Seminary Graduation Slated for this Weekend
Cleveland, TN–The Pentecostal Theological Seminary, a Church of God ministry, will hold commencement exercises this weekend, May 25 and 26. Receiving diplomas will be candidates for the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry.
The events begin on Friday evening, May 25 with a Service of Honors and Commissioning. Seminary President Steven J. Land will welcome the graduates, guests and family members and will end the service with an anointing ceremony. Vice President for Ministry Formation Oliver McMahan will assist Land in distributing commemorative Bibles to the graduates.
A highlight of the commissioning service will be the presentation of awards and recognitions to outstanding graduates. Vice President for Academics Sang-Ehil Han will present the American Bible Society Biblical Studies Award, American Bible Society Biblical Teaching Award, Care Ministries Award, Counseling Award, International Student Leadership Award, F.J. May Excellence in Preaching Award, and the Pentecostal Ministry Award.
On Saturday morning, May 26, graduates will be presented with their degrees by President Land, assisted by Han and McMahan. A special recognition of Alumnus of the year will also be presented.
Commencement speaker for the occasion will be Roger Stronstad, an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. He has served for thirty-eight years as an instructor in Bible and theology at Summit Pacific College, Abbotsford, British Columbia. For twenty of those years he also served as the academic dean of the college. Reverend Stronstad has taught graduate theological education in a variety of institutions, both in Canada and internationally. These include Tyndale Theological Seminary, Toronto, Ontario; Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO; and Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Baguio, Philippines. He has also given several Pentecostal lectureships, including one at Pentecostal Theological Seminary (2004), and has been an active Lukan scholar. His best known books are The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (1984) and The Prophethood of All Believers (1999, 2010). He has also published award-winning magazine and journal articles related to Lukan and Holy Spirit studies.
The conferring of degrees will be given by J. Martin Taylor, chairman of the Seminary Board of Directors. President Land will conclude the ceremony with a charge to ministry.
