Greenway resigns as president of Southwestern Seminary

The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met for its regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 22 and subsequently accepted the resignation of President Adam W. Greenway, Chairman Danny Roberts announced today. Greenway has accepted a role with the International Mission Board (IMB). 

The Executive Committee voted to extend an invitation to Southern Baptist leader O.S. Hawkins to serve as acting president. Further details about his appointment will be announced early next week. Hawkins is president-emeritus of Guidestone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention and a two-time alumnus of Southwestern Seminary. The Board of Trustees is expected to name a Presidential Search Committee during its next meeting, Oct. 17-18.

Roberts said the Executive Committee is grateful for Greenway’s service to the seminary, noting that final details of his transition as president are pending.

“In receiving President Greenway’s resignation, we express our deepest appreciation for his more than three and one-half years of service to his alma mater,” said Roberts. “He came to Southwestern Seminary during a difficult time of transition and has worked tirelessly to lead the institution to serve well the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. Among his other accomplishments, President Greenway has assembled an impressive faculty of scholar-ministers who are daily impacting the lives of their students. He also provided steady leadership during the COVID pandemic, which dramatically altered the delivery of theological education.”

In a statement, Greenway spoke about his time on Seminary Hill.

“These days are incredibly challenging in the life of our denomination,” said Greenway. “They are also challenging times for academic institutions, particularly theological seminaries. In February 2019, Carla and I accepted the call to come back ‘home’ to Southwestern Seminary with an understanding of these challenges, but also with the strong desire to be part of the solution. What we failed to appreciate was the enormity of the reputational, legal, and financial realities that would welcome us to the Dome—only to be compounded by a global pandemic unlike anything we have ever experienced before. We have done our best to serve Southern Baptists by helping position our seminary for the future, but much, much work remains to be done. Nevertheless, in the Providence of God we sense a release from our duties here.”

He also spoke about his new role with the IMB.

“We will continue to serve Southern Baptists as we have throughout the course of our lives and ministry,” said Greenway. “We believe our next assignment is not a departure from but a continuation along the journey God has always had us walk. We are thrilled that we are going to help prepare Southern Baptist missionaries for their work of addressing the world’s greatest problem—spiritual lostness—with God’s solution, which is the gospel of Christ. As we look forward to beginning a new chapter with Southern Baptists’ favorite entity, the International Mission Board, we ask for your prayers for us in this season of transition, and we pledge our continued prayers and support for our beloved ‘crown jewel.’”