There will very soon be a special section of Biblical’s website on which regular updates about the progress of the presidential search process will be posted. We ask for the support of all who love Biblical Seminary as we begin this significant undertaking.

To: Alumni and Friends of Biblical Seminary

After over 25 years of service to Biblical Seminary, Dr. David Dunbar has indicated to the Board of Trustees his desire to retire from the presidency. We on the Board of Trustees (and many, MANY others as well) believe that Dave has been extraordinarily used of the Lord to build His work at Biblical.

There are many reasons for Dave’s effectiveness as our leader. Among the most prominent of those reasons is the way in which Dave has embodied as well as taught what it means to “follow Jesus into the World.” Dave has kept “first things first” at Biblical and this means, among many other things, that he always sought to keep the various parts of our constituency, internal as well as external, focused clearly and directly on Christ’s mission in the world.

Nearly a decade ago, Dave led the seminary in the challenging process of refining the way we “do” theological education so that our graduates would be prepared to minister the gospel of grace effectively in a culture that seems increasingly hostile to that gospel. He led us in understanding that Christian leaders who would live in full obedience to the Great Commission in our present world must go to sinners as Jesus did and not simply wait and hope that someday those sinners would seek us out.

The Board of Trustees at Biblical Seminary wants all to know that Dave’s decision to retire from the presidency was totally of his own volition and we expect and hope that he will remain fully engaged in the life of Biblical Seminary after he leaves the Office of the President. We need him, and any new president of Biblical Seminary will need him. That is why we have been so encouraged by Dave’s own statement, “I remain fully committed to the work of Biblical Seminary and I plan to continue working at the seminary after I transition out of the presidency.”

We, the Board of Biblical Seminary, offer our deepest thanks to the Lord for His gift to our community of David Dunbar.

In order to prepare for the presidential succession, a Presidential Search Committee consisting of board members, faculty, staff, and alumni has been formed. Our first task is to listen to the various constituencies of the seminary to understand better who Biblical Seminary is and what we believe we need in our next president. Data is being gathered from focus groups and surveys in order to assist the committee in crafting a presidential position description that reflects our unique institution and desired leader.

Additional information concerning the application process will be forthcoming from the Search Committee. There will very soon be a special section of Biblical’s website on which regular updates about the progress of the presidential search process will be posted. We ask for the support of all who love Biblical Seminary as we begin this significant undertaking. We suggest that this support could be expressed in at least these specific ways:

1) Praise the Lord for Dave’s contributions to Biblical Seminary over these many years;

2) Pray for Dave and his family as they make this transition; and

3) Pray for the Lord to guide the work of our Presidential Search Committee

Thank you very much!

Sincerely in His grace,
Joe Longo, Chairman
Biblical Seminary Board of Trustees
E-mail: [email protected]
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Editor’s Note: Here is additional information about Dr. Dunbar from the seminary website:

In addition to his gift for teaching, Dr. Dunbar serves the seminary as its president. He is actively involved in ministry to local churches and played a leadership role for a church plant. Dave preaches at a variety of churches and is a popular conference speaker in the summer months.

Dr. Dunbar taught at Northeastern Bible College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School before coming to Biblical in 1986. He and his wife, Sharon, have two daughters and two sons. His oldest daughter and son-in-law are 2003 graduates of Biblical.
E-mail David Dunbar

EDUCATION

BS, Penn State University
MDiv, Biblical Theological Seminary
ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary
PhD, Drew University

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Culture and theology, postmodern Christian thought, missional theology.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

“The Founder Effect” &”Theological Hospitality,”

Missional Journal [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

ON THE WEB

http://missionaljournal.wordpress.com/