My thanks to Dr Stan Fowler who has agreed to be interviewed about Heritage College & Seminary in Canada.

1) Please introduce yourself and your role at Heritage College & Seminary.

My name is Stan Fowler, and I serve as Professor of Theological Studies.  I have also served as academic dean of the seminary in the past.

2) Tell us a little about Heritage College & Seminary.

Heritage College & Seminary is the public name of Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary (now you understand the shortened name!). Heritage began in 1993 as a merger of two Baptist schools in Ontario, and we are affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada. We offer various theological certificates and degrees at both bachelor’s and master’s levels. We have about 300 students.

3) Are the courses full time, part-time or a mixture of both?

We have a mixture of full-time and part-time students. A majority of college students are full-time, but the majority of seminary students are part-time, often second-career students.

4) How do Heritage College & Seminary students fund their studies?

Students fund their studies out of their own or their parents’ resources. We have a limited number of bursaries and scholarships that provide assistance, and many students qualify for educational loans from a provincial agency. Some students are supported by their churches, and we hope that more churches will catch the vision for that.

5) Does Heritage College & Seminary take students from overseas?

Yes, we have some students from overseas. The number is not large, but in recent years the seminary has had students from Japan, India, and Brazil.

6) What type of ministry is Heritage College & Seminary intended to prepare students for?

All of our degree programs are oriented to preparation for vocational ministry as pastors, missionaries, worship and music leaders, or workers in Christian social service agencies. But some of our college students are preparing to go on to university, and we have many students in various programs who want to minister in non-vocational ways. We believe that theological education is valuable for the whole family of God.

7) When students leave Heritage College & Seminary what kind of ministries / jobs do they go into.

Most of our degree graduates enter some form of vocational ministry. Many of our college graduates begin ministry in associate pastoral roles like youth ministry and continue their education at seminary level part-time, later moving into lead pastor roles.

8) What is distinctive about what Heritage College & Seminary offers compared with other colleges in Canada and overseas?

It is hard to describe distinctives, because there is so much commonality in what Bible colleges and seminaries do. I would say that our faculty is strongly committed to scholarship in service of the church—we refuse to drive a wedge between theory and practice. We are also strongly committed to the equipping of pastors who will preach the Word with accuracy, clarity and relevance, as seen in our brand new Graduate Certificate in Biblical Preaching. Our college has a highly regarded program in music and worship studies leading to both certificates and a Bachelor of Church Music degree.

9) Please tell us about the library and other research facilities.

We have a fully functional library with access to both print and online resources, and students have access to several other theological libraries within an hour’s drive of our campus.

10) Does Heritage College & Seminary offer a distance or on-line learning option. If yes, please tell us more about it.

Yes, we have some distance learning options available. Our college provides several courses with lectures on DVD, and online courses are in preparation. The seminary provides several courses each year in a multi-modal (hybrid) format that combines two days on campus during the term with online experience (including audio lectures) during most weeks. By using audio recordings of class days, several of these are available to be done fully online. We recognize that we must continue to find creative ways to educate students at a distance.

—

My thanks to Dr Fowler for taking part in this series. The Baptist Review of Theology, a journal formerly published by Heritage College & Seminary is available on-line here.