NR #1996-052: Protestant Reformed Synod 1996 to Mark Generational Change: New Professor to be Appointed to Replace Herman Hanko When the synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches convenes this year in Grand Rapids, it will mark a historic transition in the seventy-year history of that denomination. For almost half of the denomination's history, Prof. Herman Hanko has served as professor of New Testament and church history at the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids. His replacement this year will be chosen from three candidates, the oldest of whom is in his early forties. NR #1996-052: For Immediate Release Protestant Reformed Synod 1996 to Mark Generational Change; New Professor to be Appointed to Replace Herman Hanko by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 29, 1996) URNS - When the synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches convenes this year in Grand Rapids, it will mark a historic transition in the seventy-year history of that denomination. For almost half of the denomination's history, Prof. Herman Hanko has served as professor of New Testament and church history at the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids. His replacement this year will be chosen from three candidates, the oldest of whom is in his early forties. "With his retirement a certain period of Protestant Reformed history changes," said Prof. David Engelsma, rector of the seminary. "I, for example, who now become the oldest member of the seminary staff, was a parishioner of Prof. Hanko when I was a teenager, so there is that generation gap." Ordained in 1955, Hanko served two pastorates for ten years and was appointed to the seminary as a professor in 1965, serving a total of 31 years at the seminary. "The contribution of Prof. Hanko to the seminary has been enormous and invaluable," said Engelsma. "He's a man of great ability and hearty dedication to the cause of the Reformed faith and the Protestant Reformed Churches." According to Engelsma, key highlights of Hanko's service included editing the Protestant Reformed Theological Journal since its inception and moving the seminary from the old location on the corner of Fuller and Franklin to its current location on Ivanrest in the Grand Rapids suburbs. "That involved not only a change of locality but also a considerable development and upgrading of the seminary and the seminary curriculum," said Engelsma. Engelsma said the seminary has been planning for Hanko's retirement for some time. "The rule here is when a man reaches the age of 65 the churches begin the process of calling the professor's successor, but the professor may continue to teach on a year-by-year basis until he is 70, depending on the discretion of the theological school committee and his willingness to do so," said Engelsma. "The idea is that if a man accepts the appointment this year, he will prepare himself for a year, and after that Prof. Hanko and the new man will share the teaching load for a couple of years. In that way the retiring professor can help the new man take over the subjects and the retiring man is phased out gradually." The theological school committee of the Protestant Reformed Churches has nominated three men to synod: Revs. Russell Dykstra, Barrett Gritters, and Charles Terpstra. Synod will choose one of the trio as the next professor at the seminary. Other major items on the agenda for synod include: * A recommendation from the ecumenicity committee to send two delegates to the International Council of Reformed Churches, meeting in Seoul, South Korea, in 1997. * A proposal from the foreign missions committee to call a missionary to the nation of Ghana in Africa * A request from the Hudsonville (MI) PRC and the denominational home missions committee to organize the Covenant Reformed Fellowship of Northern Ireland as a member church of the Protestant Reformed denomination * An overture from First PRC of Grand Rapids to schedule and begin preparations for a denominational commemoration in the year 2000 of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Prof. David Engelsma, Rector, Protestant Reformed Seminary 4949 Ivanrest SW * Grandville, MI 49418 * O: (616) 531-1490 Prof. Herman Hanko, Professor of New Testament, Protestant Reformed Seminary 4949 Ivanrest SW * Grandville, MI 49418 * O: (616) 531-1490 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-052.txt .