TORONTO, ON-Controversy continues to surround radical changes taking place at Master's College and Seminary, formerly Eastern Pentecostal Bible College. Located until recently in Peterborough, Ontario, the school is the Pentecostal Assembly of Canada's PAOC principal institution for post-secondary education in eastern Canada.

The latest incident involves the dismissal of Bible and theology division head Scott Bullerwell, a leading faculty member who trained hundreds of Pentecostal pastors during his 22-year tenure.

Bullerwell was fired on April 28, two days after the academic year ended with student graduation ceremonies. He was informed of the termination-which took effect immediately-by the college's president, Evon Horton, and the vice-chair of the board, David Shepherd, representing the executive committee of the college's board of governors.

When asked for comment, Horton told ChristianWeek he could not speak about individual employment issues.

It is widely believed Bullerwell's severance package is conditional on a confidentiality clause that prohibits him from making any statement about Master's College and Seminary (MCS).

Bullerwell's wife Brenda, who previously received notice that her part-time job at the college library was finished, said she could not discuss any conditions of the severance. However, she confirmed her husband was fired without cause and had asked for a reason for his termination but was not given one.

Bullerwell's departure is the latest of more than 25 faculty and key staff members to leave in the last five years.

Meanwhile, virtually simultaneous with Bullerwell's firing in Peterborough, delegates of the PAOC's Eastern Ontario district met in session on April 28 to vote on returning Rick Hilsden of Cobourg, Ontario as district superintendent. The ballot took place in Muskoka at the biennial conference for the district that encompasses Ontario congregations east of Toronto's Yonge Street.

Hilsden, who as chair of the board of governors of Master's College and Seminary is the person to whom the college president reports, is widely seen as a moving force behind many of the changes at the institution.

A majority of 54 per cent voted Hilsden in, while the other candidate, Craig Burton of Toronto, received 46 per cent of the vote.

Another close vote took place in Fredericton at the Maritime district conference on May 14. David Slauenwhite of Nova Scotia, district superintendent of the Maritime conference and executive committee member of the MCS board, received a 57 per cent vote.

However, Slauenwhite stepped down and was replaced by the assistant district superintendent, R. Douglas Moore from New Brunswick, who also sits on the college's board.

Some sources speculate the votes were impacted by delegates' opinions about large-scale changes at the college. But Horton told ChristianWeek, "I'm not sure that connection is fair and appropriate."

At the Maritime meeting, an attempt was made to add a resolution calling for an independent inquiry to obtain "a satisfactory explanation for the radical changes taking place in Master's structure including all financial cost…"

However, the resolution committee said the resolution could not be processed because it addressed a matter beyond the jurisdiction of the conference.

Motion to reinstate

Meanwhile, during the Western Ontario meeting in early May, district superintendent David Shepherd of Burlington, Ontario, received 73 per cent of delegates' votes. During the meeting, debate followed Horton's report on Master's College when Graham Gibson, an MCS faculty member since 1994, asked for a motion to reinstate Bullerwell.

Gibson's request was ruled out of order, as was a request that an independent appeals body be established.

Two days after Bullerwell's dismissal, MCS students set up an unofficial Internet discussion site. Hundreds of postings were made to the site, including a number of statements critical of Bullerwell's firing and of other changes in process at the college.