This past spring marked the 50th anniversary of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), our EFCA school for training servants of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The focus of this celebration was on the gospel reflected in the biblical motto of TEDS, “entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4), and the theme of this anniversary, “50 Years of God’s Goodness and Faithfulness.”

As part of this celebration Scott Manetsch, Professor of Church History and the History of Christian at TEDS, wrote about the history of the “early years”:

Looking back fifty years later, the remarkable story of the birth of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the strategic leadership of Kenneth Kantzer as dean during the school’s formative “early years” (1963-1978) is a testimony to Christian vision, tenacity, and generosity; but even more, it is a striking example of God’s faithfulness to his church.

This excellent essay is not only informational of our EFCA denomination and our school, it will lead you to give thanks and praise to the Lord for his “goodness and faithfulness” in both allowing this school to be established and also his ongoing preservation of it through the years. To God’s glory this school has been used to teach, equip, train and send out students committed to defend the gospel once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3) and to do so in and through the local church.

I encourage you to read The Early Years to be encouraged, to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness, to be grateful to the many who served the Lord and the gospel faithfully through the years, and to pray that TEDS will remain faithful to the gospel into the future.