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DALLAS?As Criswell College nears the end of its 40th year and begins its first as an independently governed school, “a chance to start afresh and anew” was celebrated at the new board of trustees’ inaugural meeting with chairman Jimmy Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church of Forney, calling for “unity and oneness of heart.”
The trustees unanimously approved a motion from Thomas Hatley of Rogers, Ark., expressing “appreciation to Jesus Christ for placing in the heart of Dr. W.A. Criswell the creation of this school.” Furthermore, “We express our gratitude as well to the generations of pastors and people of First Baptist Church Dallas who have given birth and nurturing to our school over the years. We gratefully accept the baton they pass to us today.”
Arvada, Colo., pastor Calvin Wittman further asked the board to acknowledge the “tireless efforts” of trustee Jack Pogue of Dallas in preserving the school and advancing its founder’s vision, prompting applause from the body.
Pritchard said he sought to establish “good precedents today that will last for a long time,” citing Proverbs 16:3 in asking trustees to strive to maintain unity through the school’s scripturally-based theological commitments, love based on trust, and a purpose tied to the school’s mission.
“We count on you to establish this work to your praise and glory and place it in your hands that you do exactly what you desire to do,” Pritchard prayed in opening the meeting.
The board affirmed Pritchard as chairman and elected Curtis Baker of Lindale as vice chairman and Dot Shackelford of Dallas as secretary, with David Galvan of Garland and Jeff Nyberg of McKinney named as at-large members to serve on the executive committee with the officers.
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Jim Richards was approved as an ex-officio member of the board and immediately delivered a $100,000 contribution to the school on behalf of the more than 2,200 affiliated SBTC churches.
Noting the SBTC’s strong relationship and synergy with Criswell College, Richards said, “Our executive board has expressed full confidence in the new direction of the school.”
Pritchard announced the newly selected presidential search committee, naming Steve Washburn of Pflugerville as chairman. Serving with him are Jack Brady of Dallas, John Mann of Springtown, Pogue of Dallas, Pritchard of Forney, Richard Land of Franklin, Tenn., and Richards of Keller.
The board approved current bylaws drafted by a transition team while also appointing a bylaw study team to include Paul Pressler of Houston, Keet Lewis of Dallas, and Randy White of Katy.
Interim President Lamar Cooper Sr. provided a written report emphasizing the significant role new trustees would play, asking them to give careful attention to the bylaws and any conflicts of interest.
“Being a trustee is much more than an honorary position,” Cooper reminded, asking them to help the school fulfill its mission to provide “biblical, theological, professional, and applied education on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, based on an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy, in order to prepare men and women to serve in Christian ministries.”
While confident that the school’s financial affairs are being competently managed by CFO Mike Rodgers, Cooper said the separation from First Baptist Church of Dallas prompted a $900,000 annual shortfall in available revenue now that the radio station licenses have been transferred to a new entity, First Dallas Media, Inc. Previously, the station provided $1.4 million in annual revenue; an annual payment of $500,000 of unrestricted funds is scheduled in the future.
Cooper summarized advances in recent months that include offering:
?distance education courses this fall with 30 students enrolled thus far,
?courses from the Jewish Studies program to International Mission Board personnel who regularly minister to Jewish people,
?Spanish-language courses taught by Rene Lopez as part of the SBTC Hispanic Initiative,
?a redesigned website with user-friendly guides for current and prospective students, including the ability to register for classes, and
?a documentary about the school by Horizon Media to air twice weekly over Christian cable networks.
With the addition of David Henderson as counseling professor, all full-time faculty positions have been filled, Cooper said. Enrollment Services Director Andrew Hebert anticipates an enrollment increase for the fall with 375 students registered as of Aug. 20.
Cooper acknowledged that SACS cited the college for 13 issues last spring, all of them related to governance involving what they regarded as “an outside entity,” referring to First Baptist Church of Dallas. “All of those were cured when you took the vote to adopt the new bylaws,” he added, expecting those issues to be cleared after reporting the action to the accrediting agency.
Pogue asked what made Criswell College unique from other institutions, to which Cooper replied, “No other college in the country requires a year of Greek and Hebrew for a B.A. in biblical studies. No other college requires this kind of practical application of the work they do here,” said Cooper, calling for the expansion of current expectations addressed in a quality enhancement plan.
“We are trying to merge practical application with the theological information,” Cooper said, “all of it centered around a commitment to the Bible as God’s infallible, inerrant Word.”
On behalf of the academic committee, Hatley recommended and the board approved the reorganization of the M.A. in counseling to unite the current licensure and non-licensure tracks
