‘Legacy professor’ Charles A. Tidwell dies

Charles A. Tidwell, professor of administration at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1965-1995, died on Jan. 28. He was 89. 

“We mourn the loss of a cherished professor and friend to countless students over decades of service at Southwestern Seminary,” said President Adam W. Greenway. “I encourage all Southwesterners to be in prayer for the Tidwell family.”

Tidwell was born on July 14, 1931, in Montgomery, Alabama. He received his Bachelor of Arts at Baylor University in 1953, his Master of Religious Education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1955, and his Doctor of Education at Southwestern Seminary in 1970. He later did additional studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., during a sabbatical leave in the areas of church program development and church family financial planning. 

Prior to his seminary teaching, Tidwell was a church administration consultant, section leader, and editor with the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources). He was also assistant professor of religious education and Bible at Mississippi College from 1963-1965, and throughout his career, he served churches in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Germany. 

Tidwell joined the faculty at Southwestern Seminary in 1965, teaching most of the courses offered in the School of Religious Education’s Department of Administration over the next 30 years, as well as developing new courses in this field of study. In 1977, he was named to fill the newly endowed Chair of Denominational Relations established by the Sunday School Board. The inauguration of this chair provided for additional instruction in all the programs fostered by the Board. 

Upon his retirement in 1995, Tidwell explained of this role, “As Chair of Denominational Relations, I was the designated person on the campus to expedite relationships between the Sunday School Board and the faculty and students regarding services, materials, and programs the Board provided.”

Tidwell wrote two books—The Educational Ministry of a Church (1982) and Church Administration: Leadership for Effectiveness in Ministry (1985)—and co-authored Creative Church Administration and a manual for Training Potential Sunday School Workers. In 2020, he co-edited (with J. Jonathan Kim) a second edition of The Educational Ministry of a Church. 

Kim, a two-time graduate of Southwestern Seminary (M.A.R.E., 1988; Ph.D., 1992) and associate dean of the College of Christian Faith at Dallas Baptist University, wrote in the preface to this second edition, “I owe [Dr. Tidwell] much of my knowledge in the educational ministry of a church. I went back again and again to what I learned from him while serving as minister of education at Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, in the early 1990s, and while teaching Christian education since 1995 at Southwestern Seminary and Dallas Baptist University.”

Jeter Basden, a 1970 M.R.E. graduate of Southwestern Seminary and professor emeritus of religion at Baylor University, wrote in the book’s dedication, “Dr. Charles A. Tidwell is a teacher, mentor, counselor, and friend. … Throughout his ministry, he has encouraged ministers and aspiring ministers, he has mentored students and ministers alike, he has faithfully served churches, and he has loved people unconditionally.”

Other former students of Tidwell’s now serving on faculty at Southwestern Seminary include Dean of Women Terri Stovall and Associate Dean of the Terry School of Educational Ministries Chris Shirley. Upon learning of Tidwell’s passing, Stovall wrote on social media, “As a church administration student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during his tenure, I am grateful for the impact Dr. Tidwell had on me and countless others.”

Also writing on social media, Shirley said, “Dr. Tidwell was a legacy professor at Southwestern Seminary, and we are blessed that God allowed him to make a difference for the Kingdom here.”

Tidwell is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Norma Jean; and their two children, Charles and Evelyn, and their families. 

Memorial service information is pending.