Frank Moore: Legends Series
By Sarah A. Moser
As part of our Legends Podcast, we offer a quarterly webinar in which we catch up with an MNU legend—someone who invested 15 or more years in service to students and the university and is now retired. This quarter, we turn the spotlight on Dr. Frank Moore.
You might remember Dr. Frank Moore (’73) as the tie guy. You know, the one who wore the most obnoxious ties as part of his daily ensemble, and even had students vote on them in a competition-style bracket. But once you took a class from him, or traveled on a CAUSE mission trip with him, you knew there was much more by which he would be remembered.
Frank started his time at MNU as part of the class of 1973, the second graduating class (he will celebrate his Golden Reunion at MNU Homecoming and Family Weekend this fall). He was a part of the Circuit Riders, a group that coordinated with pastors to organize church services around the region. Ministerial students often practiced their preaching during these events. During his junior year, as a driver for the Circuit Riders, a freshman student caught his eye.
“As the driver, I got a list of who would be in my car,” he says. “I would quietly assign each person to a seat, except Sue, so she would end up in the front seat next to me. As we spent time together, I knew pretty quickly she was the one.”
Frank and Sue (Potter ’75) began dating the second semester of his junior and her freshman year and married a year and a half later. Thus began a lifetime of love, learning, and serving together.
Road back to MNU
Frank continued his education at Nazarene Theological Seminary, then began pastoring in southwest Ohio for five years. God then put a call on his life to return to school for a doctoral degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
“While finishing up my graduate work at Vanderbilt, the phone rang one Sunday night after church, and it was (former MNU president) Dr. Richard Spindle, inviting me to meet on campus for an interview to teach at MidAmerica,” says Frank. “I said yeah right, it’s a friend pranking me, and I hung up on him. A few minutes later he called back, said ‘It’s not a prank, I want you to come interview to teach for us,’ and the rest is history.”
His first year of teaching at MNU, in 1985, Frank learned the ropes from Dr. Don Metz, who was about to retire. Frank went on to teach Old and New Testament Literature, Christian Beliefs, and upper-division Systematic Theology 1 and 2, which he taught his entire time at MNU. In 1989, Frank assumed the role of chair of the religion department. In 1998, he was asked to become the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
“When I was invited to that position, I said will do so on two conditions: I get to continue teaching Systematic 1 and 2, and Sue and I continue to lead the CAUSE teams. They said no, so I said I’m not your person and left the meeting. A few days later they came back and said OK, you can try it for one year. I did and I kept doing that for the 10 years I was the academic dean.”
Frank’s passions
Frank recently published his 20th book. His passion for writing began during seminary when he took a writing course. Over the years, he squirreled away writing ideas in a folder, labeled by subject, waiting for the right time to put the thoughts into print.
“Writing takes a lot of time, not just the time of writing but the time of thinking what to say and how to say it,” he says. “When I write, I can disappear for days on end.” For that reason, Frank chose not to devote himself to his writing while his son was young. “When my son Brent was a senior in high school, I took a sabbatical and wrote my first book, Dismantling the Myths,” Frank says. It’s been 27 years, and he hasn’t stopped writing yet.
Outside of writing, you’ll find Frank and Sue actively involved in their grandkids’ lives, attending their school and sporting events at every opportunity. He and Sue also enjoy road trips, teaching their Sunday School class, and connecting with former students.
“I get joy from seeing former students who are back working at MNU and ministering to the next generation like Sue and I did in our prime, and I love seeing students’ kids grow up and go to college,” he says. “It’s mind-boggling when students we had on our Work & Witness trips start bringing their kids to MNU. It’s the greatest blessing watching the lives of students in the years and decades to follow.”
To watch the entire Legends Webinar with Frank, or to see the previous episode with Dr. Richard and Billie Spindle, click here.