Faculty
Dr. Alan McKechnie
Seminary & School of Missions (Resident Faculty)
Pastoral Counseling
Allan McKechnie is the Director of Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Formation program in the Seminary and School of Missions and also serves as an adjunct professor in the Clinical Counseling program in the Graduate School of Columbia International University. McKechnie, a CIU alumnus, came to the position after having designed the undergraduate psychology program for CIU's Bible College Division. He joined the CIU faculty in the fall of 1992, coming from Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois, where he was director of counseling and family life. He was on the Willow Creek staff for seven years. He served as associate pastor at Middletown Presbyterian Church, Middletown, Pennsylvania, and as youth pastor at Village Church of Barrington, Barrington, Illinois. He co-planted and was a teaching pastor at Palmetto Point Church in Irmo, South Carolina. He has also acted as psychiatric technician at Forest Hospital, Des Plaines, Illinois, and as staff therapist at DuKane Clinics, Elgin, Illinois. McKechnie has published several articles and a chapter in Free and Fulfilled: Victorious Living in the 21st Century (Nelson 1997) on topics related to integration of psychology and theology. He and his wife, Margaret, a 1972 CBS graduate, have three children: Sara, Dan and Anna.
Education and Experience:
B.B.E., Columbia Bible College; M.Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; .D.Min., Bethel Theological Seminary; associate pastor, Middletown Presbyterian Church, 1972-73; youth pastor, Village Church of Barrington, 1973-76; psychiatric technician, Forest Hospital, 1979-82; staff therapist, DuKane Clinics, 1982-87; staff therapist, Willow Creek Church, 1987-92.
Dr. Shirl Schiffman
Seminary & School of Missions (Resident Faculty)
Educational Ministries
Shirl Schiffman began her educational career in a public school teaching photography, video, and film production to children. While working in two secular universities after doctoral study, Dr. Schiffman had many opportunities to put her learning theory and instructional design background to work, e.g., helping university faculty improve teaching and assessment skills; teaching graduate students instructional design and technology; helping the Virginia Dept. of Education and many school systems train teachers for instructional computing; facilitating a masters program for Agent/Instructors at the FBI Academy in Quantico; and serving as design consultant on a summer workshop for educators from developing nations sponsored by Harvard's School of International Education. A life-changing summer missions trip to India led to her enrollment in CIU's Certificate program in 1988 with the dream of using her teaching and design background in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
She joined CIU's faculty in 1989 as Director of Instructional Development for distance education. Working with professors in the college, graduate school, and seminary, Dr. Schiffman has been the designer and executive producer for many CIU courses which provide theological education all over the world. After 17 years in this role, during which CIU won several national awards for course design, she returned to full time teaching in 2006 as professor of educational ministries in CIU's Seminary & School of Missions.
Dr. Schiffman serves as a Sunday School teacher at Northeast Presbyterian Church and helps to train lay Bible teachers. She is a member of the North American Professors of Christian Education, and NextStep, an organization of missionary trainers. Her passions are to equip Christian leaders for transformational teaching and curriculum design, and to help missionaries with the educational responsibilities of their ministries.
Education and Experience:
B.A. Music Theory & Composition, 1970; M.S. Library Science, 1971, Florida State University. Media Specialist, Leon County Public Schools, FL, 1972-78. Ph.D. Instructional Systems, 1981, Florida State University. Research Associate, Memphis State University, 1980-1981. Assistant Professor, Instructional Technology, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 1981-88. Director of Instructional Development, Columbia International University, 1989-2006. Certificate in Biblical Studies, CIU Seminary & School of Missions, 1993.
