Trinity International University welcomes Dr. Gene L. Green as the Dean of Trinity Florida. Before coming to Trinity Florida he taught New Testament for twenty three years at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Previously he served for thirteen years in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica where he was Professor of New Testament as well as Academic Dean and Rector of the Seminario ESEPA in San José. Dr. Green is a graduate of Wheaton College and Graduate School and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. 

Dr. Green steps into the role as Dean of Trinity Florida at a time of unprecedented adversity around the world as we confront the COVID-19 pandemic. “In this critical moment, the church is a tight community of faith with a message of hope and hands of love,” he remarked. “The church father Tertullian commented on the surrounding community’s opinion of the Christians in his day: ‘It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand on us. See, they say, how they love one another.’ In the same way, we support one another in this day, even though we are unable to gather because of love for each other, and we seek tangible ways to love our neighbor as ourselves.” 

Green is the author of two commentaries in Spanish, 1 Pedro y 2 Pedro (Editorial Caribe) and 1 y 2 Tesalonicenses (Portavoz), as well as English commentaries on The Letters to the Thessalonians (Eerdmans) and Jude and 2 Peter (Baker Academic). His most recent publications include Vox Petri: A Theology of Peter (Cascade) and a co-authored introduction to the New Testament entitled The New Testament in Antiquity (Zondervan). In his teaching and publications, he has encouraged students, teachers, and pastors to engage contemporary developments in Majority World and minority biblical studies and theology. To that end, he co-edited Global Theology in Evangelical Perspective (IVP), the “Majority World Theology Series” (Eerdmans and Langham Literature), and the forthcoming “Crosscurrents in Majority World and Minority Theology Series” (Cascade). The intersection of the Christian faith and cultures, both ancient and contemporary, is a central concern in his teaching, writing, church ministry, and institutional work. “I listened and learned from some of the best Christian leaders in Latin America, folk like Dr. René Padilla and Dr. Samuel Escobar. They deepened my understanding of the gospel of Christ and helped me learn new ways to live out our faith.” Green is committed to misión integral, bringing the gospel to people in both Word and deed. 

Gene, as he likes to be called, is an ordained minister who has pastored and taught in churches in the United States and Latin America since 1972. “My first pastor, Bro. Wells, mentored me into the ministry,” he said. “I learned how to live out God’s calling by following his example and listening to his wisdom. He was a man of the Word who knew the power of the Holy Spirit.” For many years Green served as a Board member for Langham Partnership, an organization founded by Dr. John Stott and dedicated to leadership development and literature production for Majority World seminaries and churches. He remarked, “I knew John Stott, Uncle John as we called him. He was a true man of God, a pastor’s pastor, whose influence in the church throughout the world was incomparable. He was an excellent expositor of the Word, an evangelist really, who faithfully preached the depths of the gospel in a relevant and winsome way.”

Gene and his wife Deborah have two daughters, Gillian and Christiana, and three grandchildren. He is also a cyclist (a “roadie”), a banjo picker (clawhammer), and a bagpiper who played with various pipe and drum corps in Great Britain and the United States.

Trinity International University’s President Nicholas Perrin spoke about Green’s appointment as Dean: “Florida is not only one of the fastest growing states in the union, but also one of the most diverse states. As a scholar of no little stature and a seasoned cross-cultural—not to mention bi-lingual—administrator, Dr. Green is uniquely qualified to assume this significant role in the Sunshine State. We are delighted to have such a strategic leader in such a strategic space.”

“I am overjoyed to serve at Trinity with President Nick Perrin, my former colleague,” Green said. “We worked together for fourteen years and I relish the opportunity to cast vision with him and local church leaders about the future of Trinity Florida.” Green went on to say how deeply grateful he is for the solid foundations laid at TIU-Florida since the 1990s and how excited he is to build upon and strengthen existing programs and to create new ones. “My first task, however, is deep listening to staff, faculty, students, alumni, ecclesial leaders, and church members in South Florida, hearing their stories and dreams. This is primary work before blueprinting future plans.”

During the present crisis, Trinity International University-Florida remains open. Professors have moved their courses to a variety of distance learning formats. “A lot of classes are using Moodle, many are meeting face to face via Zoom, there are some directed studies. Students, faculty, and staff have quickly adjusted to our new realities. Students report that it’s working well,” said Green.  “During this time, Trinity will continue to fulfill its educational mission to ‘educate men and women to engage in God’s redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness, and lifelong learning’. I’m delighted that new students are sending in their applications. We are committed to serve the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the best times and the worst times.” 

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