About Me

Family and Early Life

Warren Charles Trenchard was born (1944) in St. John’s, Newfoundland to Charles Edward Trenchard (1911–62) and Violet Frances Noseworthy (1912–2006) as their only child. At age 10, he relocated with his parents to Indiana in the United States. After living as an adult in Michigan, Massachusetts, and Illinois, he moved with his family to Alberta, Canada in 1975, where they resided until returning to the United States in 1995. In retirement, he now lives in Hideout, Utah.

In 1967, Trenchard married Marilyn Joyce Beaumont (1945–2013). They had three children: Mark Edward (b. 1969), David Wayne (b. 1972), and Kevin Scott (b. 1980). His grandchildren include Cadence and Kendra (through Mark), Miles and Marie (through David), and Braden, Liam, Nathaniel, and Jackson (through Kevin).

In 2015, Trenchard married Anna Lee Park and became the step-father of Jiwon Han Choe (b. 1981) and Serry Park (b. 1994) and step-grandfather to Stella Choe, Jiwon’s daughter.

Education

After completing high school at Indiana Academy in 1962, Trenchard attended Andrews University (AU), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology (1966). He continued at AU in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and received a Master of Arts in New Testament and a Bachelor of Divinity (now Master of Divinity), both in 1968. Later, he pursued doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, where he received the Doctor of Philosophy degree in New Testament and Early Christian Literature (1981). While at Chicago, he studied with, among others, Norman Perrin, Allen Wikgren, J. Coert Rylaarsdam, and Robert M. Grant; and, under the direction of Jonathan Z. Smith, completed a dissertation entitled, “Ben Sira’s View of Women: A Literary Analysis.”

Career

Pastoral Ministry

After completing seminary education, Trenchard served as a chaplain at Atlantic Union College (1968–69) and pastor in Attleboro (1969–70)—both in Massachusetts. While working in Canada, he was ordained to the ministry in 1982.

Canadian Union College

In 1975, Trenchard was appointed to a faculty position in religious studies at Canadian Union College (CUC), where he taught courses in New Testament and biblical Greek. After serving as chair of the Department of Religious Studies (1981–89)[2] and dean of the Division of Arts, he became Vice President for Academic Administration (1989–95). In the latter role, he successfully led the College in attaining program accreditation by the Province of Alberta (1991–95). He was also a member of the provincial Private Colleges Accreditation Board (1987–93). CUC became Canadian University College in 1997 and Burman University in 2014.

La Sierra University

In 1995, Trenchard accepted an invitation from Larry Geraty, President of La Sierra University (La Sierra), to become his senior assistant. After two years in that role, where he provided leadership in addressing issues of accreditation and governance, the Board of Trustees appointed him to a tenured professorship in the School of Religion (now the H. M. S. Richards Divinity School). In retirement, he continues to serve as Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and, until Jul 2024, Director of Graduate Programs for the Divinity School.

In addition to his position as senior assistant to the president, Trenchard occupied other roles at La Sierra outside the Divinity School. These included Vice President for Academic Administration [Interim] (1999–2000); Provost and Corporate Secretary (2004–10); and Director of the Edward C. Allred Center for Creativity and Innovation in the Zapara School of Business (2010-–19).

Other Positions

Some of the other positions Trenchard has had or been appointed to include: instructor in religion (part-time), Andrews University (1968) and Atlantic Union College (1968–69); visiting professor, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (1981); Board of Directors, Association of Adventist Forums (1989–91); Private Colleges Coordinating Council of Alberta (1980–95); Member of the Editorial Board and Book Review Editor, Religious Studies and Theology (1986–89); and accreditation site evaluator, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (2002–2024).