Board of Trustees and Southeastern Society hold Fall 2017 meetings

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On Oct. 15-17, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary hosted the fall Board of Trustees (BOT) and Southeastern Society (SES) meetings.

TrusteesBoth BOT and SES members were updated on institutional developments, namely the Capital Campaign being launched in Spring 2018 to enhance the on-campus experience by adding a welcome center and dining hall. The campaign is a four-year plan to raise $20.5 million. Along with the top priority of these additional buildings, renovations are being planned for Stealey, the library and the addition of a campus center as a primary location for the college.

BOT members approved the following decisions on Tuesday:

  • The Capital Campaign, which primarily involves the financing to build a dining hall and welcome center on campus
  • Sabbatical Reports and requests for the following faculty members: David R. Beck, Mark Liederbach, Allan Moseley, Steven P. Wade, Benjamin L. Merkle, George G. Robinson and Chip Hardy.
  • New and revised curriculum to The College at Southeastern, theology and various ministry degrees
  • New Investment Policy Statement and the asset allocation proposed by CapTrust
  • Updated Campus Master Plan, which includes the changes involved in the Capital Campaign
  • Response to the Southern Baptist Convention motion on trustee contact information

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Three new BOT members were welcomed this fall, including Howard Li, Ryan Martin and Sam Wheat. Li was assigned to the Academic Committee, Martin to the Student Services Committee and Wheat to the Institutional Advancement Committee.

SES members heard from Thomas West, discipleship pastor of Providence Road Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Preaching from Ephesians 2, West spoke to members about the importance of God’s people remembering where they have come from and how God is planning to use them in the future.

“We will never marvel at who God is until we realize how messed up we are,” said West.

Southeastern President Danny Akin shared his 10-year vision with BOT and SES members, noting his four marks of a Great Commission Seminary: namely that it is consumed with a global focus, certain in its doctrinal conviction, committed to expansive ministerial preparation and characterized by spiritual vibrancy. Akin shared that the school has seen eight consecutive years of growth and he is setting a goal to see 5,000 students enrolled by 2027.

During chapel on Tuesday morning, Dr. Timothy George, the dean of Beeson Divinity School, delivered a lecture as part of the Page Lecture Series on campus, an annual lecture series featuring predominant theologians. George spoke on the Reformation in remembrance of the 500th year anniversary being commemorated this month and noted the turning points in Martin Luther’s life that led him to that climactic point in his life.

“I think it’s better not to think of one…event when it all happened suddenly but rather to think of this as a process in Luther’s own mind as he learned and studied and grew deeper in the Word of God,” said George.

He also spoke on what he called the “hermeneutical shift” that Luther had while writing his commentary on Romans. During this process, George noted that Luther began to read the Bible with a Christocentric focus.

“Jesus Christ becomes the fulcrum around which everything in the Bible revolves,” said George.

Breakout sessions were held for SES members. Jonathan Six, director of financial and alumni development, spoke on the importance of having faithful donors that contribute to the ministry of helping students prepare to minister around the world. He gave examples of people like Luther Rice who supported Adoniram Judson and Lady Huntington who funded George Whitefield’s ministry.

“We believe that a great movement of God can start here and spread around the world because of gospel patrons like yourself,” said Six.

Ryan Hutchinson, executive vice president for operations, also led a breakout session in which he explained the planned constructions of the dining hall and welcome center in greater detail.

 

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