"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:11-16 ).

Being grounded in the local church is a core value of Bethlehem College and Seminary. By grounded, we do not mean housed, but mean an integral part of the warp and woof of the church. Our value reads...

"As a church-based institution, all programs of Bethlehem College and Seminary are woven into the life and ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church. From participation in corporate worship to active involvement in church small groups and ministries, our students will deepen and stretch their faith by treasuring Christ together with the congregation. In addition, our faculty members self-consciously bring the vision, values, and theology of Bethlehem Baptist Church to bear on all of our course readings, lectures, and discussions."

The last sentence in this statement is being lived out in an exemplary way. In the next few days, our New Testament professor, Dr. Jason Meyer, will become the Associate Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church. We are living our core value. Pastor Jason will continue to teach some courses for BCS as he assumes a pastoral role.

It is true that our faculty members self-consciously bring the vision, values, and theology of Bethlehem Baptist Church to bear on all of course readings, lectures, and discussions. We are thrilled to be grounded in the local church.

 Please pray with us and for Pastor Jason that this continue to be so.