As the presidents of your seminaries, we declare our unbending and fervent resolve to uphold all of these commitments. We will lead our institutions so that no harm shall come to your students and ministers; so that they will be rooted and grounded in the truth; so that they will be trained as faithful and effective preachers and teachers; so that they will bring honor to the church and not dishonor; and so that we shall be able to give a good answer and receive a good report when we shall face that stricter judgment which is to come. This is our pledge, our resolve, our declaration. One Faith, One Task, One Sacred Trust. Signed in the Presence of the Messengers to the 140th Session of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 17, 1997. William O. Crews, President Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary Mark T. Coppenger, President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Charles S. Kelley, Jr., President New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary L. Paige Patterson, President Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Kenneth S. Hemphill, President Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern’s History Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary was formed on May 19, 1950, by a vote of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Chicago. Trustees elected by the Convention secured a charter and adopted the Abstract of Principles as the Seminary’s Articles of Faith. Southeastern began classes in the fall of 1951on the campus of Wake Forest College in Wake Forest, NC, a campus recognized then and now as one of the most beautiful in the southeastern United States. The campus itself has a Baptist heritage. In 1832, the Baptists of North Carolina purchased the 615-acre plantation of Dr. Calvin Jones for the purpose of establishing a teaching facility for young ministers. From 1951 to 1956, the current Appleby Hall housed the new Seminary. In 1956, when Wake Forest College moved to its new location in Winston-Salem, NC, Southeastern occupied the rest of the Wake Forest campus. The Wake Forest Baptist Church was organized in 1835, and occupies the church building (1913) within the campus enclosure. Another historic landmark, the stone wall now surrounding the central campus, was begun about 1885 by Wake Forest College President Charles E. Taylor and “Dr. Tom” Jeffries. The wall was rebuilt by Doug Buttram, a Southeastern graduate, during 1990–1994. Southeastern’s campus is noted for its splendid natural beauty as well as its graceful classic Georgian architecture. The grounds are rich with magnolias, elms, pines, oaks, cedars, firs, maples, and other varieties of flowering fruit trees. Many of the trees were growing on the land even before the plantation was built and are centuries old. Several massive white oaks, once part of a magnificent grove called Wake Forest (for which the town was named) still stand on the Southeastern campus. Through the years, Southeastern has complemented the natural setting with dogwoods, hollies, and an array of flowers. The buildings of the original Wake Forest College have been renovated, and new buildings have been added. With each change, the goal has been to maintain the character of the original campus and land. Today, Southeastern’s campus comprises a full range of excellent facilities for living and learning.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | Academic Catalog 2011–2012 | About Southeastern | 14