Servant of the Word and Flock
The 1980s 87 project, was President, and Dr Charles Smith was called from Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, to be the Dean and the Vice President. Subsequently Dr Richard L. Mayhue, who was an associate with MacArthur at the church from 1980 to 1984, returned to Grace to join the faculty in 1989, becoming
Dean and Senior Vice President.
In a Grace to You letter of September 1986, MacArthur wrote of the features that were his vision for the new seminary. They included:
1. A faculty committed to nurture, not just to lecture.
2. A commitment to small-group discipling relationships between students and faculty members. 3. A focus on high-quality personal, educational, and ministerial development. 4. The cultivation of an attitude of worship and spiritual devotion. 5. An expositional curriculum and ministry model. 6. An internship program that complements the student's program of study. 7. A program designed to culminate in ordination for ministry. 8. A placement ministry committed to assisting each graduate in the early years of ministry. 9. A positive outlook focusing on biblical certainties and God's grace rather than critical theories or reactions. 10. A chapel program carefully structured for specific spiritual goals related to Christian living and ministry. 11. The cultivation of a worldwide vision through involvement in evangelism and missions. 12. A discipling ministry available for each seminarian's wife and family.
13. Effective training in leadership attitudes and skills.
In all the expansion of the 1980s there were at least two dangers of which MacArthur was conscious. He was aware of how some preachers built para-church organizations which weakened rather than benefited the churches at large. Their