Southeastern Magazine Fall 2022

SOUTHEASTERN

ANNUAL REPORT

LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT

Reflection is a healthy habit. The end of a year always provides an opportunity to reflect and evalu ate the effectiveness of our efforts. It gives us cause to be thankful and to report what God is doing. Each year Southeastern seeks to celebrate the Lord’s good provision that he has graced upon us through the financial gifts of many faithful brothers and sisters. These gifts represent not only generous financial support for our institution but also an eternal investment in the kingdom of God through the lives of students and the churches and nations blessed by their minis tries. Our students and graduates are at the tip of the spear, pushing back against global lostness as they fulfill the Great Commission. Recently, a longtime supporter of South eastern asked me about the kind of kingdom impact our students and graduates are making around the world. I cherish these questions. It provides an opportunity to share about the return on their investment. In many ways, this annual report provides a snapshot of your ROI — the return on your faithful investment in Great Commission theological education at Southeastern.

I could share many stories of God’s hand of blessing upon our graduates. I think of Thomas, a church planter and pastor of Redeemer Queens Park in London. Amid a global pandemic, Thomas and his team have seen an incredible movement of God where many have come to faith and are now serving as missionaries to their city.

I think of Lauren, who works for a public relations firm in Boston and serves her church, making disciples among college students and encouraging them to lever age their lives for the Great Commission.

I think of Jordan, who, week in and week out, faithfully preaches and shepherds the flock of God. His faithful exposition and heart for pastoral ministry are a testa ment to his education at Southeastern.

I think of the thousands of brothers and sisters in our Global Theological Initia tives, who are faithfully studying and serving, many of whom are in places where it is illegal to be a Christian.

Finally, I think of the over five-hundred graduates who walked across the Binkley Chapel stage this past year at gradu ation and are leveraging their lives to advance the gospel worldwide. Support for Southeastern is not only an invest ment in a school but also an investment in global kingdom advancement.

As this year closes, my reflection leaves me in awe of what the Lord accomplishes through his people. I am incredibly grate ful for the thousands of individuals who faithfully support the Great Commis sion work of Southeastern. Indeed, we could not fulfill our calling without you!

Jonathan Six, Vice President of Institutional Advancement

MATTHEW 28:19-20a

We believe the Great Commission is the final marching orders of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why the Great Commission motivates everything we do at Southeastern. Combining rigorous biblical and theological education with hands-on ministry preparation, we train men and women to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission wherever God calls them. Thank you for being a part of our Southeastern family and supporting our Great Commission efforts. Because you pray, Southeastern continues to experience God’s blessing and remains unwavering in its commitment to biblical fidelity, local church involvement, and Great Commission ministry. Because you send, our students are going to rural churches, urban centers, and hard-to-reach places around the world with the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ. Because you give, we GO!

About This Issue

This annual report seeks to emphasize the ways in which your giving is helping us advance the kingdom around the world.

In this issue, we’ll highlight the progress of our For the Mission campaign and explain how you can play a part in helping us finish the mission. For the Mission is a 4-year campaign to raise $20.5 million for the students, for the faculty, for the campus, and for the cause.

You’ll see a breakdown of how we are accomplishing this goal in each of these areas and where there is still a need for giving.

We want this annual report, and future reports, to feature stories of how God is using you to impact the lives of our students who are getting equipped to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission. As you read these stories and updates, we hope you will be reminded to pray for our school to keep God’s mission first in all that we do and to praise him for the ways he continues to use our students for his glory among the nations.

Table of Contents

7 Seminary Graduate Spotlight

A Conversation with Iryna Los

8 Creating a Caring Culture

Southeastern Launches Mandatory Sexual Abuse Prevention and Response Course

10 Missions Burning in Our Souls Training Church Planters in Los Angeles

11 College Graduate Spotlight

A Conversation with Kilby Helms

12 Fully Funded Tuition for IMB Missionaries

Southeastern Announces 100 percent Scholarship Awards for Full-time, Fully Funded Missionaries Sent by the International Mission Board (IMB)

13 Building a Cross Culture

The College Announces the Launch of the Brainerd House

15 Missional Worship Ministry

Dr. Jonathan Welch Joins the Faculty as Professor of Christian Worship

16 Expanding a World-Class Faculty

Southeastern Announces Faculty Changes and Administrative Faculty Hires

18 Southeastern Celebrates God's Blessings

Board of Trustees and Southeastern Society Celebrate Ongoing Great Commission Efforts 36 Southeastern by the Numbers 38 Endowment Report

Retiring Faculty and Staff

42 Doug Nalley Director of Housing

44 Ken Coley Senior Professor of Christian Education, Director of EdD Studies

46 Steven Ladd Professor of Theology and Philosophy

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

REBECCA PATE - Director

HANNAH MAGAN - Associate Director of Marketing

BAILEE BULLOCK - Social Media Manager

CHAD BURCHETT - News & Copy Writer

CLARISSA HARTMAN - Graphic Designer

CAMERON HAYNER - Marketing Assistant

PATRICK SHANNON - Photographer & Content Creator

FRANCESCA SMYLY - Graphic Designer

RYAN THOMAS - Senior Graphic Designer

FINANCIAL & ALUMNI DEVELOPMENT

DREW DAVIS - Director

GEORGE HARVEY - General Counsel

& Director of Planned Giving

MICHELLE ARD - Associate Director

CHRIS ALLEN - Assistant Director for Church & Convention Relations

JORDAN CADDELL - Major Gifts Officer

MEREDITH COOK - Grant Coordinator

CADEN FARR - Annual Giving Officer

JESSICA GODDARD - Development Events Specialist

MADELYN HARKINS - Gift Accountant

TANNER KEEN - Alumni Relations Specialist

SOFIA MORALES - Administrative Assistant

JONATHAN VAUGHAN - Church Relations Officer

919-761-2177 or email alumni@sebts.edu

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

Southeastern is an institution of higher learning and a Cooperative Program ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention. Support comes through the gifts of the Cooperative Program and the individual friends of the seminary who provide assistance through wills, estates, and trusts.

Great Commission Magazine of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (ISSN 2327-154X) is published by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588

DANIEL

PROVOST RYAN

Honoring Bruce Little’s Legacy of Faithful Teaching

MORE FROM DR. AKIN

Scan here with your phone to watch Dr. Akin’s convocation address on 1 Cor. 7 and the life of missionary Betsey Stockton.

Scan here with your phone for resources like sermons, lectures, and books on danielakin.com.

Dr. Daniel & Mrs. Charlotte Akin

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

As I reflect on this past year, I can’t help but marvel at all the Lord has done in the life of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Indeed, he has blessed us immensely. I am humbled, recognizing that we have not done anything to deserve his favor. Yet, by the grace poured out on us through Jesus Christ, he has chosen to demonstrate his generosity and mercy towards us. I consider it a great privilege to work with talented faculty, teach eager students, and partner with generous donors at our great school. Truly, we have the most important thing in common. Our salvation through Christ’s death and resur rection empowers our partnership for the sake of making his name known around the world. I am grateful for generous donors like you, who make it possible for us to train and equip students for gospel ministry in North America and around the world. In this annual report, you will read updates on what the Lord is doing through our faculty, students, and alumni as they obey his call to make disciples of all nations.

As a Great Commission seminary, we are committed to prioritizing Jesus’s final command. Southeastern champi ons missionary education at the undergraduate, graduate, and advanced degree levels. We recognize that theological education can be a financial burden on many missionary families, which is why we were thrilled to announce that full-time IMB missionaries are now eligible to receive scholarships covering 100 percent of tuition and enrollment fees. It is my prayer that reducing tuition costs for IMB missionaries will enable generations of warriors for Christ to be equipped and sent out for ministry in rural towns, urban centers, and hard-to-reach places around the world. We unashamedly challenge all our students not to ask "Why should I go?" but rather "Why should I stay?" when considering God’s call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. One way we do so is by offering short-term mission trip opportunities through our Center for Great Commis sion Studies. Our desire is that all students participate in at least one mission trip during their time with us. We are grateful that international travel restrictions put in place during the pandemic have relaxed, making it possible for us to send more students on short-term mission trips this year. In fact, student interest in short-term mission trips is at an all-time high. At our Gathering Chapel earlier this semester, over three hundred students filled out an interest form for our 2022-23 mission trips. Our prayer is that at least one hundred of these students will go on a domestic or international trip this year to make King Jesus’s name known in North America and around the world. Thanks to generous donors like you, we have been able to increase our mission trip subsidy for the 2022-23 school year,

relieving some of the financial burden and creating more opportunities for students to go.

In addition to training over five thousand students for Great Commission ministry, we were also involved in equipping more than four thousand positioned leaders from over forty different nations around the world through our Global Theological Initiatives (GTI). Through GTI, we partner with Christian leaders around the world to provide biblical and theological training as well as minis try preparation to believers in locations with little access to theological education.

In particular, I’m thrilled to report that our Persian Leadership Development Program is thriving. We have over three thousand students currently enrolled in this program, which not only provides the world’s only fully accredited and theologically driven bachelor’s degree completely in Farsi, but also offers the world’s only Master of Theological Studies degree completely in Farsi to serve the fastest-grow ing church in the Muslim world. We also celebrated our first graduating class of twenty-eight students from our East Asian Leadership Program and our second Master of Theological Studies graduating class in partnership with the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS). Many of these graduates are currently serving at UBTS and with the Ukrainian Baptist Convention, providing care and ministry during the ongoing war.

All of this has been made possible through the generosity of friends like you. Four years ago, we started our For the Mission capital campaign. We are nearing the end of this campaign, which covers four initiatives: For the Students, For the Faculty, For the Campus, and For the Cause. As you read this report, please consider helping us finish this campaign. As a part of the Southeastern family, you help us fulfill the Great Commission through your gifts, which alleviate tuition costs for students, create endowments for faculty members, and improve our campus to create a more efficient and effective learning environment for our growing student body.

Will you join us in our efforts so that more students can GO and make disciples in Jesus’s name around the world? Will you pray for us as we humbly seek to honor God in all that we say and do at Southeastern? I am so thankful for you. You are partners with us in the gospel of King Jesus. What a privilege it is to serve him with you for the sake of the salvation of the nations.

Daniel L. Akin, President

• More financial aid is available for MDiv students than for any other graduate degree

• 18 specializations to choose from

• Combining the best of biblical, theological, and practical training to equip students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission

LEARN MORE AT SEBTS.EDU/MDIV

Seminary Graduate Spotlight

A Conversation with Iryna Los

Living in Lviv, Ukraine, Iryna Los graduated on May 13, 2022, with her Master of Theological Studies from Southeast ern Baptist Theological Seminary through a partnership between Southeastern’s Global Theological Initiatives (GTI) and Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS). Los currently serves on staff at UBTS and hopes to disciple women through the women’s ministry program at UBTS as well as teach classes in the certificate programs at UBTS. In the following Q&A, Los takes time to share her Southeastern story and how her Southeastern commu nity can be praying for her, UBTS, and her home country of Ukraine:

Why did you choose Southeastern?

UBTS has been blessed by its partnership with South eastern. I enrolled in the Master of Theological Studies program with Southeastern because I believed that Southeastern is a high-qual ity institution with great vision, values, programs, and faculty. I was very honored to be a student of Southeastern because theologi cal education and a value-driven environment are essential for me.

What aspects of studying through Southeastern were particularly formative or encouraging to you?

What stands out is Southeastern’s high-quality theological education, highly qualified professors, the values of the professors, and a community of like-minded individuals who value education and study in order to train other people to be more effective in what God calls them to do.

How did your Southeastern education shape your view of the Great Commission?

I believe my four years of training at Southeastern encouraged me to reflect on and “process” the Great Commission. I knew Matthew 28:18-20 by heart and had heard many sermons and taken many classes before enrolling in the Master of Theologi cal Studies program through Southeastern. However, what was critical in terms of Southeastern’s approach to education is how Southeastern incorporated a Great Commis sion focus into each class and emphasized dialogue about building up ministry strate gies and practices with a focus on the Great Commission. As a result of my Southeastern experience, I am more intentional about prioritizing gospel-centered teaching, plan ning, and execution in any ministry work.

Which classes, professors, or memories stand out from your Southeastern education?

I am very grateful for my Southeastern classes. I was uniquely blessed by Dr. Chuck Lawless’s Personal Discipleship and Disciple Making course. Many of the things I learned changed my understanding and approach to spiritual disciplines and dis cipleship. I believe my discipleship prac tices now are much more thought through, intentional, and oriented toward God and others. My theology classes with Yaroslav Pyzh helped me think about God and the Great Commission on a different level and implement those reflections into my Chris tian life 24/7 — as I lead ministries and train and coach students at UBTS. Leader ship class with Dr. John Ewart changed my understanding of spiritual leadership and blessed me with helpful leadership prin ciples and practices from the Scriptures.

Photos courtesy of Iryna Los

In what ways have you seen theological education and ministry preparation go hand in hand while a student?

I strongly believe that theo logical education should be highly applicable to one’s everyday life. Education is an important tool to shape one’s worldview, values, and practices, which should all be implemented in one’s ministry. My Southeastern classes emphasized real-life application and provided me with guidelines for how to apply what I was learning right away. All the assignments were focused on min istry and helped students like me to develop strategies and action plans for our ministries based on the topics that we discussed in the classroom.

Where do you hope to serve now that you have graduated?

I plan to continue to work at UBTS. I hope to serve on fac ulty in the UBTS Women’s Ministry Program and teach classes in our UBTS certificate programs. I am very inspired by the UBTS vision of local churches growing through baptism and discipleship and its mission of training and equipping leaders for the Church; therefore, I would love to be involved in the ministry of our semi nary and serve students the best I can.

our students to be biblical, mis sional, and accountable in serving people in our country and beyond.

Los represents the hundreds of students around the world who partner with Southeastern through GTI to receive biblical and theological training and ministry preparation in their home countries. Equipping Christian leaders in a variety of contexts, GTI seeks to employ the resources of Southeastern to benefit theological education through strategic partnerships around the world.

Creating a Caring Culture

Scan here with your phone or visit sebts.edu/GTI to learn more about GTI.

Southeastern Launches Mandatory Sexual Abuse Prevention and Response Course

To ensure that students are equipped to prevent and respond to abuse in their ministry contexts, Southeast ern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern announced the launch of a manda tory sexual abuse prevention and response course starting August 2022.

“Sexual abuse in any form should not be tolerated. It is a sinful act against fellow image bearers and an affront to a holy God,” stated Southeastern President Danny Akin. “Southeastern is committed to preventing sexual abuse and training students to respond well to survivors with proper care and advocacy.”

How can the Southeastern community be praying for you?

Please pray for a miracle in Ukraine! Please pray for Ukraine to be victorious in the war against Russia; for Ukraine to rebuild on different levels; and for UBTS to continue to be proactive in serving our communities and equipping

As a necessary step toward inform ing and training students concerning this issue, Southeastern has launched a mandatory course on sexual abuse prevention and response that under graduate, graduate, and advanced students are required to complete during their programs at South eastern. This mandatory training course overviews practical strate gies for preventing and responding to sexual abuse and clarifies bibli cal and theological foundations for caring well for survivors of abuse.

As a result of my Southeastern experience, I am more intentional about prioritizing gospel-centered teaching, planning, and execution in any ministry work.

Equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission, Southeastern is committed to training future ministers, missionaries, and leaders to love God and love neighbor, which involves preventing sexual abuse and caring well for survivors with gospel love, truth, and hope. “As an institution, we recognize that fulfilling the Great Commission means teaching the whole counsel of God’s word,” noted Akin, “It means teaching disciples of Jesus to obey the second great commandment of neighbor love.”

In addition to contributions from Akin and from Southeastern Provost Keith Whitfield, instruc tors for the course include Bradley Hambrick, Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern, and Samantha Kilpatrick, attorney in the Kilpatrick Law Group and Instructor in the Meredith College Paralegal Program. Students in the course receive a biblical and theo logical foundation for protecting the vulnerable as well as instruction on how to recognize vulnerabilities in ministry. The course is not only designed to inform students about proper responses — how to care well — but also about prevention, creating a culture of prevention and open communication. Instructors also address implementing protec tive policies and reporting processes, understanding legal obligations, and navigating spiritual and interpersonal challenges relevant to sexual abuse.

“Studies show that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexu ally abused by their eighteenth birthday,” shared Kilpatrick, who also serves as an active member of Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. “Churches and minis tries are not immune, but often can be more at risk due to lack of awareness or inconsistent preven tion policy and practice. Unless we understand the prevalence and dynamics of sexual abuse, we are not well-equipped to implement

prevention policy, nor are we able to respond well in a Christ-honoring and trauma-informed manner.”

“This training is relevant and impor tant in higher education,” noted Kilpatrick. “It will train Southeast ern students at all levels as they seek to go on mission. The concepts and principles in this train ing will benefit all students as they seek to serve both in ministry contexts and in secular spaces.”

The need for a training course on sexual abuse prevention and response has become increasingly apparent over the last year as Southern Baptists investigated the mishandling of sexual abuse within the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). “The heartbreak ing breadth of sexual abuse in the SBC is undeniable,” commented Akin. “It is far more widespread than most realized. This training course is intended to address this reality.”

In his “Statement on the SBC Task Force Report on Sexual Abuse,” Akin

urged students and staff to report sexual abuse, knowing that South eastern is committed to prevent sexual abuse and to care well for survivors: “Let me encourage you that if you know of someone who has been sexually abused or is the victim of sexual abuse that you immediately report it to law enforce ment. After reporting it to law enforcement, you can send an email to reportabuse@sebts.edu. This email address is monitored by our Student Life team. We will follow up and respond quickly and decisively.”

In addition to launching this new mandatory training course, South eastern continues to comply with Title IX requirements, urging the reporting of misconduct, provid ing anonymous reporting options, and encouraging awareness and further training. To find more information about Southeast ern’s Title IX policies and report ing options, visit sebts.edu .

Southeastern is committed to preventing sexual abuse and training students to respond well to survivors with proper care and advocacy.

Danny Akin, President

Missions Burning in Our Souls

Training Church Planters in Los Angeles

Will Browning grew up as a regular churchgoer in the small, southern town of Barnwell, SC. Although he heard the gospel many times in his child hood, God used the faithful ministry of a fraternity brother to lead him to saving faith in Christ in January of 1996 during his freshman year in college. Before and after Browning’s conversion, his fraternity brother, Phil, led him in a weekly Bible study, taking time to teach him God’s word.

Because of Phil’s obedience to the Great Commission and Browning’s surrender to Christ, Browning got more invested in the local church, eventually accepting a ministry opportunity at a church in South Carolina. This opportunity led to his call to ministry, a few years at The Southern Baptist Theological Semi nary in Kentucky, and then a new chapter at Southeastern Baptist Theo logical Seminary to pursue his Doctor of Ministry. A 2015 alum of Southeast ern, Browning now serves as the Send City Missionary for the North Ameri can Mission Board in Los Angeles, CA.

In the following Q&A, Browning takes time to share his Southeastern story and how his Southeastern training prepared him for ministry in Los Angeles:

What led you to pursue doctoral education, and why did you choose Southeastern?

It was a personal goal of mine, and my relationship with Dr. Chuck Lawless ultimately brought me to Southeastern. I chose Southeast ern because I wanted to diversify my education after finishing my Master of Divinity at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Also, the fact that I could study under Dr. Lawless

was my biggest draw. So, I started at Southeastern in 2013 and graduated in 2015 with a Doctor of Ministry in Great Commission Studies. My ministry project was on “Developing and Evaluating a Personal Scorecard for a ‘Missionary Disciple’ at the Journey Church of Summerville, SC.”

What stands out about your time at Southeastern? What did God do in your life while at Southeastern?

The cohort learning style was very appealing to me. I also loved getting to draw closer to the professors and ask them questions on the subjects they have spent their life studying. While doing my Doctor of Ministry at Southeastern, I think that is where I established that I wanted to be about missional disciple making for the rest of my life.

Are there any professors or classes that were uniquely formative for you?

I had Dr. Lawless as my profes sor at Southern for my Master of Divinity degree. When I heard he was at Southeastern, it was a no-brainer to study under him. I was always drawn to his pastoral heart as a professor. I always felt as much like his personal disciple as I did a student in the

Below: Streetview in downtown Los Angeles

Above: Will Browning preaching at a Los Angeles church

classroom. First, I knew that my doctor al work would be something we would all be proud of because Dr. Lawless is such a gifted grammarian and author. Second, I knew he would pastor me through the process. As an example, he offered for me to stay at his home during a week-long writing sabbati cal. He is the best professor I have ever had at any level of my education.

How did Southeastern shape the way you view the Great Commission?

The applicational end of the Great Commission is life as a disciple maker; the end is not a worship service. My time of study put application around that theological idea. As believers we are all called to be missionaries where God has sent us — whether it is across the country or across the street. Second, great theology is not a hindrance to missions but rather the fuel that makes missions burn in our souls. Our love for Jesus, understood through our theology, is the reason we do everything missionally.

How and where are you working and serving now?

I currently serve as the Send City Missionary (Chief Church Planting Strategist) in Los Angeles with Send Network and the North American Mission Board. My region consists of nearly 19 million people in five counties that make up Metro-Los Angeles. I would say that every obsta cle — both religious and cultural — is a part of ministering to the melting pot that is Los Angeles. The biggest of them all is the expense to do minis try in this incredibly expensive city.

How can your Southeastern family be praying for you?

Pray for my family to adjust well to the change from South Caro lina to southern California, particularly for our sixteen-year-old son who is making the most significant transi tion of us all. His name is Jedidiah.

College Graduate Spotlight

A

Conversation with Kilby Helms

Originally from Andrews, NC, Kilby Helms came to Southeastern to pursue a degree in global studies because she knew that Southeastern was passionate about the Great Commis sion and God’s desire for his glory to be proclaimed among the nations. While enrolled as a student at The College at Southeastern, she served in the U.S. and in Belgium and is now ministering in Arua, Uganda. After completing most of her courses while overseas on mission, Helms graduated on May 13, 2022, with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and a certificate in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). Helms took time to share how her education at South eastern encouraged and equipped her to live on mission — even as a student — and how God is using her and her husband, Greg, to disciple and evangelize in a Muslim context. Read more in the following interview:

Why did you decide to study at Southeastern?

From the first time I visited, I was drawn to Southeastern’s dedica tion to evangelism and missions. It was clear to me that Southeastern not only

wanted to give their students a thor ough knowledge of theology but also wanted to equip them in a way that they could use what they had learned in their classes to reach the nations.

How did your time at Southeastern shape you spiritually and shape your view of the Great Commission?

First, I have loved that each class is rooted in Christ Jesus. Even in an English Grammar course, the person and work of Christ was woven all throughout, including in our grammar exercises. Second, what stood out to me was how Southeastern emphasized that we as students should not wait until we finish our education to “go” or to pursue ministry but that we should be reaching neighbors and friends with the gospel even while we are learning as students. Both of these factors have drastically changed how I view the Great Commission in relation to my life and calling.

In what ways have you seen theological education and ministry preparation go hand in hand while a student?

Prior to studying at Southeastern, I compartmentalized my theo logical education and my ministerial calling. However, I have learned during my time at Southeastern that if I truly have faith in Jesus Christ and want to live in obedience to his calling on my life, then his calling must infiltrate every aspect of who I am and how I am living. It must guide my conversa tions, stir my thoughts to holiness, and impact my relationships. It seems like such an elementary truth to the gospel and to my faith, yet I had forgotten it all too quickly. I learned this lesson in large part due to my education and formation at Southeastern.

What are some of your favorite Southeastern memories?

I was only on campus for a year before moving overseas; however, I remember fondly being

Photos courtesy of Kilby Helms

excited during orientation, meeting roommates and classmates, and signing up for my classes. I also remember loving events on the lawn during the fall and spring semes ters. Often professors came as well as students, and it was such a lovely highlight of my time at Southeastern. Another favorite memory was the Andrew Peterson “Behold the Lamb of God” Christmas concert that took place my freshman year on campus. It was not only one of the sweetest times of worship but also a really splendid overall experience with my new friends and fellow classmates.

Mann. Some of the most forma tive classes I took while at South eastern were: Hermeneutics; Old Testament Survey; Communica tions; Judaism, Islam, and Contexts; History of Christian Missions; and Introduction to Philosophy.

How do you hope to serve after graduation?

I currently serve overseas in northern Uganda, where my husband and I work with locals and with Sudanese refugees. We do disci pleship among young adults and teens and have the privilege to do evange listic ministry among Muslims in our context. I pray that I may continue serving in this same way once I gradu ate. One thing I would like to do more of in the future is teach English here. I will be graduating with a certificate in TESL along with my bachelor’s, so I would love to use that here in Uganda.

How can your Southeastern community pray for you?

Fully Funded Tuition for IMB Missionaries

Southeastern Announces 100 percent Scholarship Awards for Full-time, Fully Funded Missionaries Sent by the International Mission Board (IMB)

as students.

Which professors and classes have proven particularly encouraging and helpful?

In one way or another, I have learned from every professor who taught me at Southeastern, and I am so grateful for that. A few profes sors whom I have learned most from are Dr. Pratt, Dr. Miles, Dr. Greenham, Dr. Robinson, and Professor

I think my greatest prayer need right now is for my ministry among Muslim women here in Arua, Uganda. I have been working with a specific group of women for about nine months now. The relationships seem to be growing week by week, but there is still such a need among these Muslim women for the hope of Christ Jesus. Recently, I was able to share the full gospel message with a few of them, and I just pray that the seed planted will take root. The women have been asking more questions lately so please pray their curiosity will grow. Pray for each of them to have ears to hear.

As a Great Commission seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) exists to equip and mobilize students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission around the world. Committed to making it easier than ever before for IMB missionar ies to receive biblical and theological training, SEBTS has announced 100 percent scholarships for full-time, fully funded IMB missionaries. Effec tive immediately, these 100 percent scholarships will fully cover eligible students’ tuition and enrollment fees.

“We recognize that theological education can be a financial burden for many missionary families, so I am delighted that God has blessed Southeastern with the ability to offer IMB missionaries and their families increased scholarship opportunities,” shared Danny Akin, President of SEBTS. “It is my prayer that reducing tuition costs for IMB missionaries will enable generations of warriors for Christ to be equipped and sent out for ministry in rural towns, urban centers, and hard-toreach places around the world.”

As a Great Commission institution, SEBTS champions missionary educa tion at the undergraduate, graduate, and advanced degree levels. For years, this deep support for equipping and educating IMB missionaries included scholarships covering 50 percent of their tuition and fees. Earlier in the summer, Southeastern announced that IMB missionaries were eligible to be awarded 75 percent scholarships,

What stood out to me was how Southeastern emphasized that we as students should not wait until we finish our education to go or to pursue ministry but that we should be reaching neighbors and friends with the gospel even while we are learning

Kilby with children and young adults from her ministry

which have now been increased to 100 percent scholarships — motivated by a desire to mobilize more students to fulfill the Great Commission.

“We are excited to better serve students who are committed to going to the nations by removing financial obstacles so that they can help fulfill the Great Commission,” commented Dave Phillips, Director of Student Resources and Financial Aid. “Thanks to generous donors who want to support international missions, we have been able to increase these awards.”

Active IMB missionaries can receive these increased scholarships for their undergraduate, graduate, or advanced degrees. Eligible recipients also include students currently in the Journeyman and International Service Core (ISC) program as well as students who have recently completed the Journeyman and ISC program. The Journeyman and ISC scholar ship is awarded to students who have completed their program within the past three years and are pursuing their first master’s degree at SEBTS.

Eligible students may receive this increased scholarship for the duration of their degree at SEBTS. Students may also choose to take in-person or online classes without jeopardizing their eligibility for these scholarships. To learn more about specific eligibility require ments for these scholarships as well as other missions scholarships, visit sebts.edu/financial-aid.

“Southeastern is a Great Commis sion seminary because the Great Commission is the final marching orders of King Jesus,” stated Akin. “That is why we challenge students to live missionally and why we love to equip future missionaries and missionar ies already on the field with biblical and theological training for ministry.”

The SEBTS family celebrates its alumni on the field and hope that these new scholarship opportunities will encourage thousands of future gradu ates to prioritize the Great Commission of King Jesus wherever he calls them.

Building a Cross Culture

The College at South eastern launches a fifth house in its House System program, announcing the new house is named after North Ameri can missionary David Brainerd.

Southeastern’s House System serves as the college life program for The College, providing students with community, ministry oppor tunities, fun events, disciple ship, and accountability.

“The House System is designed to cultivate a culture of vibrant community and intentional disciple ship on our campus,” shared Scott Pace, Dean of The College. “We believe that the House System offers students an invaluable opportu nity to be trained in community, to practice their training for future ministry, to build life-long friend ships and ministry partnerships, and to enjoy this season of life as they prepare to fulfill the Great Commis sion wherever God calls them.”

As new students moved to South eastern’s campus this fall, they have been challenged to fulfill the Great Commission through the legacy of David Brainerd, a missionary to Native Americans in Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey in the eighteenth century. The College honors Brainerd’s example of enduring ministry by naming its fifth and newest house after him.

“Brainerd represents a ministry of endurance and faithfulness to God’s call on his life,” commented Pace. “I am excited that our House System will be carrying on his legacy of Great Commission ministry.”

In a letter to his younger brother in 1743, Brainerd wrote, “We should

We are excited to better serve students who are committed to going to the nations by removing financial obstacles so that they can help fulfill the Great Commission.

It is my prayer that reducing tuition costs for IMB missionaries will enable generations of warriors for Christ to be equipped and sent out.

Dave

Phillips, Director of Student Resources and Financial Aid

Danny

Akin, President

The College Announces the Launch of the Brainerd House

always look upon ourselves as God’s servants, placed in God’s world, to do his work; and accordingly labor faith fully for him; not with a design to grow rich and great, but to glorify God, and do all the good we possibly can.”

The Brainerd House preserves Brainerd’s legacy and spirit of faithful service in its values of endurance, teach ability, and selflessness and in its motto: building a cross culture. “Brainerd ‘crossed the street,’ living among Native Americans in the Northeast, sharing the gospel with them, and planting churches in the region,” noted Jake Hatfield, Director of College Life.

With the launch of the fifth house this fall, Brainerd joined Andrew Fuller, Adoni ram Judson, George Liele, and Francis Schaeffer as house founders — each representing generations of faithful Chris tian leaders and missionaries who devoted their lives to fulfilling the Great Commis sion around the world.

Inspired by the examples of earlier generations, students in The College’s House System are being trained to lead the next generation to obey the Great Commission. “God has richly blessed The College through the discipleship and community our students experience in the House System,” shared Pace. “Each semester I am encouraged by the students he sends us to be trained and even more so by those he sends out from our institution to give their lives for the cause of Christ in the Church, among the nations, and in every aspect of society.”

“My time in the House System has been one of the biggest blessings of my life,

and it has been an absolute joy to now be a part of leading it,” shared Chloe Farley, a House System graduate who now leads the program as the House System and Disciple ship Supervisor. “Through the House System, I have been challenged to share the gospel, seek accountability, and disciple others so that they might see how a life surrendered to Christ is where true freedom can be found.”

Since the launch of the House System in fall 2016, nearly 150 residential leaders have been trained to disciple and oversee students at The College and have been discipled themselves for future ministry in the local church. The expansion of the House System represents The College’s continued efforts to disciple students and student leaders to be disciple makers in local churches all around the world.

Scan here with your phone to learn more about the House System, its founders, and the opportunities students have to be trained in community.

Missional Worship Ministry

Dr. Jonathan Welch Joins the Faculty as Professor of Christian Worship

Southeastern Baptist Theo logical Seminary (SEBTS) is pleased to announce that Jonathan Welch joined the faculty full-time as Assistant Professor of Christian Worship and Coordina tor of the Worship Leader Training Collaboration, effective August 1, 2022. SEBTS welcomed Welch, his wife Sarah, and their four children.

“Our faculty are committed to serving the local church and equip ping students to love and lead their local churches toward faithfulness to the Great Commission,” commented President Danny Akin. “This is exactly what Jonathan has done for years at The Summit Church. I know he will train our students to lead worship in churches with humility, conviction, and biblical fidelity. As an outstanding graduate of South eastern, Jonathan loves our institu tion and its mission. He is a welcome addition to our full-time faculty.”

Welch’s passion for music began at an early age and draws deeply from his family’s heritage of music ministry. “My mother is very musical, and I watched her sing in church growing up,” recounted Welch. “My paternal grandparents served in pastoral ministry and itinerant ministry together for over sixty years. My grandfather would preach and sing, while my grandmother would provide the accompani ment from piano or organ and often direct the singing. Ministry through music has been a constant aspect of our family life for generations.”

Originally from Greenwood, SC, Welch moved to North Carolina in 2002 to attend Duke University,

where he graduated with a BA in Religion (with minors in music and German). During Welch's time in college, God directed his heart for music toward teaching and ministry. “College was a pivotal time for sensing God’s call on my life,” Welch recalled. “I started college with a desire to explore a career in music, and I finished college with a desire to possibly teach in a college or semi nary setting. For over fifteen years now, my ministry has involved both creativity and teaching — ranging from worship ministry to adult discipleship in the local church.”

where he has served as an elder since 2009. In both the classroom and in the congregation, Welch has cultivated a deep commitment to equip the local church through music ministry and discipleship. As a part of the SEBTS family, Welch desires to help students develop a similar commitment to discipleship and the local church. “I want to help students develop a vision for worship ministry that connects the worship gathering to disciple making and missions,” noted Welch. “God has given so many Christians musical gifts to lead his people in singing. I am eager to help our students grow in their stewardship of these gifts, learn to be faithful ministry leaders, and see how the worship gathering can both fuel and contribute to the work of the Great Commission.”

“Jonathan brings years of local church ministry to the classroom as he mentors Southeastern students,” commented Provost Keith Whit field. “He has led worship in a dynamic, disciple-making church and has served for years on their discipleship team. He understands that the purpose of Christian worship is to ascribe appropriate glory to God and that the effect of Christian worship is to form the faith and witness of the Church.”

Desiring to be equipped to teach and serve the Church, Welch chose SEBTS for graduate school — confi dent in the spiritual formation and ministry preparation he would receive there. Graduating in 2009 with his MDiv in Advanced Bibli cal Studies, Welch continued at SEBTS for his PhD in Theology and Worship, which he completed in 2021. While pursuing his PhD, Welch served faithfully as a guest lecturer and later as an adjunct professor of worship leadership at SEBTS.

During his time at SEBTS, Welch was ordained at The Summit Church,

As Assistant Professor of Christian Worship and Coordinator of the Worship Leader Training Collabora tion, Welch not only teaches music courses and worship leadership courses at SEBTS but is developing a network of local churches who desire to join SEBTS in training the next generation of worship leaders. This Worship Leader Training Collabora tion offers students practical worship ministry opportunities in local churches and encourages further training partnerships between local churches and the worship ministry and leadership programs.

“I believe in the mission and vision of Southeastern, and I am excited to join the faculty here,” shared Welch.

I want to help students develop a vision for worship ministry that connects the worship gathering to disciple making and missions.

“We want our worship studies students to lead and design biblically faithful, Christ-exalting, mission-focused worship gatherings that inspire all disciples of Jesus to continue in a posture of worship as we pursue the Great Commission together. We want to worship wherever the Lord may be sending us — to our communities, to our workplaces, or to the ends of the earth.”

Scan here with your phone or visit sebts.edu/academics to learn more about our worship degrees.

Expanding a World-Class Faculty

Southeastern Announces Faculty Changes and Administrative Faculty Hires

Southeastern Baptist Theo logical Seminary (SEBTS) announced that Drs. Anna Daub and Christy Thornton joined the faculty while retaining their current administrative roles and that Drs. Miguel Echevarria and Scott Hildreth transitioned from directorship and part-time faculty roles to full-time faculty positions.

Anna Daub as Assistant Professor of Missions

“At Southeast ern we say that every profes sor is a Great Commission professor,” commented President Danny Akin. “This is indeed true of Anna, who has championed our

Great Commission mission for our Global Theological Initiatives (GTI) office. She has enabled our institu tion to make and maintain Great Commission partnerships around the world, and I know she will train our students to communicate well cross-culturally with biblical fidel ity and the love of our King Jesus.” Anna Daub, who previously served as Director of Special Projects and Partnerships for GTI, joined the administrative faculty at SEBTS as Assistant Professor of Missions. Daub has continued her role in the GTI office while teaching introductory missions courses at SEBTS and The College at Southeastern. Having graduated from SEBTS with her PhD in Applied Theology-Missiology in 2021, Daub has demonstrated a commitment to academic excel lence and to the mission of SEBTS.

“I am thrilled Anna is joining our missions faculty at Southeastern,” shared Keelan Cook, Instructor of Missiology and George Liele Direc tor of the Center for Great Commis sion Studies (CGCS). “Having served overseas, she does an excellent job synthesizing real-world experi ence with the best in missiological scholarship. Anna is a first-rate missiologist, and more importantly she desires deeply that all may know the gospel. Our students will benefit greatly from her instruction.”

Christy Thornton as Assistant Professor of Christian Thought

“God’s kindness to Southeastern is evident in the remarkable faculty he has given us at this Great Commission institu tion,” commented Akin. “Christy is no exception. Christy has modeled biblical fidelity and academic excel lence not only as a student but also in her administrative roles. She has

consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the Great Commis sion and to training students for Great Commission ministry.”

Christy Thornton has served faithfully in the PhD Studies office at SEBTS since 2017 and currently serves as Associate Director of PhD Studies and Director of ThM Studies at SEBTS. Thornton retained these roles as she joined the administra tive faculty at SEBTS as Assistant Professor of Christian Thought. Thornton is teaching courses related to Christian thought and practice in The College and in The College’s prison programs and is coteach ing occasional courses at SEBTS with full-time faculty members.

“Christy’s personal missions experience, passion for the nations, and deep commitment to the life of the local church shapes how she teaches and mentors students,” shared Provost Keith Whitfield. “She is dedicated to forming students theologically and helping them use their gifts and callings to equip the Church for its mission.”

Echevarría as Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek Having served as Director of Hispanic Lead ership Development at SEBTS since 2017, Miguel Echevarría left the role to serve in a full-time faculty position at SEBTS as Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek. Echevarría transitioned out of his directorship role to dedicate more time to class room instruction, student mentor ing, and various writing projects.

“Our Hispanic Leadership Devel opment office owes a historic debt to Miguel as he faithfully led this program to a new level of organiza tion, quality, and growth,” commented John Ewart, Professor of Missions and

Miguel

Pastoral Leadership and Associate Vice President for Global Theological Initiatives and Ministry Centers. “He strengthened established partner ships, created new ones, and devel oped new certificates and degrees as well as delivery methodologies to train hundreds of Spanish-speaking leaders in the U.S., the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. I am very grateful Miguel is part of the Southeastern family and will continue to teach within the Hispanic Leadership Development program even while teaching on campus and online as a full-time faculty member.”

Scott Hildreth as Associate Professor of Missiology Scott Hildreth, who has served as the Director of the Center

for Great Comission Studies (CGCS) for the past ten years, transitioned from this administrative role to serve full-time at SEBTS as Associ ate Professor of Missiology. During Hildreth’s leadership at the CGCS, SEBTS witnessed record numbers of students entering the mission field as Hildreth developed new strategies for recruiting and equipping students for Great Commission ministry. Hildreth left his administrative role to invest full-time in his teaching, mentoring, and writing responsibilities at SEBTS. “Scott has been a faithful champion of Southeastern’s mission to train and mobilize Great Commission students around the world,” shared Whitfield. “His leadership as the Director of the CGCS has enabled Southeastern not only to connect students with minis try partners and provide them with hands-on missions experience but also to cast and implement a vision for Great Commission studies that helps

our students and faculty approach all of life through the grid of the Great Commission. I am grateful for his investment in the CGCS and am excited that he will be remaining at Southeastern to dedicate more time to the classroom, to our students, and to his writing projects, which will richly bless the academy and the Church.”

Thank You for Giving

Southeastern graduates are serving in all 50 states and 40 countries around the world. When your church gives to the Cooperative Program, you support Southeastern’s mission to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.

because of Southern Baptist churches like yours committed to bringing good news to the whole world.

Southeastern received $7.3 million last year www.sbc.net/cp

Keith Whitfield, Provost

We are not just doing theological education. We are pursuing ministry preparation. Our faculty considers it a great honor to teach, mentor, and disciple those whom God calls, to prepare them to serve and equip others.

Southeastern Celebrates God’s Blessings

Board of Trustees and Southeastern Society Celebrate Ongoing Great Commission Efforts

On October 9-11, Southeastern Baptist Theological Semi nary (SEBTS) welcomed its Board of Trustees and its Southeastern Society (SES) for their fall biannual meeting. Celebrating another remark able year of giving and financial resources for students, trustees voted on several committee recommenda tions to strengthen and expand the institution’s Great Commission efforts.

“It is an absolute delight and joy to be a part of what God is doing at South eastern,” President Danny Akin shared with trustees and SES members on Monday. “One of the great blessings of these last nineteen years here has been to see God bring students to South eastern for a season and then send them out and to see how they soar for the glory of God, not only in North America but also around the world.”

At the beginning of Monday’s plenary session, SEBTS welcomed two new trustees this fall, Joe Maltempi and Ronnie Campbell, who expressed their delight to serve SEBTS students, faculty, and staff as well as the rest of the Southern Baptist Conven tion. Encouraged by testimonies of the institution’s Great Commis sion investment in more than 5,000 students annually, trustees met with office directors and cabinet members throughout the afternoon on Monday.

During Tuesday’s plenary session, trustees voted to elect Jonathan Six as Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Six, a two-time SEBTS graduate who has served in various roles at SEBTS for over fifteen years, had served as Acting Vice Presi dent of Institutional Advancement

since his promotion on June 1, 2022. Confident in Six’s commitment to the institution’s confessional state ments and to its Great Commission mission, the trustees unanimously voted to officialize his promotion.

“Jonathan is a two-time graduate of Southeastern and has faithfully served many roles with the Institutional Advancement division,” noted Akin. “Jonathan has served as Acting Vice President for Institutional Advance ment since June 1 of this year and has already become a valuable member of my President’s Cabinet and has implemented good changes in the Institutional Advancement division.”

The trustees also voted to approve several curricular changes, the most notable of which included the following:

The addition of an undergraduate certificate in Christian Ministry

The addition of a Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Counseling

The addition of a specialization in Global Education and Leadership for the Doctor of Education program

These additions represent the insti tution’s unwavering commitment to equip students biblically, theologically, and ministerially to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.

By recommendation of the Campus Planning committee, trustees voted to rename the academic building on the west quad after Ralph Logan Carson, the first full-time African American professor at SEBTS from 1994-2005. Having distinguished

himself as a faithful professor with strong conservative doctrinal commit ments, Carson was a unanimous choice after the trustees' prayerful deliberations. Honoring Carson’s service as an international missionary and his rich personal contributions to theological education at SEBTS, the institution is excited to honor Carson’s legacy of endurance and faithfulness.

Voting on two new endowment accounts, trustees approved the Keith and Allison Moore Pastoral Student Aid Fund and the Bennie Richard Lee Student Aid Fund. The Keith and Allison Moore Pastoral Student Aid Fund will provide gener ous financial aid to full-time Southern Baptist students who maintain a 3.0 GPA — with priority given to students in the five-year BA-MDiv program. Similarly, the Bennie Richard Lee Student Aid Fund will provide finan cial assistance to full-time Southern Baptist students who maintain a 3.0 GPA — with priority given to students enrolled in The College at South eastern who are also pursuing a call to vocational pastoral ministry.

“There has never been a better time than now for students to consider theological education at Southeastern, especially in terms of the financial resources and scholarship oppor tunities available to them,” shared Drew Davis, Director of Financial and Alumni Development at SEBTS.

In a year of record giving for South ern Baptists (with more than 200 million dollars given to both the Cooperative Program and the Lottie

Moon offering), charitable donations to SEBTS have remained at record levels with over 5.2 million dollars given in the past year to support the biblical, theological, and ministe rial training of SEBTS students.

Celebrating this encouraging report, SES members also received an update on the institution’s For the Mission campaign — a four-year capital campaign to fund academic and student aid endowments, on-campus construction and renovations, and the Southeastern Fund. With over 2,500 unique donors, the For the Mission campaign is now over 86 percent complete, totaling more than 17.7 million dollars (resulting in 51 new accounts, includ ing 20 endowed accounts).

Thanks to many generous contributions to the For the Mission campaign, construc tion is underway for the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion on campus, and the upcom ing renovations of Bostwick Hall have been fully funded.

During their visit, SES members heard stories of how their partnership with SEBTS is impacting students through the ministry of faculty and staff. On Sunday night, Brian Frost, SEBTS alum and Senior Pastor of Providence Baptist Church, shared from 2 Timothy 4 and challenged SES members to continue prioritiz ing faithful ministry partnerships so that the gospel might go forth.

During the For the Mission banquet on Monday night, Daniel Ritchie, a graduate of The College, narrated his life’s journey and how God providen tially used The College to deepen his love for God’s word and his passion for God’s mission. Born without arms, Ritchie lived a life of frustra tion with God, having been bullied and ostracized as a child and as a teenager. That is, until God placed a youth pastor in his life who explained how God created and loved Ritchie and even purposed his armlessness

for his glory and mission. Converted at fifteen, Ritchie pursued a call to ministry when he was sixteen, which eventually led him to enroll at The College in the fall of 2001.

“I am grateful that God in his grace brought me to Southeastern at the right time,” shared Ritchie. “One of the things that drew me here was how seriously Southeastern takes its calling.”

As a scholarship recipient during his time at The College, Ritchie reflected on how the generous gifts and prayers of SES members have affected and enabled the ministries of thousands of students like Ritchie. “Jesus says in Matthew that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” commented Ritchie. “What you are doing is sowing into workers who are going to take the great est news the world has ever known and meet people at their darkest moments and meet them in their need. … You may have no idea what you are sowing into, but God does.”

On Tuesday, SES members also heard from Stephen Eccher and Steven McKinion, who shared their Southeastern stories and gave testi monies of how God is at work in the lives of SEBTS students around the world. “Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and the trust in us, the professors, to train these students,” noted Eccher, Associate Professor of Church History and Reformation Studies. “It is making a tangible difference for God’s kingdom.”

“Southeastern has remained committed to equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission,” shared McKinion, Professor of Theology and Patristic Studies, “What we do in our class rooms here is more than prepare them for passing their exams, but rather to be faithful in thirty or forty or even fifty years of ministry. Our students come here because they really do love Jesus and they really do love people, … and if you continue to invest in Southeastern, we will continue to train and equip them.”

There has never been a better time than now for students to consider theological education at Southeastern, especially in terms of the financial resources and scholarship opportunities available to them.

Drew Davis, Director of Financial and Alumni Development

One Student’s Story of Generational Discipleship, Community, and War

Growing up as a secondgeneration American just outside Philadelphia, PA, Daniel Ageyev never imagined then how God would use his experience as the son of Ukrainian immigrants to disciple his generation and help immigrant churches navigate minis try among the next generation.

When Daniel’s parents moved from Eastern Ukraine to the U.S., they came not only as first-generation Americans but also as third-generation Baptists. In a near-death escape from a collapsed German coal mine in World War II, Daniel’s great-grandfather (on his mother’s side) had told God that he would surrender his life to God if he were to escape. Emerging with his life, Daniel’s great-grandfather would later experience new life in Christ after finding a local church where he was converted, baptized, and eventually equipped for peri odic preaching. On his father’s side, Daniel’s grandfather also served as an occasional preacher while working as a traveling band conduc tor across the (then) Soviet Union.

Daniel’s parents handed down this Baptist heritage as they raised him in a Baptist immigrant church of first- and second-generation Ukrainian-speaking and Russianspeaking immigrants. For Daniel, his religious heritage and cultural heri tage were always richly intertwined. While learning to speak Russian and English, Daniel also learned the gospel of Jesus Christ, though his self-reliance kept him entangled in sin and far from repentance and faith until his junior year of high school.

“I remember coming home and just feeling really empty and hopeless,” Daniel recounted. “It was at that moment that God helped me understand I couldn’t set myself free from my empty sinful heart or be my own savior. My mom had always told me that there would come a time when only Jesus could help me, and I real ized that to be true, praying that God would save me.”

Once God had saved him and given him new desires, Daniel still wrestled in the months and years to follow with what he should do with his life. Although Daniel was often captivated by an Americanized ideal of the good life, God eventually gave Daniel a passion for disci pling others — made more and more evident by his discipleship opportunities with middle school boys. Sharing this newfound passion with his father and his pastors, Daniel was urged to consider theological educa tion in preparation for ministry. Learning that The College at Southeastern offered a five-year bachelor’s to master’s program, Daniel applied, was accepted, and started the fiveyear BA-MDiv in pastoral ministry in 2016. “The five-year program is advertised as academically rigorous,” comment ed Daniel. “I remember feeling academically unprepared for what lay ahead, but the Lord’s providence and the kindness of professors enabled me to learn good study habits and make the most of that season of preparation.”

Through the program, Daniel was able to intern at his local church where he not only read books and wrote papers but also did ministry alongside his pastors and learned how to approach ministry relationally. Daniel also learned what faithfulness to the Great Commission looks like. “I came to understand that I am successful in ministry when those whom I am teaching are teaching

others,” shared Daniel. “I don’t want to collect followers of Daniel; I want to multiply followers of Jesus.”

In those days, Daniel would often ask himself: “How can I leverage my knowledge of Ukrainian and Russian culture and language and my rela tionships in those circles? How can I use my education to biblically serve or feed people from those cultures?”

These driving questions motivated Daniel to write many of his papers on engaging in those contexts — particularly in immigrant communi ties — culminating years later in his ThM thesis on how first-generation immigrants can disciple their secondgeneration American children.

While a full-time student, Daniel served as a scholar (2016-17) and a chancellor (2017-18) in The College’s House System. Burdened with a desire to come alongside others who needed help acclimating culturally, Daniel developed a spirit of hospital ity and care that pushed him to open up with others and cultivate a diverse discipling community. “Southeast ern’s House System offered me a great opportunity not only to learn from others but also to be formed by others and to form them through life-onlife community,” shared Daniel. These lessons and experiences were further reinforced by the friendships he forged with many of his profes sors. “Every professor had a unique and important investment in my life,” noted Daniel. “Dr. Shaddix’s love for prayer and his availability shaped my understanding of discipleship and convicted me not to rush my time with people; Dr. McDaniel’s wise counsel and friendship challenged and encouraged me; Dr. Hammett’s

rigorously biblical thinking and intensity inspired me.”

Having been deeply formed by his time at Southeast ern, Daniel decided to reenroll after graduating in the spring of 2020. Starting his ThM at Southeastern that fall, Daniel still had many lingering questions about ministry in immigrant churches and contexts. “I didn’t know how to make sense of my experience in an immi grant church, and I wanted to help those in similar situations,” shared Daniel. These concerns developed into his ThM thesis over the next two years, and now they occupy his prayers as he seeks to be used by God.

“Lord willing, I would love to pastor a church someday in the U.S. or overseas in a Russian-speaking context. With my Russian-speaking background, I believe God will place me somewhere I can use my cultural capital for kingdom growth. In addi tion to pastoring, I would love to organize seminary accredited courses at a local church and would even consider teaching one day at a seminary.”

In 2021, Daniel proposed to his now wife Anas tasia, who was living in Russia at the time. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Daniel and Anastasia were married in Turkey before moving to Moscow for six months as they worked to secure Anastasia’s visa. While Daniel and Anastasia were in Moscow, God blessed Daniel with many opportunities to use his cultural experience and Southeastern training to teach in churches and disciple believers in the city.

On February 24, 2022, Daniel and Anastasia were in Moscow when Russia invaded Ukraine — just one week before Anastasia was scheduled to have her embassy interview in Poland to move to the U.S.

They could not foresee the tragic scope of the war, but for the next three weeks in Russia and central Europe, they began to witness the toll of the war on local churches.

“The war has created very trying times for both Ukrainian and Russian churches,” noted Daniel. “For Ukrai nians, their world and their culture — what they are used to — is being torn apart. The stress and sorrow of having one’s way of life destroyed and having loved ones killed is crushing. The Ukrainian believer is faced with the question: How do I think through suffering, anger, and war biblically? Moreover, after losing everything, what do I do next? What will life look like in a war-torn country? What comes after the war? Some churches have been dispersed, and at the same time, it is has been a moment for many churches to help non-believers understand

how to deal with overwhelming grief and all-encompassing loss, ultimately through the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“For Russian believers, they also have to biblically think through how to react and support Ukrainians,” shared Daniel. “Christians are seeking to understand what their relationship to politics should be. More specifi cally, how does a Christian relate to and what should they do when their government commits evil? Many are also grieving and are deeply affected by the war. Every one has their set of convictions, and each will bear the consequences for their beliefs. For some, this means leaving their home country for good, and for others, this means encountering the dangers of the battlefield."

In God’s timing, Daniel and Anastasia eventually made it to Poland and then to the U.S. a couple weeks later, rejoicing in God’s providence amid the conflict.

Daniel graduated with his ThM on May 13, 2022, and was hired that summer by Southeastern to serve as the Assistant House System and Discipleship Supervisor. In his new role at Southeastern, Daniel is using his passion for disciple ship to equip young leaders at The College, ensuring that Southeastern students experience the same context of formative training that he enjoyed as a student on campus.

Through the contributions of generous and prayerful supporters like you, Southeastern students like Daniel are being equipped to reach the nations and disciple future Christian leaders. To learn more about how your gifts to Southeastern can make a Great Commission difference in the world, visit ForTheMission.com.

Scan here with your phone to visit ForTheMission.com

Daniel and Anastasia Ageyev

Honoring Bruce Little’s Legacy of Faithful Teaching

An integral part of the For the Mission campaign is the For the Faculty initiative. This initiative enables Southeastern to maintain inflation-adjusted support for faculty positions, academic centers, and other vital academic efforts. As one of these strategic efforts, academic endowments ensure that Southeastern can continue to recruit experienced faculty who are deeply committed to God’s word, to the ministry of teaching, and to the Church and the Great Commission of King Jesus.

That is why Southeastern is excited to announce the upcoming creation of the Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy, which will be made possible by generous donations to the For the Faculty initiative.

As competing ideologies and worldviews vie for the heart and mind of each generation of Christians, the need for rigorous biblical and philosophical training could not be more urgent. The Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy represents Southeastern’s desire to train students to reason biblically and logically and to appoint faculty who are commit ted to philosophy in service to Christ.

“The Church has always believed that philosophy can provide

argumentative and translational ‘tools’ for bringing out the implica tions of divine revelation for the rest of human thought, and to do so in ways that are wise, humble, winsome, and persuasive,” shared Greg Welty, Professor of Philosophy at South eastern. “Our faculty are committed to living out this vision in their own community, and passing it along to their students, so that many can be encouraged to worship Christ and discover that he really is the one ‘in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col 2:3).”

Because these values and dispo sitions distinguished the teaching ministry of Bruce Little, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Southeast ern is delighted to name this chair of philosophy in his honor. "Bruce Little’s teaching and writing career as a Professor of Philosophy represents what we value most in our faculty at Southeastern: rigorous academic scholarship in service of the Church that equips students to reason bibli cally and live life on mission,” noted Provost Keith Whitfield. “With this new endowed chair, we wish to honor Bruce's legacy of faithful teaching and careful reasoning as well as a love for the Church and her mission."

Scan here with your phone to visit sebts.edu/give.

To support the funding of the Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy, visit sebts.edu/give or check out ForTheMission.com to learn more about Southeastern’s four strategic initiatives for the glory of God.

Scan here with your phone to check out ForTheMission.com.

Dr. Bruce Little Emeritus Professor of Philosophy

Dr. Little and Dr. Akin with Deborah and Udo Middelman, after presenting the school with Francis Schaeffer's personal Bibles in 2010.

Construction Begins on the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion

APPROX. PAVILION SERVICE PANEL LOCATION

outheastern is excited about the progress this fall on the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion, an outdoor gathering space on campus for Southeastern students, faculty, and staff as well as the surrounding community. The pavilion features covered space and ample seating for study, fellowship, and events. Designed to complement the campus and incorporate the beauty of God’s creation, the pavilion will include a fountain, shrubbery, and open landscaping.

The pavilion is named and dedicated in memory of Ty Williams, who tragically died at the age of eleven on November 12, 2020. Ty is the late son of Travis and Liz Williams. Travis, a Southeastern alum and longtime staff member, serves as the Associate Vice President of Facilities at Southeastern. As a dedicated space to encourage love of God and neighbor, the pavilion represents Ty’s love of God’s creation and heart for others.

CL

Left: 3D rendering of the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion

Above: Construction started in August, 2022; slated to be completed in January, 2023.

Scan here with your phone to see a video update of our campus master plan!

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.

It was this mission that first drew Harry and Pamela Nelson to partner with Southeastern in 2006.

“Our interim pastor at the time was on staff at Southeastern, and he introduced us to Southeastern’s mission,” recalled Harry “We were impressed by the Great Commission focus of the school and its commit ment to encourage students’ invest ment in local church ministry.”

Eager to support these Great Commission efforts, Harry and Pamela joined Southeastern’s Board of Visitors (now called the South eastern Society) — a community of generous donors who annually support Southeastern’s mission to train Great Commission students. Sharing Southeastern’s heart for rigorous theological education from a Great Commission perspective, the Nelsons have remained committed members of the Southeastern Society for now more than fifteen years.

Harry and Pamela attribute the longevity of their support to Presi dent Danny Akin’s leadership and to Southeastern’s single-minded focus on the Great Commission: “The Great Commission motiva tion of Southeastern has never wavered. Dr. Akin has been a true statesman during turbulent times in the Southern Baptist Conven tion, and his commitment to the gospel stays central to his message.”

“In addition, I believe the seminary is incredibly well run,” noted Harry, who also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Eventide Asset Management, a Boston-based investment management firm. “It is amazing to me how much the school accomplishes with its budget. Most others do a lot less with a lot more."

Reflecting on her family's partnership with Southeast ern, Pamela shared that few experiences have been as encour aging as “meeting students headed to the mission field and learning how Southeastern had prepared them.”

Growing up with a strong connection to Southeastern, three of the Nelson’s daughters chose to attend The College at Southeastern. Corinne, their second eldest daughter, decided to attend The College in 2017 because of its vibrant community and Great Commission education. Graduating in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies, Corinne stayed at Southeastern to pursue her Master of Arts in Ethics, Theology, and Culture, having been mentored and encouraged by faculty to steward her academic gifts to bless others.

“My time at Southeastern has encouraged my desire to teach and research at the university level and to pursue a PhD in the Sociology of Religion,” commented Corinne. “I think college is a very influential time in an individual’s life, and I hope my research will inspire young people in their studies.”

Corinne and her sisters Celie and Carolyn each credit much of their formation as Great Commission students and leaders to the intentional spiritual community they experienced on Southeastern’s campus.

A Southeastern Family’s Story of Faithful Support

Pamela and Harry Nelson

“Living in a community of people who are devoted to the Lord and want to hold each other accountable to grow closer to him is a unique and formative experience,” shared Celie, a senior in the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Econom ics program. “It is the people you interact with every day who end up changing you, and at Southeastern, they change you for the better.”

“Gathering as a community for weekly chapel has been one of the greatest ways that Southeastern has shaped me,” noted Carolyn, a sophomore in the Bachelor of Arts in Theology program. “It is such a blessing to be able to worship and

sit under God’s word together.”

Over the years, Harry and Pamela have watched their daughters develop the same values that motivated them to support Southeastern for the last 16 years. “During their time at South eastern, we have seen them take discipleship seriously, seeking out mentors and choosing to invest in the lives of others,” shared Pamela. “They have each been influenced by South eastern’s faculty who have taught, challenged, and encouraged them.”

“Having the Great Commission ever before you shapes the way you see the world,” commented Harry. “That has certainly been the case for our daughters during their time at

Southeastern. We are also grate ful for Southeastern’s healthy view of the local church and are delighted each of our daughters connected with and joined a local church when they moved to Wake Forest. They have been regularly reminded of the critical impor tance of being an active, serving member of the local church.”

As longtime members of the Southeastern family, the Nelsons know the value of a Southeast ern education and have seen how their investment helps to train thousands of Great Commission students — just like Corinne, Carolyn, and Celie.

Scan here with your phone to visit sebts.edu/give

Has God blessed you with resources to support Southeastern’s Great Commission efforts and invest in the lives of our students, staff, and faculty? To learn about how you can support Southeastern, visit sebts.edu/give

Corinne, Carolyn, and Celie Nelson

Harry Nelson

COO of Eventide Asset Management, father of 3 Southeastern students

FOR THE MISSION

Matching Gifts

Many companies offer their employees a gift-matching program. The percentages and amounts may vary, but you can inquire with your respective Human Resources Office to see if this is available to you. This is a great way to maximize your giving to Southeastern!

Donor Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds are tremendous giving vehicles that allow donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants from their fund over time. These funds are established at a public charity, and there are numerous organizations (including faith-based organizations) that provide this service across the country for donors to choose from when opening a fund.

Please make checks payable to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and send them to the address below:

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Attn: Financial and Alumni Development P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588

Give a tax-free gift to Southeastern directly from your IRA. IRA distributions to Southeastern qualify for the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). You must be age 70 1/2 or older and the annual maximum donation is $100,000.

When you donate appreciated securities, both the gift amount and charitable deduction are the fair market value of the stock and there is no capital gains tax.

Southeastern Celebrates Record Giving at the Sixteenth Annual Southeastern Classic

On Monday, September 12, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted its sixteenth annual Southeastern Classic Golf Tour nament, celebrating generous donors, ongoing partnerships, and another record year of fundraising. This year’s tournament returned to the picturesque golf courses at North Ridge Country Club in North Raleigh, welcoming 46 teams and 184 registered players. With a shotgun start on North Ridge Country Club’s traditional Oaks Course and modern Lakes Course, participants teed off at 9:30 a.m. to support SEBTS and its Great Commission mission.

“For sixteen years now, the South eastern Classic has played an integral role in funding the mission of SEBTS and The College at Southeastern,” shared Jonathan Six, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at SEBTS. “This year our sponsors and players have given in record numbers. I am incredibly grateful for their investment in the Great Commission vision of our institution and in the thousands of students who we train and equip for gospel ministry. We could not fulfill our mission without the support of our faithful partners.”

The Southeastern Classic raised over $140,000 to fund Southeastern’s mission and ensure low tuition costs for current and future students. Over the last sixteen years, the Southeast ern Classic has raised more than 1.15 million dollars to support Southeast ern, which is equal to providing at

least 143 students with full academic scholarships over the course of an academic year. Southeastern is grateful to more than sixty generous sponsors who made this year’s tourna ment possible. Platinum sponsors for the event included Absher Wealth Management and Remodel Health. Gold sponsors included Eventide Asset Management, Robling Medical Incorporated, and Sovereign Financial.

During the post-tournament banquet, Drew Davis, Director of Financial and Alumni Development at SEBTS, shared with attendees how their gifts and support enable students to fulfill the Great Commission around the world. “Your gifts are making an incredible difference in sending students into churches in Raleigh, across North Carolina, throughout the U.S., and around the world.” Illustrating how God is at work in the life and ministry of SEBTS students, Davis narrated the story of Thomas West, a SEBTS alum and church planter in London. Raised in Montgomery, AL, West would never

have believed then that God would use him to evangelize and disciple the diverse population of London. However, in his providence God used West’s training at SEBTS and his part nership with churches in the Raleigh area to prepare him for cross-cultural ministry. West represents thousands of SEBTS students who have been blessed by the faithful gifts and support of donors like those who participated in this year’s Southeastern Classic.

“The Southeastern Classic has provided a way to stay connected with friends of the seminary, make new friends, and help to support the seminary’s annual fund,” shared Ryan Hutchinson, Executive Vice President of SEBTS. “The continued growth and success of the South eastern Classic allows us to address some needs of the seminary for which we do not have to burden the students through tuition costs. I am thankful for all the individuals that play, the many faithful sponsors, and our SEBTS staff that help to make this an incredible event every year.”

Over the last 10 years, the Southeastern Classic has raised an average of $79,000 , raising over $270,000 the last 2 years alone.

The Southeastern Classic accounts for 7% of the total Southeastern Fund.

Over the course of its existence, the Southeastern Classic has raised over $1.15 million to go toward The Southeastern Fund, which helps to provide funding for school operations and alleviates tuition costs.

PULPIT

AT SOUTHEASTERN

Endowment

Fund Overview

The Endowment Fund is a long-term investment for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary that requires annual spending and real growth. The Fund consists of global equity, fixed income, special opportunities, and real assets.

Purpose & Expectation

Asset

Allocation Fund Overview

EQUITY 41.1% $3,961,205

FIXED INCOME 10.01% $11,437,897

The long-term goal of the Endowment Fund is to exceed the sum of 5% annual spending, inflation (Consumer Price Index), and fees.

EQUITY - 52.89% FIXED INCOME - 10.03% REAL ASSETS - 21.88% SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES - 7.72% CASH - 7.47%

Risk Control

REAL ASSETS 29.1% $3,080,803 50% MSCI ACWI NR, 10% HFRX Equal Weighted, 10% Russ Microcap, 20% BB US Agg, 10% S&P

CASH 11.8%

$39,279,458 TOTAL

GSCI BENCHMARK June 01, 2018 INCEPTION DATE 100.00%

Investments are screened to avoid companies involved with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography, and abortion-related goods and services.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES 7.8% $4,647,466 Fall 2022 38

The current investment environment is marked by significant volatility and concern for the impact of an economic downturn. However, I am thankful that God has allowed us to position our investments to reduce the volatility we experience and minimize our losses. This helps to make sure that we can continue to provide support from our endowment even during difficult investing periods.

RYAN HUTCHINSON Executive Vice President for Operations

Leave a Legacy of Faith

The Southeastern Legacy Society exists for supporters of Southeastern Seminary to make an impact though legacy giving dedicated to equip students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission. Training gospel-ready champions requires the support of Christians who believe in this mission. When the time comes that you are home with Christ, your support can continue to make a Great Commission impact for those in need of the gospel.

Become a part of the Southeastern Legacy Society by including Southeastern in your estate planning.

To join or for more information, visit sebts.edu/give or email ddavis@sebts.edu.

“Pam and I believe wholeheartedly in the mission of Southeastern. The Lord is using our graduates all over the world. Playing a role in that work through our giving is very exciting.”

Dr. Chuck & Mrs. Pam Lawless

Doug Nalley

Director of Housing Served at Southeastern from 1992-2022

fter three decades of faithful ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), Doug Nalley, Director of Housing at SEBTS, retired on May 31, 2022.

“I have known Doug Nalley for thirty years,” recalled President Danny Akin. “He is not only a dear brother but also a much-valued friend. His service to SEBTS from day one has been exemplary. He is a model servant who always seeks to serve well our entire seminary family. He will be greatly missed. He has been a consummate blessing.”

Originally from Greenville, SC, Nalley came to SEBTS in January 1992 as a student during Dr. Lewis Drummond’s presidency and began working later that year as a library assistant on campus. “I started out working in the library at the circulation desk as a student worker for Judy Durham and Dr. Eugene McLeod,” Nalley recounted. “When given the opportunity to manage the men’s dorm, I shifted there and moved up the ranks through the Housing Office.”

Transitioning from dorm manager to housing assistant to Assistant Director of Housing in the late 1990s, Nalley distinguished himself as a servant-hearted leader and was eventually appointed as the Director of Housing in 2007 — a position he held until his retirement. During his thirty years of service, Nalley has witnessed and contributed to the remark able growth of SEBTS. “My college religion professor in South Carolina said I was moving to a ghost town,” recalled Nalley. “Well, when the seminary hit 1,000 students, I said ‘Lord, he was wrong.’ Then came 2,000, then 3,000, then 4,000, and on we go. What a joy to see God’s hand of blessing on this school.” During Nalley’s tenure, SEBTS student housing grew from a little over 200 to over 600 housing units.

“The greatest joy for me of my service here has been to help meet students’ needs for housing,” Nalley shared. “I have reminded many a troubled student in the midst of their anxiousness about moving to seminary that the same God who is calling them to Southeastern is the same God who has already worked out the details of their housing. ... Serving our missionaries on state side assignment has also been a great joy to me.”

“Mr. Nalley loves helping missionaries with housing when they are stateside,” shared Jeanette Stamp, longtime admin istrative assistant for the SEBTS housing office. “The last couple of years have been a challenge as many mission aries were stateside due to COVID-19, but he managed to

accommodate all who needed housing. His ministry on campus is to the students he serves. It can be a thankless job, but Mr. Nalley advocates for students both individu ally and collectively in ways they may never know.”

“I have worked alongside Mr. Nalley over the last two decades,” shared Travis Williams. “In that time, I have witnessed his great love and dedication for Southeastern and her mission. Doug’s desire to steward the resources the Lord has blessed Southeastern with is unparalleled.”

While serving the SEBTS community, Nalley has also ministered as the pastor of Plainview Baptist Church in Durham, NC, for the past eleven years. “Doug Nalley has modeled the essence of bi-vocational ministry,” commented Mike Lawson, Director of Campus Secu rity at SEBTS. “While working at Southeastern, Doug has also faithfully served as a pastor. I am sure that this has resulted in many long days and weeks, but Doug has served without complaint while dedicating much time and resources into his positions of service.”

Nalley retired after thirty years of service with a desire to devote more time during the week to serve his local church. “Retirement is going to allow me to slow down some and spend more time at home and at church,” noted Nalley. “I am looking forward to the extra time I will have serving my church. I will miss Southeast ern. I have spent more than half my life here. But I am confident of God’s continued good work in this place.”

Nalley’s legacy at SEBTS is marked not only by faith ful service but also by love for the SEBTS community. “Doug Nalley has spent thirty years loving Southeastern and her mission,” commented Ryan Hutchinson, Execu tive Vice President for Operations at SEBTS. “His loyalty to the institution is unparalleled. Doug has undertaken his responsibilities with care and has sought to continually grow in his leader ship and skills. I am thankful for Doug’s friendship, willing ness to serve, and desire to see South eastern succeed and the Lord honored.”

1992 - 1995 Student at SEBTS; Graduated 1995

1996 - 1997 Housing Assistant in the Housing Office

1994 - 1996 Dorm manager of Johnson Dorm 1996 Renovation & re-opening of Bostwick Hall

1998 - 1999 Construction of Flaherty Farms and Fletcher Village

2007 - 2022 Director of Housing

2000

Renovation and conver sion of Johnson Dorm into Goldston Hall

2011 - Present Pastor of Plainview Baptist Church

1997 - 2007 Assistant Director of Housing 2020 Planning for upcoming renovation of Bostwick Hall

2022 – Retirement After 30 years of service

SEBTS Directory, 1996-1997

Ken Coley

Senior Professor of Christian Education Director of EdD Studies Served at Southeastern from 1996-2022

After twenty-five years of faithful service as the Director of EdD Studies and Professor of Christian Education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), Kenneth Coley retired in July 2022.

“Ken Coley has left a legacy at Southeastern that will be felt for decades,” noted Danny Akin, President of SEBTS. “He is a classroom favorite because of his gifts and skills in the class room. His pioneering of the Doctor of Education degree was visionary. It has also been global in its impact. Ken has taught, mentored, and deployed graduates around the world to fill strategic leadership positions. I honestly have watched in amazement at all God has done through this man for his glory. Ken embodies the Great Commission passion of Southeastern. I dearly love and appreciate this colleague, brother, and friend.”

Originally from Raleigh, NC, Coley received a Bachelor of Arts in English at Wake Forest University before pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Administration at the College of William and Mary. While a student in Virginia, Coley began developing his pedagogical skills as a middle school and high school English teacher. Upon graduating, Coley then pursued a Doctor of Education at the University of Maryland while serving as the principal of Montrose Christian School in Rockville, MD.

Coley came to SEBTS in 1996 and designed the Doctor of Education (EdD) program under Paige Patterson’s supervision. Combining research in leadership, education, and academic administration with a passion to train teachers, Coley has distinguished himself as a model teacher of teachers. “Dr. Coley taught me that there are no small encounters when investing in the spiritual lives and ministry of people,” noted Sean Simonton, one of Coley’s doctoral students and an alumnus of the EdD program at SEBTS. “Dr. Coley wanted every student to succeed in ministry, so he provided an encouraging and supportive environment for learning and sent the students out with practical tools for ministry and the know-how to use them.”

“Dr. Coley reminded us and modeled for us in class that educators are ‘bodybuilders,’” recalled Simonton. “Pastors and educators have the responsibility to build up the body of Christ, the local church, and the individual believers that make up that body. In everything we do, we are to be inten tional in building the body of Christ.”

This desire to serve the Church by building up students is what motivated Coley to pursue teaching in the first place. “The opportunity to teach at Southeast ern brought me full circle from my college dreams,” Coley shared. “I have been able to coach up and cheer for students who are ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he prepared in advance.’ I have been privileged to accomplish this by engaging each student in the teaching-learning process. My class motto is ‘the one doing the work is the one doing the learning.’”

“Dr. Coley has led one of the most strategic and influential doctoral programs among all North Ameri can evangelical theological institutions,” commented Keith Whitfield, Provost of SEBTS. “The EdD program at Southeastern has equipped high school and college teachers as well as administrators in educational institutions at all levels. In addition, dozens of church leaders have received their EdD under his leadership. His contagious passion for transformative teaching challenges everyone who had the privilege of being around him. His legacy at Southeastern is reflected in the EdD program but also felt just as much by his colleagues. We are all better because of his passion and faithfulness to the ministry of teaching.”

Coley and his wife Kathy have been blessed with a growing family of grandchildren, whom they look forward to spending more time with now that Coley has retired. In his retirement, Coley continues to use his gifts in various teaching ministries at his church, Richland Creek Community Church in Wake Forest. Coley has also continued teaching occasional classes at SEBTS and coaching EdD students in the dissertation process.

1996

Began teaching at SEBTS

2000

Led a team to develop a Teacher Education Program for The College at Southeastern

2006

Launched EdD program with a Christian Education concentration 2012 EdD exceeds 100 enrolled since 2006

2018 Launched Christian Counseling concentration

2018

Reached total of over 100 graduates from EdD program

2020

Launched Discipleship & Mentoring concentration

2020 EdD exceeds 250 enrolled since 2006

Newsline, 2003

2022 – Retirement After 25 years of service

2009

First EdD graduating class

Steven Ladd

Professor of Theology and Philosophy Served at Southeastern from 2001-2022

After twenty-one years of dedicated service as Professor of Theology and Philosophy at South eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and The College at Southeastern, Steven Ladd retired from teaching and administration in July 2022.

“Steven Ladd has faithfully served The College since 2001,” remarked President Danny Akin. “He is much beloved by students and faculty alike. He has impacted hundreds of students for over two decades, teaching them to think well through the cultivation of a Christian and biblical worldview. I am so very grateful for his ministry among so many. Much fruit is the result of his invest ment in those who studied under his instruction.”

Originally from Franklin, GA, Ladd received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Visual Arts in Photog raphy at Georgia State University before seeking theological training at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies. Motivated to receive further theological training to serve the Church, Ladd moved to Wake Forest in 1997 to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy with a specialization in Systematic Theology at SEBTS.

During Ladd’s studies at SEBTS, Paige Patterson and L. Russ Bush mentored Ladd and encouraged his gift of teach ing. “I had the great privilege of teaching one of the History of Ideas (HOI) classes while working on my dissertation,” Ladd recalled. “That led to other HOI classes, then to teaching the Logic class, then Rhetoric. Dr. Spencer sought to have me join the faculty full time to teach in the History of Ideas program at The College, and I was elected to the faculty in 2002.”

“Dr. Ladd’s two decades of teaching at The College set a cornerstone for The College when it was new and growing,” commented Ivan Spencer, Professor of History and Philosophy at SEBTS and The College. “His stal wart pedagogy reliably set this college on a high-quality foundation. The HOI curriculum and its students greatly benefited from Dr. Ladd’s invaluable guidance and teach ing. He was definitely the right kind of professor to lay the foundations of our core humanities program. He embodies the practice of ‘speaking the truth in love.’”

“Southeastern’s mission of equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission finds its fulfilment in Dr. Ladd’s gentle but firm teaching,” continued Spencer. “He has engendered in two generations of students a deeper faith

that is both more well-reasoned and more passionate.”

Teaching at SEBTS has allowed Ladd to use his gift of teaching and champion a love for the truth. “My greatest joy in teaching humanities classes has been to encourage believers to seek truth wherever it is found and to be both credible and persuasive when engag ing others about it,” shared Ladd. “Of course, the hope is that many such engagements would be about the Lord, but I would add with Calvin a reminder that those

1997 - 2002

Systematic Theology PhD student at SEBTS; Graduated 2002

who partake of ‘the liberal arts penetrate with their aid far more deeply into the secrets of the divine wisdom’ (“Institutes” I.5.2). God uses a well-balanced educa tion, and it makes us winsome to others, I believe.”

“Dr. Ladd is a student’s teacher,” commented Provost Keith Whitfield. “He has given his life to helping students learn how to understand and engage the world around them from a biblical and theological perspec tive for the purpose of faithful Christian witness. He has given himself to becoming a master at his craft. His legacy at Southeastern is reflected in the hundreds of students who have learned to assess the great thinkers in world history and who have learned to think well and express their ideas in truthful, logical, and persuasive ways. In the 10 years that I have known Dr. Ladd, I have been personally challenged by his commitment to do what God calls him to do through his ministry at The College.”

Pursuing a change of pace but not a change of mission, Ladd retired after twenty-one years of service with a desire to continue equip ping others to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commis sion. “I will always pursue this mission, even in my retirement years,” shared Ladd.

My greatest joy in teaching humanities classes has been to encourage believers to seek truth wherever it is found and to be both credible and persuasive when engaging others about it.

WHO WE ARE

The Southeastern Society is made up of generous men and women from all walks of life, who share a desire to assist Southeastern as we seek to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.

I graduated from Southeastern with a master’s in Christian education, but more recently we became involved as financial supporters when we heard about Southeastern’s solid theological training and missions focus. We were astounded at the number of Southeastern students going out to spread the gospel among the nations.

We hope our support encourages others, supports pressing needs, and enables the growth of the school and the fulfillment of its mission.

– TONI DAVIS –

TONI & JACK DAVIS

Southeastern Society Members since 2016 TONI - Southeastern Class of 1981

WHY WE GIVE

Due to the faithful giving of SES members, Southeastern is able to keep tuition affordable. As a result, graduates have more financial freedom as they heed God’s call to serve him wherever he leads.

HOW TO JOIN

Join by giving $1,000 or more annually to fund the work of training gospel-ready champions for Christ. For more information or to become a member, contact Drew Davis at ddavis@sebts.edu.

BECAUSE YOU GIVE, WE

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Study business administration from a Great Commission perspective and get trained to serve biblically in the marketplace and in a variety of contexts. Apply today to learn from experienced business leaders and biblical scholars who are passionate about stewarding business missionally.

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