Dr. Brian J. Tabb, President
Dr. Brian J. Tabb, President
Our theme this year has been Steadfast. Steadfast is an old word that is worth retrieving in our ever-shifting world. Steadfast means firm in purpose, fixed in a direction, unwavering in resolve. This theme is drawn from 1 Corinthians 15:58:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
What does it look like for an institution to be steadfast in its mission and fruitful in its work? Consider these five snapshots from that illustrate what God is doing in and through Bethlehem College and Seminary this year.
Our city was on edge, and our hearts were heavy. Only three days before, a mob had invaded the worship service of Cities Church in St. Paul as one of our alumni, Pastor Jonathan Parnell, prepared to preach God’s Word. Many of our students, staff, and faculty were in the congregation on that Lord’s Day. In those shocking and surreal moments, they responded with courage and conviction. Pastor Parnell said, “We’re here to worship Jesus, because that’s the hope of these cities and the hope of the world.”
We’d received credible threats of potential disruptions at Bethlehem College and Seminary that Wednesday. So I called a special prayer meeting, and our staff, faculty, and students joined with the Bethlehem Baptist Church pastors and City Joy outreach ministers to pour out our hearts to the Lord on behalf of our beloved yet broken city. The administration made preparations to keep our campus safe, our faculty and students held classes as usual, then we all gathered for a truly memorable chapel service that day as a local pastor preached from Habakkuk and Hebrews on “The righteous shall live by faith,” a passage providentially chosen months before. I capped off my workday in the classroom working through the Greek text of Revelation 1 with twenty eager college students. The Lord met us powerfully that day—planned protests and disruptions did not materialize, we remained steadfast in our commitment to education in serious joy, and we were drawn into deeper dependence on our great God.
I attended my first Bethlehem Conference for Pastors back in 2004 with a group from my church in Wheaton, IL, and I’ve only missed one since then. It is a joy and privilege to host this significant gathering each year with support from Desiring God.
This pastors’ conference was special for many reasons. The plenary speakers unpacked the theme Word + Spirit: The Power of Supernatural Ministry clearly and compellingly. It was a joy to sing with over 1000 pastors, led by Pastor Chuck Steddom and many seminary graduates on the worship team.
It was sweet to host one of our seminary graduates in our home that week. I had preached at his church last summer in North Carolina, and I invited him to contribute to one of the panel discussions during the conference. I also knew that this dear pastor needed encouragement in a season of painful trials. Providentially, one of the first people we saw when we arrived at the conference venue was Mark Vroegop. I knew that Mark was well acquainted with suffering and loss, and he wisely and helpfully ministered to my friend. Then Mark preached a powerful message on resilience, closing with encouragement he had received years ago from Pastor John: “Keep trusting the one who keeps you trusting.”
What a joy to have lunch that day with dozens of alumni and many prospective seminary students from all over North America. One of our graduates gave a stirring testimony of God’s faithfulness to his church through much adversity, and Pastor John fielded questions from our graduates.
We were served very well in the Word in each session that day. After Kevin DeYoung’s excellent sermon on Holiness we had an extended time of prayer ministry led by our faculty and pastors from partner churches. The Lord met us that night—I prayed with men who experienced conviction of sin, the freedom of repentance, and renewed joy in the Lord. I expect that the 38th Bethlehem Conference for Pastors bore lasting fruit for the good of many steadfast servants of the Lord and their churches.
The next snapshot moves from well-appointed St. Paul RiverCentre eighty miles south to an old church building in Rochester. About 150 teenagers and youth pastors from southern Minnesota and Iowa packed into Redemption City Church to spend their weekend at our first ever “Big God and Big Things” student event considering the theme “Called to Royal Responsibility.” We were served well by Pastor Adam Pohlman and the students and families of Redemption City Church. I spoke on Royal Responsibility in Vocation and was encouraged by Pastor Pohlman’s message on the church, Marshall Segal’s teaching on the family, and Becca Delahunt’s reflections on civic engagement. We left with new leads for prospective students, deepened connections with churches and youth pastors, and ample encouragement that there are many young people who are serious about God and want to live for his glory.
April was a busy month for me. It was a joy to spend a week in Montana teaching the book of Galatians to over sixty gap-year students. We hosted a spring Preview Day and Theology for Everyone Weekend, where I and others spoke on the theme “Christ in All of Scripture.” But for the sake of time, I’ll focus on another new initiative to encourage pastors in partnership with Desiring God.
Dr. Compton, Pastor John, and I traveled to Houston, Texas, to lead an Expository Exultation preaching workshop for dozens of pastors from all over the great state of Texas. This workshop was hosted at the beautiful and state-of-the-art Lanier Theological Library learning center. There were some personal highlights along the way, like a surprise visit with my PhD mentor from England, celebrating a colleague’s birthday, touring the stunning Lanier library and stone chapel, and enjoying lovely meals with prospective students and generous friends of the school. This workshop was a significant new expression of our commitment to champion Christian hedonism going on the road with our most important ministry partner, Desiring God. We’re making plans to do it again in another major city.
For the final snapshot of our steadfast school, let’s return to Minneapolis—much warmer and calmer than it was in January. We held our sixteenth-annual commencement exercises and launched another fifty-three Bethlehem students into life and ministry unencumbered by federal student loans with hundreds of friends and family in attendance.
What really stands out to me about that evening is not the sunny Minnesota weather, the pomp and circumstance of the procession, the tasty shrimp and chocolate strawberries at the reception, or even the beautiful performance by the orchestra and student choir. It is soaring Christ-exalting worship and the stirring testimonies from our graduates at the President’s Reception and commencement service. These men and women spoke of great teachers who shaped them, of doing hard things, of discovering precious truths from the Bible, of prayers answered, of friendships forged, and of our faithful God who led them through deep waters and dark valleys to satisfy them with his steadfast love. It is testimonies like this that remind me why it is worth it to keep investing in our God-centered, Bible-saturated, church-based school that equips people with a life-changing education in serious joy.
I had classes with many of these graduating students and can say with confidence that they are a special bunch. The seminary graduates will be serving as pastors, pastoral residents, and church planters in California, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, and India. Other graduates are pursuing seminary and further graduate studies, teaching at Christian schools, preparing for missionary work, pursuing excellence in the marketplace, starting families, and serving in their local churches. They join hundreds of holy, happy graduates who are steadfast, immovable, and abounding in the work of the Lord.
More could be said about our amazing faculty, our special students, and various activities and initiatives. But these five snapshots give a sense for how our great God is at work in and through Bethlehem College and Seminary. God has strengthened us by his grace, led us with cords of kindness, and richly provided for this institution once again, stirring the hearts of generous Christians to fully fund The Serious Joy Scholarship. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
With God’s help, may we continue to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, remembering that our labors in the Lord are never in vain.
