This month marked Reformed Baptist Seminary’s 18th year of ministry. Since our inception, we have seen over 130 students successfully complete one of our training programs. As always, we are deeply grateful for the many churches and Christians who support the seminary with their prayers and finances. Thanks again for standing with us in this important facet of Great Commission endeavor!

Move to Florida

Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) of Coconut Creek has become the new home church for the seminary. Jeff Smith, President of the Board of Directors, currently serves as a pastor of EBC along with Nick Kennicott, Paul Farese, and Bob Diekema. The church has a growing membership and presently has ten of its own members enrolled in RBS. Bob and his wife, Becky, moved to Florida in January of this year. Vadim Chepurny and his family transitioned in May.

God’s providence is remarkable. Jeff Smith and Bob Gonzales helped to launch RBS in 2005 when they were serving together as pastors in South Carolina. Four years later, Jeff received a call to pastor Emmanuel Baptist Church. Several years later, RBS and Dr. Gonzales relocated to California. In 2022, after much prayer and deliberation, the Board determined it would be best to relocate the seminary from California to Florida. So Jeff and Bob are serving together again in the same location.

New Residential Program

In concert with the move to Florida, RBS commenced a new residential divinity program with a concentration in classical studies. The Classical Studies Divinity Program will complement our regular online programs and provide an additional option for students. Along with the traditional courses in biblical studies and theology, the classical studies MDiv will include the following core courses:

Introduction to Human Letters
Discovering the Great Conversation
Literary Analysis
Philosophical Enquiries
Historical Investigation
Christianity and Classic Culture

These courses utilize the Socratic dialectic method on instruction and will be taught by Nick Kennicott who is completing his doctoral studies in the humanities at Faulkner University. For more information about this new program, click here.

Courses: Recent and Upcoming

Residential courses for the spring have included Introduction to Humane Letters (Nick Kennicott), Historical Theology 1 (Jeff Smith), and Old Testament Introduction (Bob Gonzales). Additionally, RBS offered a five-day module in March on the doctrine of Revelation and God. Bob Gonzales and Sam Waldron lectured on topics like general revelation, the canon, sola Scriptura, the proper approach to theology proper, the divine attributes, and the trinity.

We also completed the two final units of the 1689 Theology Project. On the weekend of April 14 –15, Robert Elliott, Brian Borgman, and Sam Waldron met in Riverside California for a module entitled “Creation, Covenant, and Christ,” which featured lectures on chapters 4 through 9 of the Confession. Then, on May 12–13, Greg Nichols, Nick Kennicott, and Jeff Johnson gathered in Grand Rapids Michigan to teach a course called “The Church and Last Things,” covering chapters 26 through 32 of the Confession. These courses constitute part of the core curriculum for our Certificate of Reformed Baptist Studies (CRBS). For more information about that program, click here.

We plan to offer two modular courses in the fall. Michael Emadi will teach New Testament Introduction in Coconut Creek Florida on the week of September 12–16. Then Grace Baptist Church of Taylors South Carolina will host a module the week of October 9–13, where Jim Newheiser will lecture on Marriage Counseling. Let us encourage you to attend one or both of these modules if you’re able. Auditors are welcome.

RBS International

RBS continues to partner with HeartCry Missionary Society to provide theological instruction in Nepal. In November of 2022, Jamie Howell lectured on the Doctrine of God. Each of his lectures focused on the biblical exposition and practical implications of the theology proper. The remaining five modules include Old Testament Survey (John Sweat and Dylan ), New Testament Survey (Nick Kennicott), Pastoral Epistles (TBD), Romans (Rob Ventura), and Biblical Counseling (Sam Barber). Once the students complete all twelve units , they will graduate with the Certificate of Theological studies. We appreciate your ongoing prayers for this endeavor.

Support RBS?

RBS can offer ministerial education at a reduced cost because of the generosity of local churches and Christians in local churches who see training gospel ministers as a vital component of the Great Commission. If you are interested in knowing more about our financial needs, please contact us. RBS is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. When donating, please indicate what fund you would like to contribute towards. For more information click here.