2023 YEAR IN REVIEW
A Blessed Beginning
Roy Alden Atwood, Ph.D
President
One of the great joys of being involved with a startup ministry like Reformed Evangelical Seminary is witnessing the ways the Lord blesses our work with growth. We may plant and water, but only God gives the increase. Witnessing first-hand the Lord’s kindness in growing Reformed Evangelical Seminary in its inaugural year has been breath-taking. The only appropriate responses are great gratitude and praise.
Planting and Watering
During the first half of 2023, the Seminary’s organizing Board of Directors (listed below) labored diligently to plant and water the tiny seed of an idea: an online pastoral and theological training program to assist local churches for equipping more pastors and church leaders. The Directors carefully considered how the Seminary could meet the church’s greatest needs by
delivering quality online instruction and face-to-face pastoral mentoring
making its classes and programs affordable for all qualified students globally
building a spiritually and academically qualified team of instructors and staff
operating on a conservative budget supported by dedicated church partners
and repeatedly asking the Lord to bless all their labors with faithfulness and fruitfulness for His glory and the advance of His Kingdom.
They were still praying for the Seminary’s successful launch when the Lord began to answer in clear and remarkable ways!
Initial Enrollment Exceeds Expectations
The Seminary’s inaugural academic year began on September 1, 2023, with its first Convocation marking the occasion with praise, prayers, and worship. The first classes began that week with much stronger-than-anticipated student enrollment: 21 total students (headcount). We had originally budgeted for seven students (O, we of little faith!). Those first brave online students enrolled from across the continental USA, Alaska, Canada, and Europe.
Trinity Term, Fall 2023 Enrollment
M.Div. students: 12
Non-matriculating students: 9
Total headcount: 21
Those early enrollment numbers were encouraging considering we used a quiet or “soft launch” promotional campaign to spread the word about the new Seminary.
But when it came time for new and returning students to register for second term courses, we soon realized we faced the challenge of managing exceptional growth. Several times the number of students in the first term were enrolling for our Incarnation Term (Winter 2024) classes. The staff and instructors needed to “buckle up” for more students than we had dreamed of in the first year!
Enrollment Grows Five-Fold
We had expected a modest enrollment increase in the second term, because we did more advertising and introduced the new Seminary to hundreds of pastors and delegates attending the CREC Council meetings during the first term. Once again, however, we significantly underestimated the explosive growth the Lord planned for us. With the start of the second term of classes, the Seminary’s student body grew a whopping five-fold.
Incarnation Term, Winter 2024 Enrollment
MDiv students: 17
Non-matriculating students: 23
Total enrollment for credit and audit: 40
Total Listener Pass students: 61
Total headcount: 101
The Seminary is so blessed to have these eager and hard-working students from churches around the world: North America, Europe, the South Pacific, East Africa, and elsewhere. What an amazing blessing!
Enrichment Course Attracts 80+
A significant part of our growth came from the addition of new Church Enrichment (CE) courses. The first was The Eldership and Church Sessions, taught by Revs. Randy Booth, Rob Hadding, and David Hatcher, all pastors with decades of experience and abundant pastoral wisdom (here’s a recording of that first CE class). Designed to help pastors and church leaders address basic ministry issues and challenges, the Enrichment courses are open to all congregations. However, churches that are members of our Partnership Program receive free or discounted access to these practical aids to church ministry. The stunning enrollment in that first Elders class (more than 80!) clearly indicates that such courses meet an important need in many churches today. Keep your eyes open for more Church Enrichment courses on offer in 2024.
By the Church, For the Church
The Seminary was founded by the church to serve the Church. The Church is the focus of RES’s mission: “assisting the church to equip pastors and church leaders.” Three congregations in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches pooled their expertise and resources to establish the Seminary in 2023:
Reformation Covenant Church of Oregon City, OR, USA, had previously started Reformation Bible Institute, which merged into RES. RCC is pastored by the Rev. Bo Cogbill, who serves as the Board’s Secretary and on the Seminary’s Executive Committee.
Trinity Reformed Church of Moscow, ID, USA, is the home congregation of the Board Chairman Timothy van den Broek and President Dr. Roy Atwood. Both are teaching elders at TRC.
All Saints Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, TX, USA, is pastored by the Rev. Dr. Steve Jeffery, who serves on the Board’s Executive Committee and teaches for the Seminary on occasion.
Four more sister congregations quickly embraced the mission and vision of RES and their pastors were elected to the Board. These elected members hail from:
Providence Church, Lynchburg, VA
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Sulphur, LA
Grace Covenant Church, Nacogdoches, TX, and
Mitaka Evangelical Church, Tokyo, Japan
Partners in Equipping Pastors
Today, more than 20 congregations now support the Seminary with their prayers, financial support, student enrollment, voluntary Board service, and more. Our most recent Church Partner congregations, which have committed to support the Seminary prayerfully and financially at levels appropriate to their size, now come from across Canada and the USA:
Grande Prairie, AB, Canada
Fort St. John, BC, Canada
Valparaiso, FL, USA
Meridian, ID, USA
Springfield, MO, USA
Cary, NC, USA
Omaha, NE, USA
Magnolia, TX, USA
Terrell, TX, USA
Taylor, TX, USA
Newport News, VA, USA
Colville, WA, USA
Still more congregations have expressed interest or initiated applications to become Church Partners in the near future. If your congregation is considering becoming an RES Church Partner, please visit our website here and fill out the interest form.
Cappella
Each month, the Seminary hosts its Cappella fellowship gathering for students, instructors and staff. This is an opportunity for our online community to meet outside the classroom and to enjoy some time together for discussions, music, readings, prayer, and hearing invited speakers. The Rev. Brian Nolder, our first Director of Student Development, organized and hosted our Cappella gatherings during the Trinity Term (Fall 2023). During the term, the RES community was privileged to hear presentations from:
Rev. Rob Hadding, Pastor, Sulphur, LA, USA: “A Report on Council 2023 of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches”
Rev. Dr. Uri Brito (pictured above), Pastor, Pensacola, FL, USA, and Presiding Minister of the CREC: “Calvin’s Pastoral Theology”
Rev. Dr. Rob Rayburn, Pastor Emeritus, Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA), Tacoma, WA, USA: “The Pastorate: What I have Learned Over 40 Years of Ministry.”
During the Trinity Term we also heard musical performances by the Cantus Firmus Chorale, Moscow, ID, USA, conducted by Dr. David Erb; Saints Praising, an a cappella group based in Lancaster, PA, USA; and selections from the choir at Reformation Covenant Church of Oregon City, OR, USA. Thanks to all who performed for the Seminary community
Instructors
The Seminary has been blessed with a long list of qualified pastor-teachers willing to serve as online instructors and pastoral mentors now and in the future. The first classes offered during the Trinity Term 2023 and the current Incarnation Term 2024 were taught by these fine men:
Rev. Dr. John Dekker, Oregon, USA: Hebrew
Rev. Dr. Sebastian Smolarz, Poland: OT Minor Prophets
Rev. Brian Nolder, Oregon, USA: Hebrew
Rev. Dr. (ABD) Brittain Brewer, Oregon, USA: Greek
Rev. Dr. Steve Jeffery, Texas, USA: Ethics
Rev. Dr. (ABD) Jeff Meyers, Missouri, USA: Theology of Worship
Rev. Randy Booth, Texas, USA: The Eldership and Church Sessions
Rev. Rob Hadding, Louisiana, USA: The Eldership and Church Sessions
Rev. David Hatcher, Washington, USA: The Eldership and Church Sessions
All of our M.Div. students were mentored by their local pastors. Thanks to all these instructors and mentors who were willing to share their considerable knowledge, wisdom, and pastoral experience with our students.
Coming in 2024
As we now move deeper into the Year of Our Lord, 2024, please pray for the Seminary and encourage your congregation to support the further growth of this young ministry. In the months ahead, RES will be
Hosting its first REFRESH Conference on the Oregon Coast. This will be our first in-person (not online) gathering for fellowship and for students, faculty, and staff to get to know one another better face-to-face (not over Zoom!). We hope to make this an annual event, though the location may change from year to year.
Launching two new non-divinity programs next fall designed for those wishing to grow in biblical and theological knowledge to serve the church or to strengthen their Christian worldview for greater faithfulness in their various vocations. These programs, described in more detail on our website, are:
Master of Christian Studies (36 credits; approximately a two-year program)
Certificate of Christian Studies (18 credits; approximately a one-year program)
Expanding RES course offerings to as many as four courses per term, giving students a wide range of online course options and enabling those who wish to pursue full time study to do so. The Seminar will need to recruit more instructors each term the year-round, so please pray for more qualified pastors willing to teach RES students. If you know of qualified pastor-teachers or you’re interested yourself, please contact President Roy Atwood.
Administration and Staff
As an online program, the Seminary is able to manage its operations, facilitate instruction, and assist students with a relatively small but efficient administrative team. The RES staff during this first year of operation included:
Rev. Brian Nolder, Oregon, USA: Director of Student Development (2023)
Rev. C.J. Bowen, Idaho, USA: Director of Student Development (2024-)
Ms. Lauren Shearer, Oregon, USA: Registrar and Bursar
Mr. Daniel Wilson, Oregon, USA: Web Administrator & IT Manager
The Seminary thanks Rev. Brian Nolder for his service in 2023 and his role in helping Reformation Bible Institute merge into Reformed Evangelical Seminary. He stepped away from RES in December 2023, and the Seminary community wishes him the best. The Rev. C.J. Bowen (serving at Trinity Reformed Church, Moscow, ID, USA) has now taken up the position of Director of Student Development, effective January 1, 2024. This position ensures that pastoral students are personally mentored by their local pastors and engaged in church life and ministries throughout their studies at RES. Many thanks to Rev. Nolder; welcome, Rev. Bowen.
Board of Directors
Finally, a very special thank you to the members of the Seminary’s Board of Directors, who were instrumental in planning, organizing, launching, and guiding RES in its first year. The Lord has clearly blessed their labors with a fruitful first year of the Seminary’s operations. The seed they planted has had remarkable growth and that growth is the Lord’s doing. So praise the Lord, thank him for our Board Members, particularly the members of the Executive Committee who worked closely with the administration this year. Pray for them as they continue to serve the Lord by governing and guiding the Seminary.
The Seminary’s inaugural Board Members include:
Timothy van den Broek, Teaching Elder, Moscow, ID, USA, Chairman, Executive Committee
Rev. Bo Cogbill, Pastor, Oregon City, OR, USA, Secretary, Executive Committee
Rev. Dr. Steve Jeffery, Pastor, Fort Worth, TX, USA, Executive Committee
Rev. Virgil Hurt, Pastor, Lynchburg, VA, USA (2027)
Rev. Rob Hadding, Pastor, Sulphur, LA, USA (2026)
Rev. Randy Booth, Pastor, Nacogdoches, TX, USA (2025)
Rev. Ralph Smith, Pastor, Tokyo, Japan (2024)
Thanks and Blessings
Thank you for your interest in the Seminary, for your prayers and encouragement, and please join us in thanking the Lord for his abundant mercy and grace in making the Seminary’s first year so fruitful. Please keep all the Seminary’s students, instructors, staff, and board members in your prayers in 2024.
Thank you and God bless.
