Sterling College has announced that Dr. Luder Whitlock will address the Class of 2015 at the 123rd Sterling College Commencement on May 16, 2015, at 9:45 a.m. on East Cooper Lawn. Whitlock is the executive director of the CNL Charitable Foundation, the Seneff Family Foundation and president of the Excelsis Center. The CNL Charitable Foundation supports the work of nonprofits in the Central Florida region by focusing its resources on five areas it believes hold the greatest potential to strengthen and enrich communities: education, leadership and entrepreneurship, arts and culture, homelessness and poverty, and health and wellness. The Excelsis Center performs research, develops study Bibles and guides, and equips and trains new generations of Christian leaders.

After nearly 10 years as a pastor, Whitlock joined the faculty at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1975 and in 1978, became president of RTS. He held the position for 23 years; under his leadership, RTS grew to become one of the 10 largest seminaries in North America, with seven campuses in the U.S. as well as gateway extension programs in Asia, South America and Europe. “Christianity Today” recognized him as one of the five seminary presidents most influential on theological education during the last half of the 20th Century.

Whitlock has served various organizations related to theological education, including the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents, the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada, the National Commission on Higher Education, the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, the International Theological Seminary, The International Schools of Theology, Knox Theological Seminary, Covenant College, Montreat College and Westminster Theological Seminary.

Whitlock has served on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals, the World Evangelical Fellowship (North America region), Mission America, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and Greater Europe Mission. He has also participated in several interfaith and science-faith discussions seeking mutual understanding.

He was a co-founder and first chairman of the Church Planting Center and has assisted Redeemer City to City in planning and implementing its highly successful global church planting efforts. He was also co-founder and co-president of the International Reformed Fellowship. Whitlock later assumed a major role in the establishment of the World Reformed Fellowship, convening the initial global gathering. He participated in founding the Foundation for Reformation, now Excelsis, and also helped establish Lifework Leadership, a highly successful model for training emerging leaders in a city.

Whitlock has long been interested in the education of children, teaching at a Christian school early in his career and later serving on boards of several Christian schools, including the Geneva School in Orlando as well as The Institute for Classical Schools. His involvement with Desire Street Ministries provides an opportunity to help impoverished and disadvantaged children receive an education and incentive to achievement.

Whitlock is well known for his role as executive director of “The New Geneva Study Bible” and a major revision, published as “The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible.” He is the author of “The Spiritual Quest” and has contributed to various other volumes and periodicals. He served on the advisory board for the “English Standard Version” of the Bible. He also served for many years on the editorial advisory board of “Leadership.”

Whitlock is a graduate of the University of Florida, Westminster Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.

Commencement Details