Pro Excelsis
Volume 4
Spring 2008
39th Annual Commencement
PRESIDENT’S BANQUET
th
Saturday, May 17
4:00 p.m.
Friday, May 16 6:00 p.m
California Graduate School of Theology will be hosting the
President’s Banquet in honor of Dr. Roger Beckwith. The dinner will
be held in Garden Grove, centrally located in Orange County, at the
Crystal Cathedral. All students, faculty, and alumni are invited to
Dr. Beckwith,
President, Cal Grad
Commencement
speaker
join us for this special occasion. A photographer will be present for
student and class photographs with Dr. Beckwith between 5:30 –
6:00 p.m. A special dinner will be served and the President will give
California Graduate School of Theology
a timely address to the guests at the banquet. The cost for the entire
501 S. Idaho St., La Habra, California
evening is $50.00 per person and reservations are now being taken.
Seating is limited so please make your reservation early. Guests
may be invited as long as seats remain available. For more
information or reservations please call Mr. Ben Lee, Office
Administration,
562 691 5219.
h
On Saturday, May 17 , at 4:00 p.m. California Graduate School of
Theology will be celebrating its thirty-ninth annual commencement.
The commencement exercise for the graduating class of 2008 will
be held in the auditorium located on the first floor at 501 S. Idaho
Make Reservations Today
St., La Habra, CA. The Rev. Dr. Roger Beckwith will deliver the
commencement address.
President’s Lectures
Cal Grad’s Annual President’s Lecture Series will be held on
Wednesday and Thursday, May 14-15, from 10:00 a.m. – Noon. The
subject of the lectures given by Dr. Beckwith will be the meaning of
sacrifice in the Old and New Testament. These lectures may be
taken for 1 semester unit of credit. Presently enrolled students may
Contents
President’s Banquet & Lecture Series
39th Annual Commencement
New D.Min. Program “Ministry is Our Mission”
Update on Accreditation
Origins and History of Cal Grad (Part 2)
Academic Record & Alumni Spotlight
Banquet Reply Card
take the course at no cost. Guests are welcome. Interested students
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and guests should contact the office as soon as possible to sign up.
Seating is limited and the classroom fills up quickly. It is a rare
privilege to sit in on these lectures given by one of Oxford
University’s favorite retired professors, our President Dr. Roger T.
Beckwith.
Pro Excelsis
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New Doctor of Ministry Program
Launched at Cal Grad for Fall 2008
“
Mission”
Beginning in the Fall of 2008, Cal Grad will be launching a brand
new Doctor of Ministry program that will, we predict, set the future
pattern and standard for specialized D.Min. programs across the
United States.
The Director of our D.Min. program, Dr. Lawrence Wilkes is a Cal
Grad alumnus, retired pastor of Crystal Cathedral, former Dean for
the Robert Schuller School for Preaching, and founding President of
Okanagan Bible College, British Columbia, Canada.
In a recent online interview, Dr. Wilkes was asked to describe
several key factors that are important in this new program: “This
program,” he remarked, “focuses in on the unique needs of the
experienced pastor. It offers specialized programs for personal and
ministerial development. Additionally, we keep in mind the busy
schedules of pastors and provide for those pastors living at a
distance, giving them a wonderful break from the stress of the local
pastorate or ministry.”
Among the focused specializations, this program has designed
innovative learning paths in the areas of spiritual formation,
evangelism, communication, therapy and personal coaching, as well
as Christian education. Rather than re-work the tired antiquated
system of yester-year’s D.Min. program, the “Ministry is our Mission”
D.Min. specialized plan makes use of today’s technology, learning
strategies, spiritual insights, and academic developments. Each
focus group in the D.Min. program receives guided training by our
exceptional faculty who have a proven record in the most respected
ministries and Christian education programs in the world.
The program will begin in September, 2008. For further information
about the program or enrollment materials, please visit our website
www.cgsot.edu or call Dr. Wilkes at (562) 691-5219.
Update on Accreditation
Few challenges have been as demanding and time
consuming for our administrative team as accreditation.
It is indeed accurate to report that more than fifty percent
of our administrative time has been occupied with
meetings, reports, traveling, and then revising our plans
to adjust for the unexpected twists and turns.
I am sure that all would agree that this process of selfstudy is beneficial, particularly for a school with a forty
year history, a history that was entirely supervised by the
state of California. It is generally a wise principle to seek
counsel from others in the field, follow guidelines that
have elevated the educational standards used by others,
and improve the programs that are in place. This
process has been warmly embraced by our
administrative team and step by step we have moved
forwards in this goal towards accreditation.
One unexpected circumstance that we had not foreseen
was the decision of TRACS, the accrediting association
for Hawaii Theological Seminary, to discontinue their
accredited status in November 2007. This was a heartsickening setback to the Hawaiian graduate school and it
also was a tremendous disappointment for us at Cal
Grad after working very hard to unite our programs in a
collaborative educational relationship. It seemed that
before we had launched the programs we were all
working towards, the rug was pulled out from Hawaii and
Cal Grad had to retrace its steps in the accreditation
process, going forward without an accredited partner in
the pacific.
Following the disappointing news out of Hawaii in
November, Cal Grad did not lose any time in making
inquiry to the Association for Theological Schools (ATS)
and revising our paperwork with the intent to submit our
application and all relevant materials for entrance to ATS
as an associate member at the earliest opportunity. The
next step will be a review of our application, an on-site
visit, and awaiting their counsel.
Meanwhile, Cal Grad’s academic reputation seems to be
spreading with enthusiasm, as evidenced by several
inquiries in recent days by fully accredited colleges in the
United States desiring to have a reciprocal degree
granting relationship with us! This is a tremendous
encouragement to our faculty, students, and
administrative team after a year of hard work, endless
paperwork, and more than a few trials in the path
towards accreditation.
The Teaching and Administration Team of California Graduate
School of Theology, President’s Banquet 2007, Crystal Cathedral.
We are also presently working on plans to extend our
programs into respected international colleges,
expecting to find that with our academic team’s
credentials, tutorial programs, and reputation, our
graduates will find a welcomed hand in some of the
finest schools throughout the world. As these plans
unfold, we will report the news.
Dr. S.D. de Hart, Academic Dean.
Pro Excelsis
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THE HISTORY OF
CALIFORNIA GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY (PART 2)
As described in the first part of “The History of California Graduate School of Theology” (Volume 3, Spring 2007, Pro Excelsis) Cal
Grad was conceived and founded by Dr. W.S. McBirnie and Dr. Robert Grant, then the pastors of the non denominational United
Community Church of Glendale California. The year was 1968. The vision that inspired the birth of Cal Grad came by way of a brief
preaching visit of Dr. George Crane to Dr. McBirnie’s Glendale Community Church. Dr. Crane was a highly regarded psychiatrist,
popular syndicated columnist and active Methodist layman.
Arising from the visit of Dr. Crane and the continuing conversations among Dr. McBirnie and Dr. Grant came a growing conviction
that the Church of Jesus Christ needed an institution that would redefine the way seminaries had previously operated and
understood their purpose. And so with the brashness born of youth they set out to establish the California Graduate School of
Theology. What followed has changed the face of theological education in America, as a challenge had been extended to the status
quo. Dr. McBirnie brought various important and essential resources to the table as the work began, having already built a fine new
building in Glendale that would serve as the Administrative headquarters and the main classroom as well as initial library for the
new school.
A vision, a building, and a prayer! Dr. McBirnie immediately set about to find professors who were renowned experts in the field of
pastoral ministry, evangelism, counseling, theology, Biblical studies, and preaching. Insightfully, Dr. McBirnie did not settle for men
or women who had studied or written about these subjects, he went directly to those who were successful in their respective fields
and asked the doers to become teachers! Among those whose presence was to touch Cal Grad in the early days were such names
as Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, Charles Stanley, Jack Hayford, John McArthur, Holland London, Elmer Towns, James
Dobson, David Hocking, etc. Highly respected lecturers and up and coming leaders began to flood Cal Grad and in a short time it
was reported by the L.A. Times as one of America’s fasting growing seminaries and graduate schools in the 1970’s. Extension sites
were established in major cities such as Seattle, Detroit, Houston, Washington D.C., and Honolulu. Graduating classes began to
number in the hundreds while the school shattered the way theological education had been done, establishing a new precedent for
training Church leaders.
Fast forward, 2005. Dr. Paul H.W. Lee, inspired by a vision equal to Dr. McBirnie, begins re-assembling Cal Grad. As Chancellor,
Dr. Lee undertook the laborious task of reviving the school which had for all intent and purposes become slowly inactive after Dr.
McBirnie’s death. A new team with the inspiration of God begins to follow in the footsteps of Dr. McBirnie and Dr. Grant, searching
for ways to make seminary education innovative, affordable, and guided under the experienced hands of doers! In a world without
walls, an internet age, an age of world travel, and an age of multi-media, Cal Grad’s task was to step away from the antique
learning methods of a decade ago and become the school that blazes the trail for others to follow. Leaning on the academic
strengths of several University of Oxford graduates, all seasoned pastors, proven church builders, and experienced professors, a
new tutorial system for education took hold. Reaching beyond the tutorial system, a new Doctor of Ministry program was envisioned
by an experienced pastor and alumnus of Cal Grad, one whose pastoral experience includes over a decade in one of the world’s
most respected and recognized churches (the Crystal Cathedral). Assembling a team of internationally experienced pastors and
professors, a Korean learning program is also in place, led by men with respected degrees from such schools as Fuller,
Westminster, and Reformed Theological Seminary. Once again Cal Grad has found a need and begun to fill it to overflowing with
expertise, godliness, and inspiration. Within three years the student body has grown to levels it has not seen in nearly two decades.
Even with obstacles and set backs, Cal Grad is now well on its way to completing requirements for associate membership in a
federally recognized accrediting association; having recognized degrees with fully accredited schools throughout the United States,
and establishing relationships with leading worldwide colleges who are inquiring how they might share in the experience that comes
from Cal Grad, the next millennium! If you would like to assist us in this exciting rebuilding, pray and share our burden with your
financial gifts, remembering the school in your will or trust, recommending new students, scholarships for present students, and
new branch campuses.
For more information on how you can help, 562 691-5219, Dr. Lawrence Wilkes, Alumni Relations and Director of the D.Min. Program
Dr. Lawrence Wilkes
Pro Excelsis
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OUR ACADEMIC RECORD
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
California Graduate School of Theology has been granting
PRESIDENT’S BANQUET & On-Line Store!
bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees for nearly forty
years by the authority of the State of California, Bureau for
Post-secondary Private Vocational Education. We also have
a recognized Biblical studies program fully certified by the
Association of Christian Schools International. ASCI’s
membership is currently comprised of over 5440 member
schools in 105 countries worldwide, representing 1,180,000
students.
Approximately 5,000 students have passed through the halls
of Cal Grad since its founding in 1969. Many of our alumni
have gone on to tremendous ministries in the pastorate,
Christian education, business, counseling, etc., and we
would love to hear every testimony. Please write, email, or
call us today!
As part of our outreach to the alumni we have planned the
Since 1969 Cal Grad has been a recognized theological
seminary in Southern California with a program of Biblical
and Theological study that does not compromise on quality
or academic performance. We have over 5,000 graduates as
a testimony to the highest standards of academic excellence
at Cal Grad.
President’s banquet for Friday, May 16th, at 6:00 p.m. in
Garden Grove, CA., at the Crystal Cathedral. Dr. Roger T.
Beckwith, President of Cal Grad, and retired Oxford
University professor, will be our guest speaker. Reservations
for the banquet are $50 per plate and seating is limited. A
photographer will be on site to record the event. Please call
562 691-5219 immediately to make your reservations.
We are also asking all alumni who are pastors in large
churches to consider opening up learning centers for our
D.Min. program. Particular cities of interest are those with the
opportunity to reach a large community of Christians who are
interested in an innovative, affordable, proven academic
program. Please contact Dr. Lawrence Wilkes for more
information [email protected]
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Banquet Reply Form
Please return to 501 S. Idaho St. #200, La Habra, CA. 90631 no later than May 1st.
I will be attending the banquet and am enclosing $
for (#)__________ of persons attending.
Note: Cost is $50.00 per person. Currently enrolled students receive 30% discount ($35 per person)
Please Circle dinner choice: 1 Person (a) Chicken (b) Beef (c) Fish.
2 Person (a) Chicken (b) Beef (c) Fish
I would like to make a donation to pay for the banquet for a needy student or alumnus to attend.
I will be present for the Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 17.
I am enclosing a one-time financial gift of $
to help Cal Grad
I would like more information about including Cal Grad in a will or living trust.
NAME __________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE (
) _____________________________
EMAIL ______________________________________
F Alumnus F Student F Guest
Pro Excelsis
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