If you go to our website, receive a newsletter, or visit us on social media, you may have noticed the new logo for the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS). I thought I would use this issue’s “From Rutherford Hall” column to explain.

Recently, RPTS employed the services of Clark Higher Ed (CHE), an enrollment company formed by experienced educators who help Christian colleges and seminaries make their institutions known in this digital age. As we consulted with CHE, they pointed out three helpful edits we could make to our logo to help communicate more effectively who we are at RPTS. As I explain these edits, please note that our logo may have changed, but it is only to highlight more accurately the same seminary RPTS has always been.

Highlighting the Shepherd’s Staff

In our former logo, the shepherd’s staff ran through the middle of the letters that abbreviated our name. When the color contrast between the staff and the letters was not bold enough, it appeared like we were crossing out RPTS! Our consultants suggested dropping the staff lower, running it mostly behind the letters, and contrasting the colors more greatly to give us the sharp image you see. As RPTS remains committed to training men to be loving shepherds of Christ’s flock, having the staff as part of our logo is important to us.

Adding Our Name

The general public may know precisely what certain abbreviations represent, such as the FBI or the NBA. However, most people do not know what RPTS means without help. We do not want them to think we are “Research Publication Tracking System,” which uses the same abbreviation! We now include our name in the new logo so there is no mistaking what RPTS represents.

Tweaking Our Motto

For many years, RPTS has had the motto, “Study under Pastors.” So why switch to “Study with Pastors”? This slight but significant change represents even more the scriptural posture we have as we train men for the ministry.

Paul spoke about other men who he trained or worked with as his “fellow servants,” “fellow workers,” “fellow heirs,” etc. In many of these cases, the Greek prefix sun (sun meaning “with”) is used and then translated as “fellow” (see 2 Cor. 8:23; Phil 2:25; Col. 1:7). Similarly, Peter referred to himself as a fellow elder with the leaders of the church (1 Pet. 5:1). Paul, in his missionary travels, had a company of men with him, as did our Lord in His ministry.

Likewise, what is unique at RPTS is that the pastor-scholars who serve as professors are committed to spending significant time with the students. RPTS professors spend 50% or more time in the classroom than peers at other Reformed seminaries. Additionally, RPTS professors worship daily with their students in chapel, spend time in prayer, serve as faculty mentors, eat daily lunches with students, and open up their homes and hearts to students. This motto change represents the theological family that RPTS has in Rutherford Hall. Though, in the catechism language regarding authority, there are still superiors and inferiors in the sense the students learn under the professors at RPTS, we view our students as fellow kingdom workers we are equipping to serve with us as fellow soldiers in the church militant.

By God’s grace, when I was a student at RPTS from 1988–1991, I was blessed to sit under such men as Drs. Donnelly, Stewart, Copeland, Wright, and Spear, with Ken Smith as my pastor. To this day, I have such a godly reverence for what each one of them taught me in the classroom and sanctuary. Yet what truly amazed and impressed me when I was a student here was how these men wanted to spend time with a guy like me. They sat with me in fellowship, prayed with me, invited me to their homes, and opened their hearts to me. I am thankful the spirit of theological community has not changed from the time I was a student to now serving as a professor and president.

Yes, our logo has changed, but only to further highlight the special place RPTS is. We hope the Lord will use our efforts to draw even more students to come and “Study with Pastors.”