THE WRS PEDAGOGY

Wisdom Forged in the Pulpit and the Classroom

Meet Your Mentors

John A. Battle, Professor of New Testament and Theology, speaking during a recorded interview in front of library bookshelves.

Kevin Backus in academic regalia and a blue hood speaking at a podium microphone during a seminary commencement ceremony.

Scholars by Training. Pastors by Heart.

Our Classrooms are Lead by Seasoned Practitioners

Our faculty members have spent decades balancing high-level, rigorous scholarship with the daily, messy care of souls.

Scripture addresses the depths of suffering.
Reformed theology shapes every counseling conversation.
Pastors trained to shepherd through real pain.

BEYOND THE LECTURE

A Brotherhood of Disciple-Makers 

You aren't a number in a lecture hall; you are a junior colleague being discipled by a "cloud of witnesses” who are personally invested in your calling.

A Living Legacy

Generations of faithful witness, mentoring the next. 

“When professors have walked the path of pastoral ministry, they don't just teach the text—they care for the souls of the students who will soon do the same.”

TITO LYRO | PRESIDENT

Called, Together

A unified community of scholars, practitioners, and disciple-makers.

A man smiling while standing in a library among tall bookshelves, with motion blur suggesting a busy academic setting.

MEET YOUR MENTORS

Personally invested in your calling, they are ready to walk alongside you—offering a lifetime of pastoral wisdom forged in both the library and the pulpit.

Tito de S. Lyro

President

B.A., University of Washington, 2000; M.Div., Western Reformed Seminary, 2000; M.A. in Biblical Counseling, The Master's University, 2023.

W. Scott Hollander III

Registrar

B.S., Western Baptist College, 1999; M.A., Webster University, 2003; US Army officer, 1999-2017, (MAJ, RET), joint and multinational operational and strategic plans and personnel management; M.B.S. with OT emphasis and M.Div., Western Reformed Seminary, 2020; M.C.M. in Biblical Counseling, Western Reformed Seminary, 2024; Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, LBC | Capital Seminary and Graduate School, 2024.

John A. Battle

Professor of New Testament and Theology

B.A., Highland College, 1967; M.Div., Faith Theological Seminary, 1970; S.T.M., Faith Theological Seminary, 1971; Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary, 1975. Associate Professor of New Testament, Western Reformed Seminary, 1983-1998; Professor of New Testament and Theology, Western Reformed Seminary, 1998

Christopher K. Lensch

Associate Professor of Old Testament

B.A., Shelton College, 1975; M.Div., Faith Theological Seminary, 1978; S.T.M., Faith Theological Seminary, 1980. Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Western Reformed Seminary, 1983-1998; Associate Professor of Old Testament, Western Reformed Seminary, 1998

Kevin M. Backus

Professor of Biblical Counseling

B.A., Shelton College, 1978; M.Div., Faith Theological Seminary, 1982; S.T.M., Whitefield Theological Seminary, 1995; Ph.D., Whitefield Theological Seminary, 1997. Instructor of Biblical Counseling, Western Reformed Seminary, 1995-1997; Adjunct Professor of Biblical Counseling, Western Reformed Seminary, 1998-2017; Professor of Biblical Counseling, Western Reformed Seminary, 2017

Leonard W. Pine

Professor of Practical Theology

B.A., Bob Jones University, 1984; M.A., Bob Jones University, 1987; M.Div., Western Reformed Seminary, 1993; D.Min., Westminster Seminary California, 2002. Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, Western Reformed Seminary, 1993-2002; Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology, 2002-2017; Professor of Practical Theology, 2017

Steven Brinegar

Adjunct Instructor of Church History

B.S., Clearwater Christian College, 2002; M.Div., Western Reformed Seminary, 2006; Th.M., Historical Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2019-. Adjunct Instructor of Church History, Western Reformed Seminary, 2022

OUR MENTORS

On Doctrine and Ministry

Shared Stories

Systematic theology is the gathering together of all the different doctrines taught in Scripture into a system, into an interrelated web of truth, you might say.

John Battle

Professor of New Testament and Theology

Shared Stories

Church history is an important part of any seminary education, even though it's not as obvious as some of the other disciplines that we do in seminary.

Steve Brinegar

Adjunct Professor of Church History

Shared Stories

We have to be disciplined in the handling of God's Word... disciplined and passionate about saying what God has to say to individual hearts as well as to the congregation.

Leonard Pine

Professor of Practical Theology

Wisdom Forged in the Pulpit and the Classroom

Our Classrooms are Lead by Seasoned Practitioners

A Brotherhood of Disciple-Makers

A Living Legacy

Called, Together

Personally invested in your calling, they are ready to walk alongside you—offering a lifetime of pastoral wisdom forged in both the library and the pulpit.

On Doctrine and Ministry

Our faculty doesn't just teach the Word; they have lived it in the pulpit for decades. Are you ready to be mentored by shepherds?

A Brotherhood of Disciple-Makers 