Meet Western Seminary's Dr. Jon Raibley, Ed.D.

If Western Seminary is considered a pioneering online program among ATS-accredited seminaries, then Jon Raibley is surely the pioneer who has helped make it all happen.  Jon has served the online students of the seminary for more than 30 years in a variety of educational leadership roles and currently serves as the Associate Director of Global Learning. In that role, he is the one person most responsible for working with our faculty to create the courses that drive our online degree programs, diplomas, and certificates.

To help you know Jon better, we recently sat down with him to ask the questions we believe you would ask if given the opportunity. Let's see what Jon has to say!

What is your hometown?  Monmouth, Oregon 

Where did you go to college?  Judson Baptist College, Oregon State University

What was your undergraduate degree? Bachelor of Science, Physical Sciences.  1984.

Where did you attend graduate school?  Western Seminary

What graduate degrees have you earned? MDiv, 1989. ThM 1994.  Currently in Ed.D. program.

What brought you to Western?  I first came as a student in 1984 and haven’t left yet.

How long have you been on staff at Western?  Since 1988

What is your wife's name and how long have you been married? Vilena and I have been married for 32 years!

Children? Four: Jon, Jerielle, Spencer, Marissa

Do you have any hobbies or personal passions? I enjoy reading, gardening, baking bread (yes, really), and family card games

Do you have a favorite Bible quote? Colossians 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

What is your favorite movie?  Princess Bride (a popular choice among our online team)

Who is your favorite popular author?  Rowling or Cussler depending on my mood

When and where did you become a believer?  In a migrant bean-picking camp, at the age of 5 (My dad would go with a portable record player and Spanish evangelistic records and hold a Sunday School for the kids.  I went with him one day and understood enough of the message – the English parts – to make a decision).

Do you have any interesting facts or thoughts?  After 24 years, I’m now taking classes again myself, as a part of the new Doctor of Education degree that Western is offering.  I’ll be exploring ways in which we can better connect students and instructors in online courses, and looking at the impact that has on student satisfaction and learning outcomes. 

What, if anything, do you want to see results from your time at Western and through your role at Global?  Provide a great learning experience for our students, so they become more effective in their ministries.