Part 2: The Great Commission of Christ Establishes the Work
THE GREAT COMMISSION OF CHRIST ESTABLISHES THE WORK
WE PREPARE SERVANTS TO WALK WITH CHRIST, PROCLAIM HIS TRUTH, AND FULFILL HIS MISSION.
THE GREAT COMMISSION
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
ALL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES ARE FROM THE CSB TRANSLATION.
SERVANTHOOD Preparing Servants
God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands — establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)
SERVANT LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP
“Brothers and sisters, if we are anything as Christians, we are supposed to be servants. We are supposed to be people who take up the towel and basin and serve not just each other but the broken of this world and there in the darkest places, shine the light of Jesus.”
- Taken from Dr. Jamie Dew’s report to messengers of the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention. https://nobts.news/alumni2023
Award: Herschel H. Hobbs Award for Distinguished Denominational Service to Dr. James "Jamie" K. Dew, June 14, 2023.
Publication: James K. Dew, Let This Mind be in You: Exploring God’s Call to Servanthood (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2023).
WE SEND OUT SERVANTS
PRESIDENT DEW SAID, “WE CHALLENGE OUR STUDENTS TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND GO OUT THERE; GO INTO THE BROKENNESS AND INTO THE DARKNESS AND FOLLOW JESUS THERE AND DO THE KIND OF THINGS HE WOULD BE DOING!”
Once a semester, all classes are cancelled and all offices are closed so that students, faculty, and staff can go out into New Orleans to meet physical and spiritual needs by practically serving our neighborhoods and sharing the gospel.
Since 2022 there have been more than 1,000 participants for Serve Days.
Every semester there have been at least three new professions of faith!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://nobts.news/serve2022
One NOBTS staff member said, “It is a part of who we are — we are servants and we are preparing servants.”
One NOBTS trustee who participated said, “I saw God use the NOBTS students as His hands and feet.”
WE EQUIP OTHERS TO SERVE
JUST AS EACH ONE HAS RECEIVED A GIFT, USE IT TO SERVE OTHERS, AS GOOD STEWARDS OF THE VARIED GRACE OF GOD. (1 PETER 4:10)
Pastors, staff members, lay leaders, and students are equipped for ministry through ANNUAL CONFERENCES designed to meet specific needs.
TO DEFEND THE FAITHTHE DEFEND CONFERENCE
“Defend helps me to articulate my faith to both believers and non-believers, especially in the public square. Christianity is based on faith and supported by reason. My Christian faith is the most logical part of my existence. I am so thankful that Louisiana Baptists support programs such as this that strengthen and enrich my faith.” - ATTENDEE JAY MCCALLUM | ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT AND MEMBER OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, FARMERVILLE, LOUISIANA
TO ABIDE WITH CHRISTTHE ABIDE WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
“This conference truly meets a need for women. The women who come each year are hungry to know God and to be like Him. We count it such an honor to serve them, to encourage and equip them, and then to send them back out into their churches and communities.” - DR. TARA
DEW | WIFE OF PRESIDENT JAMIE DEW
“The rich teaching and fellowship I experienced at Abide were refreshing for my soul. Learning about God’s Word and worshipping together with 1,200 other women felt like a small taste of Heaven. It was deeply encouraging in my walk with the Lord.” -
HANNAH H. | STUDENT
TO OPEN EYESTHE ABRE MIS OJOS (Open My Eyes) CONFERENCE
“My prayer and desire is that Abre Mis Ojos matures and grows to be an annual meeting not to be missed for the Hispanic community in the southern United States, where both children and adults find an intense and refreshing strengthening of their faith.” - FABIO CASTELLANOS
| NOBTS DIRECTOR OF SPANISH ONLINE EDUCATION AND CONFERENCE
WE PREPARE WOMEN & FAMILIES TO SERVE
80% OF MINISTRY SPOUSES FEEL LEFT OUT AND UNAPPRECIATED IN THEIR CHURCH (https://www.soulshepherding.org>pastors-under-stress)
51% OF WOMEN IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP ARE AT HIGH RISK OF BURNOUT (https://www.wnccumc.org/resourcedetail/5-shocking-realitiesabout-the-real-state-of-pastor-burnout-17392915)
Women serve in various ministry capacities in churches, whether in paid or unpaid positions. Many of these women desire theological education but cannot financially afford to be educated. For example, single students must support themselves while paying for tuition, fees, and lodging. Additionally, married women often choose to place their husband’s or children’s needs before their own. Therefore, even though women serve in Kingdom ministries, they do so without theological education.
Tara Dew, adjunct professor of ministry to women and wife of NOBTS and Leavell College President Jamie Dew, said, “If a woman is sensing God’s call to ministry leadership, we desire to ‘Prepare Her’ here.”
We serve our 31% female student population in several ways.
THRIVE /THRIVE+ PROGRAMS
Thrive is a Ministry Wives Certificate that prepares women for gospel ministry in their families, churches, and communities. Two generous endowments honoring Ann Allen and Mary French aim to provide full cost of tuition and childcare for wives of current students to be trained for ministry and missions alongside their spouses.
In the first year of THRIVE (2020), our student enrollment was 45 students. As of 2024-25, there are 120 students, a 166% increase!
“I 100% recommend Thrive! I went through this program at the same time I was getting my masters from NOBTS. Experiencing both really allowed me to see how good the Thrive classes are. It’s something I desperately wish every ministry wife could be a part of.”
- RACHEL P.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.prepareher.com
WOMEN’S AUXILIARY
A network of women whose concern is equipping female students by raising money for the Wanda Gregg Women’s Auxiliary Endowed Scholarship. Board members of the auxiliary updated the eligibility to include all qualified female students,, whether married or single. These changes address increasing enrollment trends at NOBTS & Leavell College.
“I hope to use my education to help equip women and the church through teaching and writing. I am grateful to be at a place like NOBTS that is passionate about equipping the whole family to be servants of Christ. And I am grateful for women like you who are helping in the mission.” - BROOKE C. | RECIPIENT OF WOMEN’S AUXILIARY SCHOLARSHIP
WE SERVE OTHERS IN NEED
HE COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR AFFLICTION, SO THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN ANY KIND OF AFFLICTION, THROUGH THE COMFORT WE OURSELVES RECEIVE FROM GOD. FOR JUST AS THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST OVERFLOW TO US, SO ALSO THROUGH CHRIST OUR COMFORT OVERFLOWS. (2 CORINTHIANS 1: 4-5)
Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States. More than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness. (https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth)
Studies suggest that pastors in the US face even higher levels of mental and emotional distress than the general public. (Google psychological statistics on pastors in the US)
70% of pastors constantly fight depression. (https://www.soulshepherding.org>pastors-under-stress)
THE
LEEKE MAGEE CHRISTIAN COUNSELING CENTER (LMCCC)
The LMCCC on the NOBTS campus provides individual, marital, and family counseling services for the NOBTS family, local affiliate ministries, and the greater New Orleans community. The LMCCC has provided more than 10,500 hours of free counseling and more than $109,000 worth of free counseling for NOBTS students, families, and faculty since 2022.
MORE HERE: https://nobts.info/lmccc
DEVOTION Walking with Christ
AND LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER IN ORDER TO PROVOKE LOVE AND GOOD WORKS, NOT NEGLECTING TO GATHER TOGETHER, AS SOME ARE IN THE HABIT OF DOING, BUT ENCOURAGING EACH OTHER, AND ALL THE MORE AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING. (HEBREWS 10:24-25)
President Dew often says that the most important thing we will do every day is seek the Lord. He is committed to cultivating an environment on campus where devotion is fundamental to student spiritual formation. With the guidance of Dr. Thomas Strong, Vice President of Spiritual Formation and Student Life, our students are constantly encouraged to grow in Christ by attending weekly chapel services.
WE WORSHIP GOD TOGETHER
Roland Q. Leavell Chapel does not host Sunday services. Instead, we offer a dedicated space every Tuesday and Thursday for students, faculty, and staff to worship God together. This time is vital in allowing God to replenish their spirits as they continue to serve the local church.
FOR MORE INFO ON CHAPEL: http://www.nobts.edu/chapel
In 1958, Acting NOBTS President J. Wash Watts presided at the dedication of the Roland Q. Leavell Chapel and said, “As this spire shall point above, and as speakers will come and as faculty members will occupy the pulpit in the chapel, their challenge and their message and their urge will be onward, upward, and Godward,” Vision, April 1958, p.3.
WE SERVE THE LOCAL CHURCH
Students and faculty serve at more than 90 of the 115 Southern Baptist churches in the greater New Orleans area.
48% (32) of the full-time administrators and faculty of NOBTS and Leavell College actively engage in a local church or ministry, boasting an average of over twenty years of experience.
17 ministry-based faculty commit to teach 12 hours annually for NOBTS and Leavell College while normally serving in another ministry.
Students not only focus on rigorous theological study, but also the practical hands-on experience of answering God’s call to participate in the work of the local church and its ministries.
59% of students who graduated Spring 2023 were already serving in a vocational ministry position.
87% of students, on average, are in paid employment ministry or volunteer in ministry upon graduation.
*Data is drawn from a Graduating Student Questionnaire taken at graduation by Institutional Effectiveness.
WE LIVE LIFE AS A COMMUNITY
(ONE FAMILY)
THAT THE MEMBERS WOULD HAVE THE SAME CONCERN FOR EACH OTHER. SO IF ONE MEMBER SUFFERS, ALL THE MEMBERS SUFFER WITH IT; IF ONE MEMBER IS HONORED, ALL THE MEMBERS REJOICE WITH IT. NOW YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF IT. (I CORINTHIANS 12:25-27)
FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENTS
LIVE IN COMMUNITY
NOBTS was established on the founding principle, “training for service by training through service”. As God called servants to move to New Orleans, the seminary sought to provide ways to support the prohibitive expenses of living in the city. Therefore, faculty homes and staff apartments were built as a way to live and serve here together. This communal way of living still provides a unique “neighborhood community” for administrators, faculty, staff, and students alike.
STUDENTS HAVE COMMUNITYTHE HOUSE SYSTEM
The House System at Leavell College bridges classroom learning with real-world application by connecting academics, discipleship, fellowship, missions, and ministry. Students are placed in one of three houses named for historic Christian leaders who exemplify the values listed in the school’s mission statement.
Rebekah Callahan (Assistant Dean of Students | Student Life) said, “I want to see students leave Leavell College with lifelong friendships, ministry partnerships, and a deep love for Jesus, His church, and the community around them. I want students to feel prepared and ready to go wherever the Lord calls them.”
” FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOUSE SYSTEM: https://leavell.info/housesystem
PROCLAMATION Proclaiming His Truth
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS ON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR. (LUKE 4:18-19)
OUR PRESIDENT JAMIE DEW SAID, “WE HAVE BEEN, AND WE ARE, A SCHOOL OF PROCLAMATION!”
WE TRAIN PASTORS & CHURCH STAFF
20-25% OF CHURCHES IN LA, MS AND AL DO NOT HAVE PASTORS (Three state conventions).
Nearly 4 out of 5 (79%) pastors agree that “churches aren’t rising to their responsibilities to train up the next generation of Christian leaders” (From The Barna Group research and surveys 2023).
80% WILL NOT BE PASTORS IN TEN YEARS (The Forward of Strategic Church Revitalization, p. 13). WE CULTIVATE CHURCH
LEADERS
75% OF PASTORS REPORT BEING “EXTREMELY STRESSED” OR “HIGHLY STRESSED”
90% OF PASTORS WORK BETWEEN 55 TO 75 HOURS PER WEEK
90% OF PASTORS FEEL FATIGUED AND WORN OUT EVERY WEEK (https://www.soulshepherding.org>pastors-under-stress)
50% OF CURRENT PASTORS WILL NOT BE IN MINISTRY IN FIVE YEARS
“In Luke 4:43, Jesus declared: ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’ At NOBTS, we want to be careful to focus on the aspects of ministry that Jesus would have us focus on. Jesus emphasized the ministry of proclamation; therefore, we must emphasize the ministry of proclamation. Our students are exposed to material that will encourage them to take proclamation seriously while also equipping them in the practical application of the ministry of proclamation.”
- DR. BLAKE NEWSOM | DIRECTOR OF THE CASKEY CENTER
The Caskey Center trains students to share the gospel weekly and provides scholarships so students have the financial freedom to serve on church staffs and engage in intentional evangelism while in seminary. The focus is on pastors and ministry staff members of normative size churches in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi (approximately 90% of the churches in each state).
Evangelism and gospel conversations are a major emphasis of the Caskey scholarship program. Students and faculty have shared the gospel more than 77,000 times, and have led more than 9,000 people to faith in Jesus Christ since 2014.
During the 2024 Spring semester – there were 6,201 gospel conversations and 623 professions of faith – the highest number of professions of faith in a semester!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nobts.edu/caskeycenter/
Shane S., a Caskey Center scholarship recipient who pastors a small church in a town in Alabama, shared that as he is utilizing what he is learning at seminary, his church has grown from about 55 in attendance to around 180!
THE JIM HENRY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
The Jim Henry Leadership Institute provides an intentional impact and influence on present and future ministry leaders, with the purpose of increasing pastoral tenure and reducing the pastoral dropout rate.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nobts.edu/henryinstitute/
“Leadership is always tough, but it is especially difficult right now. As such we are thankful to partner with Jim Henry to strengthen our current and future leaders in SBC work,” said Jamie Dew, President of NOBTS and Leavell College. “This institute allows us to cultivate the next generation of leaders while also encouraging those who are already leading.”
“It’s a great opportunity for the gospel but it is a difficult time. I’ve been in this over 60 years and it’s probably the most challenging time to minister in my lifetime. But it’s also the best time for the light to shine. The darkness is getting darker, but the light can shine brighter.” -
JIM HENRY | NOBTS GRADUATE AND LONGTIME SOUTHERN BAPTIST PASTOR
WE TRAIN MINISTERS IN PRISONS
REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON, AS THOUGH YOU WERE IN PRISON WITH THEM, AND THE MISTREATED, AS THOUGH YOU YOURSELVES WERE SUFFERING BODILY. (HEBREWS 13:3)
NOBTS & LEAVELL COLLEGE HAVE BEEN NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES (https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/ bible-college-helps-some-at-louisiana-prison-find-peace.html) for providing the largest prison seminary program in the United States to allow inmates to be trained to be ministers to their peers. Accredited theological education (undergraduate and some graduate) is offered at 6 prisons across 4 states; Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.
Prisons are filled with people who desperately need to hear the gospel and to be discipled. The good news is that while they may be walled off from society, by God’s grace, they are not walled off from the gospel. God has raised up believers from among their fellow inmates, who are dedicated to sharing the gospel. They are ready to go, but they need to be equipped to lead and start churches within the prison walls.
“Our students are sharing the gospel, preaching, leading Bible studies, and providing pastoral care. Our students are reaching incarcerated people in a way that no one else can. They eat, sleep, and live alongside their fellow inmates, carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ every step of the way. Lives are being changed as a result of their work.”
- DR. BEN BROWNING | DIRECTOR OF
PRISON PROGRAMS, NOBTS
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PRISON MINISTRY:
Prisoners to pastors: Former inmates share journeys with NOBTS students • Biblical Recorder (brnow.org)
http://nobts.news/prisonministry
WE PLANT CHURCHES
11,000
– the number of new churches that Southern Baptists have planted since 2010. As the demographics of North America shift and the population grows, we need missionaries now more than ever who engage their cities with the gospel, make disciples, and plant new churches in cities and towns all across the continent.” (namb.net)
According to estimates from Lifeway research, over the last several years, more churches have closed than are started in a year. We must establish new churches because they have a higher percentage of reaching and baptizing people for Christ compared to established ones.
52 NOBTS alumni are currently endorsed as Lead Church Planters with the North American Mission Board (NAMB)’s Send Network. Through Send Network, we seek to help churches start churches everywhere in our city for everyone. Currently, we have over 20 new churches in New Orleans that have just reached their five-year anniversary.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nobts.edu/namb-center/
Fulfilling His Mission
THE HARVEST IS ABUNDANT, BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW. THEREFORE, PRAY TO THE LORD OF THE HARVEST TO SEND OUT WORKERS INTO THE HARVEST. (LUKE 10:2).
WE SEND OUT MISSIONARIES
People need to KNOW JESUS!
The International Mission Board (IMB) reminds us that:
4.5 BILLION PEOPLE 155,000
– It is estimated that 4.5 Billion people around the world have never heard of Jesus.
die every day without knowing Christ
AT LEAST 500 NEW MISSIONARIES ARE NEEDED EVERY YEAR TO DO THEIR WORK AND MEET THESE NEEDS (IMB.ORG).
WE SEND OUT MISSIONARIES LOCALLY & NATIONALLY
The North American Mission Board (NAMB)’s partnership with NOBTS is unique! We are the only seminary that has a North American Mission Board (NAMB) presence on their campus, which shows the emphasis we place on missions. There is no better place to learn and do missions than New Orleans! Students who come to NOBTS will be trained in a postChristian and cross-cultural context while serving alongside some of the best church planting practitioners in North America. Students trained and equipped for church planting in New Orleans can plant churches anywhere in the world. That’s why we say, ‘Prepare Here – Serve Anywhere!’ FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nobts.edu/namb-center/
WE SEND OUT MISSIONARIES GLOBALLY
59% of the world’s population is considered unreached by the gospel. (IMB Research; https://www.imb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ASR-2023-Global-Presentation.pdf)
The Global Mission Center – NOBTS was established in 1917 with the dream of Southern Baptists reaching the city of New Orleans and establishing a missionary training school. The Global Mission Center carries out that vision by helping train our students to advance God’s mission. Preparing here equips you to serve anywhere the Lord may send you. Our desire is for our students, faculty, and staff to take the gospel from the parishes to all peoples through mission trips. Preparing here equips you to serve anywhere the Lord may send you.
“At the end of our journey, we debriefed with the IMB missionaries. We tabulated that our team had shared the gospel 166 times with 31 different ethnic groups speaking over 25 different heart languages. What a tremendous picture of how God can use a small group of believers in a short amount of time.”
- DR. GREG MATHIAS THE DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL MISSION CENTER & LEADER OF SOUTH AFRICA MISSION TRIP
Recent mission trips: Seven faculty/staff members led 49 students on mission trips to London, Southeast Asia, Cuba, and Clarkston, GA in 2023. Mission trips to South Africa, North Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia (Island), and Southeast Asia (City) have also been planned and executed for 2024
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://nobts.info/gmc
A THOUSAND THANK YOUS TO OUR DONORSthe denomination, the Foundation Board, alumni, and friends!
Without you, we would not be able to carry out our mission to meet the call of the Great Commission in New Orleans for 107 years through World Wars, the Great Depression, epidemics, national unrest and religious decline, The Great Recession, A Global Pandemic, and numerous hurricanes. We have been and continue to be a school of Providence and Prayer!
“I am truly grateful to receive your cheerful generosity. Your financial gift makes it possible for me to continue my seminary education. My goal is to become a better servant, increasingly equipped and enlightened to serve the local church.”
- MASTER OF DIVINITY STUDENT
“Thank you so much for allowing God to work through you! Without you, I would not be able to pursue Christ at NOBTS. You are helping develop me so that I can win souls to Christ, and I am forever in debt to you! I pray that I prove to be a good investment in kingdom building.”
