Dockery elected 2027 convention preacher, faculty represent Southwestern at SBC in Orlando
Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando unanimously elected President David S. Dockery convention preacher for the 2027 annual meeting in Indianapolis, and he and other members of the faculty represented Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during the SBC.
“While I have had the privilege to speak, bring reports, and to participate in various ways in the annual meetings of the SBC over the past 35 years, it is a high honor and distinctive privilege to be invited to bring the annual convention sermon at the 2027 convention,” Dockery said.
For the past four years, Dockery has given the seminary president report on behalf of Southwestern, and in other SBC annual meetings he has presented other reports and given a brief message.
“I will be genuinely grateful for the prayers of many Southwestern friends over the next year as I prepare for this special opportunity,” Dockery requested.
An honor dating back to 1846, Dockery joins three other Southwestern presidents who have served as convention preacher: two before their presidencies, B. H. Carroll (1878) and Robert E. Naylor (1958, four months before he assumed the seminary presidency), and Russell Dilday (1984).
Members of the faculty participated in a variety of events surrounding the annual meeting.
Dockery was interviewed for the Better Together podcast by the Cooperative Program and also signed copies of the recent Seminary Hill Press book, Hearts, Heads, Hands: A Vision for Theological Education at Southwestern Seminary, in the Southwestern booth of the exhibit hall.
The Brentwood Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Christian Ministry, a guide and resource for ministers navigating the challenges and opportunities provided by AI, was released during the annual meeting, and is signed by Dockery, the other SBC seminary presidents, and other SBC entity representatives. The full statement can be read here.
Malcolm Yarnell was also available in the Southwestern exhibit booth to sign his new book, Word, from his Theology for Every Person series. Yarnell was a panelist for the Criswell Alumni & Friends Dinner, discussing the topics of religious liberty, Christian nationalism, and faith in the public square.
Daniel Darling, assistant professor of faith and culture, served as a panelist for the sell-out “One Nation Under God: Reflections on 250 Years of Faith and Democracy” event hosted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. New ERLC president and former Southwestern faculty member Evan Lenow took part in the event that also featured panelists Adam Groza (’03), president of Gateway Seminary; Nathan Finn, ERLC senior fellow; and Dustin Bruce, ERLC research fellow and dean of Boyce College.
“I think we often create a false binary that you have to love God or love your country,” Darling said, according to Baptist Press. “That’s not really how Scripture presents how we can think about these things. Our love for God informs our love for country and all our lesser allegiances. Patriotism can be idolatrous, but I also think it can be sinful to be apathetic or to loathe your country.”
Joe Crider, dean of the School of Church Music and Worship, led a breakout session during SBC Worship Micro Conference. Ashley Allen, assistant professor of women’s ministries, participated in a podcast with Contagious Joy as part of the Women’s Expo, which Southwestern women participated in through a booth led by Terri Stovall.
Southwestern faculty and students also participated in Crossover the week before the annual meeting. The initiative led by the North American Mission Board provides an opportunity for local Southern Baptist churches to coordinate with visitors to share the Gospel in the host city. Carl Bradford, dean of Texas Baptist College, led the Southwestern team.
The International Mission Board commissioned 63 missionaries during its Send Celebration. Three of those going to open security locations are Southwestern alumni.
SBC President Clint Pressley took time during the meeting to honor two previous convention presidents who passed away in the past year, Morris Chapman and Steve Gaines, both Southwestern alumni.
More than 1,400 persons provided information about themselves, prospective students, or other information during visits at the Southwestern booth in the exhibit hall.
