When he was an undergraduate at Trevecca, Bruce Oldham never would have dreamed he’d one day be selected to serve as a seminary president.
“I was called to be a youth pastor,” Oldham said. “I went overseas after my sophomore and junior years and put in an application to missions to be open to that possibility. I also worked in admissions my senior year and after graduation, and really enjoyed working in higher education. But I was really focused on youth ministry back then, and would not have imagined those two experiences coming together later in my life.”
On August 4, the Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) Board of Trustees announced Oldham had accepted his election as the seminary president for the next four years. Oldham and his wife, Peggy (’79), will move to Manila, Philippines, and expect to be on campus by early November.
Oldham earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and communications from the University in 1978 and earned his Master’s of Arts from Trevecca in 1989. He has completed additional graduate work at Nazarene Theological Seminary and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In 2005, Oldham obtained his doctoral degree—an Ed.D. in higher education administration—from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College.
Oldham has a long history in Nazarene higher education. From 1991-2010, he served in various roles at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU), including vice president for enrollment management, director of admissions, executive assistant to the president and chairman/professor in Christian education. Following this, Oldham was the dean of the School of Christian Ministry and Formation at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Most recently, he has served as senior associate pastor at the Nashville First Church of the Nazarene since 2012.
Oldham believes his varied experience will help him in his new role as a seminary president.
“As I look back [on the various higher education roles he has held], I see that my experience helps me to pretty much relate to anyone,” Oldham said. “I’ve just learned that the primary role of a leader is to serve and all my experiences helped me know how to best serve the school. I want to carry that with me and not lose that.”
In a press release announcing his appointment, APNTS leaders described Oldham as “an efficient and effective administrator” who is able “to cast vision and communicate that vision while working collaboratively with colleagues.”
“His years of leadership in higher education and as a pastor, as shown in his credentials and in the process of getting to know Bruce following the selection process, is something that APNTS is prayerfully anticipating, as this shows his preparedness to take on this very important role in APNTS for the global church,” said Kafoa Muaror, APNTS Board of Trustees chair, in the press release.
Oldham is particularly excited about the opportunity to serve alongside his wife. Peggy has also worked extensively in Nazarene higher education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, MidAmerica Nazarene University and Trevecca. She currently teaches in Trevecca’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies Management and Human Relations (MHR) program and serves as the associate director of alumni and church engagement.
“We’re going in as a team,” Oldham said.
For Oldham, serving at APNTS is an honor that will allow him to continue his work in higher education, but also continue to learn about and reach out to other cultures.
"My job will not just be at the school,” he said. “The seminary serves the entire Asia-Pacific region, and I will enjoy learning about those cultures, developing relationships with the people and becoming partners to advance ministerial education in that part of the world."