Meeting for the first time by digital technology, the Board of Trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary held its annual Spring meeting on April 20 against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. The board marked complete attendance and conducted its business understanding the historic nature of the meeting, said President R. Albert Mohler Jr. Mohler presented a strategic report to the trustees that highlighted the institution's responsibility to lead faithfully amidst the COVID-19 crisis and that, in Mohler’s words, underlined the administration’s “absolute determination to continue Southern Seminary’s legacy and mission with excellence and faithfulness long into the future.”

In his report to the trustees, Mohler noted that the seminary has demonstrated leadership and tenacity during times of crisis, from its founding in 1859 until today, through the Civil War, two World Wars, the 1918 pandemic, and the Great Depression. “Since 1859, Southern Baptists have turned to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for pastors, missionaries, and other servants of Christ.” It will continue faithfully training church leaders through the crisis presented by the coronavirus, said Mohler.

Boyce College will be adding two new Seminary Track programs to its academic offerings. The two new programs will be a bachelor of arts in Business Administration with a master of divinity and a bachelor of arts in Communication with a master of divinity, announced R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Seminary Track program at Boyce College is a five-year curriculum during which time students receive both a bachelor of arts and a master of divinity.

“One of the programs I believe in most at Boyce College is our joint baccalaureate and master of divinity program, because of its power, stewardship, and opportunity,” said Mohler. “With the Business Administration and Communications tracks, this is going to provide even more opportunities for ministry, not only in the church but also in the workplace. What our world needs right now is a generation ready to go with urgency into the pulpit and into the world, and these two new programs are powerful demonstrations of what it means to maximize stewardship to the glory of God and in service to the gospel of Christ.”

Boyce College is providing additional online curriculum to support high school students who are no longer receiving classroom instruction due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, announced Dustin Bruce, Dean of Boyce College, on Friday, March 20.

The dual enrollment program at Boyce College allows high school students to earn transferable college credit hours, while finishing their high school degrees. The program is open to students 15-years-old and older. The dual credit eight-week courses will be available online beginning Monday, March 30, 2020 through the college’s website.

To apply the Bible rightly to a modern Christian audience, a preacher must do two things, argued Abraham Kuruvilla during the 2020 E. Y. Mullins Lectures on Christian Preaching: privilege the text and understand the thrust of the text. The lecture series, entitled “‘Look Before You Leap:’ Text to Application,” was held March 10–11 in Heritage Hall at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Kuruvilla also preached during chapel on March 10.

Kuruvilla currently serves as Senior Research Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He has also served as interim pastor of several churches, and as president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author of numerous works on preaching, including Privilege the Text! (Moody, 2013), A Vision for Preaching (Baker, 2015), and most recently A Manual for Preaching (Baker, 2019).

On Saturday March 7, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College community will work throughout Louisville for a day of service. For the last seven years, in cooperation with the mayor’s office, the seminary and college community has served Louisville to commemorate the great flood of 1937.

Eighty-three years ago, the seminary lent a helping hand to the city, offering food, shelter, and relief from the effects of the flood. This year, the seminary will uphold its tradition by serving the Jefferson County Public Schools.

It is more than just a tradition, though. The 1937 project is an event this community has come to love.

Walking in grace and forgiveness in Christ is central to faithful evangelism, argued missionary Mike Shipman at a conference at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conference, entitled “Impacting the World: Islam and Engaging Muslims,” took place February 27–29 in Heritage Hall. It was hosted by the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam. Speakers included Shipman, J. Keith McKinley (Associate Professor of Christian Missions at Southern Seminary), and Gail McKinley.

For twenty years, Shipman has served with the International Mission Board as a missionary in Southeast Asia, and he is the author of Plan A: Abide in Christ, Disciple the World! and Any-3: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime, a guide to engaging Muslims with the gospel. Shipman focused on how Christian dependence on Christ fuels evangelism even when evangelism might be wearying.

President R. Albert Mohler Jr. announced the appointment of Timothy Paul Jones as Vice President for Doctoral Studies and Brian Renshaw as Associate Vice President for the Global Campus at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jones is currently the Associate Vice President for the Global Campus, and Renshaw is the Executive Assistant to the Provost. They will start in their new roles on March 1.

Jones will oversee the seminary’s doctoral studies, ensuring that men and women are well trained for gospel service in the church, missions, and Christian higher education. Renshaw will lead the online and hybrid program at the seminary, so that those who are not able to relocate receive robust theological training.

Biblical authors often allude to previous moments in the biblical storyline to help readers better understand theological themes, argued professor Duane A. Garrett during a faculty lecture at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, February 19. The lecture, titled “Elijah at Sinai,” was delivered in the historic Broadus Chapel.

Garrett, the John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology, argued that these “allusive patterns” consist of references to previous passages of Scripture that help make clear what the biblical author wants the reader to learn.

Some current Boyce College students who attended the biannual event now volunteer as hosts for visiting high school and transfer students

Last week, Boyce College hosted 19 prospective students for “Be a Bulldog Day,” a unique visit day for prospective students. Twice a year, Boyce College, the undergraduate arm of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, invites high school and transfer students to spend the day with a current student and stay overnight in the dorms.

A true leader does not just manage people effectively, but also models a godly life for others, said D. Jeffrey Bingham during the Julius B. Gay lectureship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, February 11-12. Bingham, dean of the school of theology and professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, delivered three lectures titled “The Soul of a Leader: Acuity from Antiquity” at Heritage Hall. In these addresses, Bingham explored what modern leaders can learn from the thinkers of the past, including the church fathers.

In today’s culture, leadership is often associated with being an effective administrator — being someone who can manage a team to accomplish a common goal. Though good administration is not bad, Bingham said, the heart of leadership must begin with a leader’s integrity.