Trustees name McKellar to George W. Truett Chair of Ministry

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Board of Trustees unanimously elected Matthew McKellar, professor of preaching in the School of Theology, to the George W. Truett Chair of Ministry during its Oct. 18 fall meeting. The appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2023.

“Matthew McKellar is a gifted preacher as well as an exemplary teacher of preaching and pastoral ministry,” said David S. Dockery, interim president of Southwestern Seminary. “He has commendably served Southwestern Seminary over the years, investing in students and faculty colleagues while serving churches with faithfulness. We congratulate him on this appointment to the prestigious Truett Chair of Ministry.”

Serving at Southwestern Seminary since 2010 and a long-time member at the First Baptist Church of Dallas where George W. Truett pastored the downtown Dallas church from 1897-1944, McKellar has over 30 years of pastoral ministry experience leading as senior pastor of churches across Texas. Additionally, he has served Southern Baptists in a variety of roles in denominational life.

“I am grateful to the Lord and to the leadership of SWBTS for this appointment to the Truett Chair,” McKellar said. “Dr. Truett’s ongoing impact through his pastoral ministry, preaching, denominational leadership, and commitment to the vision for SWBTS articulated by B. H. Carroll is a distinct legacy in the landscape of Baptist life with which I am deeply honored to be associated.”

McKellar earned a Bachelor of Arts in religion and speech communications (1982) from Baylor University. He also holds Master of Divinity (1985) and Doctor of Philosophy (1991) degrees from Southwestern Seminary. His doctoral dissertation focused on the preaching of the late W.A. Criswell, who pastored First Baptist Dallas from 1944 until he transitioned to pastor emeritus in 1993.

McKellar has contributed chapters to several publications including “Illustrating the Sermon” in A Pastor’s Guide to Text-Driven Preaching and “Preaching” in Ecclesiology of Church Revitalization. He has also contributed to volume one of Preaching for Church Revitalization and has contributed articles to the Southwestern Journal of Theology.  He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and a member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. 

In addition to his teaching responsibilities at Southwestern Seminary, McKellar has taught the Sonburst Sunday school class at First Baptist Dallas since 2013.