An Academic Year Recap from Our President

Posted On June 05, 2017

On the first Friday in May, we had an exciting and memorable time as twenty-four students received their degrees and certificates at commencement.

Our graduates represented twelve states. Our four Doctor of Ministry graduates will continue serving in their churches in California, Michigan, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Somewhere in the neighborhood of seven of our RBC graduates will be headed into seminary. A dozen or so will be seeking further education or entering into various professions. Our prayers go with each one of our graduates. They will be missed.


Dr. R.C. Sproul offered greetings at the ceremony, reminding us that we are still in our infancy at RBC and that these graduates are truly pioneers. Dr. Peter Lillback, President of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, brought a challenging message on this, the 500th anniversary year of the Protestant Reformation. You can watch the entire ceremony on the Reformation Bible College Facebook page.

Graduation is the culmination of many labors from many laborers. We are grateful for the families of our students who have nurtured them. We are grateful for the home churches of our students and for the churches during their college years that have ministered to them. I am grateful for the faculty and staff who not only teach our students but also care deeply for them and disciple the. Augustine said that the best teachers love God, love their subjects, and love their students. That is so true of our faculty.


Graduation is also the conclusion of a busy and full academic year. Here are just a few of the highlights from this past year:

  • Our academic dean, Dr. John Tweeddale, successfully completed his dissertation and was granted his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh.
  • Dr. David Briones saw the publication of his scholarly book coedited with Joseph R. Dodson, Paul and Seneca in Dialogue (Brill).
  • Dr. Keith Mathison published many articles and the chapter, “The Lord’s Supper,” in Reformation Theology (Crossway). Dr. Mathison also celebrated his 21st year at Ligonier and RBC.
  • We welcomed two new staff members, Kristen Kenney to serve as our operations manager and Megan Taylor as my executive assistant.
  • We hosted a fall conference featuring Dr. Albert Mohler, among others, and held a winter conference featuring our own faculty and Drs. Michael Haykin and Michael Kruger.
  • The faculty and staff came very close to beating the students during our third annual soccer game.
  • We held our first “Reformers on the Run” 5K.
  • Students started writing blog posts, on topics ranging from Beowulf to “Holy Space and Holy Time,” for the RBC website.
  • On March 8, we had the ceremonial groundbreaking for our new building. Dr. Sproul donned a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet/hardhat and moved the first shovel of dirt.
  • Students tried their hands as documentary filmmakers in the first annual “Church History Film Festival.”

 

Chapel speakers over the year included such visiting speakers as Drs. Greg Beale, Ligon Duncan, David Powlison, and Julius Kim. Additionally, pastors from across Florida spoke to our students, including Revs. Christopher Brenyo, Steve Casselli, H. B. Charles, Jr., and David McWilliams.



As we close out the academic year of 2016-2017, we are already hard at work in bringing in a new class and preparing for a new year. On August 14, we will begin our seventh academic year. Our vision remains solidly intact from the opening days of the college. We purpose to advance the kingdom of God by educating the next generation for a new Reformation. We are committed to the proposition that a timely education is, in fact, a timeless one. So we look back to the Reformers and we stay committed to the historic, orthodox, Reformed faith. And as we look back, we are humbly and confidently looking ahead to the next 500 years.