Graduate Profile: Paul Farese (MDiv)

I was raised in a Roman Catholic context, originally from Boston, MA. We moved to Florida when I was in the second grade. I was converted to Christ in 1982 during my freshman year of college and married my sweetheart, Janis, while still in college (Minnesota State University @ Moorhead) in 1986. God has blessed us with four wonderful children, two boys and two girls. In my undergrad I studied elementary education, and then I served 32 years as a school teacher in Palm Beach County, FL (7 years elementary, 5 years middle school, and 20 years at the high school level). At the high school I taught U.S. History and Economics, coached football, and taught GED night classes. In 2003 I earned an MA degree from Florida Atlantic University in United States History with a minor in European History, and in 2023 I earned another Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling from the Reformed Baptist Seminary. I’ve been a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church since 1986, served as deacon from 2016 to 2019, and was ordained pastor/elder in March 2019. I have the great honor of serving alongside pastors Robert Diekema, Jeff Smith, Nick Kennicott, and Jose Fernandez. I am very thankful for all the great men that have taught and mentored me at the Reformed Baptist Seminary. The courses are rigorous, delightful, and Christ-centered. I especially want to give a special thank you to Dr. Robert Gonzales for his tireless devotion and careful, wise, and enjoyable biblical theology. I really enjoyed all my classes, but it was probably Professor/Pastor Robert Paul Martin and his Old Testament Theology course that was a favorite of mine. I also want to thank Pastors Smith and Kennicott for the faithful live, in-person courses they devotedly taught in addition to their full-time pastoral ministries. If you’re considering getting an MDiv from RBS, I can tell you without a doubt I have no regrets! It has exceeded all my expectations academically and experientially. It is a great value to have active pastors teaching the courses. I believe they’ve provided me with the best experience possible.

Paul Farese