A Giant Step
- On the alignment of Logos Evangelical Seminary´s Chinese name with the English name - from "Taifu" to "Zhengdao"
Logos Evangelical Seminary took a giant step in August 2007 by changing its Chinese name from "Taifu" to "Zhengdao" in alignment with its English name "Logos." Much effort was given to this branding process.
 President Liu responded to those concerned by saying, "In the past decades, thousands of Taiwanese-speaking immigrants lived in North America. The English-speaking
seminaries couldn・t meet the demands for pastors for the immigrant churches. The language barrier and curriculum design of western seminaries were not very fitting to the situation of immigrant churches either. So, under the direction of the General Assembly of Evangelical Formosan Church (EFC), Logos Evangelical Seminary was founded in 1989 and named "Taifu" (Evangelical Formosan) in Chinese after EFC. We received very clear direction from God to build this seminary as an institution "for the training of pastors for Evangelical Formosan churches and Taiwanese-speaking ethnic groups," and we constantly sought to breakthrough and grow. In 1994, we joined the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and became its fully accredited member in 1999, the first among all Asian seminaries to obtain such standing."
President Liu continued, "In 1994, to respond to the call from Mandarin-speaking churches, we began teaching our classes in Mandarin Chinese. Many people were able to enroll in our seminary due to this language shift. In the last thirteen years, countless Mandarin-speaking ministers were equipped. Currently, our students not only come from Taiwan, they also come from all over the world. Our graduates are also distributed among different denominations and regions. Among the approximate 300 graduates, 76% serve outside the EFC church network. Our faculty and staff come from Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Myama, and Mainland China. So you see, while we used to reach out mainly to Taiwanese-speaking students, now we are moving toward globalization, training students from all over the world and sending them to all parts of the world. It is our belief that, to reflect our mission and to respond to the need of Chinese churches all over the world, this is the right time to adjust our Chinese name to correctly reflect our current standing and to reposition ourselves in this generation to better serve our Lord."
When asked, "Does the name of a seminary really have such an impact on its development?" President Liu・s response was, "Our seminary was founded by a denomination, yet we serve all the churches. We encourage people from different denominations to apply and enroll. But due to the discrepancy between our Chinese and English names, we created much unnecessary confusion. When my staff and I were out introducing our seminary, many people thought our seminary was located in Taiwan, and that we came to the States to recruit only students from Taiwan. Some thought we only spoke Taiwanese; it hindered our recruitment and took away the opportunity from those interested in seminary education - all due to misunderstanding of our Chinese name. So, for "Taifu" Seminary to become more effective and more accepting to the people we serve, aligning the name is necessary and appropriate. Thank God, this philosophy was agreed upon by the seminary board. I want to thank the Executive Committee of EFC General Assembly for their kingdom heart and far-reaching vision. For the expansion of this seminary, they approved the motion to realign the seminary・s name in November, 2006 and gave us their blessing and support. Today, Taifu Seminary once again reached the moment of a giant leap. Our purpose is none but this - to carry out the same vision as at its founding: "attempt great things for God and rescue millions of souls."
As for his view on the number of students, President Liu said, "There is great need in the Kingdom and God has given us much grace. Our professors all possess Ph.D. and other earned doctoral degrees from outstanding institutions with abundant pastoral experiences. We can offer excellent quality theological education and practical ministry training, which makes our seminary most unique. By examining our facility and provisions, we have the capacity to take in 200 students. Right now, we average 100 fully enrolled students, so there is still room for more. We hope, by aligning our name, we will be able to broaden our recruitment, and more people will be drawn to our seminary to receive training, use our resources, and become God・s faithful and able servants."
"Will the new name cause the seminary to lose its historicity and uniqueness?" "No," said President Liu. "When we seek to attract more people, we do it under the original doctrine, theological standing, and its founding vision and mission, so we will not lose our original uniqueness. We cautiously position ourselves to be a theological institution "attracting Chinese students from all over the world" and in the meantime maintaining ourselves as an EFC institution. Our vision, mission, core values, theological standing, doctrines, and uniqueness remain the same, just as when it was first founded."
"In the past, the growth of Taifu Seminary was through the love and support of many people. It was like a small plant, receiving careful watering from these loving and giving people and was able to grow strong. The intent of the caregivers was for it to grow and become strong. Today, its roots need a bigger container so it can root deeper and grow taller. When a child grows, he needs to put on bigger clothing. His growth makes his parents glad. Even though there are growing pains, we believe it is a necessary process. As long as we faithfully keep what God has entrusted to us, we will reap sweet results and reach our goals."
"Can you please share the procedure of this branding process?"
"The new Chinese name not only needs to match its English counterpart but also needs to reflect the emphasis on theology, support the Evangelical Formosan Church・s tradition, and include people from various backgrounds. In view of the above, the Board of Trustees employed the help of a professional consulting firm to bring in objectivity and neutrality in this process. Mr. Carlos Hidalgo, President of the consulting firm, oversaw the whole procedure. We were very surprised to learn that he himself went to a bible college, and his son is a Senior Pastor at a church in Denver, Colorado. As we worked together, we prayed and encouraged each other with God・s word. Under his direction, we collected more than 35 names recommended by individuals and various group delegates. Then, the President・s Advisory Board eliminated all but nine names. Next, we invited 85 people from seminary´s faculty, student body, staffs, partners, alumni, board members of Logos Seminary and Logos Foundation, EFC pastors, chairman and board members of EFC General Assembly to elect their choices from the list of nine names. The President´s Advisory Board presented the top six choices to the Board of Trustees, and they selected the final three in May. Lastly, all the members of Evangelical Formosan Church General Assembly cast their votes, and "Zheng Dao (Logos) Evangelical Seminary" was chosen to be our new Chinese name. Praise God! Even though the cost of this process was quite high, God provided and met our needs through the donation of more than twenty of our partners."
President Liu asked all those concerned for their continual support by first praying for the seminary. "It is our sincere desire that Logos Seminary will truly become a place after God´s own heart by teaching "Logos" and preaching "Logos." We desire to raise and train preachers who can correctly handle the word of truth." "Secondly," said President Liu, "you can help us by becoming a partner and support us financially. Please encourage your friends and relatives to also join the partner team. With financial stability, we can better plan for long-term growth."
Finally, President Liu stated, "May God once again move His people to cross this milestone with us and become long-term partners and companions in accomplishing God´s purposes for this seminary. To God be all the praise and glory!"
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