Portland Seminary 12753 Southwest 68th Avenue, Portland, OR 97223

"I entered the spiritual formation and leadership program at George Fox Evangelical Seminary thinking that a doctor of ministry would boost my career as a hospital chaplain and enhance my leadership skills as a pastor of a Vineyard Church. I was not disappointed. My dissertation, "The Warrior Journey: A Hope Intervention for Veteran's with PTSD," has received significant interest among health care disciplines and I have greater clarity of vision to lead our church plant. The biggest benefit of the program, however, lies beneath the surface. My perception of the world, human nature, the Bible, and salvation is broader, deeper and in full alignment with scripture. I am wonderfully changed. My church sees it and, most importantly, my wife and children see it. I worry less. I am more peaceful and confident. So more than an degree in spiritual formation, I experienced spiritual formation."

"I have attended 4 seminaries from which I have received 3 degrees. That said, my time at GFES was by far the most meaningful discipling experience I've ever had. The faculty was familiar with recent scholarship. They were eager to help students with questions and problems. Most importantly, they integrated biblical faith with everyday life. The courses were outstanding––amazingly customized to the interests of the individuals involved. Within perimeters, students designed their own course of study. Those involved in cohort groups found strong support from each other. Advisors were closely involved from beginning to end with students in the DMin program. I cannot say enough good things about GFES. Bravo!"

"GFES changed my life.The challenging academic environment along with the interpersonal education I received could not have been in more caring, affirming and loving hands. George Fox knows that self care is crucial to the success and well being of anyone in ministry. Because of this, there is a great balance between the academic and the formation courses wherein you can't have one without the other. The course work and faculty were wonderful but the best experiences happened among my fellow cohort members. The diversity in leadership roles, stage of life and denominational perspectives represented created a beautiful picture and representation of the Church. Seminary was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it."

"My decision to attend the DMin program at GFU was one of the best decisions of my life. Besides making life-long friends from all over North America, I was able to immerse myself in practical learning for the ministry setting. Upon entering GFU, I was 4 years post-seminary and 10 years in ministry. I was discouraged by so much going on within my own denomination. I was close to burnout. The experience at GFU helped me to get back on track as I realized that change started with me. Leonard Sweet is hard to describe - he's just so full of knowledge and challenged us all to think differently about ministry, about spirituality, about life. It was an incredible experience getting to study under him and more than that, to become his friend and peer in ministry. All of the profs at GFU have your success in the program in mind. I was always encouraged and uplifted. One person in particular stands out at the Seminary....Clifford Berger. He not only kept us on track, but he was willing to go out of his way to meet with a group of us who were worried about way too much! He calmed our fears and he shared with us his wisdom. I truly wondered if I would get the dissertation done but the program is set up so that you work on it from the beginning. Mine totally changed direction mid way but it was a good thing! My experience at GFU will live on in my ministry calling as I serve the Church each day."

"In 2008, I began the Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership program at GFES. I graduated in 2012 with a M.Div. Experiences early in ministry left me teetering on the edge of burn out and feeling completely inadequate and in no way up to the task of pastor. I applied to GFES hoping to learn more and become better equipped to serve the local church. In the end, classes in pastoral care, congregational leadership and the like prepared me to better serve the local church. Along the way, however, I learned some things that have been far more impactful and useful. The spiritual formation component of the GFES experience was one of the program's highlights. During my time at GFES, I became increasingly aware about myself; how I was relating to God; God's work in my life and God's movement in the world around. The cohort aspect of the program helped spark some of these revelations. After all, three years of posting together and sharing life together a few weeks out of the year, allows a person to forge bonds with those that s/he is learning with. Those bonds gave us permission to speak into one another's lives and to be present to one another as we worked out the issues of life with fear and trembling. While my education at GFES was oriented toward the practical and while spiritual formation was an emphasis, academics were by no means on the back burner. Academically, GFES helped me to rediscover my love of church history and historical theology. At the same time, GFES helped to pave the way for my acceptance to the University of Birmingham (UK) and a spot in their PhD program. My experience leads me to believe that GFES is a top-notch academic institution that prepares its seminarians for both future academic endeavors and ministry in local churches. The online learning community (OLC) means that students can undertake their studies while remaining in their local context, engaged in ministry."