Erskine Theological Seminary
Separation of Church and School — by World Magazine
by Mickey McLean at World Magazine
The struggle over the governance of Erskine College and Seminary continues
The ongoing battle between the board of trustees of Erskine College and Erskine Seminary and their founding denomination, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, over the governance of the schools remains unresolved following the ARPC’s annual denominational meeting that ended Thursday.
ARPC pastors and ruling elders, who make up the delegates to the denomination’s highest court, the General Synod, voted to appoint committees to continue to study the issue and report back at next year’s annual meeting.
In making the motion to continue to study the situation, former ARPC Synod moderator Steve Maye said, according to a reporter for The Aquila Report
Read MoreErskine Alumni Survey Summary
Between September and December 2011, the Erskine Alumni Association conducted a survey that sought to better understand giving trends and perspectives among Erskine alumni. If you were among those who participated, thank you for your feedback. About 26% of those asked to participate responded, yielding a wealth of information and insight from nearly a thousand alumni.
We are pleased to report that in the months since the survey was initiated and conducted, the Board of Trustees, the Alumni Board, and administration of Erskine have made significant progress, working together to cultivate continued healing among Erskine’s constituencies and ensuring that Erskine’s best interests are served.
Erskine has seen some difficult times over the past few years and the effects are certainly reflected in the survey results. However, the resilience and perseverance that have characterized Erskine and her alumni for nearly 175 years have also been demonstrated in tangible ways. We are pleased that the work accomplished in recent months addresses many of the survey’s findings. In particular, the Board of Trustees and Erskine administration have made considerable headway in several key areas of concern expressed in the survey results.
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Erskine Hopeful for Continued Dialogue with ARP Synod
Erskine trustees look forward to a continued, cooperative, and mutually beneficial relationship with the ARP General Synod.
Every message has at least two parts: content and delivery. Delivery becomes especially important when the content of a message is not what the recipient is hoping for, or when previous interactions have been difficult.
So while the Board of Trustees of Erskine College & Theological Seminary voted last week that it would not alter its charter or bylaws to provide a mechanism for its sponsoring denomination to remove trustees, Board Chairman Joe Patrick, the trustees and Erskine President Dr. David Norman are working hard to ensure that message is delivered with the same respect and genuine hope for continued peaceful dialogue with which the request was made.
The request originated with the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church last June. Norman, Patrick, and several other Erskine trustees were present at that meeting to receive the request and supported the tone of it. “I support both the tone of the request and the tone of the response,” Norman noted, “because this is a conversation. We need to keep a productive conversation going.”
Read More20 Pastors Make First Erskine Seminary Pilgrimage to Israel
On August 19th, twenty pilgrims, most of them Associate Reformed Presbyterian pastors, departed our shores for a 2-week Holy Land tour. Unlike many Holy Land excursions, this particular trip was designed for pastors, with an intentional emphasis placed upon their retreat and renewal. Participants were mid-career pastors who had never had the opportunity to visit…
Read MoreCalvin 500 Schedule, St. Pierre Cathedral, Geneva
The Calvin Quincentenary is an international, interdenominational and interdisciplinary celebration of the life and work of John Calvin, the great reformer who left such an indelible impression on the modern world. If you plan to be in Geneva this summer, please accept this invitation to be part of one of the most significant gatherings of…
Read MoreDeath of Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall
It is with great sadness that we report the death of our dear friend, colleague, mentor, and professor emerita, Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall. Dr. Marshall suffered a fall in her home that resulted in a closed head injury. Emergency surgery was unsuccessful and she died on the evening of January 12th. Funeral services were held on…
Read MorePC(USA) Upholds Morality Standard for Church Officers
Some of Erskine Seminary’s faculty have been involved in the renewal movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA), calling the PC(USA) to repentance and a return to its historic faith. We are pleased that a majority of presbyteries have now reaffirmed the constitutional standard that requires faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman or…
Read MoreErskine Seminary Student in Christianity Today
David Howell, a student in the Master of Divinity degree program at Erskine, appears in a special section of the current Christianity Today. The “Rediscovering the Book” section includes an article on distance learning, in which David and his family are featured in a sidebar. David is a candidate for the ministry in Foothills Presbytery…
Read MoreErskine’s Columbia Campus is Accredited
Erskine Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that our Columbia campus is fully accredited. The Association of Theological Schools Board of Commissioners has voted to grant approval for Erskine to offer the complete Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Practical Ministry, and Doctor of Ministry degree programs in Columbia. For Erskine’s students, this means…
Read MoreErskine College and Seminary has a new president
Dr. David A. Norman was chosen Friday as the 15th president of Erskine College and Seminary by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees. Norman, 34, was presented with unanimous support for election by the Presidential Search Committee, which was appointed in August when current President Dr. Randall T. Ruble announced his plans to retire…
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