Dr. Abner Chou did not aspire to this. 

In fact, he was so content as a Bible faculty member and endowed fellow at The Master’s University that he didn’t picture himself doing anything else. So, when the board of directors of The Master’s University and Seminary unanimously affirmed Chou as full-time president in March, a move that took effect May 6, it was not the culmination of a lifelong dream.

It was, however, a call to serve an institution that Chou loves. And as it turns out, it was also an opportunity to leverage many of the passions and skills that have made him such a beloved professor at TMU: his theological precision, his ability to challenge others to think deeply about the Word of God, and his humility — something that endears him to faculty, staff and students alike.

***

In March, Chou addressed the topic “The Queen of the Sciences: Reclaiming the Rightful Place of Theology and Creation” during The Math3ma Institute lecture series at TMU. Photo by Trinity Peralta

When Chou came to TMU as an undergraduate Bible major in 2000, he envisioned himself becoming a youth pastor.

“I wanted to teach the Bible,” Chou says. “And at the time, I wanted to teach the Bible in a context that I was familiar with, which was youth ministry — which had up to that point been used mightily by the Lord to shape my life. So I wanted to do the same thing for others.”

Ultimately, though, Chou wanted to teach the Word of God wherever God placed him. 

So, when Chou graduated in 2003 and was offered the opportunity to teach a Greek class at TMU the next year, he took it. He served as an adjunct in the Bible department, worked on his graduate degrees at The Master’s Seminary, and then moved to Israel to teach at TMU’s Israel Bible Extension (IBEX) program for two years. In 2007, he returned as a full-time Bible professor at TMU’s main campus.

“Getting to teach here was an honor from the beginning,” Chou says. “The only dissatisfaction I ever felt with the job was with my own limitations. The only concern I had was that I might not be good enough to impart the knowledge and skill sets effectively to our students.”

Despite his concerns, Chou’s brilliance, charisma and love for Christ made him one of TMU’s most esteemed professors. And in 2017, in recognition of his commitment to academic and theological excellence, he became the first and only fully funded research chair at TMU, serving as the John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow. Chou’s primary charge in this position is to ensure TMU’s doctrinal integrity through influence in research, writing and teaching.

Chou relished his roles at TMU. 

“What we have here is truly unique,” he says. “At TMU, people love their Bible classes. They love Scripture. So it is a tremendous opportunity and joy to be able to teach our students.” 

That’s one reason Chou demurred when first asked about the possibility of becoming president. “I just want to teach,” he thought. 

Chou has long been a regular speaker in TMU’s chapel services, as seen in this 2009-10 photo.

Over time, however, he came to realize that as president he would still be, in a sense, teaching. Of course, he wouldn’t be instructing faculty and staff, per se, but he would be continuing to challenge them to grow deeper in theological truth and to make sure their eyes remained fixed on Christ and Scripture. Such opportunities come regularly in meetings with faculty, staff and the executive team, and in smaller gatherings with professors. Each occasion serves to carry out a major function of the presidency at TMU: theological safeguarding. 

“Whatever is most important to an institution, the president must guard,” Chou says. “Christ and Scripture is our heritage and our purpose. And we know that if we’re going to be faithful to the Lord, which is the ultimate standard, then what has to be guarded at the top is our theological understanding and implementation. And that’s what the president’s role is. What you need is a president who remains sharp in theology.”

Intentional interaction with students is something that remained important to Chou after he began serving as interim president in 2021. Chou has continued to teach classes and, beginning in the spring, he met with students on Friday afternoons to answer a variety of questions. The monthly Q&A has been labeled “Chat with Chou.”

“We need to be really careful that we’re not just defending the mission, or driving the mission forward, but that we’re actually doing the mission,” Chou says. “Our mission revolves around investing in young people’s lives and shaping them, ultimately, unto Christ, to please Christ in all things. So we have to be involved in that. We have to be in the trenches.”

In the spring, Chou began hosting “Chat with Chou” events, where students had the opportunity to ask him questions on a variety of topics. Photo by Trinity Peralta

In March, the board of directors voted unanimously to entrust that mission to Chou’s leadership. Jonathan Rourke, chairman of the board, believes Chou’s Christian character, academic credentials and history with the University and Seminary make him an ideal fit for the position. 

“It’s his faithfulness to the stewardship of this ministry and his humility as a servant leader that set him apart as the person to lead the University and Seminary,” Rourke says.

Dr. Tom Halstead, dean of the School of Biblical Studies, says faculty members he has talked with echo Rourke’s sentiments: “We all thought Abner would be a great choice. He’s very well respected, and he has the kind of personality that will endear people to him. And he’s obviously a great fit because his doctrine is exactly where we are.”

Both Halstead and Dr. John Stead, TMU’s executive vice president, pointed out another compelling component of Chou’s resume: He is astoundingly intelligent, a quality exemplified in his leadership of the translation team for the Legacy Standard Bible and in his standing as a widely sought-after plenary speaker and guest lecturer at national conferences, universities and seminaries.

“I tell people that he’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met,” Halstead says.  

Stead agrees. “I use this phrase all the time: Abner Chou is always one of the smartest men in the room, and also one of the most humble. You don’t always find both of those characteristics in the same person.”