Dockery celebrates ‘another joyful and blessed’ year in SBC report

ORLANDO, Fla.—Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President David S. Dockery highlighted “another joyful and blessed academic year” in his report to messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Thanking messengers for their prayers, support, and encouragement, Dockery said God’s “amazing kindness, grace, and favor” have placed the seminary in a much different position than it was 45 months ago.

The Southwestern Seminary “campus has been characterized by a deep dedication to faithful and regular prayer, becoming the campus of the bowed head with a fresh awareness of God’s providence combined with a renewed sense of our genuine dependence on the Lord,” he said.

“The measurable institutional turnaround has touched every area of campus,” Dockery said, noting the seminary’s improved financial position, enhanced commitments to providing distinctive theological education, faculty publications, and more.

Dockery reported a nearly $10 million positive change in the annual operational budget and the elimination of all short- and long-term debt. During this time, he added, Southwestern has seen stabilized enrollment, a measurable increase in total credit hours taught, and a $40 million increase in the seminary’s total net assets.

He also noted that while Southwestern is still awaiting official news regarding accreditation updates from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the report from the special committee that visited the campus in April “was extremely positive regarding the financial, educational, and operational health of the seminary.

“What can’t be measured by an accreditation report is that, by God’s grace, the spiritual health, campus culture, and the sense of community and camaraderie have continued to improve year after year,” he added. The spring semester chapel series focusing on the Gospel of Mark concluded with a time of community worship and celebration that served as an exclamation point for the entire academic year, he said.

Dockery also recognized faculty members, saying they “continue to teach faithfully in accord with our scripturally grounded and confessionally guided commitments.” He noted that during this administration the faculty has published more than 30 books across various academic disciplines, with more than 20 additional volumes scheduled for release in the next two years.

Dockery highlighted the new book, Hearts, Heads, and Hands: A Distinctive Vision for Theological Education at Southwestern Seminary, which would be given to those attending Southwestern’s alumni and friends luncheon the following day. He noted the book has drawn praise from Southwestern alumni including Jeff Iorg, Tony Wolfe, Hance Dilbeck, Gary Hollingsworth, Mark Dance, and Todd Fisher.

Dockery also spoke of the seminary’s commitments to be globally engaged—noting that faculty and staff regularly lead students on mission trips at home and abroad—and its commitment to the sanctity of life, as evidenced by the presence of the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center on the Southwestern campus, a partnership with alumnus Jack Graham and Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Dockery also expressed gratitude for the work of the Southern Baptist Convention Disability Task Team. “We are pleased that Southwesterner Sandra Peoples will help guide us as we continue to work to support these efforts in the days ahead,” he said.

In other seminary highlights, Dockery noted that Danny Akin, a distinguished alumnus and outgoing president of Southeastern Seminary, was presented with the first Robert Naylor Denominational Service Award “in gratitude for his investment in Southern Baptists and his outstanding leadership at Southeastern Seminary over the past two decades.”

Dockery completed his report, “We are hopeful for the future. We are grateful that God has given us the privilege of carrying on the heritage of a Great Commandment, Great Commission institution to prepare the next generation of students to serve the churches, to engage the culture, and to take the Gospel across the country, around the globe, for the glory of our majestic and triune God.”