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 Who is CSBS?
Owned by the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (a sister convention to the SBC) and administered by trustees elected from CCSB churches, Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary began in 1987 in Cochrane, Alberta (near Calgary) in order "to provide for the training and theological education of pastors and other church workers in order that they fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ in and through local churches around the world." The president is Dr. Richard Blackaby, and the seminary has eight full-time professors (seven are supported through IMB or NAMB). We are a beneficiary of CP funds (both CCSB and SBC), Lottie Moon and the Annie Armstrong missions offerings, and generous donations from individuals and churches.
CSBS offers training at the diploma, bachelors (Bachelor of Christian Ministry degree), and masters level (M.Div and M.R.E.). Presently instruction is offered at the Cochrane campus, and M.Div courses are offered through distance education over the internet. Current total enrollment in all of our degree programs is 93 students (40 FTE). Most of our students are Canadians, but many of our student body originally came from other countries. Our training is offered with a strong emphasis on practical ministry, and we are proud that over 40% of our students are active in church planting.
The Importance of Volunteers
Stated bluntly, we could not have a seminary if it were not for volunteers. Most of our buildings were built by volunteers. With such a limited faculty and staff, much of our work would go undone if volunteers did not step in and help. Our seminary has been described as "the miracle on the hill," a seminary that by human standards and reasoning should not be able to exist. But far more than existing, CSBS has in the past, and continues to make a great impact in building God's kingdom.
The Canadian Convention has a total of 240 churches in all of Canada, but it has a burden from God to have 1000 churches by the year 2020. As a small denomination, its resources and personnel are limited in terms of the volunteer help it can provide. Thus, partnerships such as that with the Tennessee Baptist Convention are vital for CSBS.
What does CSBS Need?
From the academic standpoint, CSBS always needs good volunteer help.
- Substitute Faculty for stateside assignments. Most of our teaching faculty is IMB personnel and every few years must take a "stateside assignment." This puts a heavy strain on the remaining faculty to cover the necessary teaching load. Substitute faculty who can come teach for a semester and cover those courses are vital for the ongoing training at the seminary.
- Guest Faculty for additional courses. Such a small faculty is limited in the variety of courses it can teach. Guest faculty who can come for a semester are vital for offering different elective courses we could not normally offer. Guest faculty also are needed for required liberal arts courses for our bachelors degree (e.g. math, science, social sciences, etc.) for which we have no resident expertise. We also need guest faculty to teach some of our online courses for our non-residential M.Div degree (seminarylink.com).
- Short-term Faculty for J-Term intensives . We have a limited need for teachers for one-week intensive (J-Term) courses. J-Terms are usually offered the first week of each January the first four weeks of the summer (mid-May to mid-June). These are usually one and two-hour credit courses offered in 3-6 hours of instruction daily for five days.
Requirements
As an accredited academic institution, we do have certain required needs for our guest faculty.
- Adequate academic credentials . An earned doctorate for our masters degree courses or a masters degree for our bachelors degree courses.
- Desire and ability to train people for ministry . More than a job, this must be a calling. We pride ourselves in offering a personal touch in our training. Love for students and the ability to train them are vital to the task.
- A missionary spirit . Canada is a cross-cultural setting and a pioneer mission field. Many of our students come from countries around the world, and ministry here takes many non-traditional forms. A missionary spirit includes a "whatever it takes" attitude towards ministry.
What We Can Offer
- Housing . CSBS is blessed with fully furnished guest housing. We can offer you a comfortable place to stay free of charge.
- Local transportation (if available). CSBS has several vehicles for guest use. Depending on the number of volunteers we have on campus at that time, these vehicles will be available for guest faculty.
- Office and computer (if available). We have several offices available for guest faculty, and depending on the number we have on campus, those offices will be available.
- A great place to teach. It is no wonder that we have so many return volunteers. Our seminary is a close-knit community in which faculty and students get to know and care for each other. Our desire is that each person who sets foot on our campus would have a life-changing encounter with God. Our location near the Canadian Rockies is one of the most beautiful in the world.
Who Do I Contact if I am Interested?
Kimberly Margrave, Missions Volunteer Projects Specialist
Tennessee Baptist Convention
P. O. Box 728
Brentwood , TN 37204-0728
(615) 371-2021
kmargrave@tnbaptist.org
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