On the morning of Monday, June 16, Professor Emeritus Dr. Chuck Emert went home to be with the Lord.
A graduate of Western Baptist Bible College (Corban University) BA, Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM), and Western Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin), Dr. Emert served in a range of ministries within the local church, from Youth Pastor, Education Director, Worship Leader, Associate Pastor and Senior Pastor. However, his biggest ministry impact was realized in the lives of the many students who sat under his leadership at Southern California Seminary.
Spanning two decades, Dr. Emert served in a variety of roles, from Professor of Biblical Studies to VP of Academics (2009-2011), and Vice-Chancellor (2014-2017). In addition to his long-standing connection to Southern California Seminary, Dr. Emert served as the Chair of the Bible/Theology Division of Clarks Summit (under the name Baptist Bible College) as well as San Diego Christian College (under the name Christian Heritage College). He also taught in countries across the world, including Africa, Russia and Romania. Moreover, he ministered in churches in Albania, Lithuania, Turkey and Israel. Following the collapse of communism in the former USSR, he and his wife Lorretta were part of the first wave of believers to enter Russia to help in the establishment of Bible colleges in the cities of Maykop and Krasnodar, Russia, where they lived one year. Afterwards, he and Lorretta served for two years in Romania as directors of the Caransebes Bible Institute.
A dynamic and powerful expositor, Dr. Emert’s booming voice echoed from the classroom and into the hearts of his students’. This was Dr. Emert’s last message he gave at the Seminary. His words are memorable. News of his passing was reported to us by his wife of over 70 years, Loretta. He is survived also by his four children and dozens of grand- and great-grand children.
James I. Fazio
Dean of Bible and Theology
Southern California Seminary