Ambrose University College hires Jesuit-educated contemplative spirituality proponent as its new president

Ambrose University College in Calgary, Alberta is the denominational school for both the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada and Church of the Nazarene Canada. I've been suspicious of Ambrose's direction ever since it adopted its name in 2007.

I previously posted on Ambrose's affinity for contemplative spirituality here and here; the reader may want to consult those posts for background information. For more on contemplative spirituality and spiritual formation, search those terms at Lighthouse Trails Research Project. For more detailed information on lectio divina, go here and here.

Ambrose University College issued the following announcement on May 7, 2012:

The Board of Governors of Ambrose University College announced today that Dr. Gordon T. Smith has been appointed the next President. Dr. Smith’s term will commence August 1st, 2012.

Currently the President and CEO of reSource Leadership International,
Dr. Smith previously served as Academic Vice President/Dean and Associate Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College.

Dr. Smith brings to Ambrose experience from a three-decade career in Christian higher education. A distinguished author and pastor, Dr. Smith earned his Master of Divinity degree at Canadian Theological Seminary and a PhD in Philosophy from Loyola School of Theology, Manila, Philippines.

The Board of Governors was assisted in selecting the next president by the unanimous recommendation of the search committee, as well as by the public input the search committee solicited prior to undertaking the search. Through town hall meetings, and both direct and online submissions, the search committee gathered valuable feedback that supported the search process.

The Ambrose Board of Governors also received ratification of Dr. Smith’s appointment from the founding denominations: the Board of Directors of The Christian and Missionary Alliance and the Board of Governors of Canadian Nazarene College.

It came as no surprise to this blogger that an internet search revealed Ambrose's new president to be a proponent of contemplative spirituality, and alarm bells went off in my mind when I noticed Loyola School of Theology in Dr. Smith's resume. I'd never heard of the school, but I suspected that it was named after Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, and my suspicions were were confirmed by their website:

LST: A Jesuit, Filipino, and Asian Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology

For half a century, Loyola School of Theology (LST) has been providing quality theological and pastoral education under the direction of the Society of Jesus.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online defines Jesuit as:

1: a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1534 and devoted to missionary and educational work

2: one given to intrigue or equivocation

The "Spiritual Exercises" of Ignatius of Loyola have long served as a foundation and introduction to contemplative spirituality. I haven't read any of Gordon T. Smith's books, but a quick glance at descriptions of some of his books leaves no doubt that Dr. Smith is a proponent of contemplative spirituality, and in particular, the "spiritual exercises" of Ignatius of Loyola:

Alone with the Lord

A guide to a personal day of prayer

This small booklet is intended to teach Christians how to spend a full day in the presence of Christ. Readers are given the opportunity to practise various spiritual disciplines and then to journal what God is speaking to them.

The Voice Of Jesus
A comprehensive exploration of the place of discernment in the life of the Christian and of the church.

Jesus takes it for granted that you will hear his voice. But how do you hear it? How do you separate it out from the cacophony of other voices you hear everyday, including those of your own desires? Is your experience of Jesus' voice something purely subjective, or is it something you can talk about with others and have them confirm?

Building on the rich spiritual tradition that spans the diversity of history and theology from Ignatius Loyola to John Wesley to Jonathan Edwards, Gordon T. Smith helps open your ears and heart to the depths of the inner witness of the Spirit. By learning to attend to the Spirit, Smith urges, you will learn to hear and heed the voice of Jesus in everyday life.

Written with warmth and wisdom, this book speaks to the mind and heart of every Christian who longs for a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus. The pro-Jesuit site Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way listed The Voice of Jesus among its recommended books.

Dr. Garry Friesen, a professor at Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon, had this to say about another of Dr. Smith's books:

Listening to God in Times of Choice: The Art of Discerning God's Will

Author: Gordon T. Smith
Publisher: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
View: Synthesis of Traditional and Wisdom Views

The Forward is by a Jesuit who lauds the book's insights from John Wesley and Ignatius of Loyola. Smith's doctoral dissertation compared Wesley and Ignatius. The book is about the "art of discerning God's will." The main theme is that God relates to us as a friend and we must learn to listen to God's voice in our innermost being.

Smith positions himself between the traditional view ("Blueprint school", 15) and the Wisdom view (or "school" illustrated by Decision Making and the Will of God, 16). He rightly notes that what I call the traditional view "is recent in historical terms" (102). Smith goes back further in spiritual history to try and correct both views.

Smith rejects the traditional view which undercuts "the presence and voice of God in the times of choice" (16)." But his descriptions of the voice of God sound exactly like the traditional view: "prompting", "impressions", "still small voice", "inner witness", "subjective" speaking, "hearing God's voice", "peace of God".

His mystical orientation is clear. "God does not have a mouth; he does not speak audibly. Rather, God 'speaks' to us through our feelings, impressions left on our minds" (52). This description is much different than the biblical examples which he gives to show that God speaks to us (17-18). His examples don't argue for impressions: Abraham Gen. 12; Samuel 1 Sam. 3:10; Balaam Num 22:21-23; Philip led by an angel Acts 8; by a prophet Acts 13:2. Smith has substituted impressions for the biblical examples of direct revelation by prophet and even audible voice...

...Smith also differs from the traditional view concerning the certainty which you can have of God's guidance. The traditional view says that you can be certain, but Smith says, "In this life we will not have absolute, unambiguous peace and rational certainty that we have divine guidance" (65). If we are not sure, then we must "trust God and make our choices despite the lack of absolute certainty. We cannot wait until every questions is resolved before we act" (67).

Smith is realistic about how subjective his method is. Discussing the peace of God, he says, "But consolation may be from God, or it may reflect the deceitfulness of the Evil One, masquerading as good. Or it could reflect our own confused desires and misguided motives. It may even reflect nothing more than what we had for breakfast" (57).

Smith strongly urges the reader to "Test everything" (57). This helps transform his mysticism into something more like "discerning". He encourages the believer to test every feeling, impression or sense of peace. The believer's mind must be washed with Scripture, and motives must get a "ruthless" examination to be sure God's glory is the goal (64). Reason must evaluate the impressions. "Reason .. guides us--but reason comes to terms with the feelings and impressions that are left on our inner person." Our impressions should be judged by the church and he recommends a "clearness committee" (82).

His conclusion to the method of discernment is "(1) rational consideration of the options and obstacles, (2) extended time in prayer and reflection, and (3) accountability and discussion with others" (85). This is a careful process, and it is hard to imagine a sinful or foolish impression making it through the tests. The process seems to narrow you down to impressions that are wise and godly. And who is against that? I do not call such impressions the pure voice of God (nor give them authority), but anything that is wise and godly can be followed with confidence...

...His mysticism has so much muscle that it is almost palatable.

On July 20, 2011, Dr. Smith posted a paper titled Theological Education as Formation in Wisdom, which includes the following:

And the genius of a spiritual practice is the realization that transformation is incremental. Practices foster a knowledge of God, of self, of the and other and of the created order. They are a means by which we know the grace of God by which we are transformed and made new. These “patterned activities”, to use the language of Dykstra and Bass gradually and incrementally lead to transformation. And critical to this discussion is that these are not merely activities of an individual, but of a community. But the fruit of these practices is known over time, as slowly but surely the truth, wisdom, is formed within us.

But this is not a new conversation or new insight for the church. This contemporary discussion of the “practice” of theology is but a newer version of an ancient conversation, one that is eloquently captured by the brilliant study of the quest for learning and wisdom within the monastic tradition: John Leclercq’s The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. This study of monastic culture may well be more relevant than ever, partly because the monastic movement is rightly providing a counter balance to the pragmatism of western (and Evangelical) approaches to theological formation and, further, because in a post-Christian secular society, the monastic cultivated practices that may well have remarkable relevance for the church and for theological education today. Leclercq reminds us that the genius of the monastic movement was the unqualified affirmation that the purpose of study and learning and indeed of all spiritual practice is union with God in Christ...

...Second, the monastic movement made engagement with the Scriptures foundational to all learning. And yet, it is not biblicism, for their study of the Scripture was complemented by their engagement with the theology and wisdom of the church fathers – one might say that what anchored their learning was the primacy of the Scriptures, yes, but a study that was guided by the theological heritage and tradition of the church.

It is important to affirm, though, that their study of Scripture was never as an end in itself; one came to Scripture from prayer and the Scriptures in turn informed their practice of prayer. And thus the whole contemporary practice of ‘lectio divina’ is really an ancient practice, fostered by the monastic movement and an essential spiritual practice for the church today and for every student in a theological school: the capacity to read the Scriptures in prayer, with attention to grammar and exegesis, but with ultimate attention to the one who is revealed through the ancient text.

And third, what impresses us from Leclercq’s study of monasticism is that for all his celebration of the monastic approach to learning, he does not pit monasticism against scholasticism. To the contrary, he affirms that scholasticism is almost a necessary counterpart to monastic culture, with the scholastic diligent focus on the grammar of Scripture, and the recognition of the need to draw on non-Christian sources for our learning, including philosophy. Bernard of Clairveaux insisted that we are not wise until we live in the fear of God and are drawn up into the love of God. And thus monastic theology is the essential
completion of scholastic theology.15 And yet Leclercq also noted that monastic theology needed
scholastic theology in order to engage the times, the culture, and social and intellectual context in which theology is to be lived and expressed. And Leclercg has an oh-so-brief a appendix in which the theological work of St. Anselm is celebrated and celebrated precisely because his genius was that he was both a scholastic – a first class scholar on the public stage – but also deeply monastic, a lover of God and a man of prayer.

And then, fourthly, we must beware of succumbing to the common stereo-type that monasticism was
about disengagement and not about the call of the Gospel and of the church to mission and specifically to mission to the city and to the urban poor. In a sense it was about disengagement; one stepped aside from the demands of the world for study, prayer, contemplation and the focused practices of a disciplined Christian community. While what I have just described might be an accurate description of the Benedictine tradition – though even there, one must be cautious, in that this particular monastic tradition did have an extraordinary commitment to hospitality – this observation is simply not accurate for later monasticism. I think of the Friars, who left the cloister, whose houses of life and worship were located in
the very heart of the cities, and whose lives – think of the Franciscans and the Dominicans, for example – were marked by profound commitment to the urban poor, in word and deed.

And then we have the Society of Jesus, the first apostolic order, that left the monastary, yet sustained the commitment to prayer, study but always with the resolve to be, as they put it, “contemplatives in action.” It would not be an overstatement to describe this order as the greatest missionary order in the history of the church.

Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola
By James L. Wakefield was published in 2006. This book has a front cover endorsement by Eugene Peterson, endorsements by Open Theology heretic Greg Boyd and Jesuit Armand Nigro, and this by Gordon T. Smith:

James Wakefield has provided us with a remarkably helpful introduction to praying with the Spiritual Exercises, readable and eminently helpful, insightful and practical. Also notable: he builds on the best scholarship on the Exercises and makes it accessible to Christians of all traditions.

Gary Gilley has provided a review of this book from a solidly biblical point of view.

Among recent lectures delivered by Dr. Smith were one on March 9-10, 2012 to the contemplative Urban Sanctuary in Edmonton, and this:

February 22: Beirut, Near East School of Theology: “What Can Evangelicals and Protestants Learn from Ignatian Spirituality?”

Thomas H. Green, S.J., a professor of philosophy and theology at Loyola School of Theology, is the only speaker listed at Open Hearts, Open Minds. He and Dr. Smith conducted this joint seminar (joint seminar, that is, not debate):

DISCERNMENT, VOCATION AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

A joint seminar by Fr. Thomas H. Green S.J. and Rev. Dr. Gordon T. Smith
May 12, 2007 at the Bayview Glen Alliance Church

One of the great insights of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, was in the area of discovering God’s will for our lives. His rules for discernment, incorporated into his famous work, “Spiritual Exercises,” continue to be studied, discussed and practiced today, some 500 years after they were first written. In the last few decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in retreats following the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius and in the whole area of spiritual formation and spiritual direction. Our whole-day seminar this year brings together two of the leading experts on these topics and promises to be not just informative and challenging but perhaps even life changing. Join us for a day of learning, reflection and fellowship with others on the spiritual journey.

In addition to promoting contemplative spirituality, the new president of Ambrose University College promotes sacramentalism and the social gospel. In the paper Theological Education as Formation in Wisdom, which I cited earlier, Dr. Smith goes so far as to praise liberation theology, which is just Marxism in Christian (especially Roman Catholic) dress:

When we speak of mission, we speak, at the very least, of the following:

That the mission of God is the restoration of the beauty and glory of the created order, and, even more, of the fulfilment of creation. Thus those who identify with the mission of God will speak of the concern of the church for the environment.

Also, to speak of the mission of God is to reference the one to whom all authority has been given: Jesus the Christ, who now reigns above and is inaugurating a kingdom of justice and peace.

Then also to speak of the mission of God is to speak of the church as an instrument of God to witness to and embody this kingdom. This, of course, suggests that the church is not an end, but a means to an end; and though an necessary end, it suggests that “church growth” or “denominational extension” are not at the heart of the mission of the church.

When this missional vision has been picked up by theologians and educators in theological schools in the global south what has emerged is a common theme around what is often spoke of as “transformational” leadership and ministry. And what in particular has been highlighted is that we cannot speak of mission without a commitment to justice, compassion and social responsiblity: that we witness to the reign of Christ through word and deed.

Probably no voice has emphasize the relationship between wisdom and social responsibility as profoundly as that of the liberation theologians of Latin America. Jon Sobrino, for example, speaks of “political holiness”. Our vision of life and work and wisdom must be through the lens of the in-breaking of the reign of Christ, Sobrino insists; and if we are discerning we will see that the God of all mercy, embodied in the radical mercy of Jesus, has what Sobrino and his liberationist colleagues speak of as a “preferential option for the poor”, and that indeed the poor are the locus of God’s presence in the world. Voices like that of Rene Padilla have rightly observed that when the vision of liberation theologians is one-sided and only speaks of economic justice, that it is essentially a half truth. But if the alternative is to only speak of“personal salvation” all we have is another half truth. A Padilla puts it: God loves justice, and nobody that has been born from God can remain indifferent to exploitation and injustice, poverty and huger that afflict his neighbour.” To Padilla’s credit, he was sounding this prophetic word as a lonely voice in 1974 at Laussane I, the first of three major conferences on evangelical global mission, and he was still insisting on this perspective at Laussane III, in South Africa in 2010.

I was struck recently work of the Virgina Fabella (Filipina, Maryknoll sister). In conversation with other Asian women theologians, including Chung Hyun Kyung of Korea, she speaks of doing theology in recognition of the salvific value of women’s active suffering as she cogently describes the poor women of Asia who are doubly oppressed – because of class and gender. But what her wisdom calls for is an active solidarity with these women wherein a passive identification with Christ’s sufferings leads to a struggle, in the name of Christ, on behalf of the suffering poor.

In May of 2011 I participated in a conference sponsored by the Asia Theological Association that brought together theologians and educators from Asia, Latin America and North America. And one could not miss that those from Asia and Latin America pressed the point: theological education with integrity needs to take account of the deep suffering that is found in the cities of Asia and Latin America. Urban theological education in the city has to respond to the cry of the city. And it needs to equip pastoral leaders to be agents of spiritual and social transformation in the city. And these were Evangelical theologians and church leaders insisting on this – voices that in the past might have emphasized, as Padilla put it, “personal salvation” and evangelism and church growth. Now we are seeing an insistence on the essential counterpoint between word and deed. As Leslie Newbigen has stated somewhere, when you only have half the truth you really have no truth at all and that thus we cannot pit social responsibility
against each other.

And so this leads me to ask how our approaches to theological education, in both the West and the global south will bring together partnerships with compassion ministries and active approaches to social justice. Wisdom is not ultimately wisdom until it is practiced; it is not a matter of mere knowledge, but of knowledge lived, in truth and in justice. And contemporary approaches to theological education in the global south and, increasingly in the rest of the world, are recognizing that this needs to be integral to a theological curriculum.

See my post Ambrose University College and "Transformation," and search the term at Lighthouse Trails Research Project.

Ambrose University College continues to offer courses in contemplative spirituality.

The following are listed in Ambrose's 2012-13 calendar. The number in parentheses indicates the number of hours of instruction per week, while the letter denotes how often the course is offered: A=annually; B=biennially; O=occasionally.

REL 360 Spaces of the Heart (3) A
An advanced study dealing with selected disciplines and rhythms of the spiritual life. The content of the course includes the discussion of the nature of spirituality and the practice of various contemplative spiritual disciplines and rhythms such as meditation, fasting, solitude, silence, journal keeping, autobiographical writing, discernment, waiting and suffering.

REL 361 Streams of Christian Spirituality (3) O
A survey of the various paradigms in which the spiritual life has been understood and experienced in the Christian church from apostolic times to the present. Special emphasis is given to certain movements within Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism that have focused on the nurture of the spiritual life.

REL 364 Prayer Paths to God: The History and Practice of Christian Prayer (3) B
An advanced course which studies the historical theology and practice of Christian prayer as it pertains to understanding the role of prayer within the spiritual life. The course is taught from an ecumenical perspective and includes a prayer practicum in the lectio divina (praying with scripture).

REL 365 Into the Wasteland: Exploring the “Desert/Wilderness” Experience in Christian Spirituality (3) B
An examination of the “desert/wilderness” experience in various traditions of Christian spirituality. An integrated biblical/historical/theological/formational approach to the subject is used to assist the student in understanding the nature and purpose of the “desert/wilderness” experience in the spiritual life of the church and the individual. A special feature of the course is a one-day guided silent retreat. Note: Class Limit of 20 students

REL 366 Spiritual Companions (3) B
An advanced course that gives consideration to the practice of spiritual direction in various Christian traditions from ancient to modern times and the influence of outstanding spiritual mentors of the twentieth century. Attention is also given to the nature, objectives and dynamics of spiritual direction as experienced in a practical context.

REL 368 Exploring the ‘Dream Experience’ in Christian Spirituality (3) B
This course will survey the significance and understanding of the “dream experience” in both eastern and western Christian traditions. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the dream in the spiritual journeys of prominent Christians, the dream and death experience as well as developing a Christian approach to dream interpretation integrated with an understanding of one’s own spiritual journey.
Note: Class Limit of 20 students.

REL 371 The Church and Contemporary Spiritualities (3) B
This is a course designed to acquaint the learner with a number of influential alternative spiritualities within Western culture and to challenge the student to consider carefully the role of the Church, particularly in the light of these approaches to spirituality. Beginning with a brief history of Christian spirituality, the course then will consider some major features of contemporary spirituality outside the institutional Church, with special attention being given to the nature and function of ritual, myth/narrative (sacred texts), symbolism and sacred space. Finally, the course will move the student towards an understanding of some of the ways in which the Church can or needs to respond to the spiritual quests within contemporary society.

Charles Nienkirchen teaches REL 365; here's an example of what Dr. Nienkerchen emphasizes:

Bridging Church and Academy: Cross-Pollinating at the Midwest CMA Prayer Retreat

March 10, 2012 - At the Elkhorn Resort and Conference Centre in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, Dr. Charles Nienkirchen shared insights on renewal and spiritual vitality at the annual Canadian Midwest District Prayer Retreat. 158 pastors, spouses and district staff from Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Manitoba engaged with Dr. Nienkirchen in public conversations, private half-hour spiritual direction sessions, and two keynote presentations. The cornerstone talks were entitled The Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Call to Transformed Living…Nothing Less and Living Heartfully: The Key to Spiritual Living with Vitality and Longevity.

Despite his full teaching schedule, Dr. Nienkirchen relishes opportunities to connect with the church outside the classroom: in fact, he views the integration as part of his overall vocation. “Doing church retreats keeps me in touch with the pulse of those who are actually walking the sidewalk of church ministry in a variety of societal contexts where they have to respond to the many faces of human need. It also allows for these church workers to hear an ‘outside voice’ and receive some fresh stimulation and possibly new perspectives through an experience of continuing education.”

With an ecumenical retreat ministry that spans more than 25 years, Nienkirchen has personally invested in exploring Christian spirituality. Sabbaticals in Oxford, England; the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem; Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in South India; and attending a School for Spiritual Directors at a New Mexico Benedictine Abbey have taken him to spiritual and physical deserts to learn more about prayer and spiritual renewal.

It's obvious that Gordon T. Smith is a perfect fit for Ambrose University College; the college will undoubtedly continue in its leftward and Romeward direction under Dr. Smith's leadership.

March 7, 2020 update: Finally, after all these years, I've gotten around to my long-overdue addition to this post concerning the suspicious circumstances surrounding the departure of Gordon T. Smith's predecessor as president of what is now Ambrose University. The History & Traditions page of Ambrose's web site states:

Dr. George Durance resigned as president in 2009 and Dr. Gordon T. Smith was introduced as President on August 1, 2012.

The perceptive reader will notice that there is no mention of the period between Dr. Durance and Dr. Smith. To paraphrase a famous passage from the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of Silver Blaze by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

"Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"

"To the curious incident of the mention of Howard Wilson in the history of Ambrose University."

"President Wilson wasn't mentioned in their history."

"That was the curious incident."

The following articles may help to fill in the gap; the links are now dead, but I'm leaving them in as evidence that they once were available. Dr. Durance was succeeded by Howard Wilson, a native of western Canada who occupied an executive position at Fuller Theological Seminary in California. As reported by Fuller Theological Seminary, July 23, 2009:

Howard Wilson, Fuller’s executive vice president for administration, has been appointed president of Ambrose University College in his native Canada. After 12 years of service at Fuller, Wilson concludes his tenure on July 24, to begin his new role in Calgary August 4.

On July 22, a festive send-off event at Fuller’s Pasadena campus—complete with a Canada-themed Jeopardy game, maple-flavored refreshments, and decorations in Canadian red and white—celebrated Wilson and his many accomplishments at Fuller.

Wilson joined Fuller in 1997 as director of admissions. He served as vice president for student life and enrollment management and vice president for student life and administrative systems before being appointed executive vice president for administration. In recent years he has served as project manager for several significant building projects on campus: the Chang Commons housing facility, a student services building, and, most recently, the David Allan Hubbard Library which opened in May 2009.

“Thank you for the many significant contributions you have made to Fuller Theological Seminary,” Provost Sherwood Lingenfelter said to Wilson at the send-off event. “Most at Fuller don’t realize the many, many things Howard has been involved in over the years. He has been a real blessing to all of us, and it is great to see how God has used his magnificent gifts here at Fuller—and will continue to use them in his new position at Ambrose.”

Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, and a Master of Divinity from Providence Theological Seminary in Manitoba, Canada. He has worked in higher education administration for the past 23 years in several capacities, including service at the executive level at LeTourneau University and Providence College and Theological Seminary in addition to Fuller.

Wilson has always been deeply committed to students and their needs. In addition to his other duties at Fuller, he served as mentor to the All Seminary Council student government body and taught courses in leadership development.

Wilson also served as an elder at Glenkirk Presbyterian Church in Glendora, California, and was active in leadership in the Presbytery of San Gabriel, where he led an effort to plant a Mandarin-speaking Presbyterian congregation. He is on the board of the National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education, and has filled volunteer leadership positions with the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities and the North American Coalition of Christian Admissions Professionals. He is married to Vivian and has two daughters in college.

As reported by NCN News in 2009:

Alex Baum, chair of the Ambrose University College Board of Governors, announced May 4 that after an extensive international search, Howard Wilson has been appointed as president of Ambrose University College effective August 1.

"Our Board of Governors is very pleased that Mr. Wilson has agreed to assume the role of president at Ambrose," Baum said. "Mr. Wilson has an extensive background in Christian higher education at the undergraduate and seminary levels, as well as pastoral experience. We look forward to the strong leadership he will provide in helping Ambrose fulfill its mission to educate students who will serve Christ in the church and in the world."

Commenting on Wilson's appointment, Franklin Pyles, president of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, said, "We are happy to welcome Howard Wilson and his wife, Vivian, back to Canada to lead the Ambrose team. Howard's deep experience with the various levels of administration, his profound walk with God, his interface with issues facing the church today, combined with his personal interest in students, creates an expectation in all of us of leadership that will take Ambrose into the future with great strength. We are so grateful for God's provision in giving us a new president and I personally look forward to working with him in the immediate future."

Clair McMillan, national director of The Church of the Nazarene Canada, said, "I join with the entire Church of the Nazarene Canada and our friends in The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada in offering congratulations to Mr. Howard Wilson on his election as the next president of Ambrose University College. Mr. Wilson comes to us with a wealth of experience in local church ministry as well as in Christian higher education."

Wilson is presently executive vice president for Administration at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Previous administrative responsibilities at Fuller included vice president for Student Life and Administrative Systems and vice president for Student Life and Enrollment Management.

Prior to his service at Fuller, Wilson was dean of Enrollment Management at LeTourneau University, dean of Students at Providence College and Seminary in Otterburne, Manitoba, and senior pastor at Bethesda Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

He received his formal education at LeTourneau University and at Providence Theological Seminary where he was the top graduating student.

Wilson has also served in a variety of professional organizations, including:
North American Coalition of Christian Admissions Professionals
Commission of Chief Enrollment Officers, Council of Christian Colleges and Universities
Student Personnel Administrators Network, Association of Theological Schools
National Consortium for Continuous Improvement in Higher Education
He has consulted widely with educational institutions in strategic planning, administrative structure, website development, and education marketing, including Biola University, Aquinas School of Theology, Claremont Graduate School, and Washington Theological Union.

Wilson is a Canadian citizen, born in Winnipeg, and is married to Vivian (27 years). They have two children, Naomi, a junior at Houghton College (New York), and Bethany, a high school senior. Wilson is an ordained elder and deacon in the Presbyterian Church and is presently a member of Glenkirk Presbyterian Church in Glendora, California.

Wilson will succeed George Durance as president. After more than 12 years as president, Durance announced last summer that the 2008-2009 academic year would be his last and he would return to missionary service.

Riley Coulter, former president of Nazarene University College and former co-president of Ambrose, currently serves as the school's chancellor. According to Ambrose's web site, Coulter represents Ambrose at Nazarene gatherings across Canada and is also directly involved in providing continuing education for Nazarene pastors...

Howard Wilson resigned as president in July 2011, just two years into a four-year term; his resignation was so sudden that they didn't have a replacement ready, and chancellor (and former president of Canadian Nazarene College) Dr. R. Riley Coulter served as interim president until Dr. Smith was installed. As reported by Ambrose University College, July 12, 2011:

President Wilson’s resignation was announced to the Ambrose constituency on July 11, 2011.

Mr. Wilson was appointed by the Ambrose Board of Governors and the denominational boards of directors in April 2009 and he transitioned full-time to Ambrose in August 2009. During his time at the institution he made a significant contribution to the spiritual ethos on campus and underscored the commitment to Christ and students with the “Ambrose is all about Jesus…all about students” values stone that sits in the foyer of the academic building on campus. Part of that commitment to students expressed itself in his support of efforts to move the Ambrose Lions athletic teams to the next level with membership in the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference, achieved earlier this year.

The Residence and Education Centre will be an enduring symbol of President Wilson’s tenure at Ambrose. In the fall of 2010 the Board of Governors gave final approvals to the construction project which is now nearing completion and will be home to residence students in September.

We appreciate President Wilson’s time of service at Ambrose and trust that, as he moves on to a new challenge, he and his family will experience God’s leading.

The suddenness of Pres. Wilson's resignation (and lack of an immediate replacement), and the following article, from the Calgary Herald, July 13, 2011, indicate that scandal was involved:

School officials are staying silent on the sudden resignation of Howard Wilson as president of Ambrose University College, a private institution.

"There's no way we can say it was this or that without spilling everybody's dirty laundry," said spokesman Wes Campbell.

A disagreement between the president and the school's board of governors led to the resignation, he said, without elaborating.

According to the government, Ambrose receives public funding only for its diploma degrees and as an independent institution, is not required to make its hiring and firing decisions public.

The Fall/Winter 2011 issue of Ambrose's magazine Anthem, the first issue published after President Wilson's resignation, includes a column by chancellor and acting president Coulter, but no mention of President Wilson's resignation--in fact, no mention of Mr. Wilson at all. The only places at the Ambrose website where you'll find any mention of Howard Wilson are the pdf reproductions of the Fall/Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 issues of Anthem, which contain his columns. Otherwise, Mr. Wilson has been so "disappeared" from Ambrose's history that it reminds this blogger of the way the Soviet Union used to alter photographs to remove individuals who had fallen into disfavour and/or been executed.

Gordon T. Smith's installation as president of Ambrose University College was attended by five previous presidents of Ambrose and/or its predecessor schools, Canadian Bible College/Canadian Theological Seminary and Nazarene University College. The Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Anthem mentions the ceremony; go to page 19, and you'll see a photo of Dr. Smith with his five predecessors. Conspicuous by his absence--from the photo, and apparently, from the ceremony--is Dr. Smith's immediate predecessor, Howard Wilson, despite the fact that he was known to still be living in Calgary at the time. To quote Sherlock Holmes out of context, "Most singular! Most remarkable!"

Mr. Wilson remained in Calgary for two years after his resignation before obtaining employment elsewhere. That in itself isn't suspicious; he may have been collecting remaining salary from Ambrose, and may have been content to stay in Calgary until his daughters graduated. However, when Mr. Wilson did obtain another position, it was as a vice president of Dordt College (which became Dordt University in 2019), an institution in Sioux City, Iowa affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church. As reported by Dordt College, March 22, 2013:

After a national search, Dordt College has named Howard Wilson, formerly the president of Ambrose University College and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, its new vice president for enrollment management. Wilson, who has 25 years of experience in higher education, spent 12 years at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he was “mentored and nurtured in the Reformed worldview” by Dr. Richard Mouw. He held several leadership roles at Fuller, his final position being executive vice president for administration.

“We’re pleased to welcome Howard to the Dordt College community,” said Dordt College President Dr. Erik Hoekstra. “His lifelong alignment with Dordt’s mission and his experience in a variety of institutions of higher education will bring a wealth of experience to our campus.”

Wilson has led enrollment efforts at a number of institutions of Christian higher education. He comes to Dordt at a time when the college has experienced healthy and increasing enrollment even while some private institutions are experiencing enrollment concerns.

“Howard joins an outstanding admissions team at Dordt College,” Hoekstra adds. “His leadership—combined with the skills, talents, and energy of our current staff—will be a wonderful combination.”

Wilson sees that Dordt, with its strong academic reputation, clear commitment to a Christian perspective in all aspects of the college, and a supportive constituency, is likely to thrive in the years ahead. “I believe that Christian education is the most complete and satisfactory form of education, in that it develops the whole person, engaging the mind, heart, and spirit,” Wilson says.

Along with his academic credentials, Wilson is an advocate of the LEAN management system. He currently also is a licensed minister in the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada and has served as an ordained deacon and elder in an evangelical Presbyterian congregation. He received his master of divinity degree, as well as an honorary doctor of divinity degree, from Providence Theological Seminary in Otterburne, Manitoba. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration with an industrial management emphasis from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas.

Wilson and his wife, Vivian, live in Calgary, Alberta, and will relocate soon to Sioux Center. They have two daughters, Naomi, 24, and Bethany, 22.

Howard Wilson is still at Dordt University, as Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer. To go from vice president of a major seminary in the United States to president of a college in his home country of Canada, to--after a premature resignation and two-year interval--vice president of what some might call a "cow college" in Iowa is a downward career move, which this blogger finds very suspicious.