Nazarene Theological Seminary

 Senior Pastor, Long Island North Shore Church of the Nazarene

Rev. Corey MacPherson ('00) and his wife Edie planted the Long Island North Shore Church of the Nazarene on the Metro New York district and continue to serve there as pastors.  Corey and Edie are pictured here with their daughter Catherine Grace (age 6) and son Logan Wesley (age 2).

 

How/Why did you decide to attend NTS?  
During my senior year, I had a passing conversation with then President of ENC, Dr. Kent R. Hill.  I told him that after my summer working with the Church of the Nazarene in Hong Kong I felt like I might be called to ministry but was not sure if I could handle seminary due to the fact I was a business major and not a religion major.  He spent 10 minutes encouraging me to attend NTS telling me that he believed in me; he even became one of my references.  It still amazes me how one of the most defining moments regarding the direction my life would take, happened in a passing conversation with Dr. Hill.    

Aside from the coursework/studies themselves, what about NTS has most positively impacted your current assignment?
As challenging and crucial as the coursework was/is at NTS I am continually reminded that if we lose the passion for people to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, all else is pointless.  It was after I left NTS that I realized what an important and powerful influence (then) Professor of Evangelism Dr. Chic Shaver had on me through his passion for people to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

How did your time at NTS shape or re-shape your call?  
When I first started attending NTS, my plans were to become a Missionary in the Church of the Nazarene, hopefully in Asia.  However, during my four years at NTS, Edie and I became aware that the Lord was preparing us for another mission field.  Having grown up on the Metro New York District, the District Superintendent had started a conversation with us about returning to my home district to begin a new Nazarene church.  Being primarily focused on my education at that point we did not make a quick decision but kept it in our thoughts and prayers.  Eventually it became clear to us that God was preparing us to begin a new Nazarene church on the North Shore of Long Island.   
 
In regard to your current ministry assignment, how are you and Edie “partners in ministry?” 
I have learned that my greatest strength in ministry is my wife.  She is always more than willing to fill any role that is needed, such as leading our music when our music leader passed away suddenly, or filling in to teach a Sunday School class…she even preached for me one Sunday morning!  But most importantly I believe we support and encourage one another in this calling of ours.  We know that through it all, we’re in this together.
    
What advice would you give to anyone who feels a call to ministry in regard to attending NTS?
I often tell a story in answering this question.  My final year at NTS, due to a scheduling conflict, I took my preaching class requirement at St. Paul’s United Methodist Seminary in Kansas City with Dr. Eugene Lowry.  It was his final year of teaching after 30 years.
Dr Lowry is the former President of The Academy of Homiletics (1992) and has also earned four academic degrees, including a doctorate in the philosophy of education from the University of Kansas.
He is best known for his book The Homeltical Plot which has been in publication for over 25 years and is still regarded as the foremost book on narrative preaching.  Needless to say, he is a very credible voice in the study and teaching of theology.

The first day of class after Dr. Lowry took attendance and discovered that I and one other student attended NTS, he shared, “In my 30 years of teaching and preaching, Nazarene students have consistently been the best preachers.”  Later on that semester at the end of class Dr. Lowry asked me, “Do you have any idea how good the M.Div. program is at NTS?”  I shrugged my shoulders agreeing saying “I guess, yeah;” to which he replied, “NO! NTS has one of the best M.Div. programs out there and it’s a shame more people outside of Nazarene circles don’t realize it.”  

Thinking back on that comment from Dr. Lowry it has occurred to me that it is also a shame that more people within Nazarene circles don’t realize how strong the program at NTS really is.