Where Are They Now? Dr. Joseph Stowell

Dr. Joseph Stowell is an internationally recognized conference speaker who has written several books and works with a variety of Christian organizations. His ministry began in the 1970s, though, when he not only pastored churches in the Midwest but also was an early guest lecturer at the newly founded Bible Institute in New York.

Dr. Stowell taught Philippians and Genesis, and he also gave special separate devotions for the guy and girl students on dating and personal relationships.

After 17 years pastoring in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, Dr. Stowell served as the president of Moody Bible Institute from 1987 to 2005. He also preached at churches and conferences and wrote books, booklets, and magazine articles. He’s been the president of Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan) since 2008 and also has an Internet ministry with Radio Bible Class Ministries. He and his wife, Martie, have three adult children and 10 grandchildren.

What was your first connection with Word of Life?
As a boy growing up in Hackensack, New Jersey, I would often go to the Word of Life meetings held in Times Square in New York City. Later, I asked my girlfriend to marry me on the beach in Schroon Lake. She was a waitress at the Inn.

What are some of your memories from teaching at the Bible Institute?
I loved the interaction with the students and the teaching atmosphere (in Council Hall).

Whose life has impacted yours the most spiritually, and why?
My father, my wife, Howard Hendricks, and Haddon Robinson. My dad, for his character and faithful service to Christ. My wife Martie’s godly life and wise perspectives. Howard Hendricks, for his love of God’s Word, and Haddon Robinson, for teaching me how to preach. Plus many others who have influenced me along my journey with Christ.

How do you want to be remembered?
As a faithful servant of Christ whose life and ministry reflected well on Jesus and brought glory to His name. As a good husband, loving father, and faithful friend.

What one thing would you like to communicate with our alumni?
Love God! Love others!

Dr. Stowell will be speaking at next spring’s Founder’s Conference (March 27-29).

Where Are They Now: Guest Lecturers.

One of the best parts of the Bible Institute is the wide variety of guest lecturers students get to learn from each year. Many of these guest lecturers are also involved in ministries and schools where Bible Institute alumni are now. Here’s a rundown of this year’s guest lecturers for the different campuses, including where they’re coming from and what they’re teaching. You may be able to make a connection.

New York, First Year

• Dr. Wendell Calder, founder of Local Church Evangelism, evangelist,
  conference speaker (James)
• Bruce Scott, field ministries director for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (Matthew)
• Dr. Larry Moyer, founder and CEO of Evan Tell, Inc. (Personal Evangelism)
• Dr. John Master, professor emeritus at Cairn University, Langhorne, Pennsylvania (Leviticus)
• Dr. Jimmy De Young, evangelist and conference speaker (Revelation 6-22)
• Dr. Doug Bookman, director of student recruitment, professor of New Testament at Shepherds Theological Seminary (Passion Week)
• Rev. Bill Boulet, senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Lakeland, Florida (Revelation 1-5)
• Dr. Chris Gnanakan, executive director of Outreach To Asia Nationals in Winchester, Virginia (Acts)
• Mr. Don Lough Jr., executive director of Word of Life Fellowship (1 Peter)
• Mr. Mark Strout, executive dean of Word of Life Bible Institute
  (Bible Survey, Daniel)
• Mr. David Payne, associate pastor at Spring Hill Bible Church in Brooksville, Florida (Hebrews)
• Dr. Dan Anderson, president of Appalachian Bible College, Mount Hope, West Virginia (Ezra)
• Dr. Ray Pritchard, author and conference speaker, president of Keep Believing Ministries (Galatians)
• Mr. Mike Calhoun, special assistant to the director for ministry development, Word of Life Fellowship (Ecclesiastes)
• Rev. Dave James, conference speaker, The Alliance for Biblical Integrity (Church History 3)
• Rev. John Bouquet, senior pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, Savannah, Ohio (1 Corinthians)
• Rev. Ric Garland, vice president of Word of Life Local Church Ministries (Proverbs)
• Dr. Ken Cleaver, associate professor, Church History and Theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia (Church History 1)
• Dr. Marshall Wicks, associate academic dean at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus (Eschatology)
• Dr. Terry Mortenson, lecturer, researcher with Answers in Genesis (Creationism)
• Dr. James Jeffery, president of Baptist Bible College (Ecclesiology)
• Dr. Ben Gutierrez, professor at Liberty University (Philippians)
• Dr. Charles Scheide, former pastor and former associate academic dean at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus (Pastoral Epistles)
• Dr. Thomas White, president, Cedarville University (Pneumatology)
• Dr. Steve Viars, senior pastor and Nouthetic counselor at Faith Baptist Church, Lafayette, Indiana (Counseling)
• Mr. Gerald Franz, former college librarian and professor at Hodges University (Church History 2)
• Dr. Tom Davis, academic dean, Word of Life Bible Institute (Theology)

New York, Second Year

• Dr. Richard Emmons, pastor and professor at Cairn University
  (Genesis 12-50)
• Mr. Mike Calhoun (Philosophy)
• Dr. Jim Bjornstad, former professor at Cedarville University (Cults 1 & 2)
• Mr. Bruce Peterson, founder of Total Life Management (Leadership)
• Dr. Dan Anderson, president of Appalachian Bible College, Mount Hope, West Virginia (Nehemiah)
• Mr. Gary Ingersoll, professor at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus
  (Children’s Ministries)
• Dr. Marshall Wicks (Contemporary Issues 1, Theological Methodology)
• Dr. Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College in Dallas, Texas (Contemporary Issues 2)
• Dr. Tom Davis, Executive Dean Mark Strout, Dean of Students Joe Schenke, Dean of Men Jeff Lewis (Contemporary Issues 3)
• Mr. Kris Stout, vice president of Word of Life International Ministries (Discipleship)
• Dr. Steve Wilt, general director of Fellowship International Mission, Allentown, Pennsylvania (Prayer)
• Dr. Matt McAlack, professor at Cairn University (History of Christian Education)
• Dr. Wendell Calder (2 Corinthians)
• Rev. Doug Reider, associate academic dean at Bible Institute’s Owen Sound campus (1 John)
• Dr. Russell Woodbridge, professor at Kiev Theological Seminary, Kiev, Ukraine (Personal Finances)
• Mr. Don Lough, Jr. (Spiritual Gifts)
• Mr. Sean Pierce, director of Northeast Church Planting in Schenectady, New York (Church Planting)
• Mr. Tom Phillips, director of Youth Camps and Music, Word of Life Fellowship (Christian Manhood)
• Rev. Glenn Amos, pastor at Heritage Baptist in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania (Life Transitions)
• Dr. Emir Caner, former Muslim and president of Truett-McConnell College (Islamic Evangelism)
• Rev. Tom Simcox, church ministries training coordinator at Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Bellmawr, New Jersey (Jewish Evangelism)
• Dr. Larry Moyer (Evangelistic Public Speaking)
• Rev. Frank Eberhardt, founding director of Gospel Outreach International to Roman Catholics (Roman Catholic Evangelism)
• Dr. Charles Scheide (Local Church Administration)
• Mrs. Joy White, adjunct professor at Cedarville University
  (Women’s Ministries)
• Dr. Randy Patten, executive director, National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (Counseling 2)

Florida

• Dr. Ray Pritchard (James, Daniel)
• Mr. Tom Phillips (Judges)
• Mr. Mark Strout (Genesis 1-11, Eschatology)
• Dr. Larry Moyer (Personal Evangelism)
• Rev. Bill Boulet (Revelation 1-5)
• Dr. Tom Davis (Leviticus, Revelation 6-22)
• Mr. Bruce Scott (Matthew)
• Dr. Steve Wilt (1 Peter)
• Rev. John Bouquet (John)
• Mr. David Payne (Hebrews)
• Dr. Wendell Calder (Acts, Galatians, Ephesians)
• Dr. James Jeffery (Ecclesiology)
• Dr. John Master (Philippians)
• Dr. Jerry Franz (Church History 2)
• Mr. Mike Calhoun (Ecclesiastes)
• Dr. Dan Anderson (Ezra)
• Rev. Tom Simcox (Church History 3)
• Dr. Steve Viars (Counseling)
• Dr. Charles Scheide (Pastoral Epistles)
• Rev. Ric Garland (Proverbs)
• Dr. Ken Cleaver (Church History 1)
• Mr. Adam Christmas, professor at Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida (Pneumatology)
• Dr. Marshall Wicks (Theology)
• Mr. Gary Ingersoll (Bible Survey)

Owen Sound

• Dr. Wendell Calder (James)
• Rev. John Cross, evangelist, author (Evangelism)
• Rev. Steve Hobbs, pastor, Vincent Baptist Church, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania (Haggai/Malachi)
• Dr. Ken Gardoski, professor, Baptist Bible Seminary (1 Corinthians)
• Rev. Dave James (Church History)
• Dr. Jimmy DeYoung (Revelation )
• Rev. Ken Fillmore, pastor, The Peoples Church, Truro, Nova Scotia (Galatians)
• Rev. Steve Faulkner, pastor, Emmanuel Bible Church, Simcoe, Ontario (Proverbs)
• Rev. Bob Snell, pastor, First Baptist Church, Waterloo, Ontario (Ecclesiology)
• Rev. Frank Roe, representative , ABWE Canada (Acts)
• Rev. John Boyd, pastor for more than 40 years in the Maritimes, Ontario, and the U.S. (Ephesians)
• Rev. Paul Harbourne, pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church, Collingwood, Ontario (Hebrews)
• Rev. Matthew Little, president, New Brunswick Bible Institute (2 Peter/Jude)
• Dr. Gary Gromacki, professor, Baptist Bible Seminary (Genesis)
• Rev. Jeff Eastwood, associate pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (John)
• Dr. Ronald Gibson, retired professor, Lancaster Bible College (Daniel)
• Rev. Mark Lowrie, pastor, South End Fellowship Baptist Church, Owen Sound, Ontario (Judges)
• Dr. Wayne Strickland, provost, Multnomah University, Portland, Oregon (Church History)
• Dr. Charles Scheide (Pastoral Epistles)
• Dr. Tom Davis (Leviticus)
• Dr. Marshall Wicks (Pneumatology)
• Mr. Gary Stairs, former executive director, Word of Life Canada (John,
  Church History)
• Mr. Mark Strout (Eschatology)
• Mr. Scott Foreman, executive director, Word of Life Canada (Matthew)
• Mr. John Fogle, academic dean, Word of life Bible Institute Philippines (Joshua)
• Rev. Joe Schenke (Counseling)

 Jeju

• Rev. Ric Garland (James)
• Dr. Gary Gromacki (Genesis 1-11)
• Mr. Brad Quackenbush, Apt to Teach Ministries (Exodus, Judges, Ruth)
• Dr. Randy Faulkner, senior pastor, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Oklahoma City (Joshua)
• Mr. Bob Anderson, founder/director of Trail's End Ranch (Matthew)
• Mr. Steve Nicholes, associate dean at the Bible Institute's Jeju campus (Leviticus)
• Mr. David James (Hebrews)
• Dr. Jeff Billingsley, former pastor and teacher for Walk Thru the Bible (Acts)
• Mr. Joe Schenke (Biblical Counseling)
• Dr. Paul Holritz, Biblical Ministries Worldwide (1&2 Timothy/Titus)
• Mr. Mark Hall, missionary director for Word of Life Bermuda (1 Peter)
• Mr. Mark Strout (Ephesians, Bible Geography, Israel Study Trip)
• Dr. David Dean, professor of Bible and Systematic Theology at Yan Fook Bible Institute, Hong Kong (Daniel)
• Dr. William Ki, professor at Yan Fook Bible Institute (Church History)
• Dr. Mike Eiras, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Dent, Ohio (Galatians)
• Dr. Jerry Kroll, pastor emeritus, Heritage Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia (2 Peter/Jude)
• Dr. Wendell Calder (Philippians)
• Pastor Dave Merkh, missionary, Word of Life Seminary, Atibaia, Brazil (Proverbs)
• Dr. Charles Savelle, adjunct professor, Criswell College, Dallas, Texas (Revelation)

Where Are They Now? Dr. John Whitcomb.

About Dr. John Whitcomb:
*Taught from 1981-2012 on the New York campus
*Also taught in Florida, Owen Sound, Philippines, Brazil, Germany, Argentina

Get to Know Dr. John Whitcomb:

What did you enjoy most about teaching at the Bible Institute?
The enthusiastic response of the students to the teaching of the Word of God.

What are some of your favorite memories from the Bible Institute?
Young people being illuminated, encouraged, and enlightened to take the message of God’s Word all over the world, and international students coming to the Bible Institute who then took God’s Word to their country.

What makes the Bible Institute different from other schools?
It’s very biblical and not compromised in any area — creation, eschatology, and everything in between! God is Alpha and Omega and everything in between.

What has been your favorite part about teaching God's Word throughout your lifetime?
The fact I don’t have to prove the Bible. The Holy Spirit does the work.

What do you enjoy most about your current time of life?
Staying at home a little bit more to catch up on my desk work. Being able to do radio and the writing of articles and books from home.

Who are some people who have been an encouragement to you? Why? What have they done?
Tom Davis and Marshall Wicks, who were former students of mine. They are now staff at the Bible Institute, and they encourage me every time I see them. Can I mention one more? Jack Wyrtzen! (big chuckle) He was bubbly, glowing, and loved sharing the Gospel. He acted like he loved Jesus!

What is one thing you want to leave with the next generation of Bible students and future Bible teachers?
My life verse, 2 Timothy 2:2: “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Dr. Whitcomb is considered a key spokesman for the modern biblical creationism movement, a pursuit that began after he was brought up learning the theory of evolution but was convicted that those teachings did not line up with the Bible. He used his breadth of knowledge in history and the Old Testament to teach and write extensively on the topic, including his books The Early Earth, The World that Perished, Esther: The Triumph of God’s Sovereignty, The Genesis Flood, and Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth, which was written in his honor.

Dr. Whitcomb also has a particular passion for global ministry, stemming from a childhood in Asia and service in World War II. He helped establish a church in Puerto Rico and did missions work in Peru and China. He was president of the Board of Spanish World Gospel Missions for more than 40 years.

After earning his bachelors at Princeton University, Dr. Whitcomb received his masters and doctorate at Grace Theological Seminary, where he also taught theology for nearly 40 years. He is the founder and president of Whitcomb Ministries.

Click here for some memories of Dr. Whitcomb from the associate academic dean at the Bible Institute's Owen Sound campus, Doug Reider. 

Dr. Whitcomb: Leaving an impression on the Owen Sound campus.

Memories about Dr. John Whitcomb from Doug Reider, associate academic dean of the Bible Institute's Owen Sound campus

*Dr. Whitcomb taught Genesis 1-11 for eight years.

*Even during the SARS outbreak, while he was still recovering from chemotherapy, he was willing to come to Ontario.

*He greeted students from foreign countries in their own language, showing his amazing ability to remember languages.

*At one point, I discussed with him that I had been looking to read Darius the Mede, which was out of print and very hard to find but is universally referenced when discussing the book of Daniel. He jokingly said it was the worst-selling book that Zondervan ever published. The next year, he brought his last copy for me to read. For as technical a book as it was, it was amazingly good to read.

*Dr. Whitcomb’s fantastic ability to remember people and details really set him apart. Many Owen Sound alumni would comment to me that he remembered them when he saw them at second year in New York. Clearly, he would get to know the students in Owen Sound a bit better due to the class size, but he would also ask me about certain students the next year. He might not have immediately recalled the name, but he would remember the people.

Click here to read The Victory Journal's "Where Are They Now?" with Dr. John Whitcomb.

Where Are They Now? Dr. Tom Taylor.

Church History teacher Dr. Tom Taylor was a Bible Institute favorite for years, and countless alumni have their own stories to tell about the always-entertaining instructor. Shirley Richards from the Bible Institute’s New York campus checked in with Dr. Taylor and his wife, Ruth, to see how the Taylors are doing and to collect some memories for alumni to enjoy. Dr. Taylor has had an uphill climb this year as he recuperates from breaking his hip in October. Please join us in praying for Dr. Taylor’s recovery as we remember what made him one of the best.

Dr. Taylor was a guest lecturer at the Bible Institute from 1971 to 2010, including trips to the Florida and Owen Sound campuses once they started. That meant up to six weeks of teaching each spring, sometimes finishing in Canada on a Friday and driving all the way to Florida for the next week’s classes.

Dr. Taylor took on the nearly impossible task of teaching 2,000 years of Church History in 20 class hours. He had a gift for making all the details about people, places, and various “things” interesting by adding his sense of humor to the lectures. He was also known to give a harmonica concert or two during the class week, which students always enjoyed.

When I worked with Dr. Taylor and other guest lecturers, he would write “story tests” in which the test questions were embedded in the storyline. One line from a story test had a sentence that read, “The pastor knew that his church was being persecuted by the neighborhood when he found a cactus leaf on the pulpit chair.”

Ruth Taylor says her husband always found their weeks at the Bible Institute exciting and profitable, with both of them blessed by the students and faculty, their dependence on the Lord, and their happy spirit. One memory she mentioned is of the time Dr. Taylor said in a lecture that he always picked up pennies when he saw them on the street. The next morning, there were pennies all over the platform.
The 2002 yearbook for the New York campus, which was dedicated to Dr. Taylor, had more to say about the man it called “everyone’s favorite Church History teacher.”

“Dr. Taylor feels that people do not know enough about the history of the church, and he wants to keep them informed,” the dedication said. “He especially enjoys teaching at Word of Life because ‘I can use the same jokes every year!’ He loves keeping his students interested by telling of his wedding day, of which he claims, ‘I barely survived, and it was too much work!’ He loves to invest individual time in his students’ lives and distinctly remembers having Dr. Davis and Dr. Wicks in his classroom.”

The dedication also noted, “He warns future students that he is in the process of making new tests and says that they should probably begin studying immediately.”

Dr. Taylor left those students with some words of wisdom: “Always take advantage of the time God has given you to study His Word, and always remember to set our minds on the things above.”

Dr. Taylor also spoke at many Word of Life conferences and banquets, and he enjoyed fishing and gardening in his free time. (It’s an exciting day when the seed catalogs arrive!) He has also written a book, Your Old Testament Tool Box.

I am thankful for the ministry of the Taylors over the years, and I’m sure students have great memories of his classes, too.

Feel free to share your memories of Dr. Taylor on our alumni Facebook group, or send them to alumni@wol.org if you want to be an encouragement to Dr. Taylor at this time.