About

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Freddy Cardoza, Ph.D. is the Dean of Grace Theological Seminary and Dean of the School of Ministry Studies at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, where he is Professor of Christian Education and Leadership.

He is the host of the FREDTalks and PodcastSeminary podcasts.

Prior to accepting his position at Grace, Freddy served as Executive Director of the Society of Professors in Christian Education and as Chair of Christian Education Programs at Talbot School of Theology and Biola University in Southern California.

Freddy has traveled to over 25 countries and equipped leaders on three continents. He is a Visiting Professor in the Ph.D. Program at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California, in addition to having spoken at a number of colleges, seminaries, and universities. His latest book, Christian Education, an edited work of 25 chapters on all aspects of Christian ministry and education is being published by Baker Academic in Grand Rapids, Michigan (2019).

Life Story

Freddy’s Story, originally published on the Podcast Seminary Podcast

Detailed Background

Dr. Freddy Cardoza is the Dean of Grace Theological Seminary and the School of Ministry Studies at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Recent Experience

Prior to arriving at Grace College and Seminary, Freddy lived for ten years in Los Angeles, serving at Talbot School of Theology of Biola University. His roles included roles in the Biola University Provost’s Office as Director of Digital Learning and Instructional Services, and at Talbot as Chair of the Christian Education Department and Director of Christian Education Programs. From 2006-2018, Freddy sat on the Board of Directors for the Society of Professors in Christian Education, including two years as Vice-President and another seven years as Executive Director.

Educational Background

Freddy is a university administrator, professor, author, minister, and technology enthusiast. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Church Ministry from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and a Ph.D. in Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also completed additional graduate studies at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and post-doctoral studies in Higher Education (Ed.D., ABD) from Southern Seminary.

Ministry Background

Freddy served 20 years in local church pastoral ministry and during the last decade as a ministry leader, equipper, and consultant. He has served in churches that ranged from small to very large, situated in rural, suburban, urban, and inner-city environments. These included monocultural, multicultural, and multiethnic congregations in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, and California. From 2009-2018, Freddy invested a significant amount of time supporting the pastoral staff at Saddleback Church (Irvine South Campus) in Southern California, where he helped spearhead the Discipleship program for adults, and played a significant role in retreats, mentoring, equipping, small groups, and men’s ministry.

Academic Background

Freddy began his teaching ministry by teaching part-time for three years at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. He later taught at John Brown University in Fort Smith, Arkansas. That led to teaching at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky while completing his Ph.D., then founding and leading the former Chicago Extension of Southern Seminary. Following doctoral studies, Freddy accepted a full-time teaching and administrative position at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. After four years of teaching at Midwestern, he was invited to a full-time administrative and teaching position in greater Los Angeles with Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. He held a dual appointment at the university and seminary where he served from 2009 until the end of 2018. He accepted the position of Dean at Grace Theological Seminary and the School of Ministry Studies of Grace College, with a start date of January 1, 2019.

Teaching Background

Freddy serves as Dean and holds faculty rank as Professor of Christian Ministry and Leadership at Grace Theological Seminary. From 2009-2018 Freddy taught and lectured as Department Chair and as Associate Professor of Christian Education and Leadership at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels at Biola University. Formerly, he was Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Christian Education at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. Freddy has delivered lectures at Liberty University, Southwestern Seminary, Southern Seminary, Cedarville University, Cornerstone University, Phoenix Seminary, North Park University, and North Park Theological Seminary. Since 2011 he has served as a Visiting Professor for Gateway Seminary, where he leads the “Teaching Adults” seminar in the Ph.D. Program, focusing on adult learning, academic teaching, and academic careers.

Personal Background

Freddy is a Tennessee native and has been a Christian for over 35 years. He is the husband of Kristin Cardoza and the father of two grown sons, Dakota and Christian Cardoza. They have a love for national and international travel, and reside in Warsaw, Indiana.