Photos by Ralph Freso
Dr. Tiberius Rata’s life has been filled with determination.
While growing up in Communist-run Romania, Rata maintained his Christian faith in a country where he was told as a first grader there was no God.
And that faith kept him determined after his father risked his life by defecting in 1984 with the help of a fisherman who drove him through the dangerous Danube River to a United Nations refugee camp.
Rata was not discouraged four years ago when he did not get the assistant dean position at Grand Canyon Theological Seminary.
He stayed in contact with College of Theology Dean Dr. Jason Hiles and started teaching Hebrew and Old Testament courses online.
“And when I saw the seminary director opening, I clicked on it, and it was basically what I've been doing for the past 21 years,” Rata said. “And we're empty nesters; we're ready for a new challenge.”
It had to be special for Rata to leave his position as the associate dean of the School of Ministry Studies at Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, to become seminary director at GCU.
“When you look at the history of Christian schools, GCU’s is amazing. Not just the growth of the school, but also you look at the seminary that was started about (10) years ago, and it's already (close to) 500 students.
“To put it in perspective, I came from a school where the seminary started in 1937, and there are about 300 students. We will continue to grow because we're starting this new Doctor of Ministry program. One of my jobs is to be the director of the program. We'll continue to grow.”
And Rata does not aspire to simply run the program, as he embraces working at a university significantly larger than his previous school.
“I want this to become a premier evangelical seminary in the Southwest, and just continue to have academic excellence,” Rata said. “And my one of my jobs is to make partnerships with churches and with pastors, and then of course to prepare leaders, not just for here, but also for the global church. If people want to be missionaries, I'm really excited. We have a great team.
“It's a good place to grow, as you know. We have everything we need. We just have to get out there and do it.”
Hiles believes Rata’s zest, knowledge and service suit him perfectly for this role.
“Dr. Rata brings incredible energy and experience to the role, in addition to his obvious capacity to teach the Bible faithfully while guiding future pastoral leaders pursuing their own sense of calling to ministry,” Hiles said. “We frequently hear from students who are wondering why God has not opened specific doors of opportunity for them.
“Tiberius’ story provides a helpful answer in principle. God does not merely guide us into good opportunities. In His wisdom, He leads His children into precisely the right roles, in precisely the place He is preparing for them, and at exactly the right time for His purposes.”
Rata plans to teach two classes this fall: an undergraduate Old Testament survey, and an Old Testament exegesis for seminary students. He also plans to teach a course in Bible interpretation for undergraduates next spring.
“I want to impact one student at a time. Now, gratefully, there will be a lot more students because the classes are larger, but I teach the same way.
“I tell my students from the beginning: Some professors say they don't have an agenda. I have an agenda. I have an agenda to know that 'hey, this is the Word of God,' ... that's where the power is. The power is in the Word of God. ... It's living and active, and you can place not just your faith in it, but your teaching, whatever you're going to be."
Rata grew up in a small Baptist church. He soon realized that Christians in Romania were heckled as repenters, “a mocking name the (Romanian) people gave us because we repent of our sins.”
“The kids of repenters didn't have a chance to go to the university. My parents would not get a promotion, things like that. So when my dad came here (to the United States), he came here to give us a chance at the future, and we'll be forever grateful because my oldest brother is a lawyer.”
Another brother earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament and teaches in Texas.
“We could not have done this if we stayed there,” Rata said. “My dad risked his life at 48 to give us a chance for the future, and his dream came true. We’re grateful for that.”
So was the opportunity to attend college.
Neither of Rata’s parents had the opportunity to attend college. Rata’s grandfather died in a factory accident when his dad, one of six children, was 6. He started working in a factory when he was 16, and his mother worked in a textile factory.
“When we came here (in January 1986), it was interesting,” said Rata, who rejoined his father in Los Angeles, along with his mother and two older brothers.
They found a Romanian Baptist church in Bellflower, California, and became friends with a few parishioners who attended major colleges in Southern California.
Rata and his siblings were told, “The question is not if you're going to college. The question is what college you're going to go to.”
“It was kind of a culture in that church that ‘hey, you're here in the country of all opportunities. You got to take advantage of it,’ and I'm grateful to know my parents brought us here, but also to my friends who influenced us to pursue education.”
After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning, Rata embarked on a cross-country ministry journey. He attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, for one year before transferring to Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California. He commuted 90 minutes each day for two years to Sacramento, where he served as a youth pastor at a Romanian Baptist Church.
He became a pastor in Sacramento six months later, finished his seminary work at Golden Gate and got married a day after graduation.
He and his wife Carmen moved to the Chicago area, where he earned his doctorate in Old Testament at Trinity International University. They later headed south to Alabama, where he instructed at Beeson Divinity School for four years before moving in 2005 to Grace, where he taught Old Testament and Hebrew classes in addition to serving as the associate dean of the school of ministry studies.
Rata sold his snowblower and lawnmower shortly after accepting the job at GCU.
“It's been good, and I love the heat,” Rata said. “I don't know what people are complaining about.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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