Board of Trustees and Southeastern Society hold fall meetings

The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) Board of Trustees (BOT) and Southeastern Society (SES) held their bi-annual meetings on October 9-11, where they received updates about SEBTS, worshipped together in chapel and enjoyed fellowship with faculty and students.  

In his presidential address to each group, Danny Akin reported that SEBTS is in its seventh year of record enrollment with 3,550 total students. The fall 2016 semester had the second largest fall enrollment in SEBTS history, and SEBTS faculty taught nearly 11 thousand hours of distance learning courses. Diversity on SEBTS campus rose from 8 percent in 2010 to 14.61 percent in 2016, and SEBTS is looking to increase that percentage every year. 

SEBTS saw a record year for the Southeastern Fund, raising 1.8 million. More than 650 new donors gave to the Southeastern Fund this year, and overall, more than 900 donors joined the SEBTS family. 

During their meetings, the SEBTS trustees

• Gave authorization for SEBTS to enter into a feasibility study to determine the viability of a proposed $26.5 million capital campaign to build a new student center, increase academic endowments and provide additional student aid.
• Named Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington D.C., as an interim board member to replace Todd Jones who resigned from the board due to relocation for his job.
• Approved several curriculum revisions and course creations for both SEBTS and The College at Southeastern.

BOT members concluded their visit in a special chapel service with SES members and students. SEBTS President Danny Akin spoke from Matthew chapter five about the power and purpose of Christian witness. “You are the only authentic salt this world will ever taste and you are the only authentic light this world will ever see,” he said. “We are to stand in radical contrast to those who are opposing the work of God in this world because we are fundamentally different.” 

Akin also reminded listeners that God saved them for a purpose. “God did not redeem us and call us into his kingdom to hide us and he did not save us…to be silent saints,” he said. “He called us to be the light of the world…a light put on display by our Savior to the nations.” 

SES members had the opportunity to learn about current happenings at SEBTS and attend sessions on missions in Nepal with SEBTS alumni, the history of SEBTS with Senior Professor of Baptist Studies Keith Harper and the reformation with Assistant Professor of Church History and Reformation Studies Stephen Eccher. 

The SES is a group of faithful men and women who partner with SEBTS in training students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. SES members give $1,000 or more annually to SEBTS. To learn more about the society, visit www.sebts.edu/giving.

The SEBTS trustees and SES members will hold their spring meetings on April 16-18, 2017.