Seminary sees increase

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Theological school adds two new programs to its degree

Liberty Baptist’s Theological Seminary (LBTS) is expanding this year with the new Center for Chaplaincy and the Center for Asian Ministries.

The Center for Chaplaincy will be led by Dr. Steven Keith, who served as an active-duty military chaplain for 30 years and served tours in the Middle East. Keith also served as Commandant of the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps College at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he worked on improving the military’s chaplain education program.

Keith said he hopes to improve Liberty’s program so it can be respected as the best training program for chaplains. He wants to place an emphasis on chaplain leadership skills, because chaplains are the spiritual leaders for everyone in their work environment.

“We built the curriculum to meet the needs of who chaplains are called to be both by God and country — to be a spiritual leader, a pastor in uniform, a counselor and a person who is there to be a ministry of presence,” Keith said.

According to Keith, the new Master of Divinity Program will include six intensives, four internship courses and a capstone piece. It will be a blended model of both in-class and online material. He said he believes this will provide students with a great wealth of experience, enabling them to be prepared.

“Our goal is when the chaplain graduates this program, that they will be ready with a great understanding of what it’s like to work in a pluralistic environment by already being exposed to that and by being taught by some of the best professors and chaplains,” Keith said.

According to Keith, chaplains are like ministers in a secular workforce. As a pastor who has also served as a chaplain, Keith explained that both posts have their own unique challenges and opportunities, including the chance to share his testimony with people he is with every day.

“Chaplaincy is adventuresome for sure,” Keith said. “Sometimes it is terrifying, but it is always a dynamic opportunity to bring Christ to individuals that would never darken the door of a church.”

As students get close to the end of their degree programs, they will choose a focus of either military, health care or corporate chaplaincy, Keith said. While all specializations require the same skill sets and experience, each section has its own stipulations. Military and health care are the most prominent and well-known, but corporate chaplaincy is becoming more popular. Employers know their employees work better when all their needs are met.

The Center for Chaplaincy will be implementing a Chaplain Journal, an online forum and an annual conference at Liberty as ways of communicating with other programs and working to “flesh out” the current issues that chaplains are facing, such as the right to adhere to their specific denominational practices, Keith said.
LBTS is also expanding through the creation of the Center for Asian Ministries, led by Dr. Timothy Chong.

According to an article by the Liberty University News Service, Chong has previously worked for Liberty and returned to become the dean of the new center, which is an expansion of the LBTS Korean Program that will include ministry techniques for all of Asia. The center will help Asian students develop Asian communities on campus and send Liberty’s ministry training techniques back to Asia.

“Both Dr. Keith and Dr. Chong bring a fresh and new vision to their respective centers, and we look forward to seeing these new centers take shape,” Dr. David Hirschman, acting dean of the seminary, said in a Liberty News Service Article.

FYI – As part of the expansion, LBTS will host a free lecture series with topics focused on students’ daily struggles.

The next lecture will be held Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Scholars Lounge in the Jerry Falwell Library.

GLOSSNER is a news reporter