2023年10月23日
B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary, which will officially become a part of East 德州 Baptist University in late 2024, is making a move from its offices in Irving to the location where it originally began—in downtown 阿灵顿, 德州.
The seminary’s offices will occupy a floor of First Baptist Church’s Wade Building, a six-story office building adjacent to the church’s main campus. The move also means B. H. Carroll’s annual Ph.D. 谈话, 毕业典礼, and other conferences will be held on site, for the first time since it left the location for Irving in 2015.
Just as the move is bringing the seminary “full circle,” the merger of East 德州 Baptist University and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary has been described as a homecoming in many ways. 20年前，B. H. Carroll began in the minds of 德州 Baptist theological educators who wanted to create a more 可访问的 model to equip ministers for leadership in the church. As Carroll Seminary merges to become a part of ETBU, it becomes a strategic missional partner with the Baptist General Convention of 德州 in educating and equipping ministry leaders for the work of the church.
Offering an online graduate theological educational model, Carroll Seminary’s offices have been located in the metroplex since its inception in 2004. With this educational partnership with 德州 Baptists, the administrative leadership of both institutions decided the Seminary should be centrally located in Tarrant County and in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Carroll Seminary will make its move into the Wade Building at First Baptist 阿灵顿 in January 2024. Coming home to its original location, the seminary will host office space for faculty and staff as well as offer opportunities for in-person classes, 研讨会, 和会议.
“From the beginning of our institution, our commitment has been on affordable, 可实现的, 可访问的, and accredited theological education,” B. H. Carroll President Dr. 吉恩·威尔克斯说. “One of our goals has always been to invest in people, rather than in brick and mortar. This move will allow us to be more efficient with our financial resources and more deeply integrate our services with a partnering church. 从那里, we will reach out further into the churches across 德州 and beyond to recapture our vision for distributed seminary education, which was severely challenged during the COVID pandemic.”
Dr. 托马斯•桑德斯, ETBU Provost and Vice President for 学术事务, 评论, "First Baptist Church, 阿灵顿, has a rich history of creative ministries that seek to live out the Great Commission. Dr. 丹尼斯·怀尔斯, 牧师, has certainly continued that tradition over his tenure and serves as a role model to pastors across the 状态. I can think of no better location in the metroplex than in a building named for former pastor and BGCT executive, Dr. 查尔斯·韦德.”