Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"Visit Seminary of the East if you want to see what the seminary of the future looks like." That's what I was told six years ago when I became provost of Bethel Seminary. Little did I imagine then what eventually would be one of the great privileges of my responsibilities in this position.

The pastors and missionaries who founded Seminary of the East in 1985 pushed the envelope of innovation with their radical vision. Now, this issue of Heart & Mind describes a new school that has at once retained the distinctives for which Seminary of the East became known, while also undertaking the steps to properly be called Bethel Seminary of the East.

We know of no model exactly like it - a model in which full-time professors travel to facilities owned by churches or ministry agencies located in four different cities to teach students on four different nights of each week; and in which the relational dimension of learning through mentors is coupled with adult education that offers a classical curriculum picture of penin a church-based environment.

It was over dinner one cold night four winters ago that Bethel President George Brushaber and I met with Seminary of the East President Phil Baur and then Dean Ben Alicea-Lugo. That is when we learned of their desire to partner with an accredited seminary whose vision and values were compatible with those of Seminary of the East. We also learned that 14 seminaries

 in the Northeast region - as well as Denver Seminary and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, sister institutions that serve Conservative Baptist Association churches - had declined the opportunity to enter such a partnership.

What a blessing for Bethel. From the beginning our relationship with Seminary of the East has been fueled by the energy and renewal that distinguish believers who diligently seek God's leading in the cause and purpose of His kingdom. Good will and cooperation permeate the partnership. Every step of the way has been graced by a sense of agreement on what would best enable us to achieve the vision we share.

We are grateful to God for the privilege it is to present to you in these pages Bethel Seminary of the East. We believe that you will be challenged and encouraged by the innovative ways in which the seminary of the future is offering seminary education today to those whom God is calling into ministry.

Serving Him with you, Leland V. Eliason signature

Leland V. Eliason
Provost and Executive Vice President
Bethel Seminary

picture of Leland V. Eliason

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