"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:1?2)

With this charge, the apostle Paul launched a process of ministry training that has continued in various forms throughout the centuries. In 1971, this process took shape in the form of an adult evening school called The New York School of the Bible (NYSB). Conceived in the heart of Dr. Stephen F. Olford, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, NYSB opened its doors that first year to 685 students who enrolled in 22 courses taught by 8 faculty members. Thirty-three years later, NYSB offered 140 courses taught by 22 faculty members to the 1,150 students who attended the school in 2004-2005. Since the school's inception, thousands of New Yorkers have come to NYSB to be entrusted with Biblical truth so that they would be prepared to "teach others also."

The New York School of the Bible represents a form of educational ministry that took root in American soil and spread around the globe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the most prominent Bible institutes has been Moody Bible Institute located in Chicago. Dr. Lawrence Cremin of Teachers College, Columbia University, labeled Moody "one of the most innovative educational institutions of the era." By the time NYSB was founded as a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in 1971, many of these institutes had upgraded themselves to fully accredited undergraduate colleges. Unfortunately, not one accredited evangelical college was operational in New York City in 1971.

Well acquainted with the need for Christian education after a decade of ministry in the city, Dr. Olford's vision for a school to "train Christians for ministry" came to fruition when he invited Dr. Joseph C. Macaulay to serve as NYSB's first dean. Dr. Macaulay was a former faculty member at Moody and had served as the dean of a successful Bible institute at Park Street Church in Boston. Dr. Macaulay laid a secure foundation for NYSB as he articulated six objectives.

With these marching orders, six deans--Joseph C. Macaulay, 1971-79; Lewis H. Worrad, Jr., 1979-81; F. Eugene Guest, 1981-85; William F. Cobb, 1985-92; Kevin L. Rhodes, 1992-2005; and Michael D. Velardo, 2008-; and six registrars (with five assistants)--Doreen Macaulay Edgar (Lisa Ledlow), Lynn Moore Brollier, Nita Doke, Mamie Kamada, Anthony Powers (Sharita Hunt), and Billy W. Nelson (Ms. Hunt, David Meyer, Hope Rodgers, and Linda Burstion)--have provided innovative leadership that has resulted in a highly popular ministry among Christians from many churches in the city.

Along the way, NYSB has sought to meet the varied interests and needs of its students. This has resulted in an astounding variety of courses built around a core curriculum that features Bible, theology, and ministry development studies. Over the years, affiliations were forged with the American Board of Missions to the Jews, Nyack College, Alliance Theological Seminary, the Evangelical Teacher Training Association, and Seminary of the East. Branch campuses were established for short periods of time in Roselle Park (NJ), Flushing, Westchester County, Chinatown, Brooklyn, and Clifton (NJ). Courses have been offered in Spanish and French. Tours have been hosted to Israel, Egypt, and Greece. Training modules were established in: Missions, Teacher Training, Christian Education, Youth, Leadership Development, Pastoral Continuing Education, and Church Planting Team Development. Various one-day seminars, two Urban Christian Education Conferences, and a Christian Ministries Conference have been hosted. In 1993, the Certificate Program was completely upgraded. The Worldview Apologetics Certificate was added in 1994-95. The Institute for Biblical Leadership was formed in 1995-96. The Muslim Ministries Certificate program, geared to teach what Islam is and how to witness to Muslims, was introduced in 2000-01. In that same year, a Saturday morning program offering the first-year certificate courses was instituted; the second-year courses, in 2001-02; and the third-year courses and the Worldview Apologetic certificate courses, in 2002-03. The Christian Education Certificate program was introduced in 2003-04. Both the Theater Arts and the Personal and Church Development programs began in 2004-05. In 2007, a Children's Minsitry program was added to the Christian Education certificate program, as well as a Church History Certificate program.  For 2008-09, the 2-year intensive programs for the Old and New Testaments individually will debut.  Plans are still in motion to add a certificate program that covers all 66 biblical books, in the traditional course format, in a chronological order.

With tens of thousands having already studied at The New York School of the Bible, we wait upon God to see what His plans and purposes are for the future. In the meantime, the faculty and staff of the school will continue Paul?s mandate to seek out faithful men and women who want to know the Word of God so that they "will be able to teach others also."

To God be the glory!

Doctrinal Foundation of NYSB