Dr. Fred Guilbert, our former President, described a typical CTS student with these words:  �He is probably between the ages of 35 and 40, married and needing to maintain his job to support his family. He may have had some college. Often he has responded to the call to Christian service later in life and so does not feel he has the option of attending seminary full-time. He may be a bi-vocational minister who longs to study the Word of God in a disciplined and directed professional program.  He finds the flexible schedule of CTS ideal for him.�

Dr. Bret Sullivan, Dean of Extension Schools, describes the dilemma of a young pastor trying to attend a traditional seminary while maintaining a job and serving as a pastor in a church: �His church expects to have his primary focus; his employer thinks his job comes first; and his family hopes to find some meaningful time with him during the week.�  Dr. Sullivan believes strongly that CTS fills the niche for a school that can provide a quality education while being sensitive to the student�s other responsibilities.

By contrast, another CTS student might be a professional woman who has a career in business or teaching, but feels the call to train further to expand her knowledge of Scripture and be more effective in her witness and ministry in her local church. Recently an administrator in a local public school completed a degree program at CTS. She was thrilled with the training she received.

A recent recipient of an associate diploma is a young man who found the Lord after wasted years brought about by drugs, alcohol, and other sinful behaviors. When he felt God was calling him into evangelism, CTS offered exactly the right program to give him a solid foundation in the Bible, taught by godly men who mentored him in his new journey of faith and ministry. Today this young man is surrounded by a loving family, a devoted congregation in his home church, and a grandstand of teachers who are cheering him on in his high calling to be an evangelist.

No wonder the annual graduation ceremonies at CTS are so exciting and well-attended. Typically 200 to 250 men and women will receive degrees surrounded by family and friends. For them graduation marks the accomplishment of a goal, the celebration of an education received, and the beginning of a new phase of service to the Lord Jesus Christ.