President's Report from 2013 SBC Annual Meeting in Houston

Biblical, missional and global are the three watchwords of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, President Jeff Iorg said in his report to the SBC.

"We are your seminary in the American West, but the scope of our ministry touches the world," Iorg said of the multi-campus seminary based in Mill Valley, Calif. "This past month, our 8,000th graduate walked across the stage and into Kingdom service. He was a master of missiology student, personifying the reason for our existence -- getting the Gospel to as many people as possible."

Golden Gate launched several new degree programs in the past year, Iorg said, including bilingual Korean-English master of divinity and master of theological studies degrees, a master of divinity with a concentration in chaplaincy and a doctor of ministry in chaplaincy.

The "changing nature of educational delivery methods" is the biggest challenge in seminary life, Iorg said.

"As a result, Golden Gate continues to expand its online delivery system," he said. "We now offer the master of theological studies degree fully online. We anticipate receiving accrediting approval later this summer to offer the master of divinity fully online. We also offer several certificates -- including youth ministry and Bible teaching -- fully online."

Opposition to the Christian worldview will increase in the coming decades, Iorg said, but Golden Gate will train students to take the Gospel to unreached people amid a hostile culture.

"Thank you Southern Baptists for standing with Golden Gate Seminary all these years," he said. "Next summer we will celebrate 70 years of service to you and for you. Thank you for praying for us, for sending us students and for your steady support through the Cooperative Program.

"We are delighted to be the only Southern Baptist Convention-owned entity in the western half of the U.S. and proud to represent you at our campuses in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Denver and Phoenix. We are committed to doing our ministry in the U.S. and around the world. Thank you for your support and for standing with us for the Gospel."