Denver Seminary Joins The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference in Core Commitment to Help Hispanic Students Grow Spiritually, Intellectually, and Professionally as Leaders in Their Communities

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, also known as the Hispanic Evangelical Association, the nation's largest Christian Hispanic organization, announced that Denver Seminary (www.denverseminary.edu) has become a formal partner of the NHCLC (www.nhclc.org).

Dr. Mark Young, Denver Seminary President and theological educator and pastoral leader with thirty years of global ministry experience, said, "Denver Seminary is pleased to partner with NHCLC to help prepare Hispanic men and women to engage the needs of Spanish-speaking people with the redemptive power of the gospel and the life-changing truth of Scripture. The Seminary has a rich history of ministry in the Hispanic community in Denver (http://www.denverseminary.edu/resources/hispanic-initiatives-at-denver-seminary/ideal-english/ or http://www.denverseminary.edu/resources/hispanic-initiatives-at-denver-seminary/ideal-espanol/) and we look forward to expanding that ministry nationally and internationally. Our core commitments (http://www.denverseminary.edu/about-us/who-we-are/our-core-commitments/) uniquely position us to help Hispanic students grow spiritually, intellectually, and professionally as leaders in their communities. We look forward to an enduring partnership with NHCLC for the sake of the gospel among Hispanics."

Denver Seminary, located in Littleton, Colo., began in the minds of several Colorado Conservative Baptist pastors, who presented the idea at the annual meeting of the Conservative Baptist Association of Colorado in May, 1950. In response, the association formed an organizing committee who secured an adequate building for the new school and led in the selection of the first faculty and Board of Trustees. In September 1950, 31 students enrolled. In 1971, full accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) was achieved. This was followed by full accreditation under the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1972.

Today, the Denver Seminary has over 1,000 students from 40 states, 50 denominations and 21 countries with 10 programs and a student body consisting of 270 M. Div students, 523 M.A. Students, 148 D. Min. students and 311 counseling students and has over 4,500 Denver Seminary graduates who serve Christ throughout the world. Thus the dream of a group of pastors is now a vibrant reality--a significant factor in reaching the world for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the NHCLC, said, "We commend Dr. Young and Denver Seminary for their commitment to the great core truths of the Christian faith and to furthering the education of the Hispanic community--the NHCLC welcomes Denver Seminary as a partner and looks forward our future in this endeavor."

Prior to taking the position as the seventh President of Denver Seminary on July 1, 2009, Dr. Mark Young was professor of World Missions and Intercultural Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, from 1995 to 2009. He also served in a variety of pastoral roles at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, from 2000-2009. Mark has travelled extensively, both domestically and internationally, as a teacher, consultant and missions leader. He has ministered in thirty-four countries.

Mark and Priscilla were involved in theological training and local church ministry with WorldVenture in Eastern Europe for 14 years. They lived in Vienna, Austria for four years and ministered throughout the former Soviet bloc, then relocated to Poland and experienced firsthand the world-changing events of 1989. Mark was the founding academic dean of Evangelical Theological Seminary in Wroclaw, Poland.

Mark has a B.A. in Speech/Communication from Marshall University, a Th.M. in New Testament Literature and Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has written and spoken on issues in theological education and mission for numerous international symposia and conferences.

Mark and Priscilla have been married for thirty years and have two sons, Ben and Christian, and a daughter and son-in-law, Bonnie and Jake Harden. Mark's life passion is to align all that he is and all that he does with the eternal purpose of God -- that all people in all places worship Him alone.

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is the Hispanic Evangelical Association unifying, serving and representing the Hispanic Born Again Community via 34,200 member churches and 20 million constituents by reconciling the vertical and horizontal of the Christian message through the 7 Directives of Life, Family, Great Commission, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth.

SOURCE National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference