This piece is included in the Fall 2021 edition of the Seminary’s Foundations newsletter.
Since beginning my work here as the Director of Advancement & Admissions, I have kept a couple of big goals in front of me. In the Admissions Office, my goal has been – and continues to be – to recruit at least 25 new full-time residence Divinity students each year.
For the last several years, the Lord has blessed us with record-breaking incoming classes in terms of overall numbers. Our student body has grown from about 70 enrolled students in the fall of 2016 to about 120 students enrolled in at least one class this term. We praise the Lord for putting Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to good use in the equipping of gospel ministers! However, a significant majority (about 67%) of our student body is part-time, and only a small majority (about 55%) are in residence at one of our three campuses.
While we are greatly encouraged by the growth and development of our student body these past few years, there is much work to be done (and progress to be made) to reach the goal I set for the Admissions Office in January 2017. This year’s incoming class represents a big step in the right direction.
We accepted 30 new students this fall, and 26 of them were able to enroll in classes this term. Of those 26 students, 8 are full time and 14 are studying in residence. We rejoice to have these men among us as part of the student body. They bring a diversity of experiences and backgrounds into our community, even as we strengthen the bonds of spiritual unity we enjoy in Christ and His gospel truth.
There is an additional detail that makes this a remarkable incoming class. Six of these new students graduated from undergraduate studies the past spring. They have matriculated into our programs immediately after earning their Bachelor degrees. Note well the schools from which they are coming: North Greenville University (Tigerville, SC); Reformation Bible College (Sanford, FL); Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI); University of North Carolina (Wilmington, NC); Lancaster Bible College (Lancaster, PA); and Providence Christian College (Pasadena, CA). Please pray for these young men and our other students here at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary as they embark on their studies in pursuit of the ministry. Ω
