Dr. Stephen J. Nichols Named the New President of Reformation Bible College and Chief Academic Officer of Ligonier Ministries

ORLANDO, Fla., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries, and the Board of Directors of Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies, are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Stephen J. Nichols as the second president of Reformation Bible College (RBC) and the chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries.

Dr. R.C. Sproul, the first president of RBC and soon-to-be chancellor of the institution, expressed his delight on the occasion of this announcement. "Our long-term plan is to ensure that Reformation Bible College grows under the direction of godly, qualified leadership enables me to maintain effective oversight of all of the outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Adding Dr. Nichols as president of RBC advances our outreach significantly," Dr. Sproul said. "In Dr. Nichols, God has provided us with a leader whose passion for the great truths of the Christian faith, the wisdom of the Reformed tradition, and love for education will serve the needs of our students and faculty well in the years ahead."

A longtime friend of Ligonier Ministries and a Ligonier teaching fellow, Dr. Nichols accepts this appointment after seventeen years as a Bible college and seminary professor. He has served most recently as research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pa., and has also served as visiting professor at Reformation Bible College and lecturer in church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. "It is with deep pleasure and gratitude that I join the team at Ligonier in serving this generation and the generation to come in the cause of Christ," Dr. Nichols said. "By God's grace, I am committed to keeping RBC and Ligonier faithful to their theological vision and educational mission. A remarkably gifted faculty for RBC has been gathered in central Florida, and I am honored to work with these godly men, as well as with the staff of Ligonier."

Ligonier Ministries is also pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nichols as the ministry's chief academic officer, responsible for working in conjunction with the president of Ligonier to actively promote and safeguard fidelity to the mission, vision, and the theological position and commitment of Dr. R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries. "Having Dr. Nichols as a full-time member of the Ligonier team is a key step forward, enabling us to accelerate our robust discipleship outreach as we serve the church around the world," said Chris Larson, president of Ligonier Ministries. "Dr. Nichols' theological and personal integrity will serve the church well as we preserve Ligonier's heritage of sound teaching and expand our mission to proclaim the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible."

Dr. Nichols will provide leadership and vision for all of the teaching outreaches of Ligonier, working actively with the other Ligonier teaching fellows in developing new projects and contributions for Ligonier's extensive resource catalog. As chief academic officer, Dr. Nichols will also continue to write, teach, and speak for both Ligonier students and the wider church.

About Ligonier Ministries

Ligonier Ministries (www.ligonier.org) is an international Christian education organization established in 1971 to equip Christians to articulate what they believe and why they believe it. The ministry is home to the Renewing Your Mind with R.C. Sproul radio program, broadcast internationally; Tabletalk devotional magazine, read internationally; The Reformation Study Bible with R.C. Sproul as general editor; Reformation Trust Publishing, the publisher of new titles by Dr. Sproul and other contemporary authors and theologians; Reformation Network, 24-hour Internet radio committed to the historic Christian faith; numerous teaching series; national and regional conferences; an extensive catalog with more than 3,500 unique Christian education resources available online at Ligonier.org; and the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and Reformation Bible College, institutions focused on instilling rigorous biblical knowledge in their students.

About Reformation Bible College

Reformation Bible College (RBC) is a private coeducational institution of higher learning in Sanford, Fla., that works to train current and future Christian leaders through academically rigorous scriptural study that offers students a deep, meaningful encounter with the Author of history, the Source of truth, and the Sustainer of our faith. RBC is committed to building a community of teaching and learning from which students will emerge to live a life that glorifies God, proclaims His kingdom, and fosters an ongoing reformation in the church, home, and workplace.

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SOURCE Ligonier Ministries