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Introduction to the Seminary
Mission
Westminster Seminary California (WSC) is a Christian institution seeking to glorify God through graduate theological study. Its primary responsibility is to educate future pastors for Christian churches, especially for Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. It also provides theological education for others who will serve the Christian community and the larger society.
Westminster Seminary California offers instruction in biblical, theological and ministerial disciplines to both men and women in order to help students develop intellectually and spiritually as leaders. While the primary focus at WSC is to educate and prepare men for ordained pastoral ministry, WSC also trains women and men who are preparing to serve Christ and His church in non-ordained vocations, so that the whole body of Christ may be enriched.
Because zeal without knowledge or knowledge without zeal can only injure the church, WSC seeks to develop in each student a balanced combination of scholarship and Christ-like piety. Westminster Seminary California seeks to maintain a community of Christian research and scholarship where the proper cultivation of the mind increases the devotion of the heart.
HISTORY
WSC traces its commitment to Reformed theological education back to the Reformation and especially to John Calvin’s educational approach in his Genevan Academy. In America, that educational heritage was maintained at Princeton Theological Seminary in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Old Princeton was devoted to the inerrancy of Scripture, outstanding scholarship, fine academic education and service to the church in its preaching and missionary work. In 1929, when Princeton reorganized in order to tolerate theological liberalism, several members of the faculty (led by the distinguished scholar J. Gresham Machen) left Princeton to establish Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the purpose of preserving the educational heritage of old Princeton and the scholarship and theology of the Reformation.
Westminster Seminary California began as a branch campus of Westminster in Philadelphia, becoming fully independent in 1982. WSC established a campus with an extensive library, a comprehensive curriculum, and a full faculty of teachers who were both experienced pastors and experts in their academic fields. The first Reformed seminary in the western United States, WSC welcomed its first students in the fall of 1980 and, now over twenty-five years later, remains committed to the inerrancy of Scripture, the Gospel of Christ, and the importance of the church and her ministry. WSC continues as a community of faith where the best of scholarship and piety are combined to serve Christ and the church. We are committed to the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and we pursue a union of knowledge and zeal for the sake of Christ’s church.
Dr. Robert B. Strimple and Mr. Robert G. den Dulk shared in the founding of the Seminary in 1979. Dr. Strimple became the first president in 1982, overseeing the movement of the seminary from its temporary home in San Marcos to its permanent campus in Escondido. In 1988 Dr. Strimple returned to full-time teaching and scholarship and Mr. den Dulk became president, increasing the size and financial strength of the school. In 1993 Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, who joined the faculty in 1981 as professor of church history, became the third president of WSC.
DOCTRINAL COMMITMENT
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, breathed out by the Spirit of God through human authors, are the very Word of God written—the only infallible and inerrant authority for faith and life.
The doctrines of the Christian faith, held by orthodox churches throughout the ages, express the central truths concerning the triune God and his works of creation and redemption, particularly as they confess the saving work of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. The Reformed confessions (Westminster Confession and catechisms, Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort) are the fullest and most accurate summary of the system of doctrine revealed in Holy Scripture. The Church is to be governed according to the principles of Presbyterian church polity, as agreeable to Scripture.
STUDENT BODY
Westminster Seminary California serves an evangelical and Reformed student body from over 21 denominations. WSC students come from 24 states and 11 countries. Graduates from WSC are serving Christ and his church in Singapore, Korea, Spain, England, Nigeria, Malawi, South Africa and other countries.
The seminary’s location in Southern California, near Mexico and accessible to the Asian nations of the Pacific Rim, allows the student body to reflect the ethnic diversity of the church throughout the world.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Because leaders confronted with complex issues in the church need to advance in scholarship, critical discernment, and spiritual maturity, WSC seeks to maintain a culture that encourages students in the exercise of academic freedom. Believing that intense study and rigorous thought should be an act of spiritual devotion, Westminster Seminary California seeks to become a community of scholar-servants who love God with all their minds and hearts, and who love others for his sake.
ACCREDITATION
Westminster Seminary California is an accredited school of theology at the graduate level, authorized by the California Superintendent of Public Instruction to grant graduate theological degrees upon recommendation of the Faculty and by the authority of the Board of Trustees.
Westminster Seminary California is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Alameda, California, 94501, phone 510/748.9001.
WSC is also accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15275, phone 412/788.6505, which has approved the Master of Divinity degree and Master of Arts (Biblical Studies, Historical Theology Studies, and Theological Studies) degree programs.
ATS and WASC are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. WSC is approved for the Veterans Administration’s educational benefits, the California State Graduate Fellowship Program, and the California Guaranteed Student Loan Program. This school is also authorized under Federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students under approved F-1 status.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Westminster Seminary California does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, national or ethnic origin, disability, or gender in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, services, or scholarship and loan programs.
WSC believes that men and women are equally created in the image of God and have distinct and complementary roles in the order of the family and the church. The Board and Faculty understand the biblical criteria for ordained gospel ministry as limited to qualified males. Because the purpose of the M.Div. program is to prepare candidates for ordained pastoral ministry, only men are admitted to this program.
Since God bestows gifts and callings to unordained ministry to both men and women, both are encouraged to cultivate their gifts and enroll into any of the Master of Arts programs. Master of Arts students are eligible to receive financial aid and other services that WSC provides to its student body.
LOCALE
Located in beautiful, culturally rich Escondido, and situated in North San Diego County, Westminster Seminary California is just minutes from the Pacific Ocean. The sunny beaches, Mediterranean climate, and countless attractions make this region a popular vacation destination.
The celebrated San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park are in close proximity. The California Center for the Arts offers live performances ranging from classical symphonies to modern theater productions by internationally acclaimed artists. In downtown Escondido you can peruse quaint shops, enjoy antique car shows, and buy fresh produce at the weekly farmers’ market. North San Diego County also offers some of the top hospitals and medical facilities in the nation, including the Scripps Hospitals, Children’s Hospital in San Diego, and Palomar Medical Center.
As the nation’s fastest growing region for biomedical and telecommunications industries, San Diego is on the cutting edge of science and technology. It is home to several first-class academic and research institutions, such as the University of California at San Diego, Salk Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Scripps Clinic. Since San Diego is the eighth largest city in the nation, the developing economy is also advantageous in affording exceptional employment opportunities for students.
INSTITUTE OF REFORMED BAPTIST STUDIES
In 1997 the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America established the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies (IRBS) to provide formal training for ministerial students. IRBS offers a challenging curriculum of theological, historical, and pastoral courses that complement the WSC Master of Divinity program to provide a comprehensive preparation for pastoral ministry in Reformed Baptist and other churches.
The faculty of IRBS subscribes to the system of doctrine contained in the Scriptures as summarized in the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. Subordinate to the Word of God, this confessional standard is at the heart of the IRBS curriculum. Because the IRBS program is focused on pastoral preparation and is designed to complement the WSC M.Div. curriculum, students must be accepted into the Seminary’s Master of Divinity program before they can be admitted to IRBS.
CENTER FOR PASTORAL REFRESHMENT
Through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Westminster Seminary California launched the Center for Pastoral Refreshment (CPR) for Korean-American Pastors in the summer of 2003. The program is designed to refresh pastors mentally, spiritually, and physically, so that they can return to their churches re-energized and better equipped to lead with vision, enthusiasm, and renewed passion.
The CPR Summer Sabbatical includes seminars taught by WSC faculty, health and fitness consultation, recreation, and guided wilderness trips through the beauties of God’s creation in nearby mountains, desert, and ocean. Pastors in this program also have access to the CPR study lounge on campus throughout the year for brief retreat and reflection.
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