Dr.
Edgar Lee, vice president for Academic Affairs at the Assemblies of God Theological
Seminary will deliver the keynote address at the 29th Annual Commencement of the seminary
on Saturday May 4, 2002 at 2:30 p.m. at the Praise Assembly of God church in Springfield,
Mo.
Ninety-one degrees, including Doctor of Ministry, Master of Divinity, and Master of
Arts degrees will be awarded at the AGTS commencement to 89 graduates from 27 states
and 6 foreign countries. AGTS alumni currently serve in all 50 states and 125 countries.
Lee retires after 14 years as academic dean of AGTS. He will give his last sermon as
academic dean at the 2002 graduation ceremonies, and will transition to teaching classes
next fall as senior professor of Spiritual Formation and Practical Theology. Lee is
the first professor from AGTS to earn the prestigious title of senior professor, awarded
by the AGTS Board of Directors.
Prior to AGTS, Lee served as professor and vice president for Academic Affairs at Southeastern
College in Lakeland, Fla. He was the founder and senior pastor of Calvary Assembly of
God in Atlanta, Ga. Last summer Lee received the Distinguished Administrator Award,
given by the Assemblies of God Commission on Higher Education to an academic administrator
with outstanding qualities of administrative excellence, spiritual character, and a
lifetime commitment to post-secondary education.
Among Lee's many contributions to the seminary, AGTS president Byron
D. Klaus commended Dr. Lee's role as chair of the accreditation steering committee
that resulted in the seminary receiving a 10-year reaffirmation from both the North
Central Association and the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada,
the highest level of accreditation available to seminaries in the U.S.
"While I have been called to be a church planter, pastor, and district officer,
my special calling has been to the education of men and women for service around the
world," Lee said.
Highlights of this year's graduation activities include a public Doctor
of Ministry symposium on Friday, May 3, 2002 at 12:30 p.m. in the AGTS chapel. "The
Doctor of Ministry in Pentecostal Leadership is a professional, in-service degree program
designed to shape leaders who will change the world in the power of the Spirit. One
phase of the program is the writing of a doctoral project embodying field research from
the participant's own ministry context," Klaus said.
(Posted 4/17/02)
