INDIANAPOLIS, IN. (June 13, 2024) -- Dr. Adam Groza, in his first SBC Annual Meeting report as the eighth president of Gateway Seminary, thanked messengers for support that has built Gateway into a growing and stable organization.  

“We thank you, Southern Baptists, for your faithful and sacrificial support of Gateway Seminary through the Cooperative Program,” he said.

Gateway trustees unanimously elected Groza as president April 15, during the spring trustee meeting. One of his first decisions was to fill the vacancy he left as vice president of enrollment and student services, a position he held for fourteen years. Groza selected Dr. Kristen Ferguson for vice president. She joined Gateway’s faculty in 2016 as associate professor of educational leadership and director of online education.

“Dr. Ferguson is a trusted academic leader and a dedicated servant both in the local church and in our convention,” Groza said. 

“Like me, she is a native Californian, and she is also a proud graduate of one of Gateway’s closest ministry partners, California Baptist University.”

Groza announced the 2024-2025 academic year marks Gateway’s 80th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Gateway will host a celebration coinciding with the upcoming fall trustee meeting and presidential inauguration ceremony.

“We will celebrate 80 years of God’s faithfulness, 80 years of standing upon the Word of God, 80 years of fulfilling our mission of shaping leaders who expand God’s kingdom around the world,” he said.

“And 80 years of heartfelt gratitude for the generous support of Southern Baptist churches.”

Groza reported steady enrollment growth at the Seminary. Gateway experienced a 5% increase in total headcount and enrolled hours from last spring to the most recent. New student headcount increased 21% in the same time period. Additionally, Groza said Gateway hosted an evangelism class based in the San Francisco Bay Area in which 50 students shared the gospel more than 400 times. Through this effort 13 people converted to Christianity.

The Seminary received three significant gifts over the past year. The first was an extensive collection of Bibles from recently retired Gateway professor Michael Kuykendall and his brother Terry. Mike, senior professor of New Testament studies, and Terry recently delivered the bulk of the 1300-volume collection to the primary campus in Ontario, California.

“These Bibles reflect Gateway's commitment to shaping leaders who love and proclaim the Word of God and whose character is shaped by the Word of God,” he said. 

“The Kuykendall Collection is a special gift that speaks to Gateway’s commitment to Scripture.”

The second gift was a fine art collection from Dr. Naomi Paget, FBI chaplain, crisis interventionist, and Gateway alum. The multi-million dollar collection includes pieces from Rembrandt, Dali, and Chagall.

“The beauty of these paintings provides a starting point for evangelistic conversations,” he said, “reflecting Gateway’s value of shaping leaders who live on mission; pointing people, as the Apostle Paul in Acts 17, from the temporary things on earth to the eternal things in heaven.”

The third gift was an additional $2 million from an anonymous donor for the Go Grant, a funding program devoted to sending all qualified Gateway students on a short-term mission trip. With this gift, the amount donated to the Go Grant totals $4 million. The Go Grant has already funded mission trips to South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. 

“Gateway students will not only develop a theology of missions from the Bible but also gain experience on mission that they can take with them into the local church,” he said.

Groza also thanked Jeff Iorg, president of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and president emeritus of Gateway. 

“It is especially an honor and privilege to follow Dr. Jeff Iorg, who led Gateway with wisdom and integrity for 20 years,” Groza said.

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