John C. Beckman, Ph.D.
John C. Beckman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Old Testament
The Cameroon extension site currently offers the Master of Divinity program and is part of a coordinated initiative of the school, Jubilee Community Church, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Treasuring Christ Together Church Planting Network, and hundreds of contributors and prayer partners to plant a French-speaking church in Cameroon’s capital city, Yaoundé, maintain an extension of Bethlehem College & Seminary, and provide, by God’s grace, a launching site for regional church-planting and outreach to unengaged people groups.
Think of it as in-the-church training for biblical elder-level leadership in pastoral ministry, missionary service, or future theological scholarship. In this program, a small cohort of men shares a four-year journey of rigorous biblical language and theological studies, real-life experiences in church leadership and congregational care, as well as a host of cross-cultural ministry opportunities all in the context of a church plant in the heart of Cameroon.
During the last four decades God has supplied scores of pulpits, ministries, missionary endeavors, and seminaries with God-enthralled Bethlehem men who discovered—while serving alongside pastors here during the course of academic studies—that God is most glorified in them when they are most satisfied in him. Since 2009, pastoral apprenticeship has been the foundational practicum in Bethlehem College & Seminary’s Master of Divinity degree program.
Seminarians work alongside Dr. Tamfu as he plants Eglise Baptiste Bethléem in Yaoundé, holds workshops, and serves in the community. Service to the pastor and the congregation are at the center of this apprenticeship, but deep mentor relationships inevitably emerge as a fruit of such up-close collaboration.
The Master of Divinity is the foundational four-year program for those called to vocational ministry as pastors, missionaries, or other full-time Christian workers at the elder level. The program’s emphasis is intense, whole-Bible exegesis in the original languages with a special focus on the unfolding of God’s sovereign plan throughout all of redemptive history.
| Year 1 | Credits |
| Beginning Greek I | 4 |
| Old Testament Background & Message I | 3 |
| Principles of Biblical Interpretation I | 2 |
| Theology of Worship | 3 |
| Mentored Ministry | 0 |
| Topics in Practical Theology I | 1 |
| Beginning Greek II | 4 |
| Old Testament Background & Message II | 3 |
| Principles of Biblical Interpretation II | 2 |
| Missions and the Local Church | 3 |
| Mentored Ministry | 0 |
| Missions Practicum | 1 |
In keeping with our aim to build a faculty with strong academic credentials, a love for teaching, a passion for God’s Word and his glory, and pastoral hearts, we have assembled a high-caliber group of professors to teach at our Yaoundé site.
Adjunct Professor Theology Toph is a husband to Amy Majors and father to their four children: Adelay, Constance, Kendra, and Calvin. He serves as a pastor at Jubilee Community Church, where he finds great fulfillment in preaching God’s Word
Adjunct Instructor of Theology Jones Ndzi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Dschang (2001), a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary (2007), a Master of Theology in
Adjunct Instructor of Theology and Academic Coordinator Hernan obtained his M.Div. (2023) at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, USA, and is currently pursuing a Th.M. at the same institution, focusing on the relationship between humility and joy in
Adjunct Professor Theology Toph is a husband to Amy Majors and father to their four children: Adelay, Constance, Kendra, and Calvin. He serves as a pastor at Jubilee Community Church, where he finds great fulfillment in preaching God’s Word
Adjunct Instructor of Theology Jones Ndzi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Dschang (2001), a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary (2007), a Master of Theology in
Adjunct Instructor of Theology and Academic Coordinator Hernan obtained his M.Div. (2023) at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, USA, and is currently pursuing a Th.M. at the same institution, focusing on the relationship between humility and joy in