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GCU MAGAZ I NE • 1 1
VIDEO
GCU President BrianMueller and Dr. Dan Diffey, assistant dean for the Seminary,
explain what will make the program special in this video at
news.gcu.edu.Years in the making
College of Theology leaders have been discussing the idea of Grand
Canyon Theological Seminary since at least 2009, and once those talks
accelerated a couple of years ago it became a freight train rolling down
the track. This is what GCU does. The system is already in place.
“It’s a great environment to be in,” Hiles said. “We have the space, we
have the resources, we have the support, we have everything we need,
plus we have this amazing student body. Put a faculty together that
wants to meet those needs, that wants to speak into that, and you’ve got
an incredible combination.”
The resources clearly were evident to the Association of
Theological Schools, which made GCU an associate member (the
first step toward full accreditation) only four months after its
representatives visited campus in February.
Hiles talked recently with two local pastors who expressed their
excitement about the Seminary’s impact. “We want them to feel that
they can trust us, that they would embrace us,” he said.
That, in turn, means embracing the students who soon could be
leading churches in a multitude of ways. This won’t be for the faint of
heart … or faith.
“We’re trying to prepare students to really get their hands dirty,
shoulder some of this burden and take Christ out into the world, where
it’s going to make a huge difference,” Hiles said.
The focus is clear, the goals are in sight. No “Christian bubble.”
No “big theological brains and hard hearts.” A desperate world
awaits.
Annalee Ramirez loves to
help at her church, which
includes braiding the hair of
15-year-old Iliana Rodriguez.