“Southwesterner.” The title, bestowed by the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary upon every new student during their inaugural convocation since the days of Robert E. Naylor, our fifth president, communicates meaning, weight, and expectation. To be a Southwesterner is to believe the Bible, in its fullness and authority, to be joyful in service to Christ and His church, and to eagerly fulfill the Great Commission – both with neighbors next door and the nations beyond.
Things have certainly changed since the time of Dr. Naylor, not the least of which is the technology that allows us to train students while they are deployed to pastorates and mission fields around the globe. Some things, however, remain the same – Southwestern’s clarity on our mission, the dedicated and biblically-faithful teaching of our faculty, and the willingness of our students to give their lives in service of Christ and His church. All of these work together to glorify God and advance the Kingdom of God.
Through David S. Dockery’s leadership, the Southwestern community has been reminded of this unique heritage and history, while being encouraged to carry the legacy forward, dependent on prayer. Every day of the week you can come to campus and find staff, students, and faculty fervently praying for God’s blessing of the work. Community-wide prayer gatherings happen each Monday in the historic B. H. Carroll Memorial Building Rotunda where we praise the Lord, lift our petitions, and recognize His faithfulness.
Our stalwart founder, B. H. Carroll, had clear vision for the unique contribution that Southwestern could make among Southern Baptists in this region of the United States. The seminary would resolutely teach the entire, authoritative Scripture to students, boldly train students to proclaim the whole Gospel, and prepare ministers to faithfully serve churches in a variety of capacities. This mission has continued for 117 years – leading to more than 50,000 Southwestern graduates’ deployment, not just in Texas and the Southwest, but across the nation and around the globe.
Today, we labor with the same goal and the same resolve – to glorify God by providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian service. The times and technology have changed but the mission, and our resolve to see it fulfilled, remains the same. Through enhanced and adapted programs – including a recently launched revised Master of Divinity – we train students in a manner that prepares them for the world they will engage today. This training is based upon our core values – who we are: Grace Filled and Christ Centered; our foundation: Scripturally Grounded and Confessionally Guided; and what we do: Student Focused and Globally Engaged.
Courses are crafted and taught by biblically faithful educators, scholars who are both experts in their academic disciplines and actively engaged in service to Christ embedded in their churches. New Southwesterners are blessed to get wisdom as they are taught and led by those who have learned the lessons before them in churches and cross-cultural settings, which help them to prepare the next generation through their hard-earned learning.
As articulated by Dr. Dockery in his fall convocation address, Southwestern stands unique in the landscape of theological education as based upon the total truthfulness and authority of Scripture; the priority of the Gospel, evangelism, and missions; theological unity and diversity within the confessional identity of the Baptist Faith and Message; and warm-hearted and joyful piety. As a result, today’s Southwesterners are armed with the resolve that the Gospel changes communities and a willingness to pioneer ministry in the hardest places to see Christ transform lives.
To do this work of equipping new generations of Southwesterners to engage the world with the hope of Christ, we need your partnership. Southwesterner, would you commit to replacing yourself and helping the next generation by praying for men and women to be called out of your churches and communities and into Gospel ministry? We are eager and ready to receive them to provide the preparation they need for faithful ministry by instilling a love for the Scripture and the joyful burden of being a Southwesterner.
Being a Southwesterner is special. Many of you remember with fondness your days on Seminary Hill, learning from giants like Roy Fish and Curtis Vaughan. Today, our students have a similar opportunity, learning from men of similar Christlike character like Mark Taylor, Malcolm Yarnell, and many more. Though much has changed, the mission and resolve remain the same. Southwesterner, will you re-engage with us as we glorify God through fulfilling our shared mission?
