Biography

David Jang Olivet University Founder

By the time Dr. David Jang founded Olivet University, his years of grassroots mission work on foot and through digital media had carried the good seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many far-reaching corners of the world, including places hostile to Christian faith. The thankful result was a harvest of men and women devoted to Jesus Christ and working together for the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Olivet started humbly as a church school that functioned as a "seedbed" for missionary training and service. (The original meaning of the word "seminary" is "seedbed.") Dr. Jang recognized the benefits of further formalizing this training. In the year 2000, Olivet Theological College and Seminary (OTCS) was established in both Los Angeles and in Seoul, Korea.

As the seminary expanded, Dr. David Jang decided to make the institution's new home in San Francisco under the official name "Olivet University" when he incorporated the school on March 3, 2004. San Francisco seemed an ideal place to call home. In addition to the blessing of gorgeous weather, San Francisco also featured rich ethnic diversity that continues to be reflected in Olivet’s diverse faculty and student population. San Francisco also provided a vibrant start-up scene that would act like an incubator to accelerate the growth of the young University.

Starting off in a humble basement office in downtown San Francisco, Dr. David Jang led Olivet to quickly align itself with the needs of the Great Commission and the worldwide Christian community by adding a number of schools to its flagship school, Olivet Theological College & Seminary: Jubilee College of Music; Olivet College of Journalism; Olivet College of Art & Design; and Olivet Institute of Technology.

Dr. Jang also invited onto the faculty Dr. William Wagner, a renowned mission strategist and Professor of Missions at the neighboring Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Seeing a shared passion for saving souls in Dr. Jang and Olivet students, Dr. Wagner in turn introduced a number of talented local faculty members to teach at Olivet full time, and continues to devote himself to service at Olivet to this day.

In 2005, by the grace of God, Dr. David Jang settled Olivet into the former University of California Berkeley Downtown Extension Campus. Steps away from the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco (the Moscone Center), the campus came perfectly prepared with educational facilities of exceptional quality for carrying out Olivet's mission.

In 2006, Dr. David Jang decided it was time to pursue his passion for mission-field work fulltime. Completing his term, he handed over the presidency to Dr. David James Randolph. On July 17, 2006 Dr. Randolph received the honor of becoming Olivet University's 2nd University President, while Dr. Jang assumed the role of the University's International President, giving leadership to the school's mission outreach to the farthest reaches of the world.

The school that Dr. David Jang founded flourished in the years that followed. In 2009, the University had received institutional accreditation by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. New schools of Language Education and Business were added, as well as expanded authority to offer a full range of degree programs, including the research doctorate.

During this time Olivet experienced similar growth in the area of key partnerships, particularly with Olivet's Global Partner the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), where Dr. Jang also served as a Board member on the WEA North American Council from 2007 until 2018. In 2010, Olivet's collaborative relationship with the WEA, which represents over 600 million Christians, produced the World Evangelical Alliance Leadership Institute, providing quality leadership development programs for WEA leaders all over the world.

The vision cast by Dr. Jang, to establish formal theological training to prepare young men and women to transform the world through Christian mission, has resulted in a school that continues to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.