The Associated Baptist Press had an article last week on budget shortfalls at BTSR. The moderate Richmond seminary was founded as an alternative to conservative SBC seminaries. They are apparently facing the same problem as the mainline churches they have made their pattern. Namely, they are a liberal school faced with declining enrollment, bloated faculty, and declining (aging) support base.
The school is 6 million dollars in debt and running severely behind in its annual budget. For a mere 160 students (and who knows how many of those are actual resident students and not mere occassional "online" course takers), the school has 31 full time professors and administrators, not to mention 14 adjunct professors.
New President Ron Crawford's comments are not exactly encouraging: "I continue to say, ‘The future of BTSR is very bright, the short-term is worrisome ... BTSR will survive and, eventually, thrive. We fully anticipate going through a few very lean years.'"
The Biblical Recorder of NC ran the article by Robert Dilday. It will be interesting to see if the Religious Herald will do the same, given their tendency to keep on the sunny side with regard to all things moderate.
JTR
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