Commencement 졸업식

All times below are in Central Standard Time.

Friday, May 15, 2026
Friday events are for graduates and alumni only. All graduates and alumni may invite three guests due to space limitations.

5:00pm – Rehearsal and Pick-Up Regalia | Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, 2310 E. Linwood Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64109

6:30pm – Blessing of the Graduates & Alumni Reception for Graduates | Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, 2310 E. Linwood Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64109

Saturday, May 16, 2026
Graduates may invite guests to Saturday commencement ceremony.

8:00-8:15am – Graduates and faculty arrive at commencement location | Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, 2310 E. Linwood Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64109

8:30am – Group photographs with graduates and faculty by program (Photos will be available for free download here in the days following commencement).

9:30am – Guests may arrive and be seated in the sanctuary

10:00am – Ceremony | Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, 2310 E. Linwood Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64109

OR

Guests can watch Commencement live on Central’s YouTube channel 

NOTES FOR ALL GRADUATES:

• To graduate in May 2026, you must complete the Application to Graduate Form with the Registrar, Hana You at hyou@cbts.edu by January 31, 2026.
• All degree and diploma graduates must wear your academic regalia to participate in the commencement ceremony. Students must complete the Commencement Attendance Form and Regalia Order Form sent to you by Registrar Hana You by February 15, 2026.
• There will not be any secure storage for personal items, phones, etc. Please do not bring anything you cannot carry with you or give to your guests to hold.
• All students regardless of program or credit status are invited to the Blessing of the Graduates ceremony the evening prior to commencement.
• All students regardless of program or credit status are asked to arrive at 8:00 a.m. to participate in group photographs prior to commencement.
• Virtual livestream viewing available at Central’s You Tube page.

NOTES FOR CERTIFICATE GRADUATES:

• Professional Certificate graduates (non-credit students)
  • Invited to participate in the Blessing of the Graduates and Commencement.
  • Invited to the group graduate photo session prior to Commencement.
  • Will be seated in a reserved section and will be recognized and presented with their certificate during commencement.
  • Does not wear regalia or process in and out of the sanctuary.
  • Pays Application to Graduate fee, but not an academic regalia rental fee.

   

  Graduate Certificate graduates (for-credit students)

  • Invited to participate in Blessing of the Graduates and Commencement.
  • Invited to the group graduate photo session prior to Commencement.
  • Wear regalia and processes in and out of the sanctuary.
  • Receives certificate during the ceremony on stage.
  • Pays Application to Graduate fee and academic regalia rental fee.

To attend Commencement, you must register in advance. All graduates* must wear your academic regalia to participate in the commencement ceremony. 

Students must complete the Commencement Attendance Form and Regalia Order Form sent to you by Registrar Hana You by February 15, 2026.

* Graduate Certificate graduates (for credit) students are eligible to participate in commencement by wearing regalia, processing in and out of the sanctuary and walking across stage. Professional Certificate graduates (non-credit) will not wear academic regalia and will not be eligible to participate in commencement by wearing regalia, processing in and out of the sanctuary and walking across stage. If attending, they will however be recognized from stage during the ceremony.

Hak Joon Lee is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. A pastor, Christian ethicist, and public theologian, he has devoted his vocation to exploring the relationship between faith, moral formation, and public life. For many years, he has taught Christian ethics at Fuller, mentoring students as they prepare for biblically grounded, spiritually vibrant, and morally courageous leadership in the church, the academy, and society.

Dr. Lee is the author of eight books in English, two in Korean, and one in Chinese, along with numerous essays on Christian ethics, public theology, and social movements. His influential scholarship includes work on the covenantal theology of community organizing and the moral vision of Martin Luther King Jr., and he has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations in several cities. His book A Paradigm Shift in Korean Churches (2011) was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports of South Korea as one of the most outstanding books in religion of the year. He has also served as a visiting scholar at leading theological institutions in East Asia, including Yonsei University and Nanjing Union Theological Seminary.

For more than a decade, through his nonprofit organization, the G2G Center, Dr. Lee has joyfully invested in the renewal of the church across generations. He and his colleagues have developed more than two dozen contextually grounded curricula for pastors and Asian American youth. Under his leadership, the Center offers a certificate program for lay Christian educators as well as a weekly in-depth Bible study for Korean and Korean American pastors. The study features leading biblical scholars and theologians as lecturers, enriching participants’ vocational identity, deepening character formation, and cultivating meaningful fellowship.

Deeply committed to theological education and global engagement, Dr. Lee’s work seeks to equip leaders to live faithfully, creatively, and courageously amid moral and social uncertainty. His scholarship addresses pressing contemporary challenges, including economic inequality, moral fragmentation, political polarization, climate change, and emerging AI technologies, with hope for the church’s faithful and joyful public witness.

NOTES FOR ALL GRADUATES:

• To graduate in May 2026, you must complete the Application to Graduate Form with the Registrar, Hana You at hyou@cbts.edu by January 31, 2026.
• All degree and diploma graduates must wear your academic regalia to participate in the commencement ceremony. Students must complete the Regalia Order Form by February 15, 2026. 
• There will not be any secure storage for personal items, phones, etc. Please do not bring anything you cannot carry with you or give to your guests to hold.
• All students regardless of program or credit status are invited to the Blessing of the Graduates ceremony the evening prior to commencement.
• All students regardless of program or credit status are asked to arrive at 8:00 a.m. to participate in group photographs prior to commencement.
• Virtual livestream viewing available at Central’s You Tube page.

NOTES FOR CERTIFICATE GRADUATES: 

• Professional Certificate graduates (non-credit students)
  • Invited to participate in the Blessing of the Graduates and Commencement.
  • Invited to the group graduate photo session prior to Commencement.
  • Will be seated in a reserved section and will be recognized and presented with their certificate during commencement.
  • Does not wear regalia or process in and out of the sanctuary.
  • Pays Application to Graduate fee, but not an academic regalia rental fee.

   

  Graduate Certificate graduates (for-credit students)

  • Invited to participate in Blessing of the Graduates and Commencement.
  • Invited to the group graduate photo session prior to Commencement.
  • Wear regalia and processes in and out of the sanctuary.
  • Receives certificate during the ceremony on stage.
  • Pays Application to Graduate fee and academic regalia rental fee.

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD 2025 PHOTOS HERE 

All photographs (groups and shots taken during the ceremony) are available for FREE download in the days following commencement.

You can livestream the event at Central’s YouTube page here.