Belcher received a B.A. in political science from Gordon College, a M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD in political philosophy from Georgetown University.  He is the author of Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional; and In Search of Deep Faith: A Pilgrimage into the Beauty, Goodness, and Heart of Christianity.

The Board of Trustees of Providence Christian College in Pasadena, Calif., announced on February 22, 2014, the appointment of Dr. Jim Belcher as its new President.

With this appointment Belcher becomes the third president of Providence. The board believes that Belcher brings to the office a great zeal for liberal arts education coupled with a wealth of visionary leadership in the Reformed and Evangelical communities as an author, educator, church planter, pastor, and entrepreneur.

Belcher received a B.A. in political science from Gordon College, a M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD in political philosophy from Georgetown University.

He is the author of Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional; and In Search of Deep Faith: A Pilgrimage into the Beauty, Goodness, and Heart of Christianity.

The Providence board appointed Dr. Belcher as president following a yearlong nationwide search with the desire that the new president would be able to take office by the summer of 2014.  Dr. Belcher’s Reformed outlook, ministerial experience, and understanding of the importance of the liberal arts, along with his desire to equip Christian students address the global challenges that are readily present in Southern California, made him a fit with Providence.  Board chairman, Pete Nanninga, expressed confidence that Belcher “will enrich the Providence mission to prepare students who are biblically grounded to be fully engaged Christian citizens in their churches and communities for the glory of God.”

The first public announcement of the Belcher’s appointment was made on Saturday, February 22, at the annual Providence Southern California Donor Banquet.  The news was received with gratitude and enthusiasm.

Belcher and his wife, Michelle, along with their four children, Jordan, Jonathan, Lindsay, and Meghan, currently reside in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where Dr. Belcher serves as Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Knox Theological Seminary.

Belcher, a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, served as the church planter and then pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif. He had also served on the staff of Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena.

Belcher and his family will relocate sometime later this summer to begin his official duties. Moving back to Pasadena will be a homecoming of sorts for the family, returning to their Pasadena and Southern California roots.

Providence Christian College began in 2005. The mission of Providence as a Reformed Christian institution is to equip students to be firmly grounded in biblical truth, thoroughly educated in the liberal arts, and fully engaged in their church, their community, and the world for the glory of God and for service to humanity.