PASTOR-THEOLOGIANS
SOUTHEASTERN FACULTY EQUIPPING STUDENTS & SERVING THE CHURCH
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A MISSIONARY ENDEAVOR PARTNERING TO TRAIN GLOBAL LEADERS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
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ETERNAL LIFE IN A CULTURE OF DEATH PARTNERING TO REACH MILITARY COMMUNITIES FOR CHRIST PAGE 46
TRAINING STUDENTS, EQUIPPING CHURCHES
HOW SOUTHEASTERN PARTNERS WITH ALUMNI AND THEIR CHURCHES
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We want to partner with you and your church in equipping, sending, and supporting your people to reach their communities and the nations for Christ.
OFFER ACCREDITED SEMINARY COURSES THROUGH YOUR CHURCH THROUGH OUR EQUIP PROGRAM
SCAN HERE FOR MORE WAYS TO PARTNER WITH US, OR VISIT SEBTS.EDU/CHURCHLEADERS
The longer I live, the more I am resolved that what matters most in life is that you please King Jesus. Nothing else is more important or more precious. When I consider what the Bible says about what is on Jesus’s heart — what he is most pleased to see in us — my mind immediately goes to his Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and to his High Priestly Prayer (John 17). The Bible tells us in all four Gospels and in the book of Acts that what was on our resurrected Savior’s heart was his Great Commission for his Church. The mission to make disciples was Jesus’s final charge to his disciples, and it is what he expects his disciples to devote themselves to until he returns. That is why he promises in Matthew 28:20 to be with us in this mission until the end of the age. If we want to please King Jesus, then we will commit ourselves to his mission. If we want to honor him as he desires, we will proclaim his glory among the nations whatever the cost. No sacrifice is too great for our great King. That is why our mission at Southeastern is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission. It is our King’s passion. It is to be our passion too.
This is our mission as an institution, but we are not in this alone. Everything we do at Southeastern we do in partnership because chapter 17 of John’s Gospel tells us that the unity and collective witness of his Church is central to the mission — central to what pleases him most.
Twice in John 17, Jesus prays that his disciples would be one like he and his Father are one, and he tells us why that unity is so important: so that the world might believe that Jesus was sent from the Father and so that the world would know the Father’s love — the very same love the Father has for the Son. Our unity and our partnership in Christ magnify God’s love to the world and are integral to the task of fulfilling the Great Commission.
Here at Southeastern, we believe that serving the Church means partnering with faithful, Bible-believing churches to train students who are committed to local church ministry and to the glory of King Jesus among the nations. We believe that uniting our hearts and efforts with other likeminded ministries is a wise and strategic way to provide biblical and theological training to the increasing numbers of global church leaders. We believe that theological education is best done together for the glory of Christ, the spiritual formation of our students, and the collective witness of the Church.
This commitment to local church ministry and to Great Commission partnerships is in the DNA of our institution. That is why our faculty are pastors, deacons, Bible study teachers, and ministry leaders in their local churches. That is why our students are required to be actively involved in the mission and ministries of their local churches. And that is why our alumni are committed to serving and leading local churches as they work to fulfill the Great Commission among the nations.
One of my greatest joys as the president of Southeastern is hearing these stories — stories of how our students, staff, faculty, and alumni are serving local churches and fulfilling the Great Commission in rural towns, urban centers, and hard to reach places all around the world. Their devotion to please King Jesus and live on mission encourages me to remain faithful and champion Jesus’s heart for the nations.
The stories in this magazine offer a glimpse into what God is doing through some of our Great Commission partnerships. I hope, like me, you will be encouraged by these stories to give, to send, and to go, fulfilling the Great Commission wherever the Lord has placed you. Thank you for your prayers and for your partnership with us as together we go. As the wonderful missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journals, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Daniel L. Akin, President
PASTOR-THEOLOGIANS SOUTHEASTERN FACULTY EQUIPPING STUDENTS & SERVING THE CHURCH
A MISSIONARY ENDEAVOR PARTNERING TO TRAIN GLOBAL LEADERS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
ETERNAL LIFE IN A CULTURE OF DEATH PARTNERING TO REACH MILITARY COMMUNITIES FOR CHRIST
TRAINING STUDENTS, EQUIPPING CHURCHES HOW SOUTHEASTERN PARTNERS WITH ALUMNI AND THEIR CHURCHES
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SEBTS Partners with Fruitland and NC Baptist to Host Regional Bible Conference
7 ‘Only God Could Have Done This’
The College at Southeastern’s NCFMP Held its Second Annual Commencement Ceremony at the Nash County Extension Center
9 A Legacy of Great Commission Service
SEBTS Dedicates Carson Hall in Honor of the Late Ralph Logan Carson
10 Taking the Next Step of Obedience
The GO Conference Returns to Southeastern
13 Dr. Nate Brooks Joins the SEBTS Counseling Faculty
Southeastern Welcomes Dr. Nate Brooks, His Wife Kate, and Their Three Children to the Southeastern Family
14 Investing in God’s Kingdom
Southeastern Hosts the 2023 Faith at Work Conference
15 Discipling the Next Generation
Southeastern and BeDoTell Partner to Equip Students
21 New Caskey Center for Biblical Text and Translation
WAKE FOREST, NC
DANIEL AKIN
PRESIDENT
SCOTT PACE
PROVOST
RYAN HUTCHINSON
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR OPERATIONS
JONATHAN SIX
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
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
To inform us of address changes or if you would like to receive the magazine, please contact us at 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
www.sebts.edu | /sebts
On Monday, October 3, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) cohosted an all-day conference about the sufficiency of Scripture on Fruitland Baptist Bible College’s campus in partnership with Fruitland and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
“We live in a day where the authority and sufficiency of Scripture is being questioned and attacked at every turn: in the academy, in the public square, and even within those communities that claim to follow Christ,” commented Steven Wade, professor of pastoral theology at SEBTS. “It is imperative that the Church stand firm on their belief in both the authority and the sufficiency of Scripture with great conviction and clarity, teaching and exemplifying what these commitments mean and how they are to be applied to life and practice.”
As a confessional Southern Baptist institution, SEBTS stands where Baptists have stood historically and where Baptists stand today, teaching and confessing the sufficiency of Scripture in all matters of doctrine and practice. As an expression of this resolute stance, the
Sufficiency of Scripture Bible Conference challenged regional pastors and church leaders to maintain an unwavering commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture even amid cultural pressures.
“At Southeastern we believe wholeheartedly and unreservedly in the authority, infallibility, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture,” shared Danny Akin, president of SEBTS. “These are the doctrines and convictions concerning Scripture that we teach our students and require our faculty to affirm and teach without hesitation or reservation. That is why we were delighted to partner with Fruitland and NC Baptists to champion the sufficiency of Scripture for all of life, ministry, and mission.”
In the first keynote address of the conference, Wade preached from 2 Peter 1:3-21 on the sufficiency of Scripture for pastoral ministry. “God has given us everything that we need to accomplish everything that he intends for us to accomplish in the task of shepherding his people,” noted Wade. “God transforms us by his word through his Spirit in community.” The pastor’s task relies fully on the sufficiency of Scripture, as Wade reminded attendees, because without it, the pastoral task would be fruitless and futile.
Following the first session, Wade joined Steve Scoggins, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, NC, and David Horton, president of Fruitland, in a panel discussion about the sufficiency of Scripture for pastors and churches today. Though both Horton and Scoggins acknowledged the deficient views of Scripture prevalent in many Baptist churches, Scoggins shared how
encouraged he is by the faithful pastors he knows personally and by the faculty, staff, and students at SEBTS. “Southeastern is firmly committed to the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture,” commented Scoggins.
In the second session, Akin explained seven reasons why the Bible is sufficient for the mission of God according to 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5. The Bible is sufficient because (1) it is what God uses to lead people to Jesus, (2) it is the divinely inspired word of God, (3) it is what God uses to mature his people, (4) it is what will prepare his people for judgment, (5) it convicts and it encourages his people, (6) it gives his people sound teaching to live by, and (7) it is what God uses to complete and fulfill his people’s ministry. “If you stand on this book and preach this book, God will honor and bless your ministry, and you will finish well,” Akin charged those in attendance.
In the third session, Scott Pace, dean of The College at Southeastern and associate professor of pastoral ministry and Preaching at SEBTS, preached from James 1:19-25 and reminded attendees that shortcomings in ministry are owing to the Christian’s lack of proficiency in Scripture and not to any insufficiency in Scripture. By the power and illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, Scripture supplies Christians with everything they need to persevere in ministry. “When it comes to our spiritual life, there is no substitute, there is no alternative, there is no other option for what the word of God supplies,” shared Pace. “The one thing that will get us through in ministry and in life is the word of God. There is one essential that will get us through ministry and that is the word of God.”
Offering the final keynote address for the evening, Jim Shaddix, professor of preaching and W. A. Criswell Chair of expository preaching at SEBTS, shared from Psalm 19 about God’s multi-definition broadcast of his glory. Calling attendees to marvel at the reflection of God’s glory in nature, Shaddix reminded them that “physical creation alone
is easy to misinterpret,” highlighting how significant it is that God chose to broadcast his glory through his written word. “The value of the Scriptures is magnified in this passage of Scripture,” observed Shaddix. “We are pointed to the absolute sufficiency of the word of God to do everything in our lives that God desires to bring about.”
The sufficiency of Scripture, however, is not an end in itself. As Shaddix remarked, even the sufficiency of Scripture points Christians to the highest definition and clearest broadcast of God’s glory, namely Jesus Christ — the radiance of the glory of God. “The greatest manifestation of the sufficiency of Scripture is that it shows us Jesus; it gets us to Jesus,” noted Shaddix. “In my lifetime I have not only witnessed the battle for the Bible in
the Southern Baptist Convention but also the devastating effects of denying the authority, power, and sufficiency of God’s word,” shared Akin. “What my generation fought to reclaim will likely need to be renewed in every future generation as they seek to walk in faithfulness to King Jesus. We hope the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference allowed church leaders a moment to renew their commitment to the Bible as the final authority for life, belief, and practice.”
The College at Southeastern’s NCFMP Held its Second Annual Commencement Ceremony at the Nash County Extension Center
The College at Southeastern’s North Carolina Field Minister Program (NCFMP) held its second annual commencement ceremony, celebrating the academic achievement and graduation of 13 students at the Nash County Extension Center.
“Only God could have done this,” Joe Gibbs, Founder of Game Plan for Life (GPL), owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, and longtime supporter of the NCFMP program, shared at Tuesday’s graduation. “We are so convinced that you are going to change people’s lives, and we are thrilled to be a part of your mission. . . . You guys are going to be embarking on your mission field with the power of God’s word.” Gibbs charged graduates to remember God’s word as they relocate to other prisons and to carry with them a message of God’s redeeming grace and the urgency of eternity. “We serve a God of second chances,” Gibbs reminded graduates and attendees, pointing to the example of the 13
graduates, who each illustrate the transforming power of the gospel.
Todd Ishee, Commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC), challenged graduates to reflect on their unique opportunity and responsibility as field ministers, encouraging them to make the North Carolina prison system a place of transformation.
“We are excited about the impact that you are going to have, the impact on our prison system, the impact on other people, and the impact on the state of North Carolina.” shared Ishee. “You are going to make a difference in people’s lives, . . . and we are excited about the leadership role that you guys are going to play in this transformation.”
Joined by family and friends, The College’s faculty, representatives from GPL, and the commissioner of the NCDAC, the graduates each received a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral ministry with a secondary emphasis on counseling. The conferral of this degree not only represents the graduates’ courage and commitment but also the distinguished academic achievement of these graduates, many of whom graduated with honors.
“Congratulations, and welcome to the Southeastern family,” President Danny Akin told graduates during the ceremony. “You will be a part of our alumni forever.”
For his commencement address, Akin encouraged the graduates with a message from Isaiah 9:6, focusing on the faithful and glorious character of King Jesus. “As you go out and serve where the Lord sends you, I want you to know that you go — not just with family and friends praying for you, pulling for you, and supporting you — but also with this King, who will be with you every day and every step of the way.”
Since its inaugural convocation in August 2017, The College’s NCFMP program has enjoyed God’s blessings and experienced remarkable success, equipping more than 100 students and commissioning dozens
of graduated field ministers to serve incarcerated populations throughout the state. Seth Bible, director of prison programs and assistant professor of ethics and the history of ideas at The College, reported that the NCFMP program currently has a 65 percent graduation rate, which is exceptionally high for a program that operates exclusively in an incarcerated context.
“I have been asked several times over the years how a rate that high has been achieved, particularly with the challenges that have been brought on by the recent COVID-19 pandemic,” commented Bible. “My answer is simple, and it is threefold: the providence of God, the people involved, and the partnership at work.”
Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Nash Correctional Institution, GPL, and several private donors, The College offers incarcerated students a Christian liberal arts education with a distinctive biblical, theological, and ministerial focus. Eligible students for the program have at least 12 years or more remaining on their sentence and must meet other qualifications for admission. Graduates are commissioned to serve the remainder of their sentences in facilities throughout North Carolina, serving as field ministers among incarcerated populations.
SEBTS Dedicates Carson Hall in Honor of the Late Ralph Logan Carson
On Tuesday, January 24, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary rededicated the academic building on its west quad, naming the building in honor of the late Ralph Logan Carson. Carson, who served for 15 years as a professor of Christian theology at Southeastern, is remembered for his integrity, his love for Scripture and the Church, and his passion for the Great Commission. Born blind to a single mother in rural McDowell, North Carolina, Carson first encountered the Scriptures at the Negro Division of the North Carolina State School for the Blind and Deaf, where he lived from 1939 until 1951. Converted and baptized in 1948, Carson became a dedicated student of his Braille Bible, awakening in him a desire to formally study and teach God’s word. Despite others’ skepticism, Carson flourished in his pursuit of education, receiving two bachelor’s degrees, a Master of Theology, and a Doctor of Philosophy. During his academic journey, Carson married, became licensed to preach, and even moved for a few years on mission to Nigeria with his wife and son before returning to the states with their newly adopted daughter. Over the course of his ministry, Carson faithfully pastored several congregations on the east coast. While serving as a pastor, Carson also taught at Montclair State College and GardnerWebb College before being hired in 1994 to teach theology at Southeastern as the first African American professor of the seminary.
In 1995, Carson also served as a charter faculty member of The College, and in the years that followed, Carson published several books, including his autobiography, “With Gladness and Singleness of Heart: My Life with the Lord” (2006). In August 2003, Carson received Southeastern’s Excellence in Teaching Award and retired in 2009 as distinguished professor of Christian theology. Carson went to be with Jesus on November 3, 2018, beloved by his family, church congregations, fellow faculty, and thousands of students.
“As a longtime professor and statesman of Southeastern, Dr. Carson faithfully embodied the spirit and Great Commission mission of our institution,” commented President Danny Akin. “He was unwaveringly committed to the authority, infallibility, inerrancy, and sufficiency of God’s word. Because he loved God and his word, he loved God’s mission. Dr. Carson was a Great Commission pastor, professor, and disciple maker, serving Southeastern with integrity, pastoring several churches with a shepherd’s heart, and even serving on the mission field in Nigeria for three years. It is our joy to honor this legacy.”
During Tuesday’s chapel service, Akin, faculty, staff, and students took a moment to honor Carson’s legacy of faithfulness and recognize Carson’s family who were in attendance.
Following the chapel service, Akin invited attendees to participate in a dedication ceremony outside Carson Hall, where Southeastern unveiled the renamed building as well as two new bronze plaques commemorating Carson’s legacy, several framed portraits of Carson, and a framed biography of Carson’s life.
“We are delighted to honor Dr. Carson’s Great Commission legacy as someone who not only overcame great challenges by faith and perseverance but also finished the race well and committed his life to fulfilling the Great Commission in the Church, in the classroom, and among the nations,” shared Akin. “We pray that the building will be a reminder of his legacy and that the students who are trained in its classrooms will be inspired and challenged to faithfully serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission wherever God sends them.”
“Perhaps no one from this community has overcome more than Dr. Carson,” noted Provost Keith Whitfield. “Yet, he did not just overcome. He excelled, and he did so for the love of Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. He did so for the love of the truth. He did so for the love of the Church. He did so for the love of the world. He did so in line with his personal motto: ‘in Christ, strive for excellence.’ His legacy as a faculty member should indeed be honored to remind us all of the role that the faculty plays in the life of the institution and to give the faculty a model for which to follow.”
Akin presented Carson’s daughter Tricia with a framed portrait of her father and a resolution from Southeastern’s trustees, expressing their appreciation for Carson’s lifetime of faithful Great Commission teaching, preaching, and ministry.
“I thank all of my Christian brothers and sisters for being here and because I know Dr. Carson meant something special to each of you,” commented Tricia.
“We all know how God uses ordinary people to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. Dr. Carson was one of them,” she shared. “My dad used to love to say he was an old servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Remember, we all have an opportunity to do great things for Christ,” Tricia reminded attendees. “Let us go out into the world and be the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ… Let us go out and look at people, not for what they have, who they are, or what they look like, but how we can touch them through Christ.”
Following the dedication ceremony, Southeastern hosted a celebratory lunch in Carson’s honor for the friends and family of Carson as well as the cabinet and faculty of Southeastern. During lunch, Scott Pace, dean of The College, read selections from Carson’s books, poetry, and sermons, highlighting themes of mission, service, and faithfulness throughout Carson’s works.
“Dr. Carson was not only passionate about his personal faithfulness to the Lord but also devoted to the Body and Bride of Christ,” shared Pace. “Dr. Carson never allowed anything to douse his enthusiasm to be faithful to the Lord, and he did not allow physical or cultural limitations to hold him back from serving Christ’s Bride.”
“Dr. Carson’s deep passion for Christ’s mission is evident throughout his writing,” observed Pace. “The Great Commission is central to who we are as an institution, and Dr. Carson embodied that same focus. The mission itself was always on Dr. Carson’s mind and heart.”
On Feb. 10-11, more than 250 college students gathered on Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s campus for the return of the GO Conference — a missions conference designed to mobilize college students for the Great Commission.
Jesus’s Great Commission is a mission for all his disciples without exception and without excuse. Yet, even in an age of unprecedented opportunity and accessibility, many Christians have yet to fully surrender to joining God in his mission. That is why Southeastern’s GO Conference focused on challenging college students to say ‘yes’ to Jesus’s commission and trust him to direct and empower them to live on mission wherever he sends them.
“The GO Conference aims to help college students take the next step
Dr. Carson faithfully embodied the spirit and Great Commission mission of our institution.
President Danny Akin
of obedience,” noted Keelan Cook, instructor of missiology and director of the Center for Great Commission Studies (CGCS) at Southeastern.
“College students are in a very strategic moment in their lives for establishing their pathway to the Great Commission. My hope is that these two days have provided them with a challenge and some options for taking that next step toward a lifetime of obedience to Christ’s final words to his Church.”
“For us, the GO Conference is all about the Great Commission,” Cook shared with attendees. “Here at Southeastern we firmly believe with everything in us that it is our responsibility to challenge each and every one of you to consider the urgency of the Great Commission… to wrestle with the fact that Christ has called you to make the gospel known where it is not.”
Driven by this Great Commission vision, The College at Southeastern is committed to equipping the next generation to give their lives for the cause of Christ in the Church, among the nations, and in every aspect of society. The College believes that one of the most important ways it can help churches fulfill the Great Commission is by raising up a generation of theologically and biblically trained leaders who love God and his word and have a heart for the nations.
Challenging students to listen to Jesus’s commission, Chuck Lawless, senior professor of evangelism and missions, reminded attendees that the Great Commission is a command from King Jesus backed by his authority over all things and guaranteed by his promise to be with his people as they go. It is with this confidence that Christians step out in obedience to Jesus’s mandate.
“Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing with whomever we find ourselves, and whatever our job is, it is our task — every single one of us — to proclaim the good news of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations,” noted
Lawless. “I think about the billions of people in the world who have no exposure to the gospel, and we have to come back to this mandate. Our mandate is to make disciple of all the peoples of the world, and that won’t happen unless we listen and go.”
Throughout the conference, attendees had the opportunity to hear testimonies from the field about how God is blessing his people’s obedience to the Great Commission. One such testimony came from Kambiz Saghaey, director of the Persian Leadership Development initiative at Southeastern, who shared how God used a church’s faithful Christian witness to prompt his conversion from Islam to Christianity.
“Brothers and sisters, when you go and share the gospel and God uses you to save other people, their lives will change,” shared Saghaey. “But your life will also be changed, because after that, you will not want to listen to your culture, which says don’t talk about religion. Instead, you will listen to your Master, who says ‘go and make disciples.’”
As various cultural influences vie for the heart and energy of college students, the GO Conference called students to listen rather to the truths of Scripture and reprioritize their participation in God’s mission.
Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing with whomever we find ourselves, and whatever our job is, it is our task — every single one of us — to proclaim the good news of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations.Chuck Lawless, senior professor of evangelism and missions Vance Pitman, Todd Unzicker, and Keelan Cook during their panel on North American church planting
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 servants 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.
Dr. Chuck & Mrs. Pam Lawless“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.”
“Everyone is looking for something to live for; they’re living for pleasure; they’re living for other people; they might even be living for another particular person,” Scott Pace, dean of The College, told attendees. “But when God redeems you, when Jesus purchases you, when he saves you, he says, ‘I have a greater purpose for you,’ and that purpose is your part in his plan.”
During the conference, attendees heard from pastors, professors, church planters, and missionaries, and had the opportunity to engage with representatives from the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board, and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina — as well as other local ministries. This year’s GO Conference represents one of the many ways Southeastern seeks to mobilize college students for Great Commission service around the world.
As Vance Pitman, president of Send Network and founding pastor of Hope Church Las Vegas, reminded attendees, “There is no one in this room who cannot leverage your job, skill, and passion to join in the mission
of God. There is a place for every single one of you.” This missional approach to vocation and ministry is central to The College’s mission. It is what drives The College’s efforts to mobilize students with marketplace degrees for Great Commission service, ranging from teacher education to business administration. It is what motivates Southeastern to prioritize and fund institutional mission trips so that students are prepared and equipped to serve the Church and love the nations as they are sent out. It is what makes every classroom at Southeastern a Great Commission classroom and what marks the Southeastern culture as a disciple-making community.
“There is no higher aim for our college and seminary than challenging and equipping people to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission,” shared Cook. “The GO Conference is a two-day expression of that mission. My real desire is that this weekend has changed lives and has helped students take that next vital step toward the nations, whatever that step may be.”
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that Dr. Nate Brooks joined the faculty on June 1, 2023.
Brooks joined the counseling faculty this spring as an associate professor of counseling, contributing his research and teaching to Southeastern’s worldclass counseling programs. Brooks, an ordained Southern Baptist, deeply shares Southeastern’s commitment to the local church and to missions.
Bringing his years of teaching and ministry experience to Southeastern, Brooks has served since 2020 as assistant professor of Christian counseling and coordinator of the Christian counseling program at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Brooks is excited to join Southeastern’s faculty because he believes in its mission to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission — an all-of-life vision he intends to embody in the classroom.
“Counseling is Great Commission work, and I’m excited to bring this focus to my classes at Southeastern,” shared Brooks. “Being a Great Commission people is more than just being evangelistic; it also requires the skill of walking with people as they seek to be transformed as disciples of Christ. Counseling is the place where people are able to examine in detail their thinking, desires, choices, and circumstances for the sake of growth.”
“At Southeastern, the Bible governs all we do and how we think in every area of life, and we are equally convinced that our well-being and transformation is a work of God by his Spirit,”
commented Provost Keith Whitfield. “These convictions have been hallmarks of our counseling programs for decades. Nate Brooks is someone who shares these core beliefs and our Great Commission focus. His teaching, counseling, and writing ministry will be a tremendous blessing to our students as they prepare to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission. We are excited to welcome him to our faculty.”
those around them,” noted Brooks. “As a counseling professor, my goal is to help students be able to interpret people theologically and experientially for their growth, an emphasis that fits perfectly with Southeastern’s ethos.”
Brooks earned his PhD from Southwestern Seminary and earned his MDiv at Southern Seminary, where he served as a teaching assistant and co-instructor in biblical counseling courses. Brooks also contributes regularly to the Biblical Counseling Coalition and is the author of “Identifying Heart Transformation: Exploring Different Kinds of Human Change” and the coauthor of “Help! Our Sex Life is Troubled by Past Abuse.”
To find out more about Southeastern’s counseling programs, visit sebts.edu/degrees, where you will learn how Southeastern can equip you to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission in all of life.
for Christ and his kingdom,” shared Drew Davis, director of financial and alumni development at Southeastern.
“This year we were grateful to have Dr. Finny Kuruvilla speak on how Christians can think well about their investments and how they can steward their resources to provide for their personal financial well-being while also strategically investing in businesses that promote human flourishing and the proliferation of the gospel across the globe,” added Davis.
With years of investing and healthcare experience, Finny Kuruvilla, co-chief investment officer of Eventide Asset Management, presented the keynote address on the power of investing to change the world. Surveying the influence of strategic investments throughout history, Kuruvilla demonstrated how investments can shape culture and change the course of history.
Bringing his years of teaching and ministry experience to Southeastern, Brooks has served since 2020 as assistant professor of Christian counseling and coordinator of the Christian counseling program at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Brooks is excited to join Southeastern’s faculty because he believes in its mission to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission — an all-of-life vision he intends to embody in the classroom.
“Counseling is Great Commission work, and I’m excited to bring this focus to my classes at Southeastern,” shared Brooks. “Being a Great Commission people is more than just being evangelistic; it also requires the skill of walking with people as they seek to be transformed as disciples of Christ. Counseling is the place where people are able to examine in detail their thinking, desires, choices, and circumstances for the sake of growth.”
“Southeastern exemplifies theological education aimed at equipping men and women to impact the hearts of
Southeastern Hosts the 2023 Faith at Work Conference
Southeastern Seminary hosted its third annual Faith at Work Conference on March 29, equipping attendees to think biblically and missionally about investing their finances. The Faith at Work series offers students, alumni, and business leaders an opportunity to connect with one another and reflect on how they can leverage business and the workplace to make disciples.
“Southeastern is a Great Commission seminary, and it is our desire to not only leverage our faculty and resources to equip students but also partner with local churches and their lay leaders to equip all people to leverage their time, talent, and treasure
Charging Christian investors to steward responsibly their finances, Kuruvilla reminded attendees that Christians should care deeply about the resources God has given them because the Great Commission commands them to be involved in changing the world and calling all nations to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. This missional approach to investing requires Christians to not only share about their values but also allow their
values to inform their investments.
Advocating for an intentional and collaborative approach to investing, Kuruvilla argued that Christians should invest in companies who practice integrity and whose values align with Christian values. Investors have power — power to invest according to their values, the power to change lives and confront evils, and the power to influence companies. As Kuruvilla reminded attendees, this powerful influence is a weighty responsibility.
“Companies shape our sensibilities; they shape us in ways that we can hardly understand,” noted Kuruvilla. “The power of business for good or for evil is tremendous. … It is an obligation of the Christian community not to turn a blind eye to evil practices but to use our dollars to end these kinds of practices.”
For Kuruvilla, investing toward the global common good is one way Christians can “fulfill the commands that Jesus has given us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to serve the global poor.” That is why learning to invest well as a Christian is such a timely and important task.
“The time is now to marry our faith to our work, to have a beautiful synthesis of these two domains in ways that please our King, that serve God, and that bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ,” shared Kuruvilla.
Following the keynote address, attendees could choose from three breakout sessions related to the integration of faith and finance. Sessions included:
“Redemptive Investing as a Strategy, Not an Asset Class” by Brett Danforth, director of client development for Oak City Consulting, and Daniel Ward, institutional advisor for Oak City Consulting
“The Application of Religious Freedom in Investing” by Mike Kuckel, chief executive officer of Sovereign Financial Group and senior business fellow for the Religious Freedom Institute
“A Brief Theology of Wealth and Poverty” by David Jones, professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Seminary
Designed to help Christians think biblically, missionally, and strategically about their finances, the breakout sessions encouraged attendees to develop habits of faithful stewardship. “God is not as concerned with how much we possess, as he is with how we attain and how we steward our material condition,” Jones emphasized during his breakout session.
Each year, the Faith at Work conference confronts Christians with an important question: How does the Christian faith intersect with business and enable Christians to engage the marketplace, biblically steward resources, and make disciples in the workplace?
“Our faith in Christ should affect and inform every area of our lives,” commented Harry Nelson, director of strategic initiatives for Eventide, one of this year’s event sponsors. “Learning how to be a faithful Christian in the marketplace helps believers develop a healthy vision for applying the Great Commission and the cultural mandate. It is a gift to the Church for a seminary to offer solid, biblical content in an applied context. I’m grateful for Southeastern’s desire to equip business leaders as disciple makers in the workplace.”
As a Great Commission seminary, Southeastern is committed to equipping Christians to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission in their neighborhoods, in the marketplace, and in every corner of the world. Through events like the Faith at Work conference, SEBTS is grateful to continue partnering with alumni, churches, and other organizations to advance God’s eternal kingdom.
The College at Southeastern and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (NC Baptist) desire to see future generations become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Through BeDoTell (BDT), the student ministry arm of NC Baptist, Southeastern and NC Baptist are partnering to help thousands of North Carolina students hear the gospel, be discipled, and gain invaluable ministry experience. Focused on becoming a Christian (Be), discipling others (Do), and telling others about Jesus (Tell), BDT shares Southeastern’s passion for equipping students. As a longtime BDT ministry partner, Southeastern annually staffs and partners with BDT to reach North Carolina students and see them mobilized as Great Commission disciple makers.
“Southeastern’s partnership with NC Baptist, and BDT specifically,
Dr. Kuruvilla encourages attendees to think misssionally about their financial investmentsSoutheastern is a Great Commission school. From our undergraduate program through our doctoral degrees, our students and graduates are pursuing the nations for the glory of King Jesus.
Last words are meant to be lasting words, and that means that Jesus’ final command is our first priority: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
Southeastern graduates are making an impact in all 50 states and in over 40 countries. Yet, the task is not complete, because there still remain over three billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus.
Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God and combat global lostness by sending 1,000 gospel-prepared leaders every year to join over 16,000 graduates who are on mission for Christ.
To achieve this goal, we launched For the Mission, a fouryear campaign that addresses four strategic initiatives that allow us to be more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission.
This is for the students by providing more scholarships and financial aid.
This is for the faculty by establishing faculty chairs, professorships, and other academic initiatives.
This is for the campus through the construction and renovation of needed facilities.
And this is for the cause by giving mission-critical support for our immediate financial needs.
We are doing this for the mission. It’s four years. Four strategic initiatives. For the glory of God. Will you join us?
$19,279,254
Amounts as of 3/31/23
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 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.
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.
represents the best of who we are because it is such a clear expression of our mission to serve the local church and fulfill the Great Commission,” shared Scott Pace, dean of The College at Southeastern.
“As we cooperate together, we are co-laborers for the cause of Christ who are combining our resources to make disciples by reaching and teaching NC students in the name of King Jesus,” noted Pace, who also serves as a regular speaker and counselor at BDT events.
Partnering with BDT is a strategic way Southeastern supports and serves local NC Baptist churches. Annually, dozens of Southeastern’s students, staff, faculty, and alumni volunteer to be summer camp workers, student counselors, and event speakers. This personal investment in these students’ lives has allowed thousands of young disciples to grow and to be equipped by more seasoned Christians, who can encourage them on their spiritual journey.
“Jesus didn’t call any of us to be alone in our journey of faith,” remarked Merrie Johnson, student ministries strategist for NC Baptist. “Jesus intended the Church to work together to reach the world for Christ. Southeastern and NC Baptist exist to help churches work together on mission. Our partnership with Southeastern has allowed us as fellow journeyman on this road of calling out the called to have solid biblical leadership and follow-up for students.”
Johnson, who has overseen these student ministry efforts
for twenty-two years, knows the profound impact of this partnership on tens of thousands of students across the state. Just last summer, Johnson witnessed God move mightily among the next generation as students came to faith, renewed their commitment to Christ, and took first steps toward vocational ministry.
“This summer we saw 412 students accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives,” noted Johnson.
“We saw 1,548 students recommit to following Jesus, studying his word, and living out their faith more intentionally. Amazingly, we also saw 585 students called to ministry as a full-time vocation — whether as a pastor, a youth minister, a worship leader, or a missionary.”
As one of the 585 students who answered God’s call to full-time ministry, Zach Lloyd stepped out in obedience to God’s direction in his life through the encouragement of Tommy Wreay, a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral ministry student at The College.
In God’s providence, Tommy first heard about BDT during one of his classes with Pace in the spring of 2022.
“Dr. Pace knew that I felt called to student ministry, so he pulled me aside after class one day and shared with me that there was an opportunity to go to BDT over the summer as an ambassador for Southeastern,” recalled Tommy. “The Lord really opened every door that needed to be opened for me to be able to go. So, I decided to serve at camp that summer, and it was well worth it!”
Southeastern’s partnership with NC Baptist, and BeDoTell specifically, represents the best of who we are because it is such a clear expression of our mission to serve the local church and fulfill the Great Commission.Scott Pace, dean of The College at Southeastern
OVER THE LAST 16 YEARS, THE SOUTHEASTERN CLASSIC HAS RAISED $ 1,176,000
SEPTEMBER 11th 2023
THAT IS EQUAL TO PROVIDING FULL ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 145 STUDENTS FOR 1 YEAR
To learn more, play, or become a sponsor, please visit sebts.edu/classic or email Caden Farr at cfarr@sebts.edu
Hosted at North Ridge Country Club
While serving at BDT, Tommy was able to answer students’ questions, share about his experience at Southeastern, and even lead a breakout session on discerning a call to ministry and pursuing next steps. As a BDT staffer, Tommy also helped out with the events production team where he met Zach for the first time.
From seventh grade through high school, Zach had grown up going to BDT each summer as a camper and had wanted to be a BDT staffer for some time. When his application was approved to serve on staff at camp over the summer, he was excited for the opportunity to serve.
Zach and Tommy met during a BDT training at Fort Caswell in April of 2022, but it was not until the third week of camp that summer that Zach reached out to Tommy for help discerning God’s call on his life.
Zach had been wrestling with a call to full-time vocational ministry for a year, but he kept pushing it aside because he had already committed to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Burdened by a sense of call on his life, Zach texted Tommy for help. “I told Tommy that I was feeling called to ministry, but I didn’t know what to do about it,” narrated Zach. “He ordered us a workbook to walk through together and was patient to counsel me through the process. It was eventually with Tommy that I got to lead a kid named Jonah through the process of recommitting his life to Christ. That experience helped confirm some things for me. That’s why I told Tommy afterwards that I was ready to pursue full-time ministry.”
Through Tommy’s weekly investment, Zach began to grow in confidence and in his desire to pursue ministry training. Zach decided to apply to The College for the fall semester and resolved that if God wanted him to pursue ministry preparation at The College, he would transfer from UNCW. Zach prayed that God would clarify his next steps.
In God’s timing, Southeastern’s director of admissions was
scheduled to visit Caswell that next day. After talking with him, sensing God’s peace, and being accepted to The College, Zach enrolled that fall in The College’s Bachelor of Arts in student ministry program.
Now Zach and Tommy serve together as ambassadors for Southeastern’s admissions team, helping other students as they discern God’s call on their lives and consider ministry training. For Tommy, helping people go where God sends them is integral to what it means now to be a part of Southeastern’s community.
“I love helping prospective students as they consider Southeastern because our admissions team desires students to go where God sends them — even if it’s not at Southeastern,” shared Tommy. “Southeastern is also focused on mobilizing students once they get here. The idea that a seminary is so willing to push their students out on mission and not just hold onto them is really refreshing to me. Southeastern is focused on the mission of mobilizing the Church by training students for ministry. It is so cool that Southeastern provides opportunities for us to partner with churches in ministry and work together at places like BDT at Fort Caswell.”
Zach has developed this same mindset and approach to ministry not only since studying and working at Southeastern but also while watching people from Southeastern serve and lead at BDT. He remembers observing Pace and Ronjour Locke, professor of preaching and urban ministry, model a vibrant passion for ministry during their time at BDT.
“Dr. Pace and
Prof. Locke preached some of the best sermons that summer, but that was not all they did,” Zach recalled. “They would both take time after each message to sit down with students and leaders to answer questions. They were always willing to meet with students. At BDT, I got to see their heart for the ministry and how it didn’t just end when they stepped down from the pulpit. Being around them at BDT was really encouraging to me as someone who just surrendered to the ministry.”
“Just like Southeastern, BDT is committed to the faithful preaching of God’s word and a daily reliance on God through prayer,” shared Tommy. “BDT is not only a fun and encouraging community experience but also an intentional time of discipleship and ministry. Southeastern students and faculty only add to this discipling community and model a strong commitment to ministry and to ministry training.”
Zach and Tommy represent countless other stories of how God is at work in Southeastern’s ongoing partnership with BDT. Together, Southeastern and BDT serve local churches by discipling and mobilizing students. Together, they offer students invaluable ministry experience and an opportunity to learn, serve, and grow in community. Together, they help future generations discern and answer God’s call and prioritize Great Commission ministry through the local church.
the quality of major English Bible translations, (2) to provide resources for Bible translators and translator consultants worldwide, and (3) to improve the quality of the critical editions of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament.
orn out of Southeastern’s commitment to the Bible and the Great Commission, the CBTT exists to improve the quality of editions of the Bible in the original languages and to ensure the accuracy and clarity of Bible translations worldwide.
“Southeastern is unwaveringly committed to the inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, authority, and sufficiency of God’s word,” shared President Danny Akin. “That is why we are delighted to be launching a center solely devoted to accurately translating the word of God from the original languages and resourcing the global Church to do the essential work of Bible translation.”
“When I think about what I want our students to give their lives to, it is this: faithful obedience to and proclamation of God’s word in service of the Great Commission,” commented Akin. “The Caskey Center for Biblical Text and Translation wonderfully embodies this mission, and I can think of no one better to lead it than our very own Chuck Quarles. He is not only a distinguished biblical scholar but also a former international missionary and devoted follower of King Jesus who is motivated by a passion to see the Great Commission fulfilled.”
The CBTT is designed to undertake three major initiatives: (1) to improve
The center’s research associates will conduct research on various text-critical issues, indexing and transcribing ancient manuscripts of Scripture, writing textual commentary, investigating paratextual features, and developing tools to assist others in their research. An important function of the center will be resourcing and educating translators worldwide by making the center’s research and resources available for free online.
During its first five years, the center will partner with the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation committee to improve the base translation of the CSB. Research associates will contribute key research and resources for future revisions of the CSB, while also adapting their research into resources for translators and missionaries.
Chuck Quarles, research professor of New Testament and biblical theology and Charles Page chair of biblical theology, will serve as the director of the CBTT, dedicating his expertise and giving oversight to the center’s efforts.
“The Scriptures say in Isaiah 40:8, ‘The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever,’” noted Quarles, commenting on the importance of the center’s translation efforts. “Nothing matters more than having an accurate, reliable, and clear translation in the hands of kingdom workers. You must have the Scriptures to evangelize, to plant churches, to edify God’s people in the worship of the
local church, and to train pastors and missionaries. Nothing is more basic and essential than people having access to the word of God in an accurate and clear translation.”
In addition to fueling kingdom work with accurate Bible translations and translation resources, the center will provide strategic research and translation experience
Testament and Hebrew specialists and three will be New Testament and Greek specialists. Research associates will receive full funding for their PhD studies at Southeastern; a stipend with benefits, including insurance; and free campus housing. Applications are open for fall 2023. Named in honor of bi-vocational preacher, Steve Caskey, the CBTT
for qualified residential PhD students in biblical studies.
“My hope is that not only will the participating students contribute to this important kingdom work during their time here but also they will see the importance, relevance, and strategic nature of this work, carrying that passion with them as they GO,” shared Quarles. “Whether they later serve as theological educators or Bible translation consultants or as IMB missionaries or Wycliffe Bible Translators, they will carry this passion with them and continue the work while inspiring others to join the work.”
The center’s operational staff will include six research associates — one of whom will also serve as the center’s assistant director. Three of these research associates will be Old
honors his legacy of faithfulness and sacrifice in ministry by championing the priority of Scripture and gospel proclamation. The center’s launch is made possible by a generous donation from the Cason Foundation, who share Southeastern’s heart for Bible translation and the Great Commission. Southeastern’s students, faculty, staff, and trustees are grateful for the Cason’s support and partnership in these Great Commission efforts.
With a missionary’s heart and a lifetime of research in biblical studies, Chuck Quarles believes interpreting and applying God’s word is essential to the task of fulfilling the Great Commission. That is why he is committed to training future missionaries and church leaders to be faithful interpreters of God’s word wherever God sends them. In the following Q&A, Quarles, research professor of New Testament and biblical theology and Charles Page chair of biblical theology, shares about his life, ministry, and passion for the New Testament and Greek.
What first drew you to study Greek and devote your research, writing, and teaching to New Testament studies?
It was divine providence. I was already preparing for ministry when I started at Ole Miss. Over the next couple years, I switched my major from music to sociology and eventually added a second major in Greek after someone explained to me that the New Testament was written in Greek. With a strong foundation in Greek from Ole Miss’s classics department, I went to seminary and was able to take every Greek class they offered. When I decided to pursue a PhD, I wrestled with whether to major in Old Testament and Hebrew or New Testament and Greek. As I retraced my steps, I felt that I had been providentially prepared for an emphasis on New Testament and Greek. So, I decided to do my PhD in New Testament with minors in theology and Old Testament. Since then, I’ve devoted much of my research to the Gospel of Mat-
thew. I’ve always loved the Gospels because I think the most critical question in life is simply, Who is Jesus? Nothing matters more than that. When I chose a specialization, I felt that the synoptic Gospels weren’t receiving the scholarly attention they deserved. I wrote my dissertation on Midrash criticism as applied to the synoptic birth narratives, defending the accounts of Christ’s birth in Matthew and Luke. I’ve continued this emphasis on Matthew and the other synoptic Gospels through most of my writing.
The tools I use every day are “A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature” (BDAG); the companion grammar, “A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature” by Blass, Debrunner, and Funk; and “Greek-English Lexicon” by Liddell and Scott. A lot of the work I am doing now involves New
Testament minuscules, so one of the resources I consult regularly is William Wallace’s “An Index of Greek Ligatures and Contractions.”
What advice would you give students as they begin to learn Greek and Hebrew at Southeastern?
Remember language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes students think they will master the language in a semester or two; however, even though they will learn a lot in that time, it usually takes longer than that. So, be patient and don’t give up too soon. Continue to Greek III or Hebrew III and learn syntax, which will really inform your interpretation and deepen your understanding of God’s word. Also, habitually incorporate the biblical languages into your daily routine. If we’re going to master biblical languages and be able to use them effectively, it’s important that we read from our Greek New Testament, Septuagint, or Hebrew Old Testament every single day. I encourage students to diagram
What excites you most about the upcoming launch of Southeastern’s Caskey Center for Biblical Text and Translation?
the text and do a syntactical analysis of a verse or passage every day. I find it very edifying. On a daily basis you get to see how Greek or Hebrew constructions are much richer theologically than what you assume when you just read English translations.
How has your time as an IMB missionary shaped the way you think about your role as a professor?
In God’s kindness, my wife and I were privileged to serve for a few years in Romania, helping to lead theological education efforts in Bucharest. My sense of missionary calling, which I had for years before we ever went to Romania, still deeply influences my teaching. Southeast-
A
ern’s Great Commission focus dovetails with my personal sense of call. If we don’t have a strong sense of responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission as we pursue biblical studies, we can easily drift toward a teaching approach that is sterile and solely academic, losing our warmhearted passion for reaching the nations with the gospel. Without a Great Commission focus, our instruction can become all head and no heart — merely communicating knowledge rather than equipping people for ministry. It is a joy to teach at a Great Commission seminary like Southeastern because I get to pour my life into students who will strategically engage in ministry all around the world.
Everything about it excites me because all three elements of the center’s mission are so important. One of the things we’ll be doing is helping to improve the accuracy of our Greek and Hebrew text of Scripture. The text we have is very good and reliable because it is based on a comparison of many different ancient manuscripts, but it can still be improved to more closely reflect what was originally written by the prophets and apostles. Because we believe God’s word is inerrant, every single word matters. At the center, not only will we be doing that work ourselves but also we’ll be training those who will train the next generation to do that work globally. Another thing that we’ll be doing is seeking to improve the accuracy of Bible translations all around the world. We have a partnership with the Bible League, and we’ll be assisting to improve the accuracy of many modern non-English transla-
tions and the accuracy of the English basis for all those modern language translations. So, the Swahili translations, the Hindi translations, and hundreds of other translations are going to be impacted by the work we do on the base English version.
Lastly, we’re going to be working to improve the accuracy of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). We have a partnership with Lifeway, so we are going to be doing a lot of the homework that leads to the next major update of the CSB. Although, the CSB is already a very accurate Bible translation, there are ways it can be improved, and we are going to be doing the research necessary to make some of those improvements.
I don’t think there’s anything that impacts the work of the Kingdom more than having an accurate and reliable translation of the Bible. I think these efforts dovetail with our commitment to strengthen the local church and our commitment to fulfil the Great Commission.
Every day I am reminded of the glory, majesty, deity, and grace of the Lord Jesus. It’s everywhere in Scripture. I just finished a sabbatical, and during that sabbatical leave, my major focus was coauthoring with John Hammett a book on the work of Christ. My focus in the book was biblical theology, so I got the opportunity to work more in the Old Testament than I typically do in my role here. Day after day I was stunned by the explicit prophecies about the coming Messiah and their vivid descriptions of the glory and deity of Christ, his eternal rule, and his atoning death.
My kids are all adults, so when I’m doing fun stuff with family, it’s usually me and the grand kids. Our favorite thing to do is fish on a small pond out on our property. We also like to metal detect. When we all went on vacation a few years ago, I would wake up before the grand kids and bury treasures in the sand for us to find later that day. Unfortunately, my granddaughter, who is the oldest of the three grand kids, figured things out, but she kept playing along with Papa.
What
God’s word?
What do you and your family like to do when you have some free time together?
Personally, I also like throwing tomahawks and knives. I started when I was a boy, and my son and I would practice when he was growing up. It feels more manly than throwing darts.
On April 16-18, Southeastern Seminary’s board of trustees and Southeastern Society (SES) gathered on campus for their spring biannual meetings. Trustees received institutional updates, elected faculty, approved the 2023-2024 budget, and celebrated commissioning chapel and the dedication of the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion on campus.
“This is one of my favorite times of the year as we celebrate God’s blessings on Southeastern,” commented President Danny Akin. “God has gifted us with a wonderful board of trustees, who serve our institution faithfully, and a precious society of supporters and friends of Southeastern, who pray for us and generously support the work God is doing here to advance his kingdom. Together our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission of King Jesus.”
On Monday, trustees gathered for their first plenary session and met in subcommittees to receive updates from Southeastern staff and faculty. Trustees heard reports of how God has continued to enable Southeastern to equip students, partner with local churches, expand its curriculum, and broaden its global training efforts.
During Tuesday’s plenary session, trustees voted to approve the $31.37 million budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, including a 2.28% annual budget increase.
Trustees also approved the renovations of the Shaw House on the corner of South Avenue and South Wingate Street, which will house the Caskey Center for Biblical Text and
Translation (CBBT) — Southeastern’s newest center devoted to translating the Bible, researching ancient manuscripts, and resourcing missionaries with translation resources. The CBBT is scheduled to launch this fall and will be directed by Chuck Quarles, research professor of New Testament and biblical theology and Charles Page chair of biblical theology.
Strengthening The College at Southeastern’s academic offerings, trustees voted to approve several curricular changes, including revisions to the general core curriculum. These revisions increased biblical studies requirements and added courses on introduction to missions and introduction to psychology from a biblical perspective. Trustees also approved the addition of several advanced degree concentrations, including a ThM in applied theology with a concentration in theology and worship; a DMin in applied theology with a concentration in worship; and an EdD with a specialization in Christian ministry.
Following recommendations from the cabinet and academic committee, trustees unanimously elected Scott Pace, dean of The College, as provost of Southeastern, effective June 1, 2023. Pace, who has taught at Southeastern since 2018, is deeply committed to the Church, Southeastern’s mission, and to Southeastern’s confessional identity. In his new role, Pace will shepherd Southeastern’s faculty and oversee the institution’s academic division.
“I am delighted to announce that Scott Pace will be serving our faculty and our institution as provost,” noted Akin. “He is a remarkable preacher and teacher, a beloved colleague, and a skilled administrator. His faithful leadership of The College, his commitment to our faculty, and his passion for our mission make Scott ideal for the role.”
Pace’s election follows Provost Keith Whitfield’s announcement that he will be returning to the classroom full time, starting this summer. After 10 years of serving in various administrative roles, Whitfield informed Akin
in January about his desire to transition to full-time teaching. Whitfield has demonstrated his dedication to Southeastern’s faculty and mission and is excited to devote more of his energy to discipling future leaders in the classroom.
“Words are inadequate to express my love and appreciation for Keith and the job he has done as provost,” commented Akin. “Over the last 11 years, Keith has distinguished himself not only as a theologian and scholar but also as a beloved professor and mentor to our students. I am grateful for his love for our students and his desire to devote more time to their training in the classroom and in the local church.”
Seth Bible, director of prison programs at The College, will serve as acting dean of The College following Pace’s promotion.
During Tuesday’s plenary session, trustees elected three professors to the faculty, recognizing their commitment to the institution and their testimony to God’s calling on their lives:
Miguel Echevarria as associate professor of New Testament and Greek
Scott Hildreth as associate professor of missiology
Ben Holloway as assistant professor of philosophy and history of ideas
Trustees also approved four faculty promotions, commending these professors for their faithful teaching ministry:
Tate Cockrell to professor of counseling
Ben Merkle to research professor of New Testament and Greek
Adrianne Miles to associate professor of English and linguistics
Jim Shaddix to senior professor of preaching
Akin reported Monday morning that more Southeastern students have signed up for short-term institutional mission trips this
academic year than had signed up during any year over the past decade. This focus on equipping students by providing missions experience is a strategic way Southeastern intends to prepare students for Great Commission ministry.
Drew Davis, director of financial and alumni development, shared with SES members that The College celebrated its largest preview day last week with more than 150 guests. Davis added that Southeastern has already accepted more students for fall 2023 than total students who applied last year. The College continues to experience growth, including in its prison programs, which celebrated its first women’s prison program graduation in the fall.
Celebrating God’s faithfulness, Davis reported that Southeastern
has received $5.3 million in charitable donations so far this year and is expected to receive more than $6 million for the first time in institutional history. Davis also shared that Southeastern’s four-year For the Mission capital campaign is now 94% complete due to the generosity of thousands of Great Commission donors.
Sharing with SES members during a panel discussion on Monday, professors Keelan Cook, Scott Hildreth, George Robinson, and John Ewart shared how Southeastern trains its students to prioritize the Great Commission. Focusing on the practice of evangelism, these professors told stories about how they are instilling evangelistic habits and dispositions in their students so that they can lead their churches to be evangelistic.
Harvest time is short. You only get a small time in this window to have an impact for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why we need men and women who are trained to bring in the harvest.
Will Graham
During the For the Mission banquet Monday night, trustees and SES members heard from Southeastern alumni Glenn and Patti Steen, who shared their journey of faith and how Southeastern equipped them to serve others.
Offering the keynote address for the banquet, Will Graham, executive director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove and associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, charged attendees to reclaim the priority of evangelism in the local church. Drawing from Ephesians 4:11, Graham identified evangelism as a neglected emphasis in the Western church.
“As a denomination and as Christians around the world, we talk about evangelism, we do conferences about evangelism, but we don’t support evangelism,” noted Graham,
who is also a Southeastern graduate. “We don’t train up evangelists or put them on our church staff.”
According to Graham, the Church needs to raise up and train evangelists because the Great Commission is the central mission Jesus has given his people. As Jesus’s second coming draws near, the need is urgent for people to hear the gospel and for workers to be sent into the harvest.
“For the evangelist, timing is urgent,” commented Graham. “Harvest time is short. You only get a small time in this window to have an impact for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why we need men and women who are trained to bring in the harvest. … This is what we need Southeastern for.”
During Tuesday’s chapel, Southeastern recognized trustees Melinda Delahoyde, Earle Finley, and Israel Kim for 10 years of
faithful service, as they rotated off the board following this week’s meeting. Southeastern also reassigned the George Liele directorship of the Center for Great Commission Studies to Keelan Cook, instructor of missiology at Southeastern. For the chapel message, Graham preached from 2 Samuel 15:30-37, outlining nine traits of a faithful servant of God. Graham reminded attendees that a life of faithful service to the Lord is characterized by daily obedience and surrender. When King Jesus commands his people, they should obey without hesitation — even when obedience requires them to surrender their agenda or self-interest.
“We’re not called to be loyal to ourselves but to be loyal to God,” noted Graham. “He’s the king. We do what he asks. … We’re not called to be famous; we’re called to be obedient.”
After, Southeastern also commissioned and prayed for 41 students and families being sent internationally this year and 18 students and families who will be going to serve across North America. These commissioned students join the 94 current Southeastern students who are already serving on mission with the International Mission Board.
Following chapel, Southeastern students, staff, and faculty assembled outside for the dedication of the Ty Williams Memorial Pavilion, an outdoor gathering space dedicated in honor of Ty Williams, son of Associate Vice President for Facilities Travis Williams, who went home to be with the Lord in 2020.
We believe that the Great Commission is the Church’s mission and is the task of every disciple of Jesus Christ. That is why we are committed to ministry preparation in partnership with the local church — because fulfilling the Great Commission is best done together. This commitment to fulfill the Great Commission together extends to our academic and ministry partners around the world. Together we better equip students for ministry and missions. Together we better serve church leaders and resource local congregations. Together we are able to provide more biblical and theological education in contexts where it was once inaccessible.
Our students, alumni, and professors share this cooperative vision, and it is our joy to partner with them in their ministries as God uses their training, teaching, and experience at Southeastern to make disciples in their local churches all around the world. The following stories offer windows into a few of their ministries and highlight some of the ways we partner to fulfill the Great Commission. Their stories of service and faithfulness are reminders that together we are called to serve King Jesus by living on mission wherever he sends us.
SOUTHEASTERN FACULTY
EQUIPPING STUDENTS & SERVING THE CHURCH
I THINK THE EXTENSIVE PASTORAL EXPERIENCE OF OUR FACULTY, THEIR PERSONAL FAMILIARITY WITH A VARIETY OF MINISTRY CONTEXTS, THEIR ONGOING INVOLVEMENT IN THE LOCAL CHURCH, AND THEIR ACADEMIC EXPERTISE ALL COMBINE TO PROVIDE A UNIQUE BLEND OF PRACTICAL AND BIBLICAL TRAINING FOR MINISTRY.
For Southeastern professors Ronjour Locke, Benjamin Quinn, and Allan Moseley, the Great Commission is the Church’s mission. That is why they not only teach at Southeastern to train students to serve the Church and its mission but also pastor local churches to be faithful disciples of King Jesus. With a deep commitment to the local church, Southeastern’s faculty model how the seminary and the local church can mutually enrich one another and partner to equip servants of the Church. For Locke, Quinn, and Moseley, this investment in the local church is essential to their ministry in the classroom.
hen God called Ronjour Locke into ministry, God gave Locke a deep passion for Scripture, which kindled his love for the local church.
“During my high school years, the Lord began to grow my love for his word, and the more I read, the more I wanted to learn and to make the word known,” recalled Locke. “It was through God’s word that I developed an abiding love for his Church and came to recognize that I needed the Church. I began to see how God’s word shapes and knits his people into a loving community, forming us into Christ’s likeness.”
Called and shaped by God’s word to love and serve the local church, Locke devoted his life to ministry, serving churches in Fort Worth and Baltimore before eventually moving to Wake Forest to join Southeastern’s faculty as an instructor of preaching and urban ministry at Southeastern.
For Locke, becoming a professor at Southeastern meant serving local churches all around the world by equipping students to fulfill the Great Commission through their local churches.
“At Southeastern, I get to help students see that faithfulness to the Great Commission means being faithful in the local church, serving the body, and extending the gospel through ministry in the body,” shared Locke. “Jesus wants us to be faithful disciples and the context through which we do that is the local church.”
In recent years, Locke has also been serving as an elder at Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh where he has the opportunity to preach, shepherd, and disciple in
the context of the local church. For Locke, ministry in the local church and teaching at Southeastern are integrally connected not only because they share the same mission but also because both contexts profoundly inform one another.
“Daily life and ministry in the local church influences how I teach in the classroom — from the connections I make, to the topics I address, to the way I model preaching and ministry for my students,” noted Locke. “But my work at Southeastern also affects the way I shepherd the flock. I learn things here about myself that I see in others. The questions that are raised here help me mull over issues and strengthen the way I lead and pastor in the local church. Conversations with fellow professors and pastors here, who are wiser and more experienced than I am, help me in ministry.”
This relationship between the church and the seminary took on new dimensions for Locke when he became director of Southeastern’s Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership (CPPL) in 2019. Designed to resource and equip pastors to serve the local church, the CPPL embodies Southeastern’s commitment to partner with, support, and serve local churches. “Pastors and church leaders are often exhausted and discouraged as their flocks face division and daily challenges in the home, in society, and in the church,” commented Locke. “At the CPPL, we exist to encourage these leaders in the work of ministry, to offer them connection, resources, and further training. We get to remind them of their calling and the work of the Spirit even as we come alongside them to cheer them on and equip them.”
Benjamin Quinn, associate professor of theology and history of ideas at Southeastern, believes this mutually enriching connection between church and seminary is essential to his students’ theological formation and ministry preparation in seminary.
“It is ideal to have the seminary and church spheres overlapping because it enables theory and practice to come together,” noted Quinn. “When I was in seminary, … I needed a laboratory to exercise what God was working in me and to practice the things I was learning.”
When Quinn first joined the faculty in 2012, he devoted much of his energy to his teaching and to discipleship in the classroom. That is until he returned to vocational church ministry in 2018 and began to develop a vision for how his role as a professor and mentor could more fully serve his local church, Holly Grove Baptist Church in Spring Hope.
“When we got back involved in vocational church ministry at Holly Grove, the Lord impressed on me the importance of letting the context of the local church inform and shape the way I teach, answer student questions, and think about discipleship with my
students,” shared Quinn. “Pastoring a local church helps me think about how their formation in the classroom serves their formation and ministry in the local church. It changes the way I answer my students when they ask how a class topic relates to ministry. I used to theorize; now I share what we’re trying to do at our church, what’s working or not working, and what I am doing to communicate these truths to my church family.”
Quinn’s return to vocational church ministry not only changed his classroom pedagogy but also opened a new context in which to mentor students. Pastoring a church just 30 minutes from Southeastern’s campus, Quinn has been both professor and pastor to many Southeastern students — several of whom serve in church leadership at Holly Grove.
Quinn’s willingness to steward this dual community of church and seminary has deepened his investment in his students’ lives, creating a culture where accountability, spiritual formation, and sharpening friendships truly flourish. On Tuesday mornings, Quinn opens his office to his students who also serve at Holly Grove, creating a familiar space to supplement what they are learning
in the classroom and to help them apply these lessons at Holly Grove.
These Tuesday meetings have not only been formative for his students but also for Quinn, who is regularly challenged to more intentionally steward his classroom in service of the local church.
“I am able to walk alongside these guys not only in their learning at seminary but also in their ministry application within our local church,” noted Quinn. “I believe seminary exists for the purpose of equipping those who are preparing for ministry and mission — to equip them for life and service in the local church. My time with these guys regularly reminds me of that. If I am not teaching and mentoring in such a way that the guys who sit in my office every Tuesday can take that back to their children’s ministry, youth ministry, or worship ministry, then I have not truly helped them. I have not finished my job.”
or Allan Moseley, senior professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, helping students make these practical ministry connections is a natural outgrowth of his ministry in the local church. As an interim pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church in Garner, Moseley encourages his students by example, modeling how ministry and biblicaltheological study enrich one another.
“Our students are going to be serving in leadership positions in local churches and preaching and teaching the Bible in various roles, noted Moseley. “The fact that I have done that and continue to do that inevitably affects my teaching. The combination of my passion for our mission and my passion for my subject can demonstrate to students that the two are not at odds with one another, and it can motivate them to learn so they can put their knowledge into practice.”
With decades of ministry experience, Moseley has served in various pastoral roles, but has most often served in a neglected area of local church ministry: interim pastoring. Strengthening churches in times of transition, Moseley, has served as an interim pastor thirteen times in ten different churches. In this role, Moseley has witnessed God at work as he intentionally loves, encourages, and helps to mobilize local churches.
“The longer I serve as an interim pastor, the more I feel that I don’t know what I’m doing and that any good that comes from it is God’s work,” commented Moseley. “My priorities as an interim pastor are to preach God’s word well and to love and affirm the people well. Typically, churches don’t rise up en masse and demand to do evangelism; they need to be led to be evangelistic. That is true in the interim period too. An interim pastor gets to affirm a church’s missions giving and going, and he can exhort them and lead them to do more — locally, nationally, and internationally.”
Although Moseley believes his interim ministry in the local church benefits his students in the classroom, Moseley is not committed to church ministry for the purpose of improving results in the classroom. These benefits are secondary; his primary aim is to obey God and serve his people faithfully.
“I preach God’s word and serve in the church because that’s what
God calls me to do, not merely as a strategy to increase classroom effectiveness,” shared Moseley. “I feel a real passion to preach and to serve God in the local church.”
It is precisely because Moseley, Quinn, and Locke prioritize God’s call and command to serve the Church that their local church ministry is so formative for their students at Southeastern. Their commitment to local church ministry helps to foster Southeastern’s vital partnership with the local church and represents the way churches and seminaries can cooperate on mission.
Southeastern believes that what makes it a Great Commission seminary is its vital connection and partnership with the local church. That is why Southeastern exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission. Under this mission, Southeastern is grateful to partner with local churches around the world to help them make faithful disciples of King Jesus.
Because proclaiming the word of God is central to the mission of the Church, we seek to train students to faithfully interpret and preach the word as they shepherd churches to obey all that Jesus has commanded.
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PARTNERING TO TRAIN
GLOBAL LEADERS IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
As a Great Commission seminary, Southeastern Seminary is committed to theological training with a global perspective, equipping students to make disciples through local churches all around the world. With this aim in mind, Southeastern began a strategic academic partnership in 2018 with Crosslands, an in-context theological training provider based in the United Kingdom.
“Crosslands was looking for an educational partner so that their students who are interested in a MA or MDiv could earn a degree,” shared Keith Whitfield, associate professor of theology at Southeastern. “Because of our shared passion for the Great Commission and commitment to training men and women in context for ministry service, the partnership was a perfect match for us.”
Intended to support and supplement already existing training in local churches, Crosslands provides biblical and theological education through flexible foundation courses for local churches, a growing research forum, and its seminary training program in partnership with Southeastern and BibleMesh Institute.
Crosslands Seminary offers students biblical and theological training in their local church context so that they can study while continuing their ministry. Students can receive three years of seminary training to earn a certificate through Crosslands or can receive four years of training to earn an MA in Christian ministry (mentored) through Southeastern’s Equip network.
This seminary partnership between Southeastern and Crosslands allows students throughout Europe and the 10/40 window to study and apply their learning in the context of their local church, maximizing students’ Great Commission impact.
“Crosslands aims at theology for life: in-context theological training in support of the local church,” shared
Dan Strange, director of Crosslands Forum and visiting professor at Southeastern. “A lot of our students are working in churches already and are unable to move to attend seminary. So, we’ve designed the program so that our students can receive seminary training while in their local church, studying 10 hours per week and working in the church throughout the week. What we offer is on-the-job ministry training with deep theological reflection and mentorship.”
It was this flexible, in-context training that first drew Tessa Reed, creative communications director at City Church Manchester, UK, to Crosslands. Tessa knew she needed further theological training for her ministry role, so she sought out a training program that would complement her ministry without pulling her away from her work.
“Crosslands is an ideal fit,” shared Tessa. “I can study alongside my job and choose reading and essay topics relevant to my work — helping me ensure my creative ideas and applications are biblical and thought through.”
Now two years into the program, Tessa has found that her Crosslands training continues to open doors for more ministry and personal spiritual growth.
“My learning has helped me have more informed ministry conversations, lead a small group, write an applied biblical theology of communications, and get deeper insight into why church tribes are delineated the way they are,” added Tessa. “As I study alongside pastors-in-training, it’s helping me understand how to better support and encourage my brothers in Christ in the challenges they face as pastors, preachers, and teachers.”
Like Tessa, dozens of other students each year are being equipped to flourish in their current ministries under the strategic supervision of mentors and in a community of peers who are serving in unique ministry contexts around the world.
For Keelan Cook, instructor of
missiology at Southeastern who also teaches courses at Crosslands, this in-context model of education is part of what makes Crosslands such an encouraging place to train students.
“Teaching courses as part of the Crosslands cohort is a real treasure,” commented Cook. “The Crosslands students each come to the table with truly unique real-world ministry experience from an array of different backgrounds, which enriches their assignments and discussions. The benefit of this model is its focus on taking concepts from the classroom and applying them now in a student’s current ministry paradigm. This sharpens the work and equips students not just with theological education but ministry preparation as well.”
This combination of immediate ministry application and diverse, enriching community is what stands out to 2021 Crosslands graduate, Luke Parker, pastor of a revitalized church in the West End of Newcastle.
While Luke was still serving as a ministry intern, his church encouraged him to pursue further theological training for ministry. In God’s providence, Luke found the community of Crosslands and its in-context training to be invaluable as he prepared for his current pastoral role.
“I was able to keep serving at the church whilst learning and applying that learning to my ministry role,” recalled Luke. “My ministry was always in conversation with my study.”
“One of the things that stuck with me most was the mentorship module I took at Crosslands,” noted Luke. “As I did my everyday ministry, I was able to gather together every week or two with a small group and with a mentor, reflecting on how my training was going. That was really good preparation for what I’m doing now in ministry.”
Crosslands’ unique approach to education is so much more than a hybrid or distance learning model. It not only promotes
ONE OF THE WAYS CROSSLANDS EQUIPPED ME IN MY MINISTRY WAS BY HELPING ME UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIBLICAL COUNSELING AND MISSIOLOGY. MY BIBLICAL COUNSELING CLASS CHALLENGED ME TO CONNECT MY COUNSELING TO EQUIPPING PEOPLE TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL.ROBERT BOZYDAJ, 2022 CROSSLANDS GRADUATE LUKE PARKER, CROSSLANDS GRADUATE NEWCASTLE, UK
spiritual formation in peer groups and mentorship relationships but also — and more importantly — focuses its training on formation in the local church for Great Commission ministry around the world.
This church-based, missions-oriented approach is a natural extension of Southeastern’s mission to equip students to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.
“The ability to connect with Crosslands and train up local leaders from a distance simply expands the reach of Southeastern and brings in international partners with whom we can accomplish the Great Commission together,” commented Kristin Kellen, associate professor of biblical counseling who also teaches Crosslands courses. “These students are already in ministry settings; they’re already sharing the gospel with the lost in their communities. We get the privilege of coming alongside of them and being a part of their training.”
This Great Commission training is now impacting churches and communities in 23 countries as students and alumni continue gospel ministry in their context with a renewed zeal and depth of insight from their Crosslands training. Leaders with little access to evangelical theological training in their home countries are now being equipped through Crosslands for further ministry in their context.
For Robert Bozydaj, a 2022 Crosslands graduate, this opportunity for solid biblical and theological training was
exactly what he was looking for in his ministry in Poznan, Poland. Working bi-vocationally as a civil engineer and a local church pastor, Robert could not leave his context for training, which is why Crosslands was an answer to his prayers.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t really any good opportunities for pastors to receive evangelical theological education in Poland,” noted Robert. “That is why I was so excited to study with Crosslands. As I was learning, my family and my whole church learned with me because I was applying my training from week to week as I served the church and the community.”
As his church learned alongside him, Robert was able to apply principles of biblical counseling and pastoral ministry to encourage his church in their obedience to the Great Commission.
“As a pastor of a local church, I devote most of my time to counseling people in our church,” shared Robert. “One of the ways Crosslands equipped me in my ministry was by helping me understand the relationship between biblical counseling and missiology. My biblical counseling class challenged me to connect my counseling to equipping people to spread the gospel.”
Connecting their studies to their ministry context is exactly what Crosslands trains its students to do. That is what Naomi Carle, a current Crosslands student in northern London, finds most enriching about the program. As a mother of four young children, a pastor’s wife, and an
2022 CROSSLANDS GRADUATES
NAOMI CARLE, CROSSLANDS STUDENT
ROBERT BOZYDAJ, CROSSLANDS GRADUATE
What I appreciate about Southeastern is that the Great Commission is in its DNA, and it is in such a way that it promotes charity, generosity, and a collaborative spirit toward global partners without compromising on confessional commitmments.
active leader and volunteer in her local church, Naomi is grateful for the opportunity to pursue ministry training while remaining invested in her context.
“Crosslands was just brilliant because they wanted me to continue being really involved in my local church, and their seminary program fit well around family life,” shared Naomi. “Having children gives me a unique ministry in the home, and Crosslands has helped me to clarify my thinking and deepen my understanding of Scripture which has given me greater confidence to think biblically about the shape of our everyday family life. My Crosslands training also helps me as I think about how to equip women in the local church and as I help women like me do ministry alongside their husbands.”
Every year Crosslands helps students like Tessa, Luke, Robert, and Naomi make these vital connections between their training and their everyday ministry. Crosslands presses students to not only make these connections but also direct their training toward the Great Commission. That is why Strange believes Southeastern is an ideal partner for Crosslands because Southeastern is also committed to missional education and Great Commission partnerships.
“What I appreciate about Southeastern is that the Great Commission is in its DNA, and it is in such a way that it promotes charity, generosity, and a collaborative spirit toward global partners without compromising on confessional commitments,” shared Strange. “Through Crosslands and in partnership with Southeastern, people who normally would not have access to such training are being trained. What we are doing together is really a missionary endeavor in terms of theological training from a global perspective.”
Earlier this year, Crosslands celebrated 22 students who completed the program and received a master’s in Christian ministry through its partnership with Southeastern. These 22 graduates are now applying their training and making disciples of King Jesus all around the world.
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ETERNAL LIFE IN A CULTURE OF DEATH PARTNERING TO REACH MILITARY COMMUNITIES FOR CHRIST
THE U.S. MILITARY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST STRATEGIC POCKETS OF LOSTNESS IN OUR NATION. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MEN AND WOMEN ARE DEPLOYED INTERNATIONALLY THROUGH THE MILITARY — MANY IN SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PLACES IN THE WORLD — YET ALL TOO FEW HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY THE GOSPEL OF KING JESUS. WHAT MIGHT THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GOSPEL DO IN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY LIKE THAT? MIGHT WE NOT SEE THE NATIONS REACHED, OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN SAVED, AND A REVIVAL SPREAD THROUGHOUT OUR WORLD?
DANNY AKIN, PRESIDENT OF SOUTHEASTERNWith her husband, Keith, on tour in Afghanistan, Megan Brown was unprepared for the dreaded knock at her door. Each knock, each phone call, each vehicle with military tags made Megan wince with anxiety, fearing death had come to their family as it had each week to her neighbors and friends.
One day, the knock came. She opened the door to a delivery — her husband’s footlocker — but this time her husband had not come home with it. With no note and no comms for days, she was alone, fearful, and in the dark with a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old.
Although Megan was a Christian, she had never been discipled. She did not know how to read the Bible, much less what it said about anxiety, fear, grief, death, or even just the sovereignty and faithfulness of God.
Six years earlier and just a few months into her marriage, Megan had wanted nothing to do with God. It was only after Keith had urged her to go to church with him that Megan reluctantly agreed to go. When they arrived, the pastor preached from Ephesians 1, and it was then that Megan began to understand the gospel for the first time. “Listening to the exposition of the word, I heard about predestination and adoption and God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world,” recalled Megan.
“I had never heard it before. I was wrecked. I was a mess. I was undone by the gospel, and I became a believer.”
Though a new Christian, Megan struggled to find community in the local church. She felt pressured to be a picture-perfect homemaker and was spiritually starved on the do-good, be-better teaching she heard in women’s ministries.
As her husband redeployed and their growing family moved from house to house, Megan floundered spiritually, estranged from Christian community with little understanding of Scripture and no experience with personal discipleship.
That’s why Megan did not know where to turn, how to pray, or how to cope with her fear when Keith’s footlocker showed up at her door.
“I remember grabbing my Bible after I thought a postal worker was there to tell me my husband wasn’t coming home,” Megan recounted. “I was like, ‘The pastor on Sunday said you talk. How will you tell me if my husband’s okay?’ I flopped it on the coffee table, and it landed in Thessalonians. I didn’t know what that meant, so I just read the whole thing. Though I understood little of what it said, I grasped onto ‘pray without ceasing.’ I didn’t really get what that meant, so I was
frustrated during those days of excruciating uncertainty.”
Although days later Keith called to say he had been relocated and was fine, the whole ordeal left Megan determined to learn the Bible, lest she find herself spiritually unprepared again. The next year, Megan and her family moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, and she began to work through books of the Bible, even though she still did not understand how to read them. Hungry for community, she invited others to join her.
“One day I posted on our neighborhood Facebook page,” Megan narrated. “‘Look, I’m just trying to figure this Bible reading thing out. If anybody wants to come and read this book with me, you’re welcome.’ I told them I’ve got crazy children, but I’ll make sure we have a hot pot of coffee. You can kick my couch laundry out of the way, and we’ll work through this thing together. That’s how it all started.”
Five women came that next week. Then 17, then 25, and then 40. At that point, women were dragging lawn chairs and wagons with kids to Megan’s house to study the Bible. Despite what felt like an ocean of ignorance in her life, Megan watched God use her desperation for truth to start a discipling community among military spouses.
Growing numbers meant a greater need for resources. So, Keith started setting aside a third of his pay for Megan to buy Bibles and Bible studies. Women were partnering together to raise money for more resources, and Megan coordinated with the chapel on base to use their facilities. By 2017 they had outgrown their funding, facilities, and teaching capacity with 10 weekly Bible studies of 10 women each and more than 100 kids.
Megan began to realize that what these women really needed was continued training in the home sustained by the community of the local church.
“We learned the only thing that’s truly effective is an Acts 2:42 community — a living, breathing, organic group of believers who belong to a church — not just a group of women who spend their Lord’s day in a coffee shop with a Bible study booklet,” recalled Megan. “So, we created 20 Bible study groups that met in women’s homes, and we stopped using programs and prepackaged Bible studies. We started training women to study and interpret the Bible for themselves, funneling women into discipleship in the local church.”
“When these women started studying the Bible for themselves, the Lord took his word and set these women ablaze,” Megan recounted. “Because they were being equipped to interpret and teach the Bible, these women were able to replicate the simplicity of the model as their families began to relocate and be redeployed. I started getting calls from Japan, California, Texas, Alaska, and
the UK. God was mobilizing these women as missionaries equipped to teach the Bible and make disciples.”
It was during these days that God gave Megan a vision to start a nonprofit ministry for military spouses. After wrestling for months over how she could manage to organize a nonprofit, Megan surrendered to the Lord and launched MilSpo Co. in 2022 — a 501c3 ministry that trains military spouses to live as missionaries at military installations around the world.
“What really became my motivation was John’s vision in Revelation 7 of throngs of believers gathered in worship around God’s throne,” recalled Megan. “I wanted to see the warrior class represented there — our military and their families worshipping around the throne. For us, that meant targeting and training military spouses to reach their families and their communities.”
“Our mission at MilSpo Co. is to recruit, raise up, and release military connected women as paid and prepared vocational missionaries,” commented Megan. “We train women to be indigenous leaders in the military community. We connect women to God and each other. We build them into a faith community in the local church. Then we send them to participate in the Great Commission.”
As a missionary equipping ministry, MilSpo Co. began to organize mission trips and women’s ministry events in 2021 as an extension of their discipleship and Bible study trainings. That is when Megan first heard about Southeastern Seminary’s GO certificates — a flexible program designed to facilitate ministry preparation through biblical and theological education. So, she reached out to Southeastern — encouraged to do so by her local pastor, Adam Bennett, a Southeastern alum who championed MilSpo Co.’s ministry and shared Megan’s passion to see military communities engaged with the gospel.
Drawn to the flexibility of the GO certificates as well as to their doctrinal fidelity and Great Commission focus, MilSpo Co. funded women one by one as they started the certificate in biblical studies and theology in the fall of 2021. Through the program, these women have been further equipped to interpret, teach, and practice Scripture through courses like Old and New Testament, theology, ethics, and biblical interpretation. “This partnership with Southeastern was the key we didn’t know we were searching for,” noted Megan. “We often wonder what our training could have looked like if we would have had access to these courses at Southeastern when we launched.”
With 12 women enrolled in the pilot cohort of this partnership, MilSpo Co. has helped these women raise funds as they pursue training for ministry. Funding for these women not only offsets costs for their theological training but also makes it possible for them to consider training in the first place because of the
significant financial needs among military families.
Co-laboring with Megan even before MilSpo Co. launched, Catherine Wehrman was one of the first few women to start Southeastern’s GO Certificate program before MilSpo Co. decided to make the program a strategic part of training its cohorts. As a military spouse, Catherine shared Megan’s vision for discipling the military community and helped to fund the ministry even after she relocated to Washington state.
“I wanted to serve, so I asked, What is it that God wants me to do to serve the military community?”
recounted Catherine. “I found that one of the most valuable ways I could help from a distance was to fund MilSpo Co. — to donate, to send, to contribute to these efforts.”
No stranger to the dark realities of life in the military community, Catherine and her first husband divorced only a few years before he killed himself, leaving their five-year-old daughter, Brook Leona, without a father. The hurt and ugliness of her situation only further motivated Catherine to bring gospel hope and transformation to military families as a courageous supporter of MilSpo Co. When her father committed suicide, Brook became a gold star child, which meant she would be issued an annuity for the death of her father. Motivated, like her mother, to serve the military community, Brook wanted the money to have a gospel impact. She knew firsthand the heartache many military families face every day and she wanted to play a part in seeing military spouses trained to spread the message of eternal life in Jesus Christ. That is when Brook decided to donate $5,000 to help MilSpo
Co. launch its online training and community platform.
“Brook’s donation is not about Brook,” recounted Catherine. “This is about a moment of obedience. Brook obeyed the Lord’s direction and handed that money to God for him to redeem it.”
“Brook’s example of serving and supporting military missionaries keeps us motivated,” added Megan. “We have a thirteen-year-old warfighter in our midst who reminds us that God redeems and that he provides. This story is truly about beauty from ashes. God has turned this death money into life money.”
As an extension of their Great Commission partnership, Southeastern and MilSpo Co. launched the Brook Leona Mission Sending Student Aid Fund this year in honor of Brook’s generosity. Created to help military missionaries access Southeastern’s biblical and theological training, the student aid fund gives preference to women in the MilSpo Co. partnership and to military connected students at Southeastern.
Brook’s generosity represents dozens of other faithful donors like Stacey Morgan, a military spouse who donated $10,000 to fund the 2023 MilSpo Co. cohort, or others who have made it possible to launch the Brook Leona Fund at Southeastern. Grateful for this generosity, Megan shared that MilSpo Co. hopes to see the Brook Leona Fund fully endowed and to move beyond the certificate program to fund and send women through bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at Southeastern.
Southeastern shares this vision for training
students to fulfill the Great Commission and is excited to expand its efforts by equipping military spouses to reach military families.
“Southeastern is committed to make disciples of Jesus Christ, including among our military service men and women,” commented Akin. “By partnering with MilSpo Co., Southeastern desires to equip and strengthen military spouses to proclaim life in Christ and shine as lights in a culture of darkness and death.”
This ongoing partnership with MilSpo Co. enables Southeastern to offer biblical and theological training and ministry preparation to strategically positioned leaders stationed at military installations all around the world. Through this partnership, Southeastern hopes to see the Great Commission fulfilled among military communities worldwide as military spouses are equipped and mobilized to make disciples of all nations.
“Within this community lies the potential to kickstart the third Great Awakening,” noted Megan. “Do you want the gospel to go to every nation? The military community is already among the nations and on every continent. We move every two to four years, and we are master community builders. We are able to build an organic gospel movement, and Uncle Sam will fuel it as we are deployed. What we need is investment, care, and support. We need partners like Southeastern who see the potential and are here to resource us and help us train. We are so grateful to partner together with Southeastern as we equip military spouses to go as missionaries.”
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ALUMNI AND THEIR CHURCHES
or pastors and Southeastern alumni, Alex DiPrima and Eli Byrd, their connection with Southeastern not only shaped them as pastors and as disciples of Jesus but also continues to strengthen their local churches by offering training for the whole congregation.
When Alex graduated from Southeastern in 2015 with an MDiv in Christian ministry, he knew he wanted to continue into Southeastern’s PhD program because of the deep spiritual formation and community he had already experienced there. Mentored by professors, encouraged by classmates, and challenged by his reading and assignments, Alex received rigorous biblical and theological training while developing a network of lasting friends and ministry partners.
“From my time at Southeastern, the professors, books, and classes are now a part of me and have helped to shape me into the pastor that I am today,” recalled Alex. “My years at Southeastern were years of tremendous growth in my understanding of the Bible, church history, and Christian theology. Through Southeastern, I developed a network of friends, mentors, and ministry partners who I still communicate with on a regular basis and who have enriched my ministry immensely.”
As Alex grew in community at Southeastern, his passion for local church ministry only deepened. Called to pastor, Alex was encouraged in his calling by Southeastern’s heart for theological training and formation in the context of the local church.
When God opened a door for him to plant a church in 2017, Alex was well-equipped to leverage his train-
ing in service of the Church and its mission. Planting Emmanuel Church in nearby Winston-Salem, Alex, his wife Jenna, and a small core team have watched God grow the church spiritually and numerically to more than two hundred members who are having a fruitful gospel impact on the surrounding area.
During these early days of ministry, Alex forged a vital connection between Southeastern and Emmanuel Church, inviting his professors to preach at Emmanuel while also encouraging members to receive training at Southeastern and attend Southeastern conferences and events to supplement the church’s discipleship efforts. Due to their proximity to Southeastern, many of Emmanuel Church’s staff and members have been enriched by Southeastern’s training and resources.
“Southeastern is invested in our church, which has been a great gift,” commented Alex. “Southeastern professors come out to preach to our congregation, Southeastern sponsors our annual pastors conference, and church members have pursued ministerial training at Southeastern or have at-
ALEX AND NATHAN FINN, FORMER SOUTHEASTERN PROFESSOR, NOW PROVOST OF NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITYtended one of Southeastern’s many conferences.”
In God’s providence, what began as an investment in one student has flourished into a vibrant relationship with an entire congregation. Even after Alex graduated with his PhD in historical theology, Southeastern remained closely connected to Emmanuel Church. As this relationship has grown over the years, Alex is grateful for the ways Southeastern equips his congregation and encourages them to prioritize the Great Commission.
“The vision Southeastern gave me to fulfill the Great Commission is being worked out now in the life of our local church,” noted Alex. “Southeastern has resourced our church to fulfill the Great Commission through tremendous seminary education that at least a half dozen in our church have benefitted from personally. Moreover, the many conferences and events Southeastern offers have provided me with a great resource for my church members to get infused with a Great Commission DNA. I am forever indebted to Southeastern.”
This Great Commission partnership between Southeastern and the local church embodies exactly what Alex loves most about Southeastern’s mission: Southeastern exists to serve the Church and its mission.
“The next generation of pastors need the influence of a healthy local church most and only secondarily the influence of a good seminary,” noted Alex. “The best seminaries understand they exist to serve the church, pushing students toward their local churches and toward their elders and promoting theological education within the framework of robust church involvement. That is exactly what Southeastern does.”
For Eli, a pastor at First Baptist Church (FBC) Douglasville, Georgia, this heart for serving the Church is also what he loves most about Southeastern and is part of the culture that deeply shaped him during his time at Southeastern. When Eli moved to Southeastern in 2014
for his MDiv in Christian ministry, the community he, his wife Julie, and their kids experienced at Southeastern prepared them to invest deeply in the local church.
“When we arrived at Southeastern, we were welcomed into a loving, family-like atmosphere,” recounted Eli. “Being on campus and living in campus housing gave my family a vision for what gospel-centered community and discipleship look like. That vision stuck with us, and we brought that to FBC Douglasville.”
After graduating in 2020, Eli eagerly continued at Southeastern to pursue his EdD, desiring to be further equipped to invest in the community of the local church. The lessons he learned in the classroom helped to reinforce that emphasis on discipleship in the local church and prepared him to leverage his training for ministry.
“The training I received in the MDiv program and in the EdD program has prepared me well to teach the word with the heart of Jesus,” noted Eli. “The EdD program has convinced me that education and discipleship are synonymous. Teaching is not simply the dispensing of information; it is transformative in nature. This lesson has helped prepare me to teach in the local church.”
When he and his family moved to FBC Douglasville, Eli not only began to apply what he learned during his time at Southeastern but also helped the church establish a training partnership with Southeastern.
In 2022, FBC Douglasville became a participating church in Southeastern’s Equip network — a program designed to partner with local churches in providing biblical, theological, and ministerial training for students in the context of the local church. For Eli, this Equip partnership has become a strategic supplement to the leadership training process at FBC Douglasville. Now members and leaders at FBC Douglasville are receiving seminary-level theological training alongside intentional mentoring from pastors in their local church.
“We started this partnership last summer as Tim Akin, our senior pastor, mentored a pastoral intern through the Equip program,” recalled Eli. “This helped us birth a leadership development process at FBC Douglasville, creating opportunities for ministry practice that our student pastor Landon Moss deeply loves and would say was a pivotal growth moment for him. Since last summer, we were able to bring in our ministry assistant with students and worship, Montana Fincher, into the program. I could not be prouder of their growth and leadership in the church and of how they lead our students to grow in love with Jesus and each other. The Equip program had a significant part to play in that.”
Eli is grateful for how Southeastern’s Equip program embodies the institution’s vision for serving the Church, equipping students to lead local churches and partnering with them to see congregations be deeply discipled and trained for ministry. For Eli, this in-context training is ideal because it maximizes opportunities for discipleship in the local church and embraces its role as a servant of the Church and its mission.
“I am so grateful Southeastern has found a way for churches to disciple their leaders in-house,” added Eli. “These leaders can be mentored and educated in their local church and raised to leadership positions there or sent out to either start a new work or help with an existing church to further the Great Commission. Through Equip, students can gain a solid theological education and immediately put that theology into practice in the local church. The partnership we enjoy with Southeastern is truly a blessing.”
Southeastern’s investment in the Church extends well beyond the classroom and involves intentional training partnerships with local churches all around the world. Through connections with alumni and the Equip network, Southeastern is helping local church leaders disciple their congregations and prioritize the Great Commission.
SCAN HERE OR VISIT SEBTS.EDU/EQUIP TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EQUIP NETWORK AND HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN BECOME A PARTNER
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.
Southeastern received $7.3 million last year
because of Southern Baptist churches like yours committed to bringing good news to the whole world.
www.sbc.net/cp
Spurgeon and the Poor: How the Gospel Compels Christian Social Concern
February 2023
Alex DiPrima, PhD Historical Theology (2020)
DMIN
Jesus and Disability: A Guide to Creating an Inclusive Church
July 2022
Chris Hulshof, DMin Pastoral Ministry (2020)
Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones
September 2022
Ryan Martin, DMin Pastoral Ministry (2019)
EDD
Digital Dominion
August 2022
Jeff Mingee, EdD Christian Education (2022)
“Holding the Rope” lays out a biblical framework for missionary care; helps reestablish the local church’s place in sending and supporting; gives valuable insight from the field, the agency, and the church on how to partner well together; and provides practical application for developing a pre-field, on-field, and post-field missionary care strategy. Sending doesn’t stop at the commissioning service — it is fostered and continues through faithful missionary care. The Church must hold the rope and not let go!
Having served in the local church for over a decade, I sensed a growing desire to sharpen my skill set and meet a very practical need within my ministry context. I chose to study at Southeastern for two reasons — first, Southeastern has a passionate commitment to equip students to fulfill the Great Commission within the Church and among the nations. Second, I also have a front row seat to the seminary as a member of the Board of Trustees and see this heartbeat of ‘going’ in every corner of the campus and among the faculty and students. At the time I began my DMin studies in 2020, I was serving in the local church as a missions pastor and saw the importance of missionary care in the sending and supporting of our missionaries. I noted where churches may see sending missionaries as the finish line and not the starting point of a partnership. This leads many churches to be under-equipped or leaning on the mission agency to provide missionary care. Within the church I served, we were sending, supporting, and receiving a number of our own members, who at each stage needed adequate care from their sending church. I wanted to develop a strategy, through my DMin studies, that would help equip the local church to take the lead role in providing pre-field, on-field, and post-field care. Since graduating in 2022, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to publish my DMin project into a resource that churches are utilizing to care for their sent ones — “Holding the Rope: How The Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones.”
The best part of my time as a DMin student at SEBTS was being able to study alongside other pastors and ministry leaders in a similar degree concentration, and sharpen one another in the classroom and within our own ministry contexts. We developed a camaraderie that built lasting friendships in ministry. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed learning from the faculty who have and are still serving the local church, and some who had previously
Ryan Martin, DMin Pastoral Ministry
served on the mission field. Having professors who are also practitioners brought keen insight to the classroom. This was most clearly felt through my mentorship under Dr. Greg Mathias, who walked each step of the way with me in my studies and writing. He provided great insight and feedback as I developed a strategy for missionary care within the local church, as he and his wife previously served in the Middle East.
If you are considering a DMin, let me encourage you to strongly consider Southeastern. From the focus of each seminar, the friendships built in the classroom, the guided mentorship of professors, and the Great Commission passion that undergirds it all, the DMin program helps ministers thrive and be strengthened in their ministries. I am proud to be a part of the Southeastern family and will continue to GO and equip the local church to hold the rope for its sent ones!
The Doctor of Ministry Program helps students thrive and be strengthened in their ministries.
“A Handbook of Theology” is a thorough yet accessible survey of important topics related to the classic disciplines of theology (systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology, etc.) for the doctrinal and spiritual formation of the Church. Offering a biblically driven introduction to the study of theology, “A Handbook of Theology” features contributions from more than 40 respected evangelical scholars including Southeastern faculty: Daniel L. Akin, John S. Hammett, Stephen B. Eccher, Christy Thornton, Kenneth D. Keathley, Chuck Lawless, Walter R. Strickland II, & Mark D. Liederbach.
Daniel L. Akin, David S. Dockery, Nathan A. Finn, Editors
January 2023
Angry With God: An Honest Journey Through Suffering and Betrayal
Brad Hambrick
September 2022
Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership
Scott Pace & Shane Pruitt
November 2022
The Potential and Power of Prayer: How to Unleash the Praying Church
Chuck Lawless
August 2022
United to Christ, Walking in the Spirit: A Theology of Ephesians
Benjamin Merkle
August 2022
Disciple: How to Create a Community that Develops Passionate and Healthy Followers of Jesus
Chuck Lawless
November 2022
Empowered and Equipped: Bible Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures
Julia B. Higgins
November 2022
Daniel R. Heimbach
November 2022
Southern Baptists Re-Observed: Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Politics
Keith Harper, Editor
November 2022
Beginnings Study Guide: The Story of How All Things were Made by God and for God
Matt Rogers & Aaron Coe
December 2022
Matthew: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary
Charles L. Quarles
January 2023
Transformational Teaching: Instructional Design for Christian Educators
Ken Coley, Deborah L. MacCullough, Martha E. MacCullough
February 2023
Great Thinkers: Alvin Plantinga
Greg Welty
March 2023
The Southeastern Theological Review is full of top-notch evangelical scholarship on Scripture and theology, as well as book reviews of significant current titles.
Read or download your copy at southeasternreview.com
The Great Commission is at the heart of the mission of Southeastern Seminary, and it is a call that is not limited to any one group or individual. It is a mandate given by Jesus Christ to all his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything he commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
The task of making disciples is not an easy one. It requires a concerted effort and partnership between individuals, churches, and organizations to make it a reality.
We recognize the importance of Great Commission partnerships in fulfilling the call to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. These partnerships bring together different groups and individuals who share a common goal and vision of one day seeing worshipers from every tribe, nation, tongue, and people (Revelation 7:9).
In the Southern Baptist Convention, we recognize a cooperative effort to call, train, and send to the harvest fields. Churches disciple their congregants, affirm their calling to ministry, and send them to schools like Southeastern for training and mobilization through local churches and sending agencies.
At Southeastern, we recognize that we can’t see the Great Commission fulfilled without gospel partners who embody the same Great Commission vision. These partnerships provide opportunities for Southeastern students to share experiences and insights and grow in their understanding of God and his mission for them.
I often reflect on the countless graduates serving churches, associations, conventions, and other entities to advance the kingdom of God worldwide. Our Lord is honored when we work together to tell the good news and make disciples of King Jesus.
I believe that Great Commission partnerships are vital to the mission of Southeastern and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. These partnerships enable the Southeastern community to work with other organizations to reach more people, provide support and encouragement, learn from others, and proclaim the message of salvation to the ends of the earth. At Southeastern, we offer many opportunities to engage in Great Commission partnerships in our local communities and beyond. By joining with other believers, we can significantly impact the kingdom of God and fulfill the call to go and make disciples.
My prayer for you is like the apostle Paul’s prayer for the church at Philippi: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6).
Jonathan Six, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
In the 2022-2023 school year, over 115 Southeastern students went on nine mission trips through the Center for Great Commission Studies.
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.
Southeastern Society Members since 2018 GLENN - MA in Christian Studies (2020), current DMin student PATTI - MA in Biblical Counseling (2006), DMin Counseling (2019)
We know one thing — Southeastern has laid the foundations for us. It has given us the education we need, it has challenged us spiritually, and it continues to put things in front of us that allow us to expand God’s kingdom.
We will support Southeastern because there are hundreds and thousands of other people like us who need to come here and who need to get what we got. They need to prepare themselves.
– GLENN & PATTI STEEN –
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 as they heed God's call to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.
Join by giving $1,000 or more annually to fund the work of training gospel-ready servants for Christ. For more information or to become a member, contact Drew Davis at ddavis@sebts.edu.
