MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP)–Future Christian leaders were challenged to ensure spiritual depth fuels their lives and global ministry strategies during dedication ceremonies for the David and Faith Kim School of Intercultural Studies at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary near San Francisco.
Last fall, seminary trustees voted to name the intercultural studies school in honor of David and Faith Kim, of Santa Ana, Calif., who made a $5.25 million gift to Golden Gate Seminary in late 1995 to establish a school to educate students for cross-cultural mission mobilization to people groups across the United States and throughout the world.
Educational programs in the Kim school — such as the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies, Master of Divinity with a concentration in African American studies, Korean bilingual Master of Divinity, Master of Divinity in Missions and Teaching English as a Second Language certification — “empower men and women to enter new gateways of Great Commission ministry,” officials said.
“Wherever God calls our students, the seminary commits itself to shaping the kind of Christian leaders that are faithful to our Lord and effective in his service,” said William O. Crews, president of the seminary. Golden Gate is one of six Southern Baptist Convention seminaries and the only SBC agency in the western United States.
During dedication ceremonies Sept. 12, International Mission Board leadership development vice president Samuel James challenged students and event participants to ensure spiritual commitment is the power behind developing global strategies.
“I have seen strategies second to none and I have seen missionaries learn the culture and settle in with the people, but that is not enough,” James said. “There has to be the presence of the Lord Jesus and a depth of spirituality. There has to be the power of the Spirit and the glory of God on your life.”
Tom Wolf, the Baker James Cauthen Professor of World Missions at the seminary and director of the Kim school, held up the vision for creating “planned centers for accelerating the Great Commission” into the 21st century.
Using the development of the high-tech Silicon Valley as an example, Wolf said expansion of such mission centers must be characterized by: determined administration, practitioners who operate at the edge, an environment of innovation, and high-risk venture capital.
Crews reminded participants that with the dedication of the Kim school, the seminary celebrates what God has done: “Even before we knew this was a strategic place, God knew it was strategic” for his kingdom purposes.
Near the end of the dedication ceremonies, David Kim told seminary officials, “If there is anything worthwhile in what has been done, all glory goes to God.”
Faith Kim, who serves on the faculty of Golden Gate as associate professor of Christian education and intercultural studies, noted the occasion was a “defining moment in our mission … and in the life of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
