Dr. Wynand de Kock first encountered Palmer Seminary (then Eastern Baptist Seminary) in 1988 when he met Dr. Ron Sider in Cape Flat, South Africa. Dr de Kock was the Academic Dean of a Bible college outside of Cape Town, and teaching at the University of the Western Cape at the time. This was amidst the boycotts meant to apply pressure to the Apartheid government. As a result, Dr. de Kock had to find new ways to teach.
Following the end of Apartheid in 1994, he was convinced that what was needed was a course in which the local church was the primary classroom, and pastors and professors worked together in a fusion of theory and practice. Openseminary was born. By 2006, Openseminary was accredited by the University of Pretoria and in Australia where he had relocated in 2004. Soon after, then-Eastern University President Dr. David Black wanted to bring Openseminary to Eastern. Palmer and Eastern have hosted it ever since. Dr. de Kock was granted tenure in 2021.
The need for theory and practice to be brought together thoughtfully and intentionally is a perennial theme in Wynand’s work and conversation. His passion for their fusion in pedagogy is evident. It was only a matter of time before he designed a program that broadened the scope of this commitment beyond pastoral education.
In October 2024, Palmer will welcome its first cohort of PhD in Professional Practice students. This fully online program seeks to provide professionals from diverse fields and backgrounds the opportunity to carefully and thoughtfully examine the best practices and contributions in their respective arenas through both a theoretical and theological lens.
“All practice is theory laden, pregnant with it, whether we are conscious of it or not,” explains Dr. de Kock who will serve as chair of the PhD program and continue to direct the Openseminary program. “We want to work with people who are thoughtful in their practice, and unearth the deposits of theory embedded in it.”
Dr. de Kock says we all work, expending physical and emotional effort to accomplish something, and that all work requires specialized knowledge. Often this specialized knowledge is taken for granted as the result of experience, and sometimes this knowledge is lost as more experienced professionals retire. Through the PhD in Professional Practice, students will distill their body of professional knowledge into theory that can be passed on to others, particularly those who are just entering the profession. “The program is generative. Professionals will ask themselves ‘If I could do it all over again, what would I do differently?’”
The PhD in Professional Practice reflects Palmer’s continued innovation in sharing The Whole Gospel for the Whole World through Whole Persons.
About the Author
Dan lives with his wife, Libby, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Palmer Theological Seminary with his Master of Divinity in 2018. He now serves full-time as the Director of College and Young Adult Ministries with the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA on the campuses of Eastern University and West Chester University. He also serves as a Chaplain and Seminary Storyteller for our Center for Alumni Care and Seminary Engagement.
