Report of the Board of Higher Education
During the 2004 calendar year, the Board of Higher Education (BHE) met three times, for a total of thirty-six times since its inception in the fall of 1994. The BHE continues to oversee the work of the Pinebrook Educational Foundation (PEF), to develop working relationships with Biblical Theological Seminary (Biblical), and to consider how else it might foster higher education in the BFC.
The Pinebrook Educational Foundation
The Board of Directors of the PEF for the past year was as follows:
Term expiring in 2007: Raymond R. Dotts, Jay H. Fasnacht
Term expiring in 2006: Gary E. Karch, Robert C. Newman
Term expiring in 2005: Stephen C. Cassel Jessica Sterner
The report of the PEF is appended to the report of the BHE.
Working Relationships with Biblical Theological Seminary
In the past year, the BHE has continued two projects involving Biblical: (1) a BFC chaplain who would visit Biblical regularly to counsel students and encourage some of them to consider service with the BFC; and (2) an internship program in which BF churches would take pastoral interns from Biblical.
1. Since 1999 retired BFC missionary Ed Moyer has served (under BHE auspices) as BFC chaplain to students at Biblical Seminary. Because of commuting, part-time students and block scheduling, Ed has been unable to contact most of the students with occasional visits to the school. We have had no success in solving this problem. For the fall term of 2004, with a total enrollment of about 365, Biblical has twelve students from BF churches.
2. The pastoral internship machinery for BF churches at Biblical Seminary is up and running and can be used by interested churches at any time. We distributed updated brochures at the BFC Pastors’ Conference in September. Currently, no BF churches are availing themselves of this opportunity, but since internship are no longer required at Biblical, only four people are taking internships currently.
BFC College Fair
With the low turnout of college-bound students, their parents, and participating Christian colleges at our 2003 fair, the board did not try another College Fair in 2004.
Other Ways of Promoting Higher Education in the BFC
The BHE has regularly taken time at our meetings for wide-ranging discussions on promoting higher education in the BFC. These discussions have included a number of topics: (1) how to get the BHE and PEF better known in the BFC; (2) how to encourage talented Christian young people in our churches to seek higher education so as to serve the Lord more effectively in whatever vocation He has called them to; (3) how to help Christian students at secular colleges not only survive but thrive as Christians in such an environment; (4) how to encourage BF pastors to get advanced education to strengthen their ministry; (5) how to reach out to students and faculty at colleges and universities that are in the vicinity of our BF churches; and (6) how to reach out to foreign students in these schools who will return to their own countries, so that they may be even more effective missionaries than those who must learn a foreign culture. The BHE continues to urge the PEF to set up a fund to help pastors (especially in smaller BF churches) attend seminars, workshops, audit courses, or get continuing education credits. We have regularly heard reports from board members John Studenroth on the work of Collegiate Outreach, Bob Newman on the Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, Winsome Media, and Biblical Theological Seminary, and Al Russell on various educational activities he is involved in.
We thank the Lord that He has provided funding for the PEF, which is now awarding a significant number of scholarships, and that we can encourage CO and IBRI in their current activities. It seems this year that few of our other projects have prospered.
Brothers, we thank you again for praying for us this past year. Pray that we will desire God’s agenda, not ours, and that He may use us to strengthen the BFC in understanding our times and in reaching the lost.
Resolved, that the Annual Conference ratify the election to the Pinebrook Educational Foundation of Stephen C. Cassel and Judith Rychnovsky for terms to end in 2008.
Board of Higher Education: Robert C. Newman, Chairman; Raymond R. Dotts, Vice-Chairman; John C. Studenroth, Secretary; Stephen C. Cassel; G. Wayne Clapier; Alan H. Russell; Harold P. Shelly.