Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1993

124 1993 MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF THEI. THEOLOGICAL HALLThe primary purpose of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminaryis to train pastors for the Reformed Presbyterian Church. This purposemight be realized at lower cost by adopting an "apprenticeship" model andrelying heavily on active pastors to teach the students. The modifiedTheological Hall version of a seminary which is outlined below wouldmove our preparation of pastors a short distance toward the apprenticeshipmodel.A. What would such a program look like?1. Students would continue to study in Pittsburgh and live in thedormitory or nearby apartments.2. The curriculum would be pared down to a core curriculum meant toprepare pastors; fewer electives would be offered.3. The library would emphasize supporting resources for the corecourses and would not try to be a general theological library.4. There would be two full-time professors (perhaps Systematics andBiblical Languages), a librarian, and a part-time administrator. Anyone of the four regular employees, or even someone else involvedwith the Seminary, could be designated President.5. Much instruction would come from pastors within commutingdistance of Pittsburgh or from pastors from greater distance teachingone- or two-week intensive courses.6. The budget, while significantly lower than at present, would still besubstantial. Income would also be significantly reduced.7. The program would no longer be able to grant degrees and would notbe eligible for ATS accreditation. Nevertheless, a Theological Hallwith more aspects of apprenticeship training than at present mightprove attractive to some.B. How could we get there?1. Replace Bmce Stewart at his retirement with a part-time administratorcharged with coordinating a theological hall—someone sharedwith another employer or someone with administrative gifts whowants to work only part-time.2. Continue two of the three professors after their terms expire: DuncanLowe, Ed Robson, Wayne Spear. Not replace Willam Russell whenhe retires.3. No salary increases (or: except two percent less than CPI for theprevious year) until the budget is balanced.4. Begin revising the curriculum (mostly by dropping elective courses)and making calendar adjustments (to allow for short intensive