Bill Vinson, former Southwestern faculty member, passes away

Former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty member and two-time graduate William “Bill” Edward Vinson Jr., age 83, passed away on July 18.

Vinson was born on August 23, 1941, in Palatka, Fla., to William Vinson Sr. and LeWella Glisson Vinson, though he was also raised by his stepfather Francis Mobley after his father was killed in action at Saipan.

Vinson confessed Jesus as Lord as a teen. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1964 and worked for Southern Railroad for more than a decade, but then moved his family, including his wife Kathryn and three children, to Texas where he attended Southwestern.

Vinson completed his Master of Divinity in 1981 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1987. While still a student, he began to serve the institution as a teaching assistant and then an adjunct professor, before being elected to the faculty in 1999. He would serve as director of Southwestern’s department of undergraduate and lay theological studies.

Vinson also served as pastor of the house church Freedom Baptist Fellowship beginning in 1995.

Starting in 1984, Vinson began teaching classes for the Seminary Extension, a ministry of the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention that provides ministers and lay persons with the opportunity to take classes from home. From 2001 to his retirement in 2007, Vinson was the executive director of Seminary Extension and played a key role in offering classes on the internet and not just via CD.

“Bill Vinson and I were classmates at Southwestern more than four decades ago,” Southwestern President David S. Dockery recalled. “He was a faithful follower of Christ, who invested deeply in the lives of Southwesterners, always with a desire to serve the seminary and the churches well.”

Vinson is survived by his wife of 63 years, Kathryn; three children, Michael, David, and Rebekah; and six grandchildren along with other family members and friends.

Visitation will be held on August 5, 2025, 5-7 p.m., at Greenwood Funeral Home in Fort Worth. The funeral service will be on August 6 at 12 p.m., in Greenwood’s Live Oak Chapel in Fort Worth, with Pastor Travis Welch officiating.