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college of bible & ministry

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step into your calling

lipscomb’s college of bible & ministry integrates strong academics with spiritual formation and practical experience, equipping our students to confidently step into their desired field. faculty and staff pay special attention to the spiritual and relational well being of our student body by providing community events, annual retreats, and mentoring opportunities. to prepare them for job placement, students receive exceptional professional training, through academic conferences, internship fairs, and networking events. our desire is to produce well-rounded students who are founded in faith and prepared to pursue their calling with enthusiasm. we invite you to join us in christ’s mission in the world as we strive to serve with integrity and truth.

student taking notes in class

undergraduate programs

we offer six faith-focused majors that prepare you for ministry in the local church, missional work, worship ministry, bible education, nonprofit leadership, and more. we also offer five minors, for students seeking to add further depth in a specific area of theology and ministry.

view undergraduate programs
student reading a bible

graduate programs

as one of the only two schools in middle tennessee that is fully accredited by the association of theological schools, lipscomb will provide you with the strong academics and spiritual formation needed as you pursue the next step of your calling in ministry.

view graduate programs
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hazelip school of theology

with us, your degree is as much about academics as it is about the personal journey you take as you study scripture, church history, christian thought and ministerial formation. here, academic subject matters are put in conversation with the concerns of today’s practitioners. as one of the few ats-accredited graduate schools in the region, we offer real-world ministry experiences and quality academics.

about hazelip
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engage

lipscomb’s engage youth theology initiative is for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in exploring what it means to live a life of christian leadership and service. this initiative seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues and examine how their faith calls them to justice and service.

about engage

people

meet the key people who make up the college of bible & ministry.

  • leonard allen headshot

    leonard allen

    dean of the college of bible

    c. leonard allen serves as dean of the college of bible and ministry at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 . he taught bible, theology, ethics, and philosophy at the graduate and undergraduate level for...

    meet leonard allen
  • jp conway headshot

    jp conway

    assistant bible professor of christian ministry

    j.p. grew up in nashville. after high school at ezell harding christian school, he studied at abilene christian university (ba in youth and family ministry) and interned two summers at...

    meet jp conway
  • deron smith headshot

    deron smith

    director of accelerated pastoral leadership program

    deron came to lipscomb as dean of vocation and spiritual formation in july 2020 to join the wider mission of lipscomb to equip and educate students to reflect the character...

    meet deron smith
  • frank guertin headshot

    frank guertin

    assistant dean and associate professor

    frank guertin is assistant dean for the hazelip school of theology at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 and assistant professor of theology. guertin completed his bachelor's degree at ohio valley university and his...

    meet frank guertin
  • carlus gupton headshot

    carlus gupton

    director, doctor of ministry program

    carlus is from mayfield, kentucky. he began preaching at age 17 and has continued for over 45 years, broadening this work in 2001 to include training ministers. in addition to...

    meet carlus gupton
  • randy willingham headshot

    randy willingham

    adjunct faculty

    randy willingham is the director for the hazelip school of theology's competency-based theological education. he holds degrees from oklahoma state university, harding university, harding school of theology, and abilene christian university. his 1994 doctoral thesis ...

    meet randy willingham
  • mark black

    mark black

    adjunct faculty

    mark teaches luke-acts, synoptic gospels, new testament theology, corinthians, new testament exegesis, and biblical ethics. he has preached at the moreland ave church of christ in atlanta, the okolona church...

    meet mark black
  • lee camp headshot

    lee camp

    professor

    lee is an alabamian by birth. he met his wife laura at lipscomb as an undergrad (ba in computer science), and then did seminary at abilene christian university (ma and...

    meet lee camp
  • phillip camp headshot

    phillip camp

    professor

    phillip camp teaches old testament and hebrew courses. he is the author of "finding your way: a guide to seminary life and beyond" (cascade, 2009) and "living as the community...

    meet phillip camp
  • claire frederick headshot

    claire davidson

    program director of hs youth theology institute

    claire davidson frederick teaches in the college of bible and ministry at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 and serves as program director for the engage youth theology initiative, a public theology and racial...

    meet claire davidson
  • george goldman headshot

    george goldman

    professor

    george teaches courses in new testament, greek, and faith & culture. he received his b.a. and m.a. from 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 (1988, 1991), his m.div. from harding university graduate school of...

    meet george goldman
  • john mark hicks headshot

    john mark hicks

    adjunct faculty

    john mark hicks has taught full time in higher education among churches of christ since 1982 and is currently professor of theology at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 in nashville, tennessee. he has...

    meet john mark hicks
  • aaron howard headshot

    aaron howard

    assistant professor

    aaron teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in ethics. he holds a phd in ethics and society from vanderbilt university. an ma in theology & biblical studies from fuller theological seminary,...

    meet aaron howard
  • earl lavender headshot

    earl lavender

    professor

    earl was born to missionary parents in trieste, italy. he earned undergraduate degrees from ohio valley college and david lipscomb college (physical education and coaching).  he is married to the...

    meet earl lavender
  • kris miller headshot

    kris miller

    assistant professor

    kris miller joined the faculty of the college of bible and ministry in 2015, serving as assistant professor of theology and director of lipscomb's institute for christian spirituality. he has...

    meet kris miller
  • josh strahan headshot

    josh strahan

    professor

    josh teaches courses in biblical interpretation and the new testament. he received his bachelor's degree in bible from 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 in 2004, his master of divinity degree from abilene christian...

    meet josh strahan
  • walter surdacki headshot

    walter surdacki

    professor

    walter teaches various youth ministry and practical ministry courses. he completed his undergrad studies at the institute for christian studies (b.a., 1990), and graduate studies at pepperdine university (m.s....

    meet walter surdacki
  • paavo tucker headshot

    paavo tucker

    adjunct faculty

    paavo was born in nashville, and grew up in finland as a missionary kid before moving to the united states to go to college at freed-hardeman university. he attained his...

    meet paavo tucker
  • lauren white headshot

    lauren white

    assistant professor

    lauren smelser white has served as assistant professor of theology at lipscomb since 2018 and teaches various undergraduate and graduate courses in bible and systematic, historical, and contextual theology. she...

    meet lauren white
  • mike williams headshot

    mike williams

    professor

    mike graduated from the university of arizona with a bachelor's degree in 1986. he graduated from abilene christian university with a m. div. in 1991. he holds the doctorate in...

    meet mike williams
  • john york headshot

    john york

    adjunct faculty

    john has been part of the faculty of 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 since the fall of 1998. before becoming executive director and dean of 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 - austin center (luac), john was...

    meet john york

news

lipscomb bibles
faith
august 22, 2024

new undergraduate students receive bibles to begin new academic year
liza corso team usa
students
august 22, 2024

from tokyo to paris: corso set to represent team usa in paralympics for second time
freshmen gather in bison square following the morning questweek assembly.
students
august 19, 2024

世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 sets freshman enrollment record for second consecutive year
crissy and bill haslam
academics
july 22, 2024

bill and crissy haslam foundation establishes endowed professorship of faith and reason at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放

more news

blog

welcome alden bass, terry koonce distinguished chair of bible & ministry

“i’m excited to train people doing ministry in the field. i love theology, especially lived theology – theology on the ground,” said alden bass, the inaugural terry koonce distinguished chair of bible and ministry. bass’ love of theology led him to study religion at yale, vanderbilt and saint louis university, where...

fri, 08/16/2024 - 14:54
posted by grace evans

bible land adventures - a conversation with scott sager

seasoned travel leader and bible professor scott sager designed bible land adventures from his over thirty years of experience in israel. he kindly sat down with us to talk about this new book.

tue, 02/20/2024 - 14:39
posted by grace evans

speaking with god: probing old testament prayers for contemporary signficance

it started with a footnote. in his 2010 book, creation untamed: the bible, god, and natural disasters, terence fretheim noted that there had been little theological reflection on how the israelites had practiced prayer. intrigued, lipscomb professor phillip camp and other theologians spent the next seven years researching, discussing and contemplating...

thu, 01/25/2024 - 12:11
posted by grace evans

more blog posts

undergraduate programs

whether you feel called to nonprofit work, youth ministry, preaching, chaplaincy, christian education, or life in an intentional community, our undergraduate programs will equip you for a life of faith and service in ministry. our theology programs will provide you with a foundation of knowledge, tools and skills necessary for christian leadership and service. explore your options at lipscomb.

graduate programs

if you are considering entering or are already active in ministry, we offer a number of paths and majors for your walk with god. for example, our master of arts in christian practice degree includes theological studies that you can pursue alongside a graduate certificate program or additional coursework at our hazelip school of theology. all of our graduate programs are designed to provide you with advanced theological learning within practical ministry contexts.