Dr. Bud Powell came to New Geneva Theological Seminary as a professor of Church History and Systematic Theology in 1993 and taught his students faithfully here for more than two decades. His commitment to the Bible and the Reformed Confessions gave him the ability to address historical and theological questions with great confidence and conviction. His encyclopedic knowledge of church history gave him a unique perspective on the theological debates we face in the church today.

Rev. C. W. “ Bud” Powell, 82, was born Carroll Walker Powell, Jr. to Carroll and Ella Powell at Memorial Hospital in Medford, Oregon, on April 27, 1934; he was called home to glory on July 29, 2016. He was baptized as an infant shortly thereafter in the Southern Methodist church of Medford. His father was a farm worker and his mother was a housewife. His grandfather A. E. Powell was a newspaper publisher and a Jackson County supervisor. Bud had two older sisters, Barbara and Ruth.

Through grade school and high school, Bud loved to play basketball and baseball, dabbled in learning, and excelled in mathematics and daydreaming. He also attended the Community Bible Church in Eagle Point and the Community Bible Church in Central Point where he learned many scriptures and developed a life-long interest in biblical knowledge.

After high school he travelled to Greenville, South Carolina. There he attended Bob Jones University and received a Bachelor Degree with a major in mathematics and a minor in English. In the fall of 1956, Bud began seminary at Bob Jones and later finished his degree at Sacramento Baptist Seminary. Finally, he began a PhD at the University of Nevada at Reno before transferring to Baptist Christian University to complete his PhD in church history.

He was ordained to the gospel ministry by Sylvan Road Baptist church in Hapeville, Georgia and later moved to Anderson, California to help found Shasta Christian School in the fall of 1961.

In June of 1962, Bud married Penny Simer of Rogue River, Oregon. From that marriage issued six sons: Stephen Walker of Murfreesboro, TN; Samuel Arthur of Yuba City, CA; Joseph Jefferson of Colorado Springs, CO; Dorman James of Bettendorf, IA; Joshua Carroll of Kumamoto, Japan; and Matthew Edward of Casper, WY.

In 1964, Pastor Powell helped J.G. Duckett found Faith Baptist Church in Anderson, California. In 1969, this congregation became Faith Reformed Church and was received into the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) at Lincoln Valley RCUS at the annual meeting of the Eureka Classis. There, Pastor Powell was also licensed to preach in the RCUS, having been previously ordained.

Also in 1964, Pastor Powell helped to found Faith Christian Academy, which later became Northstate Schools. He served there as headmaster until 1985. In 1986, Pastor Powell moved to Colorado Springs, CO with Penny, his two youngest sons, and a few families from Anderson to plant Trinity Covenant Reformed Church. He pastored that church faithfully up until his retirement in 2016.

Pastor Powell also taught at Evangelical Christian Academy in Colorado Springs until 1996 when he resigned to become full-time professor of historical and systematic theology at what was then Knox Theological Seminary. In 1999 the seminary became New Geneva Seminary. At the seminary, Dr. Powell served as the Academic Dean and Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology.

Pastor Powell served as pastor of Trinity Covenant Reformed church and taught at New Geneva Theological Seminary until April 2016, retiring just two months before his death. Bud Powell is survived by his wife Penny, his sister Ruth, his six sons, nineteen grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

New Geneva Seminary in Colorado Springs posted the following tribute to Dr. Powell.

Remembering Dr. Carroll W. (Bud) Powell

Dr. Bud Powell came to New Geneva Theological Seminary as a professor of Church History and Systematic Theology in 1993 and taught his students faithfully here for more than two decades. His commitment to the Bible and the Reformed Confessions gave him the ability to address historical and theological questions with great confidence and conviction. His encyclopedic knowledge of church history gave him a unique perspective on the theological debates we face in the church today. His commitment to the ministry of the church enabled him to effectively juggle the many responsibilities of a pastor with those of a seminary professor. His encouraging delight in Christ was infectious to all who came into contact with him. Even in the last weeks of his life, as he struggled with the effects of cancer, his deep-seated joy in Christ and his commitment to teaching others in the faith remained strong. On July 29, Bud’s earthly journey ended and he entered into the rest of his Lord and Savior. He will be dearly missed here at the seminary, but we look forward to the day when we shall see him again in glory.

For a sample of Dr. Powell’s teaching, go here.