By now you likely have read the announcement concerning my intention to retire from the presidency of Bethlehem College & Seminary during the Summer of 2021. My wife and I have been praying about this possibility for quite some time now and have concluded that the time is right to pass on the leadership torch to the next president in 2021.
This has been a much more difficult decision than I had imagined it would be. As you might guess, Bethlehem College & Seminary is near and dear to my heart—having been part of it from the beginning. It is therefore with mixed feelings that we arrived at the decision to retire from the presidency. However, the author of Ecclesiastes addressed such issues in a straightforward way:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:… (Eccl. 3:1)
And this has been a glorious season! What a privilege it has been and still is to serve as the president of this remarkable school. And further, what a time for the Lord to bring this school into existence! I am so convinced of the need for a school that holds high the inerrancy of God’s Word, the absolute sovereignty of God over all things, and embraces the truth that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” When all the world around us gives way, He alone is our hope and stay!
But the time is right for someone younger to take the reins of the school. And, whomever the Lord chooses to be the next president, I stand at the ready to support him and continue to serve the school in whatever ways the board of trustees and the new president deem most helpful.
The author of Ecclesiastes further writes (3:10-14)
I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time…. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;….
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
Indeed, God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” And, “whatever God does endures forever.” I believe both of these truths with all my heart and take great comfort in them as I pray for the next president of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
Thank you, dear friends, for your faithful support, prayers, and encouragement for the work being accomplished at this little school with a disproportionate impact on the world.
It is a great privilege to partner with you in this strategic, vital work for the sake of the Church, and for the glory of our great God.
Tim
Tim Tomlinson
President
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for the Board of Trustees as they begin the search for our next president. Pray that the Lord would raise up a clear, top candidate who will be able to lead us into the future.
- And, as you think of it, please pray for Anita and me as we prepare for whatever the Lord has in store for us in the future. We’re eager to continue to serve the Lord (and the school) in whatever ways would be appropriate and helpful.
- Please also be in prayer for our upcoming Bethlehem College & Seminary Conference for Pastors + Church Leaders. Pray that the Lord would grant good weather, a great turnout, and that all the attendees would be encouraged and blessed by the messages and the fellowship. Pray for David Clifford and his team as they prepare for this wonderful event.
- And, thank you for your consistent, ongoing prayers for our finances. The Lord answered our prayers with a strong end to December. Now please pray with us that He would continue to be with us as we seek to ensure a strong financial base for the long-term health of the school.