Published September 23, 2019 in Summit Magazine
Dr. Wayne Slusser: Dean of Baptist Bible Seminary, Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Teaching experience: 19 years
Education: B.S. in Environmental Design from University of Oklahoma; M.A. and M.Div. from Baptist Bible Theological Seminary; Ph.D. from Baptist Bible Seminary
Career Path: Landscape designer; co-pastor of a church plant; associate professor, dean of ministry studies and dean of theological seminary at Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Missouri; dean of Baptist Bible Seminary at CSU
Hobbies: Coaching soccer, landscape design, playing sports with his two boys, walking and exercising with his wife Melissa, assistant coaching for an Abington soccer club, co-president (with his wife) of Friends of Abington Heights Soccer
Home Sweet CSU: “I love working and ministering at CSU, plain and simple. Having the privilege to minister in two different roles, as seminary dean and as the women’s soccer coach, gives me the opportunity to affect lives inside and outside the classroom or on and off the field. The focus is the same—to assist the students to know God’s Word better; to grow in and through His Word so they may thereby help facilitate growth in others. In a word, it’s ‘discipleship.’ This is exactly what is taking place in the classroom and on the soccer field: discipleship. My coaching philosophy is not any different from my teaching philosophy. Both are all about student growth.”
Favorite class to teach: Greek exegetical methods “This is the class where the pieces and parts of biblical Greek come together, and the students get to see first-hand how God’s Word can come alive, especially in the original language, not only to minister to others, but also, to minister to their own hearts.”
Little-known fact: “As a senior in high school, I bought a 1969 convertible Volkswagen Beetle (bug) for $300 and completely restored it (white with a black top—it was sweet!)”
Recent reads: “Don’t Waste your Sports” by C. J. Mahaney, “A Peculiar Glory” by John Piper, “The Pastor Theologian” by Gerald Hiestand & Todd Wilson, “Greek for Life: Strategies for Learning, Retaining, and Reviving New Testament Greek” by Benjamin L. Merkle and Robert L. Plummer
What has teaching taught you? “Teaching has taught me to be prepared, to be humble, to be a life-long learner and to remember: God is still continually teaching me—He’s not done with me yet, and I don’t know everything.”
Why do you teach? “I teach because I want my students to learn God’s Word so they are equipped to use their knowledge to love and serve people, to be devoted to an accurate understanding of God’s Word and ultimately to receive the scriptural insight needed for life-long ministry. For me, it is about the growth of my students. I want them to engage and connect with their culture. However, I want them to do so without compromising to that culture and its values. They must address the culture with a careful, truthful and compassionate presentation of Scripture, especially since today’s culture rejects absolutes and the authority of Scripture…I teach because it is an opportunity to help students…Perhaps the most important question I must ask is not, ‘what can I teach my students?’ But rather, ‘how can I help my students learn?’ It is not about me; it’s about the students. I get the privilege to disciple them!”
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