Paul Stutz, assistant professor of administration and church recreation, dies

Paul Stutz, assistant professor of administration and church recreation and associate dean for master’s programs in the Terry School of Educational Ministries, died on Tuesday, Aug. 6, after a four-year battle with cancer.

“Paul Stutz was a faithful servant of our Lord who both loved and was loved by Southwestern Seminary,” said Southwestern Seminary President Adam W. Greenway. “While we grieve that he is no longer present with us, we rejoice that he is now home with the Savior he loved and served so well. His legacy will long continue on at Southwestern Seminary through the work of the Terry School as well as the countless alumni and students who were personally impacted by his teaching and ministry.”

Stutz first came to Southwestern Seminary as a student to pursue a diploma in religious education, which he completed in 1981. This was followed by a graduate diploma in religious education/church recreation in 1991 and a Ph.D. in administration and youth education in 2008. He also completed a Master of Science in recreation and leisure studies at the University of North Texas in 1996.

Prior to joining the faculty at Southwestern Seminary, Stutz served as director of the campus’ Recreation and Aerobics Center (the RAC) from 1995-2007. He also taught adjunctively in Scarborough College and the Terry School. He fulfilled additional teaching responsibilities at Dallas Baptist University’s Gary Cook School of Leadership.

Stutz officially joined the Southwestern Seminary faculty in 2007, teaching from extensive experience in the local church. His first interim youth pastorate was at Woodlawn Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, from 1972-1974. He served in additional interim positions at other churches, as well as the roles of minister of recreation at the First Baptist Church of Grand Prairie and minister of youth and activities at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, Okla. Furthermore, he spent two years as the assistant district supervisor for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

Jack Terry, former dean and namesake for the Terry School, who hired Stutz as director of the RAC in 1995, says Stutz’s major contribution to the seminary “was his wonderful, soft personality and his love for the Kingdom of God, and especially his love for Southwestern Seminary.”

“Paul Stutz loved the seminary, and he loved working at the seminary,” Terry says. “In any capacity that we asked him to work, he did a magnificent job.”

Stutz’s publications include Recreation and Sports Ministry: Impacting Post-Modern Culture (Broadman and Holman, 2001) and Operation Manual for Church Recreation Centers (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2006). He was a member of the National Parks and Recreation Association, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society, and the Texas Christian Recreation Association. He and his wife were members of Lake Arlington Baptist Church.

“I first knew Dr. Stutz as my student and then as a colleague, but more significantly, Paul Stutz was my friend and co-laborer for the Kingdom,” says Terri Stovall, dean of women and professor of women’s ministry in the Terry School. “He never wavered in his faith and truly possessed a heart of ministry to others.

“Whether leading Rec-Labs, overseeing the RAC here on campus, working with Youth Lab, teaching students how to be good administrators, or simply discipling others as he lived life, Paul Stutz was the real deal. Just in the past weeks, so many have reached out to me who were impacted by his life, and I am confident, as he experienced complete healing, that today Paul Stutz heard the words, ‘Well done.’”

Stutz is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Barbara; their two children, Boone and Bren; three grandchildren; and his sister, Susan Cox.

A Celebration of Life service will be held in Truett Auditorium on the Southwestern Seminary campus at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17.