JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman College and the Radio Bible Hour based in Newport are working together to develop a ministerial training program targeted to bivocational pastors.
The J. Harold Smith Bible Institute and Pastor Training Center will hold its inaugural sessions in the fall.
Named for the late evangelist who founded the RBH, the Center will hold classes in Morristown’s First Baptist Church. Dean Haun, pastor of First Baptist, Morristown, will help lead the Center’s courses.
“This opportunity is consistent with our mission and it is similar in many ways to Carson-Newman’s Pastors School, which was established back in the 1920s,” said Walter Crouch, C-N vice president of church relations who took the idea to Don Smith, RBH president and son of J. Harold Smith.
“We think this skills-based program will benefit pastors who for any number of reasons were not able to pursue an undergraduate degree or obtain a seminary education.”
Smith said the Center’s work is aligned with his late father’s intent to serve pastors.
“We are thrilled by the prospect of helping strengthen pastors that my dad loved so dearly. And through them this program will strengthen their churches and bless members of the body of Christ,” he noted.
The Smith Center will offer four certificate programs, each of which will require successful completion of six courses. Each course will meet for classes one evening a week for a total of 10 weeks. The classes at First Baptist, Morristown, will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Crouch expects that participants will therefore be able to complete two courses before the end of this year.
“I have hoped for the possibility of establishing this sort of opportunity to serve the shepherds of smaller churches for some time,” Crouch said.
And there’s no better model than the Smith Center for equipping well-intentioned but time-starved pastors, Crouch continued.
“While the courses will be challenging, they will be taught by seasoned pastors who have solid educational backgrounds and 15 or more years of pastoral experience.”
Haun will teach Basics of Biblical Preaching as part of the certificate in Biblical Preaching. The three other certificate programs are Biblical Studies, Church Leadership and Pastoral Care. A diploma in Ministry Leadership will be available to those who complete Biblical Preaching and Biblical Studies, as well as one of the other two programs and six hours of C-N general education courses.
Each course will cost $200. For those attending this fall, RBH will pay half of the cost per course ($100) to help recruit an initial class of pastors. Those who wish to apply should be 26 years of age or older and provide clear evidence of ministerial calling. The Smith Institute will obtain status as a Bivocational Pastor Resource and Training Center, part of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Bivocational Ministers Association.
While the provision of a lead gift from the RBH has made the Smith Institute a reality, Crouch said he is seeking to build an endowment to help those who cannot afford the academic costs.
Interestingly, the establishment of the Center coincides with the 100th anniversary of the birth of J. Harold Smith and the 75th anniversary of Radio Bible Hour, which he founded in 1935.
Those interested in more information on the Smith Institute should contact Crouch at wcrouch@cn.edu or by phone at (865) 471-3218.
