Southeastern Seminary Inaugurates Scott Pace as Seventh President

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Andy Taylor opened the inauguration with a welcome from the trustees.

“This is not only a celebration of Dr. Pace and Southeastern Seminary; it is a celebration of God’s faithful work in you as ambassadors of Christ who have heeded the call to go,” he said. “Today is more than a change in presidential leadership. While we look to the future, we give thanks for our history, for the shoulders that we stand upon. It’s an opportunity to pause and give thanks for the faithfulness of God.”

To the new president, Taylor said, “Dr. Pace, today you receive a sacred stewardship. You inherit a rich theological and missional heritage, and you now have the privilege and responsibility of leading Southeastern into its next chapter. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and on behalf of the entire Southeastern family, we are grateful for you and thrilled to partner with you as you lead us in continuing as a Great Commission seminary.”

Taylor presented Pace with a resolution from the Board of Trustees and with the presidential medallion, signifying the stewardship and responsibility of the office.

In a personal charge, President Emeritus Danny Akin challenged Pace to continue in the practices and priorities that have distinguished him as husband, father, minister, professor, and leader. He also celebrated God’s call upon Pace and pledged his support in the years ahead.

“Dr. Pace, I believe Southeastern Seminary is in good hands under your leadership, and I join with all of these here today to extend to you my congratulations,” Akin said. “I am thankful that God has raised up a president who will lead this school into the future with joy, a servant heart, and a passion for the mission of King Jesus. I am truly honored to be your servant as you lead this school into the future. I believe that you’re going to be the best, the most successful president this school has ever had, and I will be your biggest cheerleader every step of the way.”

Following a formal rite of installation, Pace shared five core characteristics that will define Southeastern over the years to come.

“These will remain timeless,” Pace said. “These things will be what guide us and help us navigate the days ahead at Southeastern Seminary and Judson College. They will determine the choices that we make. They will determine the degrees that we offer, the faculty we hire, the initiatives that we launch, the buildings that we build, the partnerships we establish. In short, I believe they will determine our success, and they will be the metric of our faithfulness.”

First, he pledged that Southeastern would be a spiritual institution, committed to spiritual formation, prayer, and the glory of Jesus Christ.

“We are distinctively Christian, and both individually and institutionally, our relationship with Jesus must have the highest priority,” Pace said. “That means, as a faculty, as students, and as staff, we must dedicate ourselves to cultivating a campus and a culture that is vibrant and where spiritual formation is paramount.”

As a faculty, as students, and as staff, we must dedicate ourselves to cultivating a campus and a culture that is vibrant and where spiritual formation is paramount.

Second, Pace affirmed that Southeastern would be a biblical institution.

“Beyond integrating Scripture into every field of study, we want to seek to equip students to personally love, study, and apply God’s word into every area of their life,” Pace said. “We want to teach students to thirst and to drink from the well of living water for their soul to be truly satisfied. But not just these things. We want to teach students how to defend the Bible, how to trust the Bible, and how to teach and preach the Bible.”

Third, Pace declared that Southeastern would be a theological institution, grounded in sound doctrine and in the knowledge of God.

“Good theology fuels worship as we encounter God on his terms, seeing him truly as he is, not how we conceive him or desire him to be, or even as the world might define or describe him,” Pace said. “We cannot produce pastors, missionaries, counselors, or practitioners who aren’t thoroughly equipped with sound theological training.”

Fourth, Pace promised that Southeastern would be a practical institution. This commitment to student involvement in the local church, Pace said, “keeps us in our proper place as a school. We exist to serve the church, not supplant the local church.”

“I can tell you today that my ministry benefited from my schooling, and my schooling benefited from my ministry. Here’s what this means: As an institution of higher learning, we can’t produce graduates who are detached from reality, living in an ivory tower, who don’t know how to translate their world-class education into working-class ministry.”

Fifth, Pace pledged that Southeastern would be a missional institution.

“If we are genuinely a spiritual, biblical, theological, and practical institution,” Pace said, “what else can we be other than a missional institution?”

If we are genuinely a spiritual, biblical, theological, and practical institution, what else can we be other than a missional institution?

This means, he explained, that Southeastern graduates leave as Great Commission graduates, and that they fulfill the work of the Great Commission through the local church.

In closing, Pace declared the task ahead as a collective mission, involving the entire Southeastern family, “from trustees to our Southeastern Society to our faculty to our students to our staff, leveraging our lives and investing our resources to see the name and glory of King Jesus magnified around the world.”

“In a world where it seems like the darkness is prevailing, God has called you,” he said. “He’s raising up men and women to engage in battle, empowered by the Spirit, and emboldened by the victory that Christ has already secured. It’s my prayer that Southeastern and our graduates will be on the front lines of that battle. The world is lost and is in desperate need of the good news that God has entrusted to us. May we be faithful to the Master by being faithful to his mission and by being faithful with his message. I love Southeastern Seminary and Judson College. It’s an honor and privilege to serve as your president.”

Pace was elected by the Board of Trustees on April 21, 2026, after more than 25 years serving in pastoral ministry, teaching, and administration in higher education.

He is a two-time Southeastern alumnus and, since 2018, has served in a variety of capacities at Southeastern, including as professor of preaching and pastoral ministry, dean of Judson College, and provost.

 

Read more about Scott Pace and the mission of Southeastern Seminary and Judson College by visiting sebts.edu/president.