Campbell Divinity School celebrates heritage and future

     Unexpected thundershowers kept the Campbell University Divinity School from having “dinner on the ground” after the 10th anniversary and commissioning service on Sept. 20. Like this old tradition, the Divinity School has remained true to its mission of being Christ-centered and Bible-based, even though the past 10 years have brought tremendous change.
     “Ten years ago on September 21, 1995, the Campbell University Board of Trustees voted to begin the Divinity School,” said Dean Michael Cogdill speaking to over 600 supporters, alumni, students and colleagues of the Divinity School. “The school opened a year earlier than planned, in 1996, and has been setting records ever since.”
     Cogdill went on to enumerate a decade of accomplishments. In 1997, the Divinity School admitted its first class, 84 students, and in May 2005, the number of graduates surpassed 200. The school gained full accreditation from The Association of Theological Schools in 2002, six years after opening its doors and two years earlier than most divinity schools. Also in 2002, the school initiated a new and much-needed Hispanic Theological Education program. In 2004, the Divinity School’s Doctor of Ministry program was added and an endowment of $14.2 million and 346 endowed scholarships were reported.
     “The founding vision to be Christ-centered, Bible-based and ministry-focused is still the guiding principle of the Divinity School,” Cogdill said. “Jesus Christ is what brings us together, what keeps us together and will help us continue.”
     The school also acknowledged two of the most important contributors to its success, Dr. Roy J. Smith and Dr. Thomas C. Womble. Executive director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) in 1995, Smith helped secure funding for the Divinity School and Womble, associate executive director of the BSC, helped create a funding plan to assist students of the Divinity School.
     Dr. George Bullard, interim executive director of the BSC, and Dr. Larry Hovis, North Carolina Cooperative Baptist Fellowship coordinator, brought greetings. “You are a part of us,” said Bullard. “You are intertwined with North Carolina Baptists and wow, we are so proud of you.”
     Dr. Daniel Vestal, coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, delivered the keynote address on the meaning of “global Christianity.”
     “The vitality and vibrance of this Divinity School is attracting students and your future is very bright,” he said, “but the future of the church in North America will be determined by people who discern God’s mission in the world and that mission is global. The growing disparity between the rich and the poor, between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is your problem, it is our problem.”
     The service concluded with the commissioning of new students. The Campbell Divinity School welcomed 45 new students this fall.

Photo Copy: Dr. Jerry M. Wallace, president of Campbell University, left, recognizes Dr. Roy J. Smith, former executive director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, at the 10th anniversary and commissioning service of the Campbell Divinity School. Smith was instrumental in helping to establish the Campbell Divinity School. (Photo by Bennett Scarborough)