Southeastern delivers its report to the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention
January 19, 2017
Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), said, “Today we have a little over 3,200 students … students that are on mission for the Lord Jesus Christ taking the Gospel to North America and around the world.”
Akin gave a report on June 11 about the seminary to the Southern Baptist Convention at the 2014 Baltimore, Maryland annual meeting.
Earlier this year, Akin celebrated 10 years as president of Southeastern. In honor of a decade of service, the seminary family gave a 300,000 dollar scholarship fund to provide financial support to minorities. The vision for the funding is to train students from every tribe, tongue and nation to build strong churches. Akin is passionate about increasing the number of ethnic minorities in leadership positions.
“Southeastern Seminary is a Great Commission seminary,” Akin said. He highlighted how the Great Commission is present throughout the seminary.
Southeastern is anticipating its sixth year of record enrollment in fall 2014.
The seminary now offers seven completely online degrees from the college level to a Master of Divinity. “We recognize that in the day in which we live and the age in which we find ourselves we have to be proactive in taking theological education to where you are,” Akin noted.
Southeastern met its 10 year, 50 million dollar, campaign goal. The seminary added three new endowed chairs brining the total to seven. Three of the overall chairs are in the area of expository preaching. Akin expressed his gratitude to the faithful supporters that made the growth possible.
Akin also highlighted fruitful partnerships between Southeastern, the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board to help train church planters.
Currently, 250 churches are involved in the EQUIP program, an intentional partnership with local churches and Southeastern, where students can receive hands on ministry experience and earn course credit. “There are some things that … you must learn in the fiery furnace of ministry in the local church,” Akin said.
J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church, in Durham, North Carolina, had just announced at the Southeastern alumni meeting earlier in the day, a 500,000 dollar donation from The Summit Church to SEBTS over the next five years.
“We live in a day where there is a lot of pessimism … I’ve read the last book of the Bible … in the end our God wins,” Akin emphasized. “We are not fighting for victory, we are fighting from victory.”
“The students that you are sending to our six seminaries inspire me … I have never been more positive and more optimistic about what I believe the future holds for Southern Baptists, in particular Bible-believing Christians across the board,” Akin said. “Our God’s Kingdom is marching on. He is going to accomplish His saving purpose and isn’t it amazing that He gives you and me the opportunity to be a part of what He is doing?”
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