The Christian leaders of the future have to be theologians, persons who know the heart of God and are trained - through prayer, study, and careful analysis - to manifest the divine event of God's saving work in the midst of the many seemingly random events of their time.
Get to Know the Pastors, Theologians, and Educators of Northeastern Seminary
What does a theological education mean for someone who is exploring what God is calling them to do? Our faculty share some of their thoughts. Click on the image below to learn more about a faculty or staff member. More about our leadership team can be found here.
Interested in learning more? Visit with our admissions team today and get your questions answered.
11
Core Faculty
15
Adjunct Faculty
ALL
Old Testament, New Testament, & Ministry Specialists
Emeriti Personnel of Northeastern Seminary
Dr. Brian Babcock
Dr. Babcock was one of the original team that launched Northeastern Seminary. He has four
earned degrees including a D.Min. in Spiritual Formation, and a M.Div., from Asbury Theological Seminary, a M.S., from Miami University, Ohio in Personnel Counseling and Higher Ed; and a B.A., West Virginia University in History and Political Science.
He served in a number of positions at Roberts Wesleyan prior to joining the founding Northeastern Seminary team, including Associate Dean and then Acting Dean of Students, providing oversight for Student Government, Student Activities, Campus Ministries, Counseling and Health Services. He served as Associate Registrar with oversight in digitizing 50 years of records; Assistant to the Provost for Institutional Research and Special Projects, which included leadership for computerization of the campus, and then served as its Interim Director of Information Services.
With the launching of Northeastern Seminary in 1998, Brian served as Assistant Dean, with
oversight for Marketing, Recruitment, Admissions, Registration, Budget Management, and
Support Staff. He was instrumental in launching the Doctor of Ministry program then served as its Director until his retirement. He gave leadership to multiple initiatives, such as the Northeastern Seminary Ministry Conference, the bilingual Hispanic Institute for Theological Studies (CHET), the partnership with Sound of the Genuine Lay Leadership Institute at Elim Christian Fellowship of Buffalo, NY, and launched the fledgling Northeastern Seminary alumni association.
Dr. Nelson J. Grimm
Dr. Grimm’s earned degrees include: Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo; M.S., Canisius College; M.Div., Asbury Theological Seminary; B.A., Roberts Wesleyan College. His doctoral research considered the relationships between religiosity, spirituality, and life satisfaction. Dr. Grimm has extensive ministry experience as a pastor and conference superintendent within the Free Methodist Church of North America and as a chaplain. Additionally, he has served in a leadership/advisory capacity with other pastors, churches, and organizations. He has served as a member of the Ministerial Education and Guidance Board of the Genesee Conference of the Free Methodist Church, is a clinical member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, and a member of the Evangelical Association of Theological Field Educators.
As Northeastern Seminary's founding faculty member responsible for field education, his expertise provided the Seminary with a strong internship program, and he taught a variety of courses in the area of applied theology. Dr. Grimm retired in 2021 having served the Seminary for 23 years.
Dr. Barry Hamilton
Dr. Hamilton holds the following degrees: Ph.D. and M.Phil., Drew University; M.L.S., University of North Texas; M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary; B.A., Bethany Nazarene College. He is the author of two published monographs: William Baxter Godbey: Itinerant Apostle of the Holiness Movement (2000) and The Role of Richard Watson's Theological Institutes in the Development of Methodism after John Wesley (2014), several peer-reviewed articles, and more than seventy book reviews. He served in pastoral ministry for eight years, and is an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church. He served as assistant library director at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, taught church history and research methods, and served as core faculty for the Doctor of Ministry program. He has taught seminary courses in Nigeria and Burundi, served as a library consultant in Kenya, carried out research at several major universities--including Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Bridwell Library/SMU, Candler School of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Drew University, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the National Library of Ireland. He attended the Third Annual Wesley Studies Summer Seminar (2013) at Asbury Theological Seminary. Ongoing research interests include history of the English Church (with an emphasis on Methodist studies), the 19th century Holiness movement, early Pentecostalism, early American Methodism, and revivalism.
Dr. Paul Livermore
Dr. Livermore’s earned degrees include: Ph.D., Th.M., Princeton Theological Seminary; M.Div., Asbury Theological Seminary; A.B., Greenville College. He is an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church. Dr. Livermore has served as a pastor and as a teacher. He joined the Roberts Wesleyan College faculty in 1976 and shared in the conception, birth, and development of Northeastern Seminary. Dr. Livermore retired May, 2013. Dr. Livermore’s doctoral program involved the study of Second Temple Judaism and the dialogue between early Christianity and Judaism. Over the last two decades his research into the New Testament and early Judaism has continued, but it has also expanded to include, in particular, patristic Christianity and Wesley. All of these studies inform his work as a member of the Study Commission on Doctrine of the Free Methodist Church on which he has served since 1979. In partial fulfillment of his responsibility on the Study Commission, he has written a Catechism for the Free Methodist Church and the first of a two-volume systematic theology, The God of Our Salvation. He is currently working on the second volume.
Dr. Wayne G. McCown
Dr. McCown holds the following degrees: Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary; Th.M., Union Theological Seminary; M.A., University of Washington; B.D., Asbury Theological Seminary; B.A., Seattle Pacific University. Dr. McCown is provost emeritus of Roberts Wesleyan College and dean emeritus of Northeastern Seminary. He has eighteen years of service as a seminary dean (seven years at Western Evangelical Seminary plus another eleven years as the vice president and dean at Northeastern Seminary). Dr. McCown also had three years of service as a church administrator, and eight years as the vice president for academic affairs and academic dean/senior vice president and provost at Roberts Wesleyan College. In 2008 he was honored with the status of provost emeritus of Roberts Wesleyan College and dean emeritus of Northeastern Seminary.
Dr. Rebecca Letterman
Dr. McCown holds the following degrees: Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary; Th.M., Union Theological Seminary; M.A., University of Washington; B.D., Asbury Theological Seminary; B.A., Seattle Pacific University. Dr. McCown is provost emeritus of Roberts Wesleyan College and dean emeritus of Northeastern Seminary. He has eighteen years of service as a seminary dean (seven years at Western Evangelical Seminary plus another eleven years as the vice president and dean at Northeastern Seminary). Dr. McCown also had three years of service as a church administrator, and eight years as the vice president for academic affairs and academic dean/senior vice president and provost at Roberts Wesleyan College. In 2008 he was honored with the status of provost emeritus of Roberts Wesleyan College and dean emeritus of Northeastern Seminary.
Dr. Doug Cullum
Dr. Babcock was one of the original team that launched Northeastern Seminary. He has four
earned degrees including a D.Min. in Spiritual Formation, and a M.Div., from Asbury Theological Seminary, a M.S., from Miami University, Ohio in Personnel Counseling and Higher Ed; and a B.A., West Virginia University in History and Political Science.
He served in a number of positions at Roberts Wesleyan prior to joining the founding Northeastern Seminary team, including Associate Dean and then Acting Dean of Students, providing oversight for Student Government, Student Activities, Campus Ministries, Counseling and Health Services. He served as Associate Registrar with oversight in digitizing 50 years of records; Assistant to the Provost for Institutional Research and Special Projects, which included leadership for computerization of the campus, and then served as its Interim Director of Information Services.
With the launching of Northeastern Seminary in 1998, Brian served as Assistant Dean, with
oversight for Marketing, Recruitment, Admissions, Registration, Budget Management, and
Support Staff. He was instrumental in launching the Doctor of Ministry program then served as its Director until his retirement. He gave leadership to multiple initiatives, such as the Northeastern Seminary Ministry Conference, the bilingual Hispanic Institute for Theological Studies (CHET), the partnership with Sound of the Genuine Lay Leadership Institute at Elim Christian Fellowship of Buffalo, NY, and launched the fledgling Northeastern Seminary alumni association.