The End of an Era 

As many of you know, I’ve served for the past 17 years at Capital Bible Seminary (CBS) as Founding Chairman and Professor in the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship (MACCD) department. 

As some of you also know, in January of this year, Lancaster Bible College acquired Capital Bible Seminary. 

After much prayer and reflection, last week I notified the President and Vice President of Lancaster Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary that effective the end of this semester (May/June 2013), I would be concluding my tenure at Capital Bible Seminary. In case you are wondering—no burning of bridges. Instead, moving on in a good, healthy way. 

Still, it is a time of grieving. And a time of reflection. Seventeen years is a long time. I was just a kid then at the ripe young age of 36! My son who was 11 then, is now just 8 years younger than I was when I launched the MACCD. 

The Launch Years 

What do I most remember? The launch years were quite amazing. I broke my right wrist (I’m right-handed) sliding into second base in a church softball game right before I transitioned to CBS. So, I was typing with one hand the class notes for ten new courses that I would teach that year! 

I recall sitting down with the Board of Directors of the school and politely but firmly insisting that the D in the MACCD—Discipleship—had to be a part of the program name, and more importantly, the program culture. The MACCD would not simply equip people to do the work of the ministry. The MACCD would equip equippers—Ephesians 4:11-16. 

I also recall interviewing three dozen chairpersons of other Christian/biblical counseling graduate/seminary programs—seeking best practice insights. I certainly remember their response when I told them that the MACCD would require 60 semester hours with 30 of those in Bible/theology/principles of Bible study (with a Greek option) and 30 of those in biblical counseling and discipleship. 

“You’ll never have more than 5 students a year, at best. Those requirements are too high, too hard, too long, too demanding,” was their consistent feedback. 

Nonetheless, we charged ahead, perhaps naively, but definitely boldly with our 60 semester hour program. More than that, we decided that we would not accept more than 40 applicants a year (a rather bold decision seeing that most experts said we would not have 5 applicants!). We also decided that every applicant, in addition to the traditional graduate school/seminar application process, would have to complete a ten-page MACCD application and then sit down with me for a 90-minute personal interview. 

That first year we had more than 40 applicants wanting to be a part of the MACCD and we accepted 40 of them for our first year of equipping. At the high water mark of our program, we had over 150 students in any given year matriculating through our various MACCD concentrations (the average student took three-to-four years to complete their degree). And every year it was so rewarding and exciting to see so many MACCD students turn into MACCD graduates! 

Those first two years it was me and Neva—who worked about one day a week as the MACCD Administrative Assistant. I taught 5 courses the first semester and 5 courses the second semester—all new courses. Plus, we had two lab courses, one each semester. Every student met with me one hour every other week. That meant that in addition to launching the program and creating/teaching 5 courses per semester, I was providing one-on-one mentoring/discipling to 20 students per week. 

It was a wild first two years! A wonderful first two years! To this day, I know those first students better than some students in the next 15 years—because it was just them and me! I’m sure they got tired of me. To my face they affectionately called me, “Doc K.” I’ll never know what they said about me in their private prayers of lamentation! 

Thanks for the Memories 

I could name 100s of students…100s of graduates…100s of ministers…100s of counselors…100s of disciplers…100s of pastors… And I love them. And I am proud of them. But perhaps what I most cherish are my grandbabies. 

One of my students those first couple of years, Sister Ellen Barney, has since equipped over 1,000 LEADers—Lay Encouragers And Disciplers—at New Antioch Baptist Church of Randallstown, where her husband is Sr. Pastor (Ken Barney). 1,000! Sister Ellen invited me to speak at her first graduation banquet. Looking over the crowd of graduates as she introduced me, Ellen said: 

“Dr. Kellemen, these are your grandbabies! You trained me and I trained them.” Years later, she has introduced me saying, “Dr. Kellemen, these are your great-great-grandbabies. You trained me, I trained Sister Alexander, she trained Sister Miriam, and she trained these graduates!” 

Sister Ellen and these grandbabies are simply one example of 100s of “families of grandbabies” represented by the students who graduated from the MACCD and equipped others also. 

Much More Than Me 

Obviously, none of this would have happened without the Lord. To God be the glory! Looking back, I am especially thankful for my heavenly Father’s forgiving and welcoming love, my Savior’s amazing grace, and the Spirit’s empowering presence.

And, none of this would have happened without the visionary leadership of the “3 Dr. Hs.” I was hired and worked for President Heater, Dean Harton, and Assistant Dean Holiker—the 3 Dr. Hs. They, along with the Board, believed in the vision of the MACCD even when others told us we’d never have more than 5 students per year. 

The MACCD never would have survived and thrived without the support of my fellow seminary faculty members. I had graduated a dozen years earlier from a seminary that experienced “counseling wars” between the Bible/theology/language departments and the counseling department. Our CBS faculty worked together, supporting one another, defending one another, ministering to one another. 

In fact, one of the greatest memories I have is the day we voted unanimously to require every M.Div. student (the major seminary program for pastoral training) to take our two core classes—Discipleship Counseling 1 (our theology of biblical counseling course) and Discipleship Counseling 2 (our lab/methodology of biblical counseling course). The MACCD vision was impacting 100s of future pastors. 

The MACCD was never just “Doc K.” Again, at our high water mark, the MACCD faculty and staff totaled almost twenty people—secretary, administrative assistant, faculty members, lab mentors, assistant chair, chair. Our MACCD team meetings and our annual MACCD team retreat are memories I will never forget. I will forever treasure the mutual encouragement and spiritual friendship of my colleagues in the MACCD department.  

Reflective of the wonderful diversity of CBS, our twenty-member MACCD team was beautifully diverse—men and women of diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and ethnicity. Truly, the MACCD program and the MACCD team, like Capital Bible Seminary, were a small taste of heaven. 

The students—it doesn’t even seem like the right word—“students.” Friends. Mutual encouragers. The MACCD would not be the MACCD without the 100s of godly, committed, loving student-friends who not only grew in their ability to speak the truth in love, they helped me to grow in Christ. 

I’d love to start naming the students just like I’d love to start naming my colleagues. But I hear the music at the end of the awards presentation that signals it’s time to wrap up! And if I start naming names, I’ll never wrap up and I’ll surely leave out names of many who deeply touched me. 

I will name three names—Shirley, Josh, and Marie. Without my wife, my son, and my daughter, I never would have taken the position. We prayed about it together. We decided together. And we enjoyed the adventure together. 

It was about this time when the four of us searched the Scriptures to develop a Kellemen Family Mission/Vision/Passion Statement. Being Star Trek fans, we included a piece of “Trek lore” in our statement when we talked about, by God’s grace, boldly going where our family has never gone before. Through all those years, we never missed a dinner together. We enjoyed our every-evening game night. We participated together in sports (coach, players, fan). We worshipped together. We laughed together. We cried and hurt together. We grew together. Thank you, Shirley, Josh, and Marie for joining me on the MACCD journey. I love you.

What’s Next?

Some have asked, “What’s next?”

Well, for the MACCD, LBC/CBS plans to continue the program.

As for me, as most of you know, my full-time ministry is as Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. I also teach pastoral/biblical counseling at several schools, including Moody Theological Seminary and Faith Bible Seminary. And I continue to write, speak, and consult through my own RPM Ministries.

Join the Conversation

As you reflect on God’s leading in your life and ministry, what thankful memories do you have?

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth