[1][2] He began doctoral studies at the Free University of Amsterdam but failed to complete his PhD due to his teaching course load at Westminster.
[6][7] Shepherd argued that evangelism should be carried out with covenant in mind rather than election, which will lead the evangelist to say to people, "Christ died to save you."
[12] On November 21, 1981, the board of trustees dismissed Shepherd from his teaching post, expressing a desire to distance the seminary from the intensity and longevity of the controversy.
Shepherd left the OPC in 1983 and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America,[18] serving congregations in Minnesota and Illinois until his retirement in 1998.
[19] In 2001, Shepherd published a book, The Call of Grace: How the Covenant Illuminates Salvation and Evangelism, which contained the substance of the teachings that led to his dismissal from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Obedient Faith: A Festschrift for Norman Shepherd included contributions from James B. Jordan, Peter Leithart, Andrew Sandlin, and Rich Lusk.