Q&A: Tom Phillips

Tom Phillips has ministered with Word of Life for 39 years, 22 of them in Florida. This May, he began a transition from director of Word of Life Florida to a new role that includes leading music teams from the New York and Florida campuses, advising the Florida ministry (now under the direction of Rich Andrews) and serving as camp director for the Island and Snow Camp. He sat down with Wayne Lewis this spring to talk about some of the changes and what he’s looking forward to.

Check out the complete interview here.

Q&A: Gary Ingersoll

Resident professor, Florida campus

Certain teachers seem as much a part of the Bible Institute as Scripture memory or chapter titles. But few have always been at Word of Life ... or even in ministry. The Florida campus has a former titan of industry (well, close enough) as one of its resident professors — a man whose Bible training went well beyond book studies.

Tell us how you ended up at the Bible Institute in Florida.

I came 3,200 miles, from the other corner of the country, to the Bible Institute in Florida as a “job transfer” in 1997. I had been a Word of Life missionary with Local Church Ministries in Washington state for 12 years. The opportunity to be a professor at the Bible Institute does not often present itself (after 15 years, I am still the newest professor at the U.S. campuses), so when I heard an extension campus was opening in Florida, I began asking about transferring to the new position of resident professor. Some five or six months later, we were moving to Florida! 

How did you get into teaching the Bible?

Educationally, my story begins in 1970, when I was in the second of a five-year program to become an engineer at General Motor Institute (now called Kettering University, in Flint, Michigan). It was then that I asked Jesus to be my Savior through the ministry at the nearby Riverdale Baptist Church. I earned my engineering degree in 1974, took an educational leave of absence from General Motors (I worked in things like “car crash-testing”), and enrolled at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. I earned a masters of divinity in 1978 and became the associate pastor at my Riverdale, my home church. An economic recession resulted in my losing my pastorate. So I returned to seminary in 1981-82 to get a masters in religious education and then took an associate pastorate at Bethany Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington. In 1985, I came on staff with Word of Life as a local church missionary to Washington state, where I served until moving to Florida.

What on earth took you from crash-testing cars to teaching the Bible? What did God do in your life?

Well, I got saved when I was a sophomore in college. I was in the second year of a five-year work study program to become an engineer with General Motors when it was the largest company in the world. By that point, I had been around Christian friends for some three years — first in high school and then again in college. I knew they had an inner joy, peace, and purpose I lacked in my life. But because of my background as a teen in theologically liberal churches, I had difficulty sorting out true from error in my understanding of Scripture — I thought I was somehow already a Christian who could work my way to Heaven!

I also came to understand before I was saved that to become a Christian meant that I must change my focus in life. I had natural abilities as an engineer, so I thought I could pursue that career, make a lot of money, and, of course, live happily ever after. Yet as a “seeker” of the truth about Jesus, I came to understand that His disciples were those who took up their own crosses to become true followers or disciples of Him. I believe that the Lord was calling me to salvation but also calling me to a greater purpose in life than I had up to that point. 

After I was saved, I had several long conversations with influential older Christians like my college calculus professor, Dr. Bolander. He and others helped me see how I could become a true disciple of my Lord Jesus. He encouraged me to finish my engineering degree (after all, the Lord may just want to use that in my future, too!) and to get involved in my local church. I worked with the teen program, which was involved with Word of Life, and began to help out at some evangelistic activities in our area.

As I became more involved in working with my local churches and helping them with their youth work, I began teaching on a regular basis. So, 20 years before I became a professor at the Bible Institute, I was teaching doctrinal studies to teens at my church each week. Little did I know that the Lord was going to use all of these as preparation to continue my work with young people at the Bible Institute in Florida.

How did you end up in Washington state?

The saddest day in Fran’s and my life had to be the day my ministry to the youth at Riverdale Baptist came to an end. There was a hard-hitting recession that resulted in a third of the people in Flint leaving town to find work. My church lost close to half its membership, so I became an unemployed youth pastor. Without work in Flint, I re-enrolled in seminary and also began working as a contract engineer designing machinery to make breakfast cereal for Post Cereal (I did things like design a better “raisin machine” that adds raisin to Post Raisin Bran!). 

I continued to look for full-time ministry in a local church, but nothing was available in Michigan. But we got in touch with Bethany Baptist in Seattle, which had contacted my seminary looking for possible pastoral candidates. I started Word of Life clubs there, became fast friends with the new local church missionary, and went to my first Word of Life camp the next summer in northern California.

What makes Word of Life unique, and why did you want to stick around?

My wife, Fran, and I first choose to come on staff with Word of Life and, from time to time over the past 27 years, have chosen to remain with Word of Life instead of moving on to some other ministry based upon one primary observation: Word of Life continues to afford the two of us a greater opportunity of service for our Savior, Jesus Christ, than anything else into which we could be investing our lives! We could be involved elsewhere, make more money, and perhaps gain greater fame or a more impressive title. Yet we have chosen to invest in the lives of the 120-plus young people that each year become our students. It is our goal to help them grow in their walks with the Lord as we pastor them like a “one-year youth group.” They truly become “our young people,” whom we love!

Do you have someone at Word of Life you would like to hear from in a Q&A? Email alumni@wol.org. 

Q&A: Greg Dyson.

QUICK FACTS:

Title: Dean of Admissions, New York campus
Education: Graduated from the Bible Institute in 1985; bachelors degree in Bible from Cedarville University; working on a masters in organizational leadership from Cairn University (formerly Philadelphia Biblical University)
Background: Has served in several local churches and Christian ministries, beginning with the First Baptist Church of Willingboro, New Jersey, where he was an associate pastor. Greg has also been the senior pastor at Church of the Acres in Springfield, Massachusetts. Greg worked as the Protestant chaplain at Springfield College and was the executive director of the Lion's Den youth ministry in Springfield before joining the Bible Institute staff this fall.

What have you been up to since attending the Bible Institute?
The most significant thing that has happened since graduation is marrying my wife Gina and raising our three daughters, Michaela, Miranda, and Jessica.

What does your current role at the Bible Institute include?
I am serving as the dean of admissions, and my role is to facilitate connections and relationships with future Bible Institute students and their families. Many people do not realize how academically strong and spiritually nurturing the Bible Institute can be. It is my desire that we will communicate this truth to a large amount of our alumni as well as a large amount of people around the world as we encourage new students to attend the Bible Institute.

What do you like most about your role?
I love the team I work with, and I love the interaction with potential students.

What does Word of Life do that you haven't seen happen elsewhere?
Word of Life entrusts so much ministry to young people, but not in a way where they are leaving the ministry to novices — rather, Word of Life is careful not to “despise” the youth (1 Timothy 4:12). Young people are allowed to be examples in every aspect of ministry.

What do you do in your free time? Do you have any interesting hobbies?
I enjoy riding motorcycles and riding a tandem bicycle with Gina -- as long as she pedals. Since 1984 when I saw one of my professors, Ray Namie, ride a motorcycle, I have been fascinated with wheels.

What do you remember most about your Bible Institute year? I remember the missions conference, when we created a missionary superhero named Tiny and strung him on a wire so he could fly into Council Hall.

And, of course, I remember meeting Gina. (Dean of Women) Ginny Newton told me that many couples who don't think they are dating actually end up getting married. She was right.

What advice do you have for fellow alumni?
Never forget what God did for you by bringing you to the Bible Institute.

What about for current students?
Remember that Word of Life is a first step. Begin by making strategic steps towards God's best future for you.

Do you have someone at Word of Life you would like to hear from in a Q&A? Email alumni@wol.org. 

Q&A: Jeff Lewis.

The newest dean of men at the Bible Institute’s New York campus has brought a measure of thrill-seeking to the Christian walk. While discipling students and teaching classes, Jeff Lewis makes the most of God’s creation, from kayaking in the summer to snowboarding in the winter — with hikes up and down the Adirondack Mountains in between.

Jeff’s path to ministering at the Bible Institute began at Schroon Lake. (Full disclosure: This dean of men comes highly recommended by the alumni director.) He grew up in the Word of Life family and attended the Bible Institute in 1998. He then studied Bible exposition and later Biblical counseling at The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, California and became resident director there. In 2009, he joined the Bible Institute staff at the New York campus, serving as the assistant dean of men for two years.

Now as dean of men, Jeff is responsible for the leadership development on campus. He also speaks at campus services, teaches electives, and helps with the Contemporary Issues class for second-year students.

What do you like about your role at the Bible Institute?

The thing I enjoy most about my job is its diversity and how it creates a number of different ways to interact with students. One day I may be talking through a significant family situation with a student over lunch, and the next we may be on the local ski mountain in one of the winter physical education classes.

What about the Bible Institute separates it from other schools and ministries?

One of the things I appreciate about the Bible Institute experience is the number of opportunities in which the students get to apply what they are learning in the immediate context of this campus and beyond. I have always appreciated how Word of Life puts an emphasis on taking what you have learned and looking for opportunities to serve.

Sparks of Ministry: Q&A with Doug Reider.

One man’s journey from electrical engineer to missionary in Poland to the Bible Institute’s Owen Sound campus

On how going to school for electrical engineering led to him being called to Eastern Europe:
I had always wanted to be an engineer and was good in math and the sciences. When I graduated from high school, I was encouraged to attend Bible college but felt that I already knew the Bible, having attended Christian school and church for most of my life. But the Lord began to convict me. I knew there was more purpose for my life than designing computers. It was in my last few weeks of university that I wanted to see change. A friend suggested I consider the Bible Institute, but I didn’t want to quit my job. Then he suggested I study the Bible at the graduate school level. By the time I finished at Capital Bible Seminary, the Lord led me to be part of what He was opening up in Eastern Europe.

On coming to Word of Life:
At the time, I was an associate pastor in my home church. The senior pastor suggested I consider Word of Life as a mission board, since they were already in Eastern Europe. I worked in computer operations at the Bible Institute, and met my wife, Sue Washburn, a fellow missions-minded Christian.

On ministering in a country that went from communism to Scripture memory cards:
After the Lord supplied our financial support, we moved to Poland with our year-old son, Sam. Most of what we did the first several years was language training, but a missionary wears many hats. I got to do all kinds of things, from speaking at camp, teaching in a seminary in Warsaw, and directing Bible Clubs to doing necessary computer work, laying out the Bible Club material, and cutting out every individual memory verse card (yes, somebody has to do it!).

On helping start a brand-new Bible Institute:
A lingering medical situation took us out of Poland, but the Lord had a plan: we moved to Owen Sound, Ontario, to organize and start the English-speaking Bible Institute there.

Since all of the staff (at Owen Sound) are also missionaries, we didn’t exactly have staff and couldn’t just go hire people. They, too, had to raise support. As little as 30 days before the Bible Institute opened in 2002, I was still the only staff person working full-time. Every letter that went out, I sent, and every phone call, I answered. But with the end of summer camp that year, all hands were on deck for that fall.

On challenging times:
The 11 months before the Bible Institute opened in Owen Sound were traumatic. John MacQueen, who handled all the maintenance on property, was killed in a tractor accident on Thanksgiving Day. The very week of registration, a second staff member, Craig Watson, was killed while driving from his home to campus to speak to the students who had come early for leadership training. The Bible Institute started with much pain. As a side note, both staff members who died were from the local area. Often we think that it’s missionaries on the other side of earth that die. Sometimes it’s when they’re in their hometown.

On the Bible Institute’s first decade, which has already given birth to a new spiritual generation:
We’re now in our 10th class at the Owen Sound campus. In fact, as I write, Missions Conference is going on. It’s exciting to see how the Lord has led the alumni from past years. Last year during a Campus Days while I was teaching theology, I was struck by the thought that the four pastors sitting in the room who had brought students to that Campus Days were all former students in Owen Sound! It’s exciting when I hear from alumni who are in ministry, whether they are pastors, missionaries, or working in their home churches. God continues to do great things!

Q&A: Joe Schenke.

We talked with Joe Schenke, the dean of students for the Bible Institute's New York campus since fall 2011, in a recent issue.

QUICK FACTS:

Education: Bible Institute, 1981-1982; bachelor’s from Trinity University; master’s in Biblical counseling from the Master’s College
Other ministry: Pastor of counseling and family ministry at Fellowship Bible Church in Sewell, New Jersey
Family: wife Connie; Tyler, 22; Curtis, 20; Kayla, 19; Ethan, 16

Q: What was your time as a pastor and counselor like?
A: I am so grateful for the time in local church ministry, where I saw firsthand how the local church is the primary long-term resource for the growing and changing that God provides for believers. One, among many, of the things that we were blessed to be part of  was seeing very practically and in a very real way how God transforms lives through the consistent teaching of His Word and through the dynamic of the “one-another” aspects among the members of the body of Christ.

We took what we learned from the 20 years of serving at Word of Life and incorporated it into the local church context. Now the reverse is true as well, in taking what God taught us serving in the local church in pastoral ministry and bringing it into what we now do at the Bible Institute.

Q: What benefits are there from experiencing different styles of ministry, and in different places?
A: It helps me not get stuck doing something the same way just because we have always done it that way.

Q: What do you think the Bible Institute’s value is today for this generation of young Christians?
A: The Bible Institute is a great place for a young person to transition from dependence on parents toward responsible independence.

I believe one of the unique challenges, among many, that this generation faces centers around the technology of information age in which we live. The Internet is a potentially tremendous tool of blessing filled with some incredible resources and information, but it can become corrupted by a fallen world and our own sinful hearts.

I see the desperate need for young men and women alike to establish within their hearts a “biblical firewall”  (Proverbs 4:23) to protect them from the unwanted intruders, the enemies of our soul, the world, the flesh and the devil that seek to destroy them like a malicious virus would attack our computers.

Q: Do you have any good stories about students?
A: I remember when someone unscrewed all the fluorescent light bulbs in Council Hall and no one could figure out what happened. What made it more confusing is there was an actual problem with the power on campus the day before, which played right into the mystery and distracted everyone from the possibility it was a prank.

That wasn’t even the funny part for me. It was in discovering who was behind it. This was a really creative prank, and it takes a clever student to think up something like that.  I began thinking of some of the pranks that were done in prior years, and for some reason, thought of a specific student from two years prior who had a brother at the Bible Institute that year. I began to wonder if it ran in the family. I saw him in the dining room at lunch and asked him to stop by my office that afternoon.

When he got to my office, I looked him in the eye, with that dean sort of stare, and asked, “Dave, what can you tell me about the lights in Council Hall?” There was a brief silence for three seconds. He cried out, “Mr. Schenke! I can’t believe it! How did you know it was me?!”

Q: After seeing the Bible Institute grow through three decades or so, where do you think the school will be three decades from now? Where do you hope or dream it will be?
A: To go forward, we must go back and learn how to be fresh and creative, while maintaining faithfulness to the Gospel message. The Bible Institute has a tremendous, rich heritage and has seen the blessing of God’s faithfulness. It is my prayer that the ministry of the Bible Institute will continue to be shaped by faithfulness to the message of the Gospel rather than being encumbered by outdated traditions on the one extreme or, on the other hand, conforming to the popularity and fashionability of the idol of relevance. In the end, it is only the timeless Gospel message that carries an eternal impact, and it is the only message that can truly make our ministry relevant.

Do you have someone at Word of Life you would like to hear from in a Q&A?
Email alumni@wol.org.