Meet Patrick Belvill of Tyndale Theological Seminary & Biblical Institute in Hurst

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Belvill.

Patrick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After embracing Jesus Christ as my Savior, while living in California, I felt the desire to attend school to study the Bible. I began my undergraduate studies in California but transferred to Tyndale Biblical Institute here in Texas. After my wife finished medical school and residency we moved to Texas. I had worked for many years in California for an insurance company and began work in Texas as a consultant. I then moved on to a company in Dallas that created insurance software systems. While doing this, I finished my Bachelors degree at Tyndale, and my Masters degree and Doctorate in Theology at Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2001, I left the software company and, within a year, began full time work in Christian ministry at Tyndale Bible Church and its ministry, Tyndale Theological Seminary & Biblical Institute. I started work in the admissions department, became head of operations in 2008, was named Vice President in 2012, and became the third President of the seminary in 2014.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think everyone’s life has its challenges along the way. For me, balancing full time corporate work, family, school and ministry work was a challenge, one in which I was supported greatly by my wonderful wife, who was also working as well. Also, working in the non-profit world provides its own set of challenges. Every non-profit could use more donors and it is a requirement of the non-profit to provide the donor with focused and effective use of their generosity. When part of the non-profit’s operation involves education more challenges become evident.

The traditional higher education model has been morphing for some years now, especially since the advent of the internet and the desire to always provide the most effective means of education, both on campus and online requires one to constantly pay attention to new innovations and modes of delivery.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tyndale Theological Seminary & Biblical Institute – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Tyndale Theological Seminary & Biblical Institute is a ministry of Tyndale Bible Church.

Both entities are coming up on their 30th anniversary next year. We are an institute of higher learning, providing Bible and Theology degree programs from undergraduate, through graduate, to seminary and doctoral levels. Our school was founded to meet needs in the theological school arena that still exists today.

When Tyndale was founded, the internet was not yet invented, so education took place either in classrooms on campus, or through extension courses mailed to the student.

Your typical seminary was set up like a regular college with classes during the daytime.

However, the reality is, many men are called into ministry after they have already started daytime jobs, gotten married and started families, and have acquired many expenses such as house mortgages. They could not afford to quit their daytime jobs and go to school. So Tyndale was founded to meet these needs: classes were held in the evenings and on weekends; the cost of courses was kept lower than most every other Bible school in the nation, and the same courses taught on campus were offered to students by extension. As a result, we had students studying with Tyndale from almost every continent in the world before the internet was in wide spread use.

Due to our world-wide extension program, Tyndale was ready when the internet came into wide spread use. We were one of the earliest “internet-ready” online programs available. We remain one of the lowest priced seminaries in the nation. Additionally, for those who would like to just do some casual theological study, without the desire to earn credits, we offering an “open campus” where anyone can take a selection of our courses for free.

Tyndale places great emphasis on the original biblical languages and requires the study of both Greek and Hebrew in many of our programs.

When studying online with Tyndale, every student has a “one-on-one” relationship with an Advising Professor for the length of the course. Someone to answer all of your questions, as well as to guide you through your work.

Tyndale also has a very active prison education ministry nationwide, including a classroom ministry at the Federal Corrections Institution here in Fort Worth, Texas.

We also offer scholarships to homeschooling students and their parents who wish to pursue a degree to be better teachers.

We have been blessed to have many well-known and highly respected Bible teachers come to teach at Tyndale throughout the years including Charles Ryrie, Robert Lightner, Stanley Toussaint, John Hannah, Norman Geisler, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Paul Lee Tan, John Whitcomb, Eugene Merrill, and Paige Patterson.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about the Metroplex is the diversity of cultural foods available. From our time spent in California, and from our travels abroad, my wife and I developed a great love of food from various cultures. Although the Dallas/Fort Worth area may not be well known for such diversity (especially to those outside the state), it really does exist, you just have to be willing to search for it.

What I like least about the Metroplex is the traffic, but that is what I like least about every major city. It’s just one of those aspects of city life with which we all have to deal. However, I will say that North Texas is doing great work to expand roadways and to add new roadways to account for our growing community.

Pricing:

• Tyndale Undergraduate Tuition – $180.00 per course (note, that is “per course” not “per credit hour”)
• Tyndale Graduate Tuition – $250.00 per course (note, that is “per course” not “per credit hour”)
• Tyndale Seminary Tuition – $300.00 per course (note, that is “per course” not “per credit hour”)

Contact Info:

• Address: Tyndale Theological Seminary & Biblical Institute
  701 West Pipeline Road,
  Hurst, TX 76053
• Website: www.tyndale.edu
• Phone: 800-886-1415
• Email: info@tyndale.edu
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TyndaleTexas

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