centeropened in New York City. In April of1996, as an extension of the PhiladelphiaCenter, classes were held forthe first time in Baltimore, Md. Mostrecently, the Metropolitan Washington,D.C. Center opened in Landover, Md.,in the fall of 2003. Since the initial classof 10 men and one woman began in thefall of 1985, 198 students have graduatedand are serving churches, parachurchagencies, and various missionorganizations.To enhance its ability to provide qualitytheological education to the evangelicalchurches of the Northeast, Seminaryof the East entered into a managementagreement in 1995 with Bethel College& Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., a BaptistGeneral Conference institution withsimilar doctrinal commitments, values,and vision. This agreement encouragedSeminary of the East to continueits emphasis on equipping Christianleaders in the areas of “thinking, being,and doing” for the challenges ofministry in the Northeastern UnitedStates. In June 2000, Seminary of theEast was approved by the Associationof Theological Schools to operate as anextension of Bethel Seminary’s accreditedprograms, and in June 2002 BethelSeminary of the East became a fullymerged partner with Bethel College &Seminary, now Bethel University.DistinctiveCharacteristicsBethel Seminary of the East’s programsare characterized by:1. Academic rigor and excellence:Qualified faculty with earned doctoratesand with pastoral or missionsexperience teach courses atthe graduate level. Full-time facultyteach in all centers to ensure academicquality and to interact withstudents.2. Adult education model: Educationalprograms follow adult learningprinciples and practices. Educationcentered on the learner, rather thanthe teacher, enables students to assumeresponsibility for advancingtheir own education. Student-facultyinteraction is frequent and collegial.3. Convenient and flexible scheduling:Classes typically are held onweekday afternoons and evenings toaccommodate working professionalsand persons in vocational ministry.Some Saturday classes are also offered.Each quarter is 11 weeks long.4. Ministry involvement: Students areactively involved in church or parachurchministry throughout theirgraduate study program. Studentschoose ministries and churches tosuit their ethnic, linguistic, ecclesiastical,and demographic preferences.76