Breaking News from the Hispanic Church

Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary Names Dr. James Emery White as President

January, 2006 – South Hamilton, MA -- Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary today announced the appointment of Dr. James Emery White as president, effective July 1, 2006. Dr. White succeeds Dr. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., who will retire on June 30, 2006. Dr. White has also been appointed professor of Theology and Culture.

Dr. White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, founder of Serious Times (www.serioustimes.com), and an adjunct professor of Christian theology, culture and apologetics at the Gordon-Conwell—Charlotte campus. With over 3,000 families in attendance, Mecklenburg continues to experience more than 80 percent of its growth from the unchurched, and has been cited in a study by the Lilly Endowment as one of the top 300 Protestant churches in the United States.

Dr. White also served in pastoral capacities at churches in North Carolina and Indiana, and was Pastoral Leadership Consultant for Preaching and Worship with the Southern Baptist Convention. He holds Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees in theology, history and biblical studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has pursued advanced study at Vanderbilt University and postdoctoral studies at Oxford University, Oxford, England. Dr. White is the author of 10 books, including Serious Times, Embracing the Mysterious God, The Prayer God Longs For, Rethinking the Church and A Search for the Spiritual.

Commenting on his appointment, Richard A. Armstrong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, notes, “We are thrilled and grateful to God for raising up a leader of Dr. White’s caliber to be the fourth president of Gordon-Conwell. Dr. White brings a strong record of successful accomplishment in scholarship and pastoral leadership. His gifts and experience as scholar, theologian, educator, author, speaker and pastor uniquely qualify him to lead Gordon-Conwell for the next generation, following in the tradition of its former Board Chair and founder, Dr. Billy Graham; Board Chair and preeminent theologian Dr. Harold Lindsell; and our three distinguished presidents, Dr. Harold John Ockenga, Dr. Robert E. Cooley and Dr. Kaiser.”

"I am delighted at being selected president,” Dr. White comments. “Gordon-Conwell is one the leading evangelical seminaries in the world, with a rich history and an international reputation of rigorous academic standards in classical theological education. I look forward to building on this foundation of academic excellence as we prepare men and women for the new challenges of ministry to the local church in the twenty-first century.”

Dr. Kaiser joined the Gordon-Conwell faculty in 1993 as the Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, and was appointed president in 1997. Under his leadership, student enrollment has grown from 900 students to more than 2000. The seminary also successfully completed a $54 million capital campaign, markedly upgraded facilities on the South Hamilton campus, appointed 30 faculty members, more than tripled funding for scholarships, expanded the campus in Charlotte, renovated and will open a new headquarters for its Boston campus in February, and opened an extension site in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, the seminary launched the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the J. Christy Wilson, Jr. Center for World Missions, the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building, the Ministry Center for Christian Youth, and the national Preaching Center.

“We thank Dr. Kaiser for his significant contributions to the seminary as president during these past nine years,” Mr. Armstrong adds. “While Dr. Kaiser is retiring as president, we look forward to his continued association with the seminary. We thank God for the lasting imprint that he and his wife, Marge, have made on the seminary community and pray for God’s blessings on them as they enter a new season of service for the Kingdom.

Mr. Armstrong concludes, “We have prayed that God would call as our next president a person of vision and leadership; a person of prayer, humility and obvious devotion to God; a person who is theologically nuanced who speaks biblical truth to a postmodern generation; and a person who loves the Church. Dr. White is that person.

“We are excited about the future of Gordon-Conwell under Dr. White’s leadership where, building on our orthodox biblical fidelity, academic excellence and multi-denominational values, we will continue to serve an increasing number of qualified students, continue to improve the quality and relevancy of our programs and create new relationships with the whole Church.”

Dr. White currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Susan, and their four children.

About Gordon-Conwell Seminary

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, evangelical Protestant graduate school serving more than 2,000 students on campuses in South Hamilton and Boston, Massachusetts, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and an extension site in Jacksonville, Florida. Students represent 107 denominations and 44 foreign countries. The seminary ranks 5th largest in size among all seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. Gordon-Conwell offers 19 degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels and has gained an international reputation for leading faculty in the areas of Biblical Studies, Ministry and Theology.