Last night I finished two days of trustee meetings at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. For those of you who like to keep up with SBC life, I report the following:
- · NOBTS is weathering the great recession very well. The seminary finished the 2008-2009 fiscal year in the black. Student enrollment is up. The investment portfolio is recovering (now down only 5%). Funds from the Cooperative Program, which were projected to decline 5%, are down only about 2.5%.
- · The internet is now a permanent reality in theological education. Hybrid courses, which include both classroom time and internet instruction, are fast becoming popular. The Provost reports that early results show these hybrid courses to be the more effective than classroom only or internet only courses.
- · The SBC is rife with uncertainty. Three of the 12 SBC agencies (the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, and the Executive Committee) have presidents that have resigned or have announced their retirement. New presidents at what are our three most influential agencies, plus the impact of the pending report from the Task Force for the Great Commission Resurgence, equals change. I expect the change to be good and God honoring. But, change is always uncomfortable.
