a letter from the president
uring a mission trip in the summer of 1977, I walked into an old-fashioned revival meeting in Sells, Arizona. I remember it was as hot as an oven that summer, and that night was no exception. But what I remember more distinctly was that God called me into the ministry that night. God blessed his word, as he promises to do, and used the simple words of the evangelist Keith Fordham to change the course of my life. I like to think that the ministry God has blessed me with is, in part, the
Great Commission legacy of that revival preacher. Further, I could tell story after story of other men and women God used to nurture my faith, to correct and mentor me, and to give me opportunities to preach and teach his word. My life and my service at Southeastern are part of their Great Commission legacy, and their legacy extends to those God has allowed me to lead or teach over the past 48 years of ministry. We will all leave a legacy. Will yours be a Great Commission legacy? I pray that mine will be. I believe this concern was on Paul’s heart when he gave his final charge to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-38. During his second and third missionary journeys, Paul had shared with the
Ephesians the message of “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus” (v. 21 CSB), “preaching the kingdom” (v. 25) and “declaring to [them] the whole plan of God” (v. 27). As a spiritual father to them, Paul had watched their spiritual growth firsthand and had heard reports of their ministry in the region. They had become a part of his Great Commission legacy. But as he said farewell to them for what he believed to be the last time, he also knew he had one final lesson to model for them and us: the priority of the Great Commission. He writes, “But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace” (v. 24). For the Ephesian elders,
this would have been the culmination of Paul’s Great Commission legacy: his surrender to the mission until King Jesus called him home. What an amazing legacy! Our problem today is that we often count our lives — and not the Great Commission — as precious to us. We enjoy our comforts; we fill our calendars; we occupy ourselves with many good things while King Jesus’s mission for his Church remains neglected and unfulfilled. My prayer is that you and I would count the Great Commission as precious. My prayer is that God would free us from the all-consuming self-concerns that dominate our age and that he would fill our hearts with an unyielding resolve to “testify to the gospel of God’s grace” wherever he sends us. As most of you know by now, I announced my retirement plans in October, which means this academic year will be my last as president of Southeastern. The past 21 years for Charlotte and me have been some of the sweetest days of our lives. We are humbled and grateful that God allowed us to serve our beloved Southeastern family and have a front-row seat to all that God has done and continues to do through our students, staff, faculty, and alumni. I will always cherish these memories and the privilege I have had to lead this school. I have eight more months to finish this leg of my race, and after I retire in July, I plan to teach and stay connected with Southeastern for years to come. It is my heart’s desire to continue championing King Jesus’s Great Commission not only until I retire but also until my Savior brings me home. I want my legacy to be a Great Commission legacy, and I don’t want my fire for missions to flame out in retirement. I want your legacy to be a Great Commission legacy, and I want to do all that I can in my final months as president and throughout my retirement to encourage you, your church, and the other churches of our convention to count the Great Commission as precious. This is the heartbeat of Southeastern and the challenge we keep in front of every student God sends us. That’s one
of the reasons why I love this place and am confident and excited about its future. We take the mission seriously, not ourselves. That has made this a joyful, winsome place where we keep the main thing the main thing. I think you will find the stories enclosed in this magazine are clear illustrations of this. Thank you for being a part of the mission and for sharing Southeastern’s heart for the Great Commission. We could not do what we do without you. I have every confidence in the direction of Southeastern because God is clearly at work and because people like you are praying and invested in the mission of this school. Thank you for making the last 21 years a sweet joy for Charlotte and me. Thank you for praying for us. We are praying for you too, asking God to keep your hearts fixed on him and his Great Commission until King Jesus returns. Only one life ‘twill soon be passed Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Danny Akin, President
President Danny Akin announces his retirement On Tuesday, October 14, President Danny Akin announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. His official retirement date is July 31, 2026. Akin, Southeastern’s longest-serving president, made the heartfelt announcement privately in meetings the day before and then publicly in chapel during the Board of Trustees’ annual fall visit. Reflecting on more than 21 years as president, Akin read his retirement letter to those in attendance, acknowledging his gratitude to the Lord and to the Southeastern family while also expressing confidence in the direction and leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) East Coast seminary. In an earlier interview, Akin similarly noted, “The past two decades have truly been blessed years by our Lord for Southeastern Seminary and Judson College. For Charlotte and me these have been years of joy and thanksgiving. We have loved every minute of our time here. We have seen God grow our student body, strengthen our faculty, expand our giving base, and deepen our vision and commitment to theological fidelity and Great Commission passion.” For Akin, this announcement comes at the right time for his family and for the seminary to which he has devoted much of his life: “Charlotte and I have prayed 2
Story by SEBTS Staff
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this matter through and talked with family and friends. We are convinced the time is right for us and the school. We are at perfect peace in our decision. The college and seminary are healthy and thriving, and I believe the best days are ahead for this Great Commission juggernaut!” At the time of his retirement, Akin will have faithfully served Southeastern for 22 years, leading the institution to not only years of record enrollment and charitable giving but also a reputation as the Great Commission seminary of the SBC. As president, Akin has championed Jesus’s final marching orders and helped to cement Southeastern’s Great Commission approach to theological education. He has done so by challenging students to ask the question, “Not, why should I go? But why should I stay?” and by solidifying the institution’s confessional foundation around four essential statements, contending that biblical doctrine fuels missions. For Provost Scott Pace, these core commitments and missional fervor are what define Akin’s impact on Southeastern and the SBC and are what will ensure the seminary’s bright future: “I’m excited about the future of Southeastern because Dr. Akin’s legacy and leadership have not been built on his personality or accomplishments. He has cultivated an environment based on the timeless truths of Scripture and God’s ultimate mission to make disciples of all nations. These are enduring pillars that provide a stable foundation for the future and will allow us to continue to grow as we remain faithful to God’s word, the local church, and the Great Commission.” For Executive Vice President Ryan Hutchinson, Akin’s legacy and impact are illustrated well by the mission statement Akin simplified a few years into his presidency: Southeastern Seminary exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. “I am first and foremost thankful for Dr. Akin’s leadership for the clarity of
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vision he established,” commented Hutchinson. “Early in his leadership, our mission statement was simplified. This not only provided a more accessible mission statement but also provided the foundation on which the concept of a Great Commission seminary has been built. Since that time, Dr. Akin’s leadership has challenged us to stay focused on that goal and to keep growing towards its fulfillment.” Now 75 years since its charter in 1950, Southeastern is well-established as a thriving institution dedicated to equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. Southeastern’s vitality today is owing in part to the faithful leadership of its sixth president, Danny Akin. “Dr. Akin’s legacy at Southeastern is one of gospel faithfulness and Great Commission passion,” shared Carlos Goodrich, chairman of the Board of Trustees, “and he has earned his reputation as a champion for biblical exposition and expository preaching. He and his wonderful wife, Charlotte, have left an indelible mark on Southeastern and on the mission field worldwide. As we step into this season of transition, I am confident that God will raise up the right leader for the next chapter. The future is bright for Southeastern, and our mission remains as urgent as ever.” Following his retirement, Akin will carry the title of President Emeritus, and he will serve as Southeastern Ambassador for up to five years. In the meantime, he intends to continue serving Southeastern as senior professor of preaching and theology, teaching in a part-time capacity. In the coming weeks, the presidential search committee will begin prayerful deliberations to identify the seminary’s seventh president. Any questions or comments regarding the search process can be directed to SEBTSsearch@sebts.edu. Commenting on the upcoming search process, Chairman Goodrich expressed his confidence that God will providentially direct the board to the ideal person who will lead Southeast-
ern into the next chapter: “My hope for the presidential search is that the Lord will direct every step with wisdom, discernment, and unity. The trustees enter this process prayerfully and with deep trust in God’s providence, assured that the same Lord who has blessed and advanced Southeastern will continue to guide us into this new chapter. Southern Baptists can trust that he will raise up the right leader to carry forward Southeastern’s Great Commission mission.” The presidential search committee is comprised of Executive Committee members from Southeastern’s Board of Trustees. Committee members include Carlos Goodrich, Andy Taylor, Tim Dale, David White, Ed Litton, Kyler Smith, Raymond Brown, Stewart Holloway, Ryan Martin, Shawn Dobbins, and Brett Golson.
SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AKIN’S UPCOMING RETIREMENT
SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH PROCESS
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Table of Contents 30 Endowment Report 37 At the Office with Dr. Daub Assistant Professor of Missions, Director of Special Projects and Partnerships for Global Theological Initiatives
42 Headlines 47 Letter from the Vice President Dr. Jonathan Six, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
48 Upcoming Events
Inheriting a
great
legacy:
a mercy scholarship story
p. 10
inside a
classroom p. 14
Inescapable Call an
to Make Disciples
p. 20
ledford Center update
p. 24
WH O WE A R E Established in 1995, 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.
Because we have been so blessed, we need to bless others. One person has a very limited amount of time and resources to share the gospel, but Southeastern Seminary is able to multiply our resources and efforts by training a missionary force, equipping and sending people to places we cannot go. That’s exciting to us, and that’s why we support Southeastern.
– JIM & RUTH ANN DYER –
Southeastern Society Members since 2016
WH Y WE G I V E Due to the faithful giving of Southeastern Society members, Southeastern is able to keep tuition affordable. As a result, graduates have more financial freedom as they heed God’s call to serve him wherever he leads.
H OW TO JO I N Join by giving $1,000 or more annually to fund the training of gospel-ready ambassadors for Christ. For more info or to become a member, contact Drew Davis at ddavis@sebts.edu or visit sebts.edu/ses.
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About this issue
t Southeastern, we always say the Great Commission is best done together. After all, Jesus did not call just one person to fulfill the Great Commission. He called his entire Church. As we at Southeastern seek to equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission, we cannot do our mission alone either. From the donor’s gift to the professor’s classroom to the graduate sent by the local church, this mission advances forward on the shoulders of a collective community, leaving a Great Commission legacy in the lives of those it touches. It is not a legacy of glory or fame, but only of Jesus’s name and of the salvation he offers to every person. In the following feature section, you’ll read a variety of stories offering glimpses of this bigger story at work — of a Great Commission legacy unfolding in the small, everyday moments of the classroom, in the faithfulness of our graduates, in the diligence of our students, and in the gracious support of our donors.
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Inheriting a
great
legacy:
a mercy scholarship story
by brady boatwright
n the fall of 2022, while attending school at Dallas Baptist University, God placed a desire on my heart to pursue pastoral ministry, completely rerouting my original plans to go to medical school and become a doctor. I was so excited to obediently follow the burden God placed on my heart, but I felt confused. I had no idea how I was going to practically do that. As I started the last year of my undergraduate degree, I had no idea that the Lord was going to call me to Southeastern Seminary or how immense of a blessing that experience would be. By the grace of God, I spent eight weeks in Boston the summer before my senior year of college, working alongside a church through the GenSend Summer program. During that time, I learned the importance of discipleship and evangelism, and God used this to confirm that my desire to pursue pastoral ministry was not a passing thought. Instead, it was a practical way of pursuing my Great Commission calling. During this time, I had several friends and pastors who encouraged me to consider Southeastern for higher theological education. They were alumni of Southeastern, and I had seen how their education there had shaped them. Their lives and doctrine were reflective of the work of Christ and of their desire to faithfully fulfill the Great Commission.
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Looking up to these men, I realized I wanted to learn from the place that had equipped them, and this is what led me to Southeastern. After coming on a tour, I fell in love with the campus and the community and knew for certain I wanted to study in Wake Forest. One of the biggest challenges I faced when considering moving to Southeastern for my Master of Divinity was the financial cost of attending. I wasn’t sure if attending would be possible outside of God’s miraculous provision. A few weeks after I graduated college, I received an email letting me know that I was awarded a scholarship that covers many of my academic expenses. Not only did God provide, but also he provided far more abundantly than I even imagined! Specifically, the Mercy Scholarship has given me the opportunity to focus on my studies and my involvement with the local church. Without the scholarship, my pursuit of preaching and pastoral ministry would be
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a much more difficult journey, and I am so grateful for the donors who have contributed immensely to Southeastern and to my own studies. After completing my first year here at seminary, I have already seen how God has used my education to draw me closer to himself and to the local church. What a gift it is to learn how to think critically about what God says through his word and to understand how to rightly apply it to my life today. Some of the experiences that have had the greatest impact on my life and education have come from Dr. Tracy McKenzie’s Old Testament classes. His love for the biblical text and his passion to see students understand and fulfill the Great Commission has been such an encouragement to me in my pursuit of learning.
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Through his Old Testament classes, Dr. McKenzie has given me a love for and a desire to learn the original biblical languages. The Bible truly comes alive in fresh ways as he teaches, and it becomes clearer after each class that God’s plan from the beginning has been the redemption and restoration of the nations. What a joy it is to see the Great Commission emphasized in every classroom! Recently, I started Dr. McKenzie’s Hebrew class, and it has been one of the most encouraging challenges I’ve ever faced. Even as I am taking a difficult class, the Lord has already proved himself faithful, using what I have learned to prepare me for future ministry. God’s word really is living and active, and knowing how to read it in the original languages will be such a gift as I seek to preach and teach in accordance with sound doctrine. Through Southeastern’s Equip Network, I have further grown in understanding how the Great Commission shapes my aspiration for pastoral ministry. It’s true that we are called to go to the nations to make disciples. However, we can’t do it alone. Southeastern gives students the ability to partner in the Great Commission work that is happening in our own backyard. Because of Equip, I have been able to take seminary classes through my local church. Not only am I getting to learn what pastoral ministry looks like in the context of my church, but also I am getting hands-on experience outside the walls of the classroom. By doing this, I have seen that I can fulfill the Great Commission by faithfully sharing the gospel and making disciples through my local church. It has been such a blessing to see Southeastern’s commitment to the Great Commission emphasized though partnerships with local churches,
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since the Great Commission and the local church go hand in hand. My Southeastern story is nothing out of the ordinary. God has brought people from all walks of life to be equipped here and then sent, whether to Wake Forest or their own ministry contexts around the world. Many students have stories just like mine and have been blessed to receive financial assistance from gracious donors who truly are leaving a Great Commission legacy. As I am almost a third of the way through my degree, I ask that you pray for me and my classmates to continue to be faithful to fulfill the mission that God has for us. Between involvement in church and school and enjoying this current season as a newlywed, my life right now is sweet but very busy. The Lord is the only one who can sustain me and give me the endurance to finish the task ahead of me, so please pray for me to find my rest and joy in Christ. I am so grateful for the love and support that comes from being a part of the Southeastern family, and I eagerly await what God has in store for my life. Soli Deo gloria.
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The Mercy Scholarship for MDiv Students UP TO
$6,000 P E R Y E A R
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inside a
classroom
cross five different classrooms, featuring five distinct disciplines, Southeastern’s newest faculty bring their classes into session. Two of these courses take place twice a week on campus. Two others are hybrid offerings, providing off-campus students with an in-person classroom experience over the course of a weekend. The fifth is a virtual doctoral seminar, held online over three days. Stepping into each classroom and sitting side by side with the students — some college freshman, others finishing their MDiv, and a few approaching long-anticipated dissertations — the differences are abundantly clear. And yet, a striking similarity runs between each classroom, from one professor to the next. That connection is a shared mission, a united purpose, and collective care for the students who sit before them. At Southeastern, every classroom is a Great Commission classroom. Undeniably, this resolve starts first and foremost with the faculty.
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“what’s the greatest commandment?” Landon Dowden asks, stepping around the lectern. He serves as associate professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Southeastern, and though this is his first time teaching a master’s level course, he has taught adjunctly at the doctoral level for the past 10 years. After a moment’s pause, the voices of his Bible exposition class chorus in response: “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Dowden pauses for a moment before asking, “How have you done with that today?” The room grows quiet.
across the hall, another professor directs her students’ attention to god’s word and his instruction for his people. “i want us to look at what Scripture says,” Kelly King, assistant professor of Christian ministry, tells her class. This is her second year teaching at Southeastern, first as a visiting professor and now as part-time faculty, but she is no stranger to campus — or to teaching. “If you have your Bible,” she said, “how about those of you whose last names are A-G, you look at Titus 1:6-9 . . .” Across the room of 30 or so students, she assigns three passages of Scripture and then steps aside. For the next five minutes, students lean over their Bibles in silence, turning pages and marking notes.
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truth, goodness, and beauty are evident in god’s word. how might they also be reflected in god’s world and in the work of his people? what about in literature? “this is a list — it’s a catalog of sorts. But what effect does that have? I mean, is it over the top? He’s talking about prayer; do we feel like this about prayer?” asked Olivia Rall. The “he” in question is George Herbert, and “it” is a poem titled “Prayer (I),” written by Herbert in the early 1600s. Rall, a Judson College alum and also Judson’s newest English professor, looks intently around the room of British literature students, her questions hanging in the air. So far there have been varying opinions on previous poems — what they mean and how they feel and what they were meant to do. But this poem, in particular, seems strangely simple.
in a very different setting with more seasoned students, another professor takes on the mantle of guide. following their lunch break, a group of Doctor of Education (EdD) students gather on a computer screen for the next leg of their virtual seminar. Their professor, Jason Engle, leans forward, sharing on his own screen an outline of Ephesians 1:16-19. As he breaks the passage down into its individual elements, he underlines various words and connecting statements. “Here’s the truth,” Engle says. “The spiritual reality is so much greater — a greater reality — than even the physical one that we experience.” In Paul's prayer, he points out the three things that the apostle asks God to grant believers in Ephesus: "that [they] may know what is the hope to which he has called [them], what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward [those] who believe" (v. 18-19 ESV). “Because of our ongoing struggle with sin,” Engle explains, “we tend to only think about things through our physical senses. So the more that we are brought in line with the reality of God and his good plans and purposes, the more we need spiritual senses to be able to see the spiritual reality around us.” As Engle’s students listen, nod, and take notes, he then turns the lecture outwards and begins to engage their thoughts. “What does spiritual maturity look like?” he asks. “Well, in this case, it looks like becoming more and more attuned to the spiritual reality of God's good plans and purposes.” Engle then prompts them with the question: what else should believers pray for? What truths from Scripture should shape the way believers live here on earth? In his class, Engle's students are not just learning about discipleship and spiritual formation; under Engle’s teaching, they are experiencing it as well.
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for each class and group of students, the practice of discipleship and personal application takes on a different appearance.
beliefs and doctrine are not simply a matter of the head but are also a matter of the heart, affecting believers’ entire lives.
in appleby Hall, the campus’s designated college building, Rhyne Putman teaches a class of 30 or so students, many of them in their first or second year at Judson. The amphitheaterstyle room opens downwards to where Putman teaches, pacing around his lectern. “Everything that’s revealed in Scripture is important. Underline that and underscore it,” Putman says. He’s in the middle of explaining the concept of theological triage and the role that doctrine plays in the identity of a church. “No doctrine in Christian theology is unimportant or insignificant, but some doctrines weigh more than others in the scale of importance and significance. And there’s a couple of different ways that people do this,” he says. He begins to explain the pitfalls that churches can experience when determining the importance of doctrine. He explains theological maximalism and how it considers all doctrines as equally important and necessary for someone to be a believer. And he explains how theological minimalism, on the other hand, views all doctrines as subjective and a matter of personal opinion. As he comes to the end of his lecture, Putman turns the lesson over into the hands of the students, dividing them up into “churches” from different denominations and giving them each a long list of doctrines to sort into first, second, and third tier issues. However, before splitting the students off into their “churches,” Putman shares with them a clarifying vision. What is it, he asks, that defines evangelicalism? In answer, two things: the gospel must be shared, and the Scriptures must be valued. With that in mind, the room begins to bustle with activity and conversation as the students discuss and consider — how do churches differ on doctrine, and what is essential to the Christian faith?
“what if it is exactly like this?” Rall asks earnestly. “Wouldn’t that change our whole lives if we actually believed prayer was like this?” “Prayer!” she exclaims and quotes Herbert’s words: God's breath in man returning to his birth ... The six-days world transposing in an hour, A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss, Exalted manna, gladness of the best, Heaven in ordinary ... . She pauses, allowing silence to settle, before saying, “And that final line, famous for poetry lovers: ‘The land of spices; something understood.’” Rall turns from the words, back to the young men and women in front of her. “What if prayer is like that, even in those prayers we hardly have words for?” she asks, referring to Paul’s words in Romans 8:26. “But still it is ‘something understood.’ That’s what prayer is: understood by someone.”
iv ol
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rh
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ep u tm an
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this matter of being understood and of being known is profound, but it is also a frightening thing apart from the hope of christ.
faithful ministry, apart from christ’s substitutionary atonement, is impossible. the hope and truth of the gospel give life.
in king’s classroom, the five minutes come to an end, and she begins calling on volunteers to read passages aloud. The three texts share a lengthy list of God's qualifications for the role of elder in the church. Working with her class, King begins to compile each criterion on the board. While the Bible is clear in its instruction for men to hold the position of elder, King points out that it also calls for very specific men of character within that role. She wants her students to see that the passages do not simply give gender-specific instructions; they also give character-specific instructions, because the person’s heart matters to God. “They need to be qualified men,” she explained, “who we think really are striving to follow God and follow him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.” At one point in her conversation with the class, she notes the obvious. The long list of qualifications seems almost impossible to meet. But turning to her students, she asks, “Who’s our example? Our example is Christ, right? He’s the head of the Church.”
dowden's classroom grows solemnly still as his students sit with the weight of the Greatest Commandment, considering the words they just voiced. He breaks the silence after several long seconds go by, seeing that his point has sunk in. “The second one is, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ I have never done either of those fully for any day of my life — but Christ has.” This conversation came about from a question on biblical exposition: How exactly does every passage of Scripture center around Christ, and how do pastors faithfully exposit this to their congregations? To answer in full, Dowden holds up the truth of Christ's work on the cross. “We don’t go past the gospel,” he says. “We go deeper into it.” The gospel, he explains, doesn’t just apply to one moment in believers’ lives. “Friends, the gospel is key for every step of sanctification, because we’re resting in what he’s done. We’re now walking in his power. And it is my hope that he is changing my wanting and my working,” Dowden expresses. This, he says, is “the hope of the gospel in us.”
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n their teaching, mentoring, and ministry, Southeastern's faculty leave a lasting Great Commission legacy in the lives of their many students. They do so out of a shared mission to equip students to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by serving the church and fulfilling the Great Commission. For these students and alumni who are now serving as Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth, this legacy proceeds not from the graduation stage or the late-night assignments but from these Great Commission classrooms and the faculty within.
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Invest in fidelity through endowed faculty chairs You can invest in the long-term theological fidelity of Southeastern while honoring men and women who have set an example of godliness in their lives and excellence in their fields. Faculty chairs are essential for the acquisition and retention of a worldclass faculty. You can fund: Sam James Church Planting Endowment Honor the legacy of Dr. Sam James, pastor, professor, and missionary to Vietnam, and his legacy of church planting. This endowment is designed to recruit, equip, and send church planters to our cities. Dr. Bruce Little Chair of Christian Philosophy Honor the legacy of Dr. Bruce Little, who faithfully served on faculty at Southeastern from 2001 to 2018. This fund ensures a faculty position dedicated to Christian philosophy at Southeastern. Dr. John Sailhamer Old Testament Studies Endowment Honor the life and legacy of Dr. John Sailhamer, who served on Southeastern’s faculty from 1992 to 2006. The funds from this will support Old Testament studies at Southeastern.
scan here to give
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Inescapable Call an
to Make Disciples
n Binkley Chapel on April 24, 2007, Patrick Stalnaker felt God’s call to go, and it was inescapable. Like Jonah, however, that didn’t stop him from running. Patrick came to Southeastern Seminary the year before, set on pursuing student ministry after one of his pastors in college identified his giftings and encouraged him to pursue theological education. “A call to ministry is a call to prepare,” his pastor told him, and Patrick took that advice to heart. “You put your ‘yes’ on the table, right? And you say, ‘I’ll go and do what you’ve called me to do — which is go serve,’” Patrick recalled. At that time, he was convinced this meant pursuing student ministry. However, not long into his Master of Divinity (MDiv) program, Patrick began to rethink what exactly it meant to “go.” This reorientation began when Patrick first heard President Danny Akin’s
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question: “Not why should I go, but rather, why should I stay?’” In that moment, Patrick realized, “Okay, God, I said ‘yes’ to ministry. But now I’ve got to say ‘yes’ to letting you tell me where that happens.” Easier said than done.
servants in hard places
Growing up, Patrick came from a family with a longstanding military history. Both his father and his uncle served in the U.S. military, as well as his grandfather who was a World War II veteran. “When I was in high school,” Patrick said, “my desire was to go to the Air Force Academy and fly jets. That was going to be my life. However, at the time I was not a believer, and I lived a life that eroded that opportunity through poor grades and a rebellious spirit.” In the face of hopes and dreams that seemed permanently dashed, young Patrick determined that a military career was no longer in his future. Years later, however, God began to indicate otherwise — which brings Patrick’s story back to that day in the middle of spring in 2007.
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“One of my friends and neigh- home from church right after the bors was walking across campus in notification team had left my neighhis uniform, which was odd to me,” bor’s house. So, I sat with him, as a Patrick said, “because I’d never seen pastor does, and just listened to him him in uniform before. So, I asked him, grieve his son.” ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘It’s Later he attended the young man’s Military Appreciation Day, and I’m a funeral and felt God nudging him, once chaplain candidate in the Army.’” again, in the direction of chaplaincy. Despite Patrick’s family background But, Patrick decided, now wasn’t the and former aspirations, this was right time. the first time he had heard of miliDuring that same season, a professor tary chaplaincy. Later in chapel, he from Southeastern encouraged Patrick listened to a sermon from active-duty to consider pursuing further education Army chaplain Jeff Struecker, now through doctoral studies. Several years assistant professor of Christian lead- passed before Patrick decided he was ership at Southeastern. ready, but in 2014 he began his Doctor It was during that chapel service, of Ministry (DMin) at Southeastern. Patrick explained, that Struecker “I did the doctorate in rebellion, spoke “about God looking for faithful honestly,” Patrick expressed. “I knew servants to go into the hard places.” I needed to join the military when I Following the service, Patrick met was at school for my MDiv.” an Air Force chaplain recruiter in the “In my mind, the call to go student center, and as Patrick recount- serve was always only going to ed, “From that moment until 2018, I be student ministry,” he said. ran hard and fast away from what “That’s where I think SouthGod had called me to do: He placed eastern was huge in my life. It a burden on my heart for military helped me wade through calling members and families.” and the specific areas where that calling can go.” on the ship to tarshish During that season of theologiWhere Patrick saw only one path — cal education, God in his grace and which for him led to ministry in the mercy used Patrick’s choices to further local church — God had greater plans. equip him for the work he was calling Over the coming years, God faithfully him to, growing in Patrick's heart a equipped and sustained Patrick in his dual passion for the local church and pursuit of pastoral ministry. But he for the military community, knit never removed the burden of chap- together by one pursuit: Jesus's Great laincy from Patrick’s heart. Commission to make disciples and Following his graduation from to teach them all that he had Southeastern in 2009, Patrick served as commanded. a student pastor at a church in South “See God’s character,” Carolina. There his love for disciple Patrick expressed. “He making continued to grow as he brings great leaders watched students who had attended church their whole lives finally grasp and believe the gospel for the first time. It was during this time that God also reminded Patrick of his Ninevah. “While living in South Ca roli na, my neig hbor’s son was killed in combat,” Patrick recalled, “And I got
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and mentors and peers, even in the midst of our own sin, to encourage us, to point us in the direction of being faithful to him. And then he gives us peers that are lifelong friends. I still talk to some of the guys in my cohort, and we’ve been finished for five-plus years.” Patrick’s DMin honed his understanding of discipleship in the local church, especially within youth ministry. His final project equipped him to better lead and teach the volunteers in his church as they sought to come alongside parents discipling their children.
surrender at the evening service
In 2017, as Patrick entered the final stretch of his doctorate, God confronted him — not on a stormy sea, charted for Tarshish, but in the pew of his church. Several months before that fateful night, Patrick had the opportunity to lead prayer at a military promotion ceremony for one of his church members. “At the end of the ceremony, the commanding officer that promoted him asked me why I had never been in uniform,” Patrick recalled. “He was a general, and he said, ‘I’ll write the letter for you if you want. You just tell me what you need.’” In Patrick’s heart, however, the desire to stay still outweighed God’s call to go — until later that year, at an evening prayer service, his pastor declared, “Somebody here is not doing what God’s called them to do.” In that moment, Patrick acknowledged in his heart, “That’s me.” In the surrender that followed, Patrick told his wife of the conviction he felt, and together they sought prayer and counsel from their church elders. In September of that year, Patrick submitted
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his official application to serve as an built up — the local body that I serve Air Force chaplain, and half a year — is encouraged and built up for evanlater, he was officially sworn in. gelism when I as a pastor am not in the This meant that, in the middle of church house all the time.” writing and completing his dissertaHe went on to explain, “It is extremetion, Patrick was also starting his mili- ly important for ministry leaders and tary career. pastors to recognize that it is our job to “When I did my defense,” Patrick lead the way in going and making discirecalled with amusement, “my review ples, reaching into the community.” panel said, ‘We read your resume — That community, for Patrick, is the you joined the military while doing military and its families who have a doctorate?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ They served this country in so many ways. said, ‘Are you crazy?’” “I truly believe the statement that Yet God in his kindness carried ‘time is too short and the lostness is Patrick through. too great,’” Patrick expressed. “I want “There is nothing you can do that can to have maximum impact with my life, outrun God’s mission for you,” Patrick whatever that looks like, whether it’s expressed, “and that mission is to on a staff in a church, helping a team make disciples.” get better and reach more people in He described the process of becom- our community, or if it’s overseas, ing a chaplain, saying, “When I began sleeping in a tent somewhere.” the journey, God began to affirm these “The legacy of faith God is looking steps. I drove onto base for my first day for from us is that of a disciple maker of duty, and I was home. I was right who leaves behind a disciple-making where God wanted me to be.” community.” As Patrick goes to make disciples, he on mission to is participating in the Great Commission legacy of those who came before make disciples In December 2019, Patrick gradu- him, those who equipped him, and ated from Southeastern with his those who go with him. It is not a DMin. Today, he serves as the execu- legacy of being known, but of making tive pastor at First Baptist Church of Christ known and leaving a gospel Kettering in Dayton, Ohio, while also impact in the lives of others. serving as the individual mobilizaAs part of this Great Commission tion augmentee to the senior chap- legacy, Patrick and his wife are also lain for the Air Force Office of Special members of the Southeastern Legacy Investigations. Society, a planned giving ministry In September 2023, he returned to that allows for lasting gifts to be desigSoutheastern to preach on Military nated towards equipping students to Appreciation Day — issuing a chal- serve the church and fulfill the Great lenge to go, just like the one he had Commission. heard all those years ago. Today, Patrick not only gives to Because of the two callings God has support students but also counsels his placed on his life, Patrick explained, church with the same advice that his “My ministry as a Christ follower is pastor told him many years ago: “A call enhanced and the bride of Christ is to ministry is a call to prepare.” For Patrick, it was this preparation that ultimately solidified his heart for the Great Commission and helped him discern what really matters. “I’m on mission with the gospel wherever my feet hit the ground,” Patrick said. “It doesn’t matter where I am, and I owe that to Southeastern.”
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“Pam and I believe wholeheartedly in the mission of Southeastern. The Lord is using our graduates all over the world. Playing a role in that work through our giving is very exciting.” Dr. Chuck & Mrs. Pam Lawless
As we praise God for his faithfulness and provision through Southeastern’s first 75 years, we invite you to consider including Southeastern in your will
or estate plans so that we m ight continue to equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission for the glory of King Jesus!
To join or for more information, visit sebts.edu/give or email ddavis@sebts.edu.
J oin us in praying for 75 new planned givers in honor of our 75th anniversary. Will you be one of the 75?
Ledford Center Renovation
by the numbers
TOTAL AREA ADDED: ~9,000 SQ.FT. BASEMENT STORAGE: ~1,900 SQ.FT. KITCHEN ANNEX: ~1,600 SQ.FT. EVENT SPACE: ~5,500 SQ.FT.
3D mockup of proposed interior
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ledford Center update
n a Tuesday or Thursday after chapel, if you walk across Southeastern’s campus, past the study pavilion, and down the Ledford Student Center stairs, you’ll see a line of students stretching through the lobby and out the door, eager for lunch at Magnolia Kitchen. If you stay and perhaps join them for a meal, you’ll watch friends greeting each other, groups congregating at tables, and fellowship taking place across the wide-open space. The long-anticipated Ledford Center renovations began in April 2024, funded by the For the Mission campaign and the generosity of many donors. These much-needed renovations include an expanded kitchen and dining area as well as a new seating and event space — all meant to foster gospel-centered community and care for the needs of our students on campus. Construction on the expanded kitchen and dining area was completed in fall 2024, and students, faculty, and staff quickly began reaping the benefits. With the larger space for food preparation, service, and storage, the Magnolia Kitchen staff have been able to provide meals at an even greater capacity, and their hospitality and commitment to excellence have blessed our students in countless ways. Moreover, Ledford’s new dining area has already hosted a wide array of event gatherings and campus-wide feasts — not to mention the many smaller moments of fellowship and one-onone meetings. As the campus settles into this new and much-needed space, the Southeastern community eagerly anticipates completion of the final renovations of the Ledford Center. Set to finish by summer 2026, these additions include a new event space with expansive windows, natural lighting, and a large outdoor porch and seating area — perfect for hosting Preview Days, academic symposiums, and luncheons for guests. In many ways the Ledford Center is the hub of life and energy on campus, and we couldn’t be more thankful for God’s blessings on these renovations. Next time you find yourself on campus, in want of a good meal or conversation — just swing by, down the Ledford stairs and through the lobby, and experience Southeastern’s community for yourself.
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MULTIPLY THE MISSION THIS CHRISTMAS
Southeastern Fund At Southeastern, we are training students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission — and you can help send them. This year-end, a generous partner has committed $100,000 to match every gift from:
First-Time Givers
Returning Givers*
Current partners who increase their giving
Your gift to the Southeastern Fund will be doubled — immediately impacting the cost of theological education for students preparing to go to the nations, pastor churches, and make disciples wherever the Lord calls them.
Your Gift
With the Match
Impact
$150
$300
Covers 1 credit hour
$500
$1000
Pays for 1 class
$1000
$2000
Pays for 2 classes
Give our students the gift of theological education, and watch your generosity multiply.
$1500
$3000
Funds 1 semester
$4000
$8000
Covers an entire year + summer classes
*returning givers are those whose last gift was before Aug. 1, 2024.
SCAN HERE TO GIVE ONLINE OR GO TO SEBTS.EDU/GIVE
“Your gift — no matter the size — helps to make theological education more accessible for our students. Every gift given toward the cause of theological education at Southeastern will have a profound kingdom impact. Thank you for your partnership in equipping future generations of Great Commission graduates.” Danny Akin, President
! i n m u l A , Hey
UT
HE ASTE RN
SO
STAY CO NNECT ED & MA K E A N I M PAC T!
A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
Your membership dues, $50 per year or $600 lifetime, help us equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission while keeping tuition affordable for students. You’ll also receive these great benefits:
• Audit courses for free • Retain access to the ATLA Religion Database • Receive 50% off transcripts • Receive 40% off conference registration for events • Receive 10% off merchandise at The Locker • Use the Ledford Fitness Center
For more info or to join the Alumni Association, connect with us at sebts.edu/saa 919.761.2822 alumni@sebts.edu
Join Today!
Where we Went... 153 STUDENTS WENT 10 COUNTRIES VISITED APPROX 63,743 MILES TRAVELED LED BY 14 FACULTY AND STAFF
NEW YORK CITY | SUMMER 2025 DR. JONATHAN SIX CLARKSTON | SPRING 2025 DR. DREW HAM
SOUTHEAST ASIA | SUMMER 2025 RICK FRALEY & DR. BENJAMIN HOLLOWAY
LAS VEGAS | SPRING 2025 DR. MATT ROGERS
EAST CENTRAL ASIA SUMMER 2025 DR. KEELAN COOK
BRAZIL | SPRING 2025 DR. ANNA DAUB WEST CENTRAL ASIA | SPRING 2025 DRS. MARK LIEDERBACH & DAVE PHILLIPS
SOUTH ASIA | WINTER 2025 RICK FRALEY & DR. KEELAN COOK
CROSSOVER DALLAS | SUMMER 2025 DR. MATT ROGERS
MADAGASCAR | SUMMER 2025 DR. SCOTT HILDRETH GREECE | SUMMER 2025 DR. STEVEN WADE
DENVER | SUMMER 2025 DR. KEELAN COOK
LONDON | FALL 2025 DR. DEANNA ROGERS JAPAN | WINTER 2025 DRS. JEFF STRUECKER & CHUCK LAWLESS
...Where will you go? SCAN HERE OR VISIT THECGCS.ORG/TRIPS FOR MORE INFO
Endowment Report Over the past three years, donors have directly contributed $3.5 million to strategic endowments. These endowments ensure long-term financial security for the seminary and provide the means to equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission until Christ’s return.
E Q UI T Y
39%
$17,731,000
Fund Overview The Endowment Fund is a long-term investment for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary requiring annual spending and real growth. The Fund consists of global equity, fixed income, special opportunities, and real assets.
EQ UI T Y
Asset Allocation
F I XE D I N C O M E & CAS H
Fund 39% Overview
$17,731,000
$6,830,000 EQUIT Y
FIXE D I N C O M E & CAS H
$17,731,000 R E AL AS S E TS
$6,830,000
15%
39%
EQUIT Y 15%
39%
$15,177,000 $17,731,000 FIXED IN COME & CASH
33%
15%
$6,830,000
R E AL AS S E TS $15,177,000
FIXED IN COME & CASH
DI VE R S I F Y I N G ST R AT E G I E 15% S
33% ASSETS $6,830,000 REAL
$6,087,000
13%
33%
$15,177,000
REAL ASSETS
Purpose & Expectation
D I VE R S I F Y I N G ST R AT E GI E S EQ UIT Y - 30%
$6,087,000
The long-term goal of the Endowment Fund is to exceed the sum of 5% annual spending, inflation (Consumer Price Index), and fees.
Risk Control We expect the overall volatility to be less than the benchmark, and this is achieved by diversifying among many different asset managers and asset types. One of our core principles is downside protection, so care is taken to hire managers appropriately and to diversify widely.
FIXED IN C O ME & CASH - 15 % REAL ASSETS - 33% DIVERSIFYIN G ST RAT EGY - 13%
33%
$15,177,000 DIVERSIFYIN G ST RAT EG I ES
13%
13%
$6,087,000
DIVERSIFYIN G ST RAT EG I ES
13%
$6,087,000
TOTA L
100%
$45, 8 25, 0 0 0
TOTA L
$ 45, 8 25, 0 0 0
TOTAL
100%
B E N C H M AR K $ 4 5 , 8 2 5 , 000 100% TOTAL
100%
Spending Policy (5%) + Inflation
$ 45 ,82 5 , 000 BEN CHM ARK
B E N C H M AR K
Spending Policy (5%) + Inflation
Spending Policy (5%) + Inflation
InvestmentsPolicy are screened avoid companies involved Spending (5%) + to Inflation
BEN CHM ARK Endowment Fund / Oak City since inception: June 01, 2018
I N C E P T I O N DAT E
IN CEPT ION DAT E pornography, and June 01, 2018 with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, abortion-related goods and services.
June 01, 2018
IN C E P T I O N DAT E June 01, 2018
IN CEPT ION DAT E
B AL AN C E DAT E
June 01, 2018
BALAN CE DAT E July 31, 2025
July 31, 2025
BALAN CE DAT E
30
B AL AN C E DAT E
July 31, 2025
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Investment Strategy
Embrace Stewardship
•
Asset allocation is critical
•
Employ portfolio to reflect worldview
•
Downside protection is important
•
Engage in investments honoring to God
•
Biblical worldview is non-negotiable
•
Believe that our resources belong to God
Performance Returns
RE TURN RATE (%)
PO RT F O L IO N E T O F F E E S
B E NCHM A RK
15% 12% 9%
8.0
8.8
8.0
8.0
6.8
7.8
6% 3% 0% -3% Since Inception (Ann)
Trailing 3 Years (Ann)
Trailing Year
Total Endowment Balance (Last 10 Years) $45,000,000 $40,000,000 $35,000,000 $30,000,000 $25,000,000 $20,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $500,000 $0
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2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
The total endowment balance has increased by 83.5% since 7/31/2015. This increase includes donations, unrealized gains, and realized gains over the ten-year period.
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SOUTHE ASTERN FUND
THE
The Southeastern Fund is a vital financial resource designed to assist students by offsetting their tuition costs. By providing essential funding, the Southeastern Fund makes theological education more accessible and affordable for all students at the seminary. This support helps alleviate the financial burden on students, enabling them to focus more on their studies and spiritual growth without the constant stress of financial constraints. The fund plays a crucial role in fostering an environment where students can thrive academically and spiritually, preparing them to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.
As the pastor of a local Southern Baptist church, Southeastern prepared me to be on mission through their commitment to making every classroom a “Great Commission” classroom. It’s an honor to give back to the institution that the Lord used to shape my ministry. DAVID SONS SENIOR PASTOR AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH NORTH AUGUSTA
3-YEAR AVERAGE $1,384,000 ANNUAL GIVING OF 843 NUMBER GIVERS
$1,642 GIFT AMOUNT $525
TUITION OFFSET PER FTE (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT) STUDENT
WAYS TO GIVE TO THE SOUTHEASTERN FUND
Stock
Cash or Check
Planned Giving
Matching Gifts
IRA
Real Property
Donor Advised Funds SCAN HERE OR GO TO SEBTS.EDU/GIVE
TH A N K YO U TO T HI S Y E A R' S M A J O R S PO NS O R S ! P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R S
GOLD SPONSORS
D E S I G N DEV ELO PMEN T | RE M OD E L H E ALTH | ROBL IN G M E D ICA L
To learn more, play, or become a sponsor next year, please visit sebts.edu/classic or email Drew Davis at ddavis@sebts.edu
Be a part of what God is doing through women at Southeastern
The Southeastern Women’s Fellowship was founded to support and encourage female students at Southeastern. Our goal is to award scholarships each year and provide opportunities for Fellowship members to support fundraising efforts for women’s scholarships and causes. Will you join us as we seek to serve and honor God by building a lasting legacy through the lives of these faithful women?
SEBTS.ED U / SWF
Even at 44, I realized that God still calls people to go. Through the classes at Southeastern, my wife and I once again embraced God’s calling to go and make disciples. We have connected with our local Send Network in Oklahoma to help our church fulfill the Great Commission through church planting and revitalization. Zack Hudson
DMin Church Revitalization, 2024
with Dr. Daub Dr. Anna Daub has taught at Southeastern Seminary since 2018 and serves as assistant professor of missions. She also serves as the director of special projects and partnerships for Global Theological Initiatives, working with entities across the world to help further theological education in a variety of cultures and contexts.
Q How did God save you? grew up in a family that very A Imuch loved God and served the church well. When I was young, I believed that if I did certain things, that made me a Christian. I felt, “If I can check all the boxes, I’m good.” However, my parents were very intentional to not let me take the Lord’s Supper as a young child, and I didn’t really understand why. So, I started asking questions, and my mother and father sat me down and shared the gospel with me. And they said, “There’s a difference between us and you in that we’ve decided to follow Jesus, and he has saved us from our sins, and — to our knowledge — you’ve not done that yet.” They were very straightforward, and it really got me thinking.
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I didn’t accept Christ that day, but it started the cascade of events that led me to decide to make a profession of faith. One day I walked the aisle and told the pastor that I had heard the gospel and wanted to become a believer because I knew that Jesus had died for my sins, and he was the only answer for me — that this wasn’t about a checklist or being good. It was about recognizing that I couldn’t be good and that only Jesus could save me.
did God give you a Q How passion for missions? My mother worked with the A Women’s Missionary Union in our area. She loved missions and was very intentional that any time a mis-
sionary was visiting our small town in Texas, they were at our dinner table. But I grew frustrated and told my mother, “I keep hearing this story where God takes people kicking and screaming to the mission field, and doesn’t he know that if he called me, I would just go?” And she looked at me and said, “Is it possible that is your calling?” I started to investigate this potential call on my life. Over time, I realized that I did have a passion for missions. I also had skills that were particularly suited for this type of work. I love people and conversation. I enjoy trying to learn languages. And I enjoy interacting with other cultures. When I was graduating from college, I applied for the Journeyman program and ended up in South Asia.
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in his face at the time. I had never seen a woman teach in any program except women’s ministry. Yet I felt called to missions and missiology. My professor was very insistent for multiple semesters. At one point, he told me, “You don’t have to do a PhD, but you do have to figure out how to steward your brain." That was the first moment where I realized it was possible for me to pursue academics and missiology and missions and that all of these could go together in a way that only God could design.
would you say is Q What the value of a seminary
education in preparation for the mission field?
think sometimes the Lord A Islows us down because he wants
1 led you to pursue Q What missiology in school? My time as a Journeyman was
A very formative. I came back from overseas with the intention of returning to South Asia; my goal was 20 hours of seminary and back on the field. But I had a professor my first semester who actually looked at me and said, “You need to do a PhD.” I laughed
to form us before he sends us. It’s essential to recognize that we are not the savior — Jesus is, and his mission continues regardless of whether we’re here in Wake Forest or overseas. Sometimes the Lord only lets us do missions abroad when we’ve cultivated obedience here by getting up and being faithful to his mission every day. It may feel boring. You may be overwhelmed by your studies. But what does it mean to be faithful in this place? That faithfulness really matters in your heart formation and prepares you for what the Lord is doing overseas. It prepares you for the hard times that you’re going to face. Intercultural teaming is hard. Living overseas in another area, where you can’t speak at a level higher than a kindergartener for a season, is hard.
Learning how to walk alongside people and let them take over the reins is hard. And so, learning how to be obedient and faithful to God's mission here, in a familiar context, is important so we can do that wherever God calls us.
do you like to do in Q What your free time? I love musicals. That’s my fun
A thing. When I started working
on my dissertation years ago, I realized that we have incredible musical options around us, especially at the Durham Performing Arts Center, and so I’ve been fairly intentional about going to musicals ever since. I love the mountains, especially Black Mountain and that area in general. I actually go there to write a lot. And I love to sing. This academic year, I started singing in a choir. That has been a fun addition to my life.
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2
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5 has your understanding Q How of the glory of God deepened through your time on mission?
1. A letter written by Lottie Moon 2. One of many camels in Dr. Daub’s office
As I’ve grown more in love with
A God and as I’ve seen him work — in the various students that we’ve sent out and the various people I’ve worked with over my 10 years here — I’ve truly started to see God’s sovereignty. He’s moving in ways that we don’t even understand. I’m reminded that Jesus promises he is going to build his Church. The reality is, lift your gaze and look to the horizon. God is doing amazing, incredible things in the global Church. We work with seminaries in countries all over the world who What is your favorite class are trying to think through theological Q to teach, and why? education in their own context. I often use this analogy: the globI love my Christian missions class, al Church is like the roots of a tree, A and I hope my students do too. To spreading underneath the surface, give you a sneak peak, I love walking and we don’t get to see them. But evthrough what I would say is twenty-first ery once in a while, we get a glimpse century missiology, which I argue is, of what the Lord is doing around the “Christians boldly going together.” So I world. And so, no matter what we feel do a section on the motivation behind in our current context, we have hope our mission and what it means to go because Jesus is building his Church with boldness. And then I do a section in some of the most unimaginable coron what it means to go — which covers ners of the world. the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of missions. And then I explore who goes together, meaning men and women, singles and married couples, global church and western church. And finally, I ask, how do we go together? I find it to be such a fun, refreshing class for me, and I enjoy getting to help people see their place in God’s mission.
3. A picture from Peru that reminds Dr. Daub of Matthew 9:37 4. Souvenirs from childhood visits to missionary family members in Europe 5. Dr. Daub’s Star Wars memorabilia 6. Dr. Daub’s globe collection
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Use code Magazine15 for 15% OFF!
SCAN HERE or visit SEBTS.EDU/LOCKER
Southeastern showed me that fulfilling the Great Commission is not optional for Christians. Moreover, Southeastern has, in conjunction with my local church, shaped how I will fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples for the rest of my life. Ben Brannon MA Worship Ministry, 2025
Headlines
Akin Calls Southeastern and Judson Graduates to “Speak the Truth in Love” • On May 16, Southeastern Seminary and Judson College celebrated their spring commencement exercises and the graduation of 220 graduates, representing 28 states and nine countries. • Akin gave the graduates a challenge centered around “five words that can change the world.” Those words are found in Ephesians 4:15: “Speak the truth in love.” Akin emphasized the importance of speaking God's truth — even when the world does not want to hear it — but doing so in a way that “reflects his love for the Church.”
God’s Kindness to “Your Great Commission Seminary”: Akin Gives SBC Seminary Report
First Master’s Students Graduate from Southeastern’s Persian Program • On May 31, Southeastern Seminary celebrated the historic graduation of its first Persian Leadership Development (PLD) master’s students, 16 men and women graduating from the only accredited Master of Theological Studies program offered entirely in Farsi. The ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, also celebrated the graduation of 12 undergraduate students, earning their Bachelor of Science in pastoral ministry. • “This ceremony is unprecedented in the history of the Persian-speaking Church,” said Kambiz Saghaey, director of PLD and president of Southeastern’s partner, Mojdeh Ministries.
• On June 11, during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, President Danny Akin reaffirmed Southeastern’s identity and mission as “your Great Commission seminary,” focused on training men and women to fulfill Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations. • In his seminary report, Akin highlighted Southeastern’s 75th anniversary; the newly renamed Judson College; continued enrollment growth, especially in the MDiv program; and Southeastern’s global reach through its partnerships and institutional mission trips. • Akin also honored the memory of Drs. Adrianne Miles, Jim Shaddix, and Keith Harper, who passed away after battling cancer. He ended by thanking Southern Baptists for their continued support of Southeastern and its students.
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Headlines
New Mission Trips Announced at Gathering Chapel • On August 21, the Southeastern Seminary family celebrated the Great Commission and Christ’s call to go to the nations at Gathering Chapel. Students learned about upcoming mission trips to the following locations: - Japan (Winter Break 2025) - South Asia (Winter Break 2026) - North Africa (Winter Break 2026) - Los Angeles (Spring Break 2026) - Clarkston House Trip (Spring Break 2026) - Southeast Asia (Summer Break 2026)
Fall 2025
Southeastern Welcomes New Professors • This fall, Southeastern Seminary and Judson College welcomed five new faculty members: - Landon Dowden as associate professor of preaching and pastoral ministry - Rhyne Putman as professor of theology - Kelly King as assistant professor of Christian ministry - Jason Engle as assistant professor of Christian ministry and associate director of EdD studies - Olivia Rall as a member of the English faculty at Judson College Read more about these professors in the story on page 14.
Southeastern Hosts Journeyman Program’s 60th Anniversary Celebration • On September 4, Southeastern Seminary hosted the 60th anniversary celebration of the International Mission Board’s (IMB) Journeyman program, which has sent thousands of young men and women to the nations to partner with long-term workers in sharing the gospel. • During the celebration, more than 70 Journeyman alumni reconnected and shared stories along with other IMB missionaries. Older alumni prayed over recently returned Journeyman alumni who are students at Southeastern, asking for God’s guidance in their lives and blessing on their ministry.
Dowden
Putman
Engle
King
Rall
Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership Hosts Second Annual Preaching Conference • On September 15-16, Southeastern Seminary and the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership hosted the second annual Engaging Exposition conference. The conference was designed to equip local church pastors to preach and lead biblically. • More than 170 attendees attended the conference, and they heard from speakers such as Danny Akin, James Merritt, Stephen Rummage, and Robert Smith Jr. This year’s theme was “The Preacher’s Commission."
James Merritt at Engaging Exposition
Fall 2025
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Fall Trustee Visit: Akin Announces Retirement During Southeastern’s 75th Anniversary • On October 13-14, the Board of Trustees and Southeastern Society (SES) gathered for their annual fall visit, during which Akin announced his intentions to retire as president of Southeastern by July 31, 2026. • On Monday evening, trustees and SES members celebrated Southeatern’s 75th anniversary. Jonathan Six, vice president for institutional advancement, honored the late Keith Harper, his widow Johnnie Harper, and Harper's co-authors Josh Pruitt and Faith Steele, for their new book, “Building a Great Commission Seminary: Different by Design.” This book chronicles the 75-year history of Southeastern.
Southeastern Connects with NC Baptists at Annual Meeting • On November 10-11, the Southeastern family gathered at the North Carolina Baptist Annual Meeting to connect with local church partners and alumni. • Provost Scott Pace delivered the institutional report, taking time to honor Akin’s legacy: “His leadership has cultivated an environment that’s based on the timeless truths of Scripture and God’s ultimate mission to make disciples of all nations.” • At the Alumni and Friends Luncheon, Akin delivered a charge to attendees to remain strong in the faith. “Be on the lookout always for anything that would distract us from the main business of fulfilling the Great Commission,” he said.
• Trustees approved curriculum revisions and two new student aid funds, adding to the extensive financial assistance that Southeastern students receive through donor generosity.
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Fall 2025
DMin
D O C TO R O F MINISTRY
More affordable. More accessible. More achievable than ever before. Now available fully online and open to MA and MDiv grads. Find out more at sebts.edu/dmin
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Thank You for Giving to the
Southeastern graduates are serving in all 50 states and in 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 $6.2 million last year because Southern Baptist churches like yours committed to bringing good news to the whole world. www.sbc.net/cp
from Letter the
VP
outheastern graduates are a people on mission. Established in the spirit of obedience to Christ’s command in Matthew 28:18– 20, Southeastern exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. Every class taught, every sermon preached, and every graduate sent carries forward the legacy of a seminary deeply committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to reaching the nations. The Great Commission is not a program or department at Southeastern; it is the lifeblood of our community. Students are trained not merely to know the truth of Scripture but to proclaim it with boldness and compassion. Professors teach with a missionary zeal that connects theology to practice, doctrine to discipleship, and learning to living. This Great Commission legacy was not built overnight. It has been forged through decades of faithful leadership and sacrificial service. Under the guidance of leaders like Dr. Danny Akin, Southeastern has remained steadfast in its commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture, the centrality of the gospel, and the call to take that gospel to the ends of the earth. Dr. Akin’s vision has continually called the seminary to hold tightly to truth while moving intentionally toward the nations. He often reminds the Southeastern family that we exist to be a “sending seminary,” raising up men and women who will carry the good news to neighbors and nations alike.
Fall 2025
Southeastern’s Great Commission legacy is most clearly seen in its graduates — missionaries, pastors, teachers, counselors, and lay leaders who are making disciples around the world. Whether in rural churches or urban centers, in North America or among unreached people groups, Southeastern alumni are living out the gospel. Their ministries stand as a testimony to a seminary that not only teaches theology and biblical studies but also ignites a passion for the lost. The future of Southeastern is rooted in the same conviction that gave birth to it: The gospel must be proclaimed to all nations. As the cultural landscape shifts and new challenges arise, Southeastern continues to prepare students who can speak truth in love, engage the world with humility and courage, and hold fast to the mission of Christ. Every generation must take up the mantle, remembering that the Great Commission is not optional — it is the church’s primary calling. As Dr. Akin often reminds us, “The last words of Jesus are meant to be lasting words.” To have a Great Commission legacy is to be marked by obedience to Christ, a love for his word, and a passion for his world. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary stands as a living testimony to that calling. We are a people sent by the King, for the glory of the King.
Jonathan Six, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
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Upcoming
Events
JAN
27 Convocation FEB
9-13 Global Missions Week MAR
5 Seminary Preview Day Women’s Conference 7 Cultivate: Gifted for the Church Exposition 12 Christ-Centered Exalting Jesus in Matthew
+ Restore: A Counseling Conference 27 Redeem Redemption in a World of Sorrow APR
16 College Experience
MAY
8 Graduation
Visit sebts.edu/events to learn more!
S O U T H E AST E R N B A P T IST T H E O LO G I CA L SE MINA RY WA K E F O R EST, NC
DA N I E L A KI N PRESIDENT
S C OT T PAC E PROVOST
RYA N H U TC H I NS ON EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR OPERATIONS
J O N AT H A N S I X VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
M A R KE T I N G & COMMU NICAT IONS NATHANIEL WILLI A MS - Director CHAD BURCHETT - Associate Director of Marketing RYAN THOMAS - Associate Director of Design ANNA BOATWRIGHT - Digital Marketing Coordinator ABIGAIL GINSTERBLUM - Photographer CLARISSA HARTMAN - Graphic Designer CALLIE HAZERES - Undergraduate Marketing Coordinator MARY ASTA MOUNTAIN - News & Copy Writer SOPHIE RHOADS - Social Media Manager FRANCESCA SMYLY - Graphic Designer
F I N A N C I A L & A LU MNI DE V E LOP ME NT DR EW DAVIS - Director GEORGE HARVEY - General Counsel & Director of Planned Giving CHRIS ALLEN - Assistant Director for Church & Convention Relations MEREDITH COOK - Grant Coordinator JESSICA GODDARD - Development Events Specialist CALEB HOLT - Alumni & Church Relations Specialist TANNER KEEN - Annual Giving Officer TAYLOR STEEL - Gift Accountant KAYLA MING - Administrative Assistant DAVID ROGERS - Major Gifts Officer 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
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