Southwestern Seminary ‘greater than any one individual,’ Greenway tells President’s Club

Partnerships make it possible for The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to thrive, President Adam W. Greenway told the seminary’s supporters who gathered Dec. 3 for the annual President’s Club Dinner, which honored them for their financial contributions.

“We could not do what we do without our partners,” said Greenway, adding that the institution “is greater than any one individual or any one personality.”

The event was Greenway’s first President’s Club Dinner since being elected Southwestern Seminary’s ninth president this February. He shared with those assembled that when he and his team arrived earlier this year, they “hit the ground running” and have since strived to improve every aspect of the seminary.

“I can’t change the past; I wasn’t there,” he said. “I want to talk about the future.”

Students are the seminary’s first priority, Greenway said, emphasizing that donations reduce the financial burden for students, and for the seminary’s operational costs. He also recognized the Southern Baptist Convention for its generosity through the Cooperative Program, which has contributed more than $7 million to Southwestern Seminary this year. He expressed hope that today’s students understand the significance of those contributions and become supporters of SBC Cooperative Program giving in their future ministries.

Donations to Southwestern Seminary through the President’s Club comprise “literally hundreds of thousands of dollars we do not have to raise because of supporters like you,” he said.

Greenway emphasized the importance of donors’ role in helping to support the seminary as it works to realize the vision of B.H. Carroll, the institution’s founder and first president.

“You are all a huge part of that,” he said. “You made a generous contribution to be part of this group. We could not do what we do without friends and supporters and partners like the President’s Club.”

The faculty is the backbone of the seminary’s educational program, Greenway said, calling the faculty the “curriculum” of the school.

He said he intends to build a strong culture in which students and faculty can thrive. “But we can’t do that alone. We can’t do this without friends and partners.”

“As we tell the story of Southwestern, we need friends with funds to fuel our mission together,” Greenway concluded. “I believe the greatest days of Southwestern Seminary are in the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.”