Sinclair Scholar Award Recipient

November 30, 2008

Interview with Chris Brown
George D. Sinclair Scholar Award Recipient for 2008-2009
November 18, 2008

Each year one full-time, first-year, MDiv. student is awarded the George D. Sinclair Scholar Award.  This scholarship was created in memory of George D. Sinclair, a former Board Member at Westminster Theological Seminary for 39 years and a former elder at Proclamation Presbyterian Church. This is our third year for this award, and we were pleased to be able to give it to Chris Brown.

This is Chris Brown’s first year in the M.Div., pastoral ministry program.  Chris chose Westminster because of our “top-notch education… I wanted to be pushed, where teachers knew more than me and I would just be blown away at times. Coupled with that, you need godly men and women. I’ve known people who’ve been through Westminster and I trust those people and look up to them.” 

His twin brother, Steve, also studies here at Westminster. He is in his second year. As Chris says, “you can’t beat that...to study together.”

So how is Westminster set apart from other seminaries?  “I wanted to go where the professors really got deep into the Word of God. When we don’t go deep, we’re missing something, there’s a richness there, a depth and I wanted a faculty that would give me a taste of that”.

In the future ,when Chris is done with his school work, he hopes to be ordained in the PCA and go where God leads him.  “I do have a strong interest in missions, particularly in areas that don’t have a strong Gospel witness. I have a couple of years here and I’m trusting that God will show me in his time where [He wants me to go]. It’s sometimes hard to wait, but I do think He will show me, in His time.” 

Currently he’s focused on his studies, spending time getting to know about the various ministries in Philadelphia and building relationships. “God’s been great in allowing me to network and get to know people and see what He’s already doing in Philly. It’s neat coming in and seeing what He’s doing and I think that’s part of my education, seeing what He’s doing with other people in ministry and learning from their experience."

Chris is loving campus life here as he’s building a lot of friendships. “What I’ve been impressed by is what I’ve learned from my fellow students. There are guys here that I would love to serve under or with. It’s refreshing to see how the Gospel is at work in people’s lives… It’s a benefit I never thought about. When I came [to Westminster] I wasn’t thinking that my peers would be such a positive encouragement on my spiritual life”.

For those who are considering seminary, Chris recommends three things: 1. Consider what they want to do in life and not to just look to find all their answers in Seminary; 2. Cultivate a spiritual life; 3. Get close to God. “If your hearts’ not right with God, you’ll leave seminary with a lot of facts, but you’ll miss the most important lessons to learn. Come prepared, teachable and humble, looking forward to probing His Word with the spirit of knowing Him more.”

Finally, Chris sees God working in his own life, as a work in progress.  He feels that during this time in seminary, God is showing him how to examine his own heart and presuppositions; He is also showing him just how really depraved he is, and how much he personally needs the Gospel.

“God’s been teaching me more and more about what the heart and Gospel really is. It’s all about Jesus, yet there is a desire in my life to make it all about me and my thoughts…In some ways it’s been a freeing time…It’s easy for me to forget if it weren’t for the Gospel I’d still be lost; and I still need the Gospel. He’s still continuing to teach me that.”

Please join us in praying for Chris and all our students.