Alumni receive updates on Southwestern’s commitment to ‘preach the Word’

During the Alumni and Friends Breakfast at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), Nov. 14, Dean of Southwestern’s School of Preaching David Allen shared updates on the new School of Preaching, which launched Aug. 1. The school’s eight-member faculty has more than 230 years of combined preaching experience and is committed to “text-driven preaching,” Allen said.

The school is devoted to training and equipping the next generation of preachers in the art of text-driven preaching, and Allen explained that this term further defines what expository preaching should be. “We are teaching people how to preach the Bible; how to do it from the original texts,” he said.

“These are exciting days because of what is happening here at Southwestern Seminary,” he continued. “We are excited to be a part of it, and we couldn’t do it without your prayers and your support.”

In an effort to offer more tools for sermon preparation, Allen shared that the School of Preaching launched its new web resource, Preaching Source, on Sept. 1. The website features numerous resources including sermon tools, preaching blogs, podcast interviews, archived sermons and structural outlines of texts. These resources, Allen explained, are easily accessible for preachers and other church leaders.

In addition to updates on the new School of Preaching, those gathered at the breakfast received other updates about the seminary including the School of Church Music’s new status as an all-Steinway school; Global Theological Innovation’s partnership with 137 seminaries and extension campuses worldwide; and the anticipation of the opening of Mathena Hall, the new home for the College at Southwestern and the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, in fall 2017.

Finally, Allen reminded attendees of Southwestern’s ongoing commitment to evangelism. He shared his continued amazement at students’ hearts for evangelism, particularly their efforts to evangelize the neighborhoods surrounding campus. This passion for evangelism, Allen said, is a reflection of Southwestern President Paige Patterson’s leadership.

“Our president has a heart for the souls of the people on this planet, every one of them. He teaches and leads us in that way,” Allen said. “That is such a vital part of Southwestern, and that gets translated into the lives of those students, and then they go out and are pastors, missionaries and serve in a host of other capacities in local churches and out on the mission field. They are out there with that same heartbeat.”