Fall 2020 • Vol. 17, No. 2
The Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
NOBTS President
James K. Dew, PhD
NOBTS Provost
Norris Grubbs, PhD
Editor & BCTM Director
Adam Harwood, PhD
Typesetting
Hampton Keathley
Book Review Editors
Archie England, PhD
Dennis Phelps, PhD
2020 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Bart Barber, PhD
First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas
Rex Butler, PhD
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Nathan Finn, PhD
North Greenville University
Eric Hankins, PhD
First Baptist Fairhope, Fairhope, Alabama
Malcolm Yarnell, DPhil
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry is a research institute of New Orleans
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ans, LA 70126.
BCTM exists to provide theological and ministerial resources to enrich and energize minis-
try in Baptist churches. Our goal is to bring together professor and practitioner to produce
and apply these resources to Baptist life, polity, and ministry. The mission of the BCTM is
to develop, preserve, and communicate the distinctive theological identity of Baptists.
The Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry is published semiannually by the Bap-
tist Center for Theology and Ministry. Copyright ©2020 The Baptist Center for Theology
and Ministry, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. All Rights Reserved. This pe-
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Table of Contents
Looking Back and Looking Ahead: A New Era at NOBTS .................. 179
Rex D. Butler, PhD
Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Teach Dem Saints? Baptist Beginnings in
New Orleans to the Founding of the Baptist Bible Institute .................. 183
Lloyd Harsch, PhD
Portraits of the NOBTS Presidents ............................................................. 215
Chuck Kelley, PhD
The Leavell Legacy ......................................................................................... 231
Rex D. Butler, PhD
A Legacy of Scholarship: Legendary Teachers and World-Class
Research............................................................................................................ 261
James Parker, PhD
Rex D. Butler, PhD
The School of Providence and Prayer: From the Great Depression
through Hurricane Katrina and Beyond ..................................................... 301
Steve Lemke, PhD
Theological Education Delivered to You: The Extension Centers and
Online Learning .............................................................................................. 315
Norris Grubbs, PhD
The NOBTS and Leavell College of Tomorrow: The Future of
Theological Education ................................................................................... 327
Norris Grubbs, PhD
Guiding Principles for NOBTS .................................................................... 339
James (Jamie) K. Dew Jr., PhD
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 179–181
Looking Back and Looking Ahead:
A New Era at NOBTS
Rex D. Butler, PhD
Rex D. Butler is professor of Church History and Patristics, occupying
the John T. Westbrook Chair of Church History at New Orleans Bap-
tist Theological Seminary.
It’s a Dew Day! At NOBTS and Leavell College, we are well
into the second year of Dr. Jamie Dew’s presidency and a new era.
The advent of our ninth president comes on the heels of a year-
long centennial commemoration that concluded in October 2018.
This extended moment of transition calls for looking back and
looking ahead. Those of us connected to the seminary and col-
lege – faculty and students, administration and staff, current stu-
dents and alumni, donors and friends – are mindful of our long
history and grateful for God’s providence.
Therefore, it is appropriate for this issue of the Journal for Bap-
tist Theology and Ministry to celebrate our past while also dreaming
of our future. All our authors are members of the NOBTS and
Leavell College faculty, and each one brings his own expertise and
viewpoint to the task at hand. I am gratified that Dr. Adam Har-
wood, editor of the journal, invited me to serve as guest editor of
this issue. Also, I must express appreciation for the preliminary
work done by Dr. Steve Lemke, who initially envisioned a centen-
nial chronicle and commissioned the articles included in this jour-
nal.
In our opening chapter, Dr. Lloyd Harsch asks with local flair:
“Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Teach Dem Saints?” Harsch explores
Baptist beginnings in New Orleans during the years leading up to
the founding of the Baptist Bible Institute in 1917.
In a tour de force of historical reminiscence, Dr. Chuck Kelley,
President Emeritus, takes us on a “Walk through the Presidents.”
Kelley reenacts his introduction to the previous presidents, whose
portraits line the walls of the Dement Room and whose stories he
told to incoming faculty. Dr. Steve Lemke and I complete the gal-
lery with our introduction to our newest president, Dr. Jamie Dew.
180 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Two of our greatest presidents came from the same legendary
family, and it falls to me to relate “The Leavell Legacy.” This story
begins with the Leavell family and their nine sons, eight of whom
distinguished themselves in Christian work. Roland Q. Leavell and
his nephew, Landrum P. Leavell II, left their marks and their
names throughout the history and the campus of NOBTS.
Throughout the history of NOBTS and Leavell College, our
first-rate faculty have left their own legacy in scholarship and the
establishment of research centers. Dr. Jim Parker and I present “A
Legacy of Scholarship: Legendary Teachers and World-Class Re-
search.”
In his chapter, “The School of Providence and Prayer: From
the Great Depression through Hurricane Katrina and Beyond,”
Dr. Steve Lemke traces the key moments of crisis throughout the
history of our seminary: the Great Depression, the doctrinal crisis
of the 1960s and the Conservative Resurgence of the 1980s, Hur-
ricane Betsy and the even-greater destruction of Hurricane Katri-
na. These turning points in our history prove God’s providence
and purpose for NOBTS.
Throughout its history, NOBTS has been a leader in making
theological education accessible to every God-called man and
woman. Dr. Norris Grubbs provides the history of “Theological
Education Delivered to You.” In this chapter, he outlines some of
the seminary’s innovations, which include: extension centers,
closed interactive video (CIV), the Online Learning Center, and
the Rubicon Project, which made almost every class offered by
NOBTS available in a distance format.
The last chapter, also authored by Grubbs, imagines “The
NOBTS of Tomorrow – The Future of Theological Education.”
Our hundred years of history is a launching pad for the next era of
theological education at the seminary. Our new president and his
cabinet are making plans for our future, and this chapter gives us a
glimpse into what that vision might look like.
Our new president, Dr. Jamie Dew, closes our Centennial
journal with an afterword that summarizes our new mission
statement and shares how its guiding principles will be applied to
who we are and what we do at NOBTS and Leavell College. As
we take up the “towel and basin,” we “prepare servants to walk
with Christ, proclaim His truth, and fulfill His mission.”
As I write this introduction, the world is laboring under the pall
of a global pandemic. Our nation is wrestling again – or should I
LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD 181
say “still” – with the pain of racial strife. And tropical storms are
stalking the Gulf. Our seminary continues to face challenges, but
now NOBTS is not only the School of Providence and Prayer but
also, in the words of our new president, the School of the Towel
and the Basin!
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 183–214
Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Teach Dem Saints?
Baptist Beginnings in New Orleans to the Found-
ing of the Baptist Bible Institute
Lloyd Harsch, PhD
Lloyd Harsch is chair of the Division of Theological and Historical
Studies, and professor of Church History and Baptist Studies, occupying
the Cooperative Program Chair of SBC Studies at New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mention New Orleans and images of good food, good music,
and Mardi Gras will flood the mind. There may even be a thought
or two regarding Bourbon Street or the Battle of New Orleans.
But for more than a century, when Baptists thought of New Orle-
ans, images of spiritual destitution and the need for churches came
to mind.
In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was the first
European to sail down the Mississippi River. Reaching the Gulf of
Mexico, he claimed all the land drained by the river for France. He
named the territory Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV. Because the
mouth of the river was obscured by cedar logs and La Salle’s poor
documentation, it was not until Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur
d’Iberville’s identification of the mouth in 1699 that settlement of
the area could begin in earnest. The city of New Orleans came
into existence on May 7, 1718, and was named in honor the king’s
nephew, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. May will prove to be an
important month in the seminary’s history.
Controlling commerce on the Mississippi River promised great
wealth for France. It also blunted Spain’s advance north from
Mexico and encircled England’s colonies. Conflict with England
erupted into war in 1754, expanding to global proportions two
years later. With England emerging victorious, France sought to
prevent the loss of all New France by ceding its non-Canadian
portion to Spain in 1763, as part of the treaty negotiations.
Spain struggled to govern its new territories. New Orleans be-
came a center for trade, both legal and otherwise. Smuggled goods
and financial backing for the American Revolution came through
the city. As the French Revolution took hold in Europe, uprisings
184 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
for independence erupted in what is now Haiti. At the same time,
Spain fearing British expansion, secretly ceded Louisiana back to
France. When Napoleon took control of France, he tried to quell
the rebellion in Haiti. Yellow fever decimated his troops, and Haiti
gained its independence. This loss shattered his dreams of a Loui-
siana-based sugar empire and complicated his desire to conquer
Europe.
President Thomas Jefferson recognized the strategic im-
portance of New Orleans for trade and defense. He sent repre-
sentatives to Paris with instructions to spend up to $5 million to
purchase the city. Napoleon, wanting to concentrate on his Euro-
pean expansion and fearful of losing New France, offered the en-
tire territory in 1803 for just $15 million, less than 3 cents an acre!
Louisiana became America’s eighteenth state on April 30, 1812.
A month later, America was again at war with Great Britain.
Napoleon’s Empire reached its zenith in 1812, with much of the
European continent as either a client state, an ally, or under his
direct control. While Britain controlled the oceans, France domi-
nated trade on the continent. Each side blockaded the goods of
the other. British vessels looted American merchant ships and im-
pressed American sailors into their military. In June 1812, the
same month that Napoleon launched his disastrous campaign into
Russia, the United States declared war on Britain. When the war
proved more difficult than either side imagined, the Treaty of
Ghent (Belgium) was signed December 24, 1814, but not ratified
until February 16, 1815.
British plans for capturing New Orleans had already been un-
derway for some months when the treaty was signed. Because the
British did not recognize Napoleon as a legitimate head of state, it
considered his sale of Louisiana to America as fraudulent. Taking
New Orleans, even after the treaty was signed, could be defended
in their minds. The treaty could be renegotiated and the upstart
republic surrounded. The British were confident they would suc-
ceed.
British forces from Jamaica had already landed in Louisiana as
the treaty was being signed, but word of the signing would not
arrive for some time. On January 8, 1815, battle-tested British
troops faced a ragtag assortment of Americans, pirates, and Choc-
taw on a Chalmette battlefield. During the twenty minute battle,
British forces reported staggering losses of some 2,000 killed or
wounded. American casualties were only around 20. To a war-
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 185
weary nation, this unexpected victory brought a surge of national
pride, secured control of trade along the Mississippi River, and
retained the largest and wealthiest port in the South.
New Orleans was the Southern jewel in America’s crown. By
1820, New Orleans was the fifth largest city in the United States,
behind New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston. Exempt-
ing northerly-situated Baltimore and St. Louis, New Orleans was
the largest Southern city for over a century. Not until 1950 did
Dallas and Houston surpass it in population. The first steamboat
came down the Mississippi River in 1812. The Port of New Orle-
ans was the fourth busiest in the world in 1840.
1
Cotton was king,
and by 1907 New Orleans was the largest importer of bananas.
The Panama Canal, which facilitated trade between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, was completed in 1914. To Baptists, the Jewel
of the South needed to be added to the crown of the King.
Roman Catholicism had been the official state religion in New
Orleans until the Louisiana Purchase. Its cultural dominance con-
tinued long after that. St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in
the United States, narrowly edging out the Baltimore Basilica.
French was the predominant language in the city, even when Lou-
isiana was ruled by the Spanish. It would not be until the 1830s,
almost three decades after the Louisiana Purchase, that English
would surpass French.
2
This affected English-language church
planting.
The first English-speaking church was formed on May 29,
1805, as Christ Church. The members then voted for the denomi-
nation to which it would belong. Of the 53 votes, 45 favored the
Episcopalians. New Orleans is also home to the oldest Greek Or-
thodox Church in North America.
In addition to Louisiana becoming a state and hostilities with
Britain beginning, the year 1812 was important to Louisiana Bap-
tists. The first Baptist churches in the state were organized that
year. The short-lived Half Moon congregation, near Bayou Chicot
in Washington Parish, was organized on October 12, followed a
month later by Calvary Baptist, organized November 13, in Bogue
Chitto, St. Landry Parish.
1
Henry Rightor, A Standard History of New Orleans (Chicago: Lewis, 1900),
67, 568, passim.
2
Rightor, A Standard History of New Orleans, passim.
186 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Also in 1812, the first recorded Baptists appear in New Orleans.
Cornelius Paulding grew up in New York. He began his career in
New York City in 1800 as a watchmaker. In 1802, he entered into
a partnership with Isaac Marquand in Savannah, GA. Paulding
moved to New Orleans in 1812 where he established his own
business and invested successfully in real estate.
3
Over the years,
Paulding would make a meeting room available to anyone wishing
to hold worship services.
New Orleans is an international city founded by the French. It
seems appropriate that the first Baptist to preach in the city was a
Frenchman coming from Canada. Edmund J. Reis was born in
Paris, France, where he lived until the age of 15.
4
He was brought
to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1807 as a prisoner on a privateer ship.
5
About 1810, Reis connected with a New Light revival sweeping
the area and became the first pastor of Goat Island Baptist
Church, North Clement, Nova Scotia.
6
He left two years later, as
the war was beginning, to preach and distribute Bibles in New Or-
leans, supported in part by the New York Baptist Association.
7
Being able to preach in both English and French was an ad-
vantage in New Orleans. While Reis’s preaching was well attended,
he had little success and returned to Canada in 1813 after six
months. Reis preached the 1815 Association sermon from Jonah
3:2, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the mes-
sage I give you,”
8
a fitting text from one who had done just that.
The year 1812 was a momentous one for all Baptists in Ameri-
ca regarding foreign missions. Inspired by British Baptists sending
William Carey to India as a missionary, American Congregational-
3
“American Silversmiths: Cornelius Paulding,” http://freepages.genealogy.
rootsweb.ancestry.com/~silversmiths/makers/silversmiths/174100.htm, ac-
cessed 23 September 2020.
4
David Benedict, A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America
(Boston: Lincoln & Edmands, 1813), 2:265.
5
Benedict, A General History, 1:307; George Edward Levy, The Baptists of the
Maritime Provinces, 1753–1946 (Saint John, New Brunswick: Barnes-Hopkins,
1946), 93.
6
“Goat Island Baptist Church,” http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-
reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=13458, accessed 23 September 2020.
7
Benedict, A General History, 2:441; Samuel S. Hill, Religion in the Southern
States: A Historical Study (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1983), 132.
8
M. Allen Gibson, Along the King’s Highway (Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Home
Mission Board of the United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces,
1964), 10.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 187
ists (theological descendants of the Puritans) formed their own
mission agency. Two of the five missionaries, knowing they would
encounter Carey in India, studied their Bibles on the voyage over
(on separate ships) and became convinced that believer’s baptism
by immersion was biblical. Adoniram Judson and his wife, Anne,
remained on the field while Luther Rice returned to America in
1813 to inform Baptists they now had a missionary couple on the
field.
Spurred into action, they gathered in Philadelphia to form the
Baptist Convention for Missionary Purposes in May 1814. Be-
cause it met every three years, it was commonly referred to as the
Triennial Convention. Only one person from Georgia, William B.
Johnson, and one from North Carolina, James A. Ranaldson, par-
ticipated in the formation of this missionary endeavor. Both were
elected to the inaugural Board of Commissioners.
9
Johnson came to New Orleans for his health in March 1817 af-
ter being invited by Paulding to preach in the city.
10
Johnson
spoke in Paulding’s “Long Room” and was even allowed to speak
in St. Louis Cathedral on behalf of the Poydras Orphan Asylum.
11
He even assisted in forming a mission society as an auxiliary to the
Triennial Convention.
12
During this sojourn in New Orleans, Johnson met his fellow
Board member, Ranaldson, who had moved to New Orleans in
late 1816.
13
In May 1817, Johnson endorsed Ranaldson’s request
to the Triennial Convention to be appointed a missionary to New
Orleans. The Convention agreed and instructed Ranaldson to
preach in the city and its environs, and to preach to the First Na-
tions in the region. The hope was that this work would open up
missions to Texas and “facilitate its ingress into the countries of
South America.”
14
9
Proceedings of the Baptist Convention for Missionary Purposes, 1814: 7–10.
10
W. E. Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana from the Earliest Times to
the Present (St. Louis: C. R. Barnes, 1888), 119.
11
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 119.
12
William B. Johnson, “Reminiscences,” Baptist Courier, 13 February 1896.
13
Hill, Religion in the Southern States, 133.
14
Baptist Convention for Missionary Purposes, 1817: 141, 176–77.
188 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Ranaldson organized a Sunday school, with almost one hun-
dred scholars, and a church in 1817.
15
However, his tenure was
short-lived in spite of a favorable response to his ministry. He re-
ceived notice of his appointment on June 11 and moved on July
28 to St. Francisville, Louisiana, where he organized a church on
November 2, 1817.
16
The reason for the move was two-fold. In
addition to his own health concerns, his family was ailing, and the
high cost of living in New Orleans prompted the move.
17
Benjamin Davis of Natchez, Mississippi, followed Randaldson
as pastor. Both men were at the 1817 Mississippi Baptist Associa-
tion meeting. They were put on a committee regarding education.
The committee reported, “Education . . . next to the gospel, . . . is
of the highest importance to the world.”
18
The following year,
Davis represented the New Orleans congregation at the Missis-
sippi Baptist Association when it was welcomed as a member.
19
Davis had the honor of performing the first baptism in New Or-
leans. He baptized the father-in-law of a prominent lawyer in the
Mississippi River in front of the custom house.
20
Under Davis, the
congregation grew to forty-eight members: sixteen white and thir-
ty-two black.
21
Davis left in 1820, and the congregation became
inactive.
The statistical tables also list a Friendship Baptist in New Orle-
ans. It is possible that Friendship, led by Nehemiah Williams and
received into the Mississippi Baptist Association along with Da-
vis’s New Orleans congregation, was the African American por-
15
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 118; Letter, September 2, 1817
from Ranaldson to Corresponding Secretary of Triennial Convention, in The
Latter Day Luminary 1.1 (Feb 1818): 36.
16
The Latter Day Luminary 1.1 (Feb 1818): 37; Paxton, A History of the Baptists
of Louisiana, 118; D. Hoyle Haire, “A Brief Account of the Life of James A.
Ranaldson” (ThM thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1941), 9.
17
The Latter Day Luminary 1.1 (Feb 1818): 37.
18
T. C. Schilling, Abstract History of the Mississippi Baptist Association, From Its
Preliminary Organization in 1806 to the Centennial Session in 1906 (New Orleans: J. G.
Hauser, 1908), 32.
19
Schilling, Abstract History of the Mississippi Baptist Association, 33.
20
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 119.
21
William Hicks, History of Louisiana Negro Baptists and Early American Begin-
nings from 1804 to 1914 (Nashville: National Baptist Publishing Board, 1914), 22.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 189
tion of the New Orleans congregation.
22
An 1806 territorial law
forbade slaves from assembling for any means, including worship.
Laws preventing blacks from preaching without white permission
were an attempt to prevent blacks from congregating in large
numbers.
23
Enforcement of these laws was inconsistent, but in-
creasingly stringent as the Civil War approached.
The work was revived in 1826 when William Rondeau came to
New Orleans. Rondeau was a lawyer from Manchester, England,
and member of St. George’s Road Baptist Chapel.
24
He emigrated
in 1819, established a homestead in Pope County, Illinois, in 1820,
and lived with his family along the Ohio River on an island near
Golconda, Illinois.
25
Leaving his wife in charge of the home, he
would make trips of varying length down river to New Orleans. In
the spring of 1826, he gathered a handful of people into a congre-
gation and preached for about a year before returning to Illinois
and the group disbanded.
26
When Rondeau revived the work, it was primarily among the
white community. Asa Cruger Goldsbury
27
organized First African
Baptist on October 31, 1826.
28
Goldsbury was a free person of
color. He had high commendations from pastors in Massachusetts
and Connecticut, and he served on the Board of the African Un-
ion Meeting and School-House in Providence, Rhode Island.
29
Rondeau was on the committee that ordained Goldsbury to the
ministry and organized the congregation. Laws against African
Americans preaching made this work difficult. William Paxton
notes in his history of Louisiana Baptists that Goldsbury was or-
22
Mississippi Baptist Association Minutes, 1819: 3; Cornel West and Eddie S.
Glaude, African American Religious Thought (Louisville, KY: Westminster John
Knox, 2003), 19.
23
Albert J. Raboteau, Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum
South (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 214–19.
24
Paul Ramsbottom, “A Chiliasm of Despair: The Community Worship-
ping at St. George’s Road Baptist Chapel, Manchester,” Baptist Quarterly 37/5
(Jan 1998): 229.
25
Edward P. Brand, Illinois Baptists: A History (Bloomington, IL: Pantagraph,
1930), 135.
26
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 119–20.
27
Also spelled Goldsberry.
28
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 120.
29
A Short History of the African Union Meeting and School-House, Erected in Provi-
dence (R. I.) in the Years 1819, ‘20, ‘21; With Rules for Its Future Government (Provi-
dence: Brown & Danforth, 1821), 4–9.
190 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
dered by city authorities to be silent for six months or go to jail.
He does not mention the outcome. The congregation grew to 87
members by the time of Goldsbury’s death.
30
First African regained its strength in 1833. Nelson D. Sanders
was a Virginia Baptist pastor and a slave.
31
In 1833, he was sold to
a new master in New Orleans. His new owner allowed him to earn
extra income, and Sanders was able to purchase his freedom. A
congregation of thirty-two slaves was soon meeting in a home on
Gentilly Road. Meeting as a congregation was illegal. Worship was
often disrupted by the police who would carry to jail as many of
the congregation as suited their fancy, men and women. Eventual-
ly, the congregation was allowed to meet from 3-5 pm on Sundays,
provided the congregation pay a policeman to secure the premises
and ensure that the time limit was strictly observed. In 1842, the
congregation relocated to a lot on the corner of Howard Avenue
and Cypress Street. The location had to be sold to make way for a
railroad expansion. The congregation relocated to 2216 Third
Street, where it still exists and worships.
While the Triennial Convention focused on foreign missions,
associations (and later state conventions) assisted with local
church planting. In order to facilitate starting churches in newly-
settled frontier communities or in areas destitute of a Baptist wit-
ness, the American Baptist Home Mission Society (HMS) orga-
nized in 1832 with the bold motto, “North America for Christ.”
At its inaugural meeting in New York, Cornelius Paulding was
elected as vice president of the society, even though he did not
attend the meeting.
32
William B. Johnson and Basil Manly were
elected as directors.
The important commercial center of New Orleans was an early
priority. Within a month of forming, the HMS, in May 1832, ap-
pointed among its first ten missionaries, Pharcellus Church, for
New Orleans.
33
Unfortunately, he declined. Funds and missionary
30
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 121.
31
The information regarding Sanders comes from Hicks, 25–27.
32
Proceedings of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1832: 5.
33
American Baptist Home Mission Society, Baptist Home Missions in North
America: Including a Full Report of the Proceedings and Addresses of the Jubilee Meeting,
and a Historical Sketch of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Historical Tables,
etc., 1832–1883 (New York: Baptist Home Mission Rooms, 1883), 327; American
Baptist Home Mission Society Minutes, 1833: 16. Church became a Life Director
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 191
availability would delay the fulfillment of the appointment for two
years. In the meantime, James B. Smith was appointed in 1833 to
survey the field and preach as he could, serving for over two
years.
34
However, his ministry centered 100 miles west of New
Orleans in Franklin, St. Mary Parish.
35
It was not until October 1834 that Pharcellus Church, at the
continued urging of HMS Secretary Jonathon Going, arrived with
the specific task of working in New Orleans. In its report for that
year, the society noted:
It is probable that Louisiana is more destitute of ministers
than any state in the Union. . . . After long delay, and the
failure of repeated attempts, the Committee have stationed a
Missionary in New Orleans, a city of great importance as a
Missionary station, from its location, its extent and rapid in-
crease, as well as its present moral condition.
36
Church was to meet with a “wealthy old bachelor” but he “got too
crochety to do anything with him.”
37
The bachelor was undoubt-
edly Cornelius Paulding. The two men clearly did not get along
and Church left New Orleans the following year to become pastor
of First Baptist, Rochester, New York. That same year, Paulding’s
name was dropped from the list of HMS vice presidents. Church’s
son, Francis, later achieved some notoriety when he published an
editorial in 1897, “Yes, Virginia. There Is a Santa Claus.”
Francis F. Seig served as a missionary for nine months in the
same capacity as Smith. The 1836 HMS annual notes the two mis-
sionaries serving the state in general, but laments, “Our efforts in
behalf of New Orleans have been nearly ineffectual.”
38
The outlook began to brighten in 1840. The Society notes the
presence of a missionary in New Orleans where “the Committee
have many years felt great solicitude.”
39
This was Fredrick Clarke
from Saco, Maine. First Baptist, Saco, was organized on February
that same year when the Providence, RI congregation contributed at least $100
on his behalf. American Baptist Home Mission Society Minutes, 1833: 29.
34
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 583.
35
American Baptist Home Mission Society Minutes, 1834: 19.
36
American Baptist Home Mission Society Minutes, 1835: 20.
37
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 202.
38
American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1836: 24.
39
American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1840: 10.
192 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
8, 1827, with seven members.
40
Clarke became their first pastor.
The congregation prospered under his ministry and made plans to
build a chapel. After a lot was purchased and construction started,
funds ran out before a roof could be put on the structure and
problems with the land title resulted in the property being lost.
The congregation divided on whether Clarke’s handling of the
funds was fraudulent. An appeal to the Association to mediate
eventually resulted in a recommendation that the church withdraw
fellowship from their pastor, which they did on July 2, 1833. Five
years later, Clarke reconciled with the congregation, but he was
not restored to the pastorate.
Two years after reconciling with his congregation in Maine,
Clarke was in New Orleans, gathering the remnants of the previ-
ous congregations. The re-organized First Baptist Church (FBC),
“being found orthodox,” was welcomed into the Mississippi Bap-
tist Association in 1841, reporting one baptism and six members.
41
The following year’s State of Religion in the Association notes the
congregation was growing and two infant-baptizing pastors had
been baptized with an increase of nineteen members.
42
That same
year, FBC joined other Louisiana congregations in forming the
East Louisiana Baptist Association. Clarke preached the introduc-
tory sermon for the Association in 1843 and 1846 and was elected
moderator in 1843.
43
Home Mission Society reports note that congregants of FBC
gave money to the Society from 1842–1844 in Clarke’s name so
that he could become a life member.
44
Construction began on a
chapel, first in the warehouse district and later on Triton Walk
(Howard Avenue).
45
In spite of this activity, a second congregation,
also called First Baptist, was started in 1843. Paxton quotes a
member of the rival congregation, J. L. Furman, who claims it was
40
The information regarding Clarke comes from Joshua Millet, A History of
the Baptists in Maine: Together with Brief Notices of Societies and Institutions, and a Dic-
tionary of the Labors of Each Minister (Portland, ME: Charles Day, 1844), 61–62,
440.
41
Mississippi Baptist Association Minutes, 1841: 7.
42
Mississippi Baptist Association Minutes, 1842: 7.
43
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 46–52.
44
American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1842:66; 1844:77.
45
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 123.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 193
Clarke’s excluded status and “account of his personal standing”
that led to the split, a view which Paxton questions.
46
While it is possible that the financial impropriety that plagued
Clarke in Maine resurfaced during the attempts to raise a chapel in
New Orleans, there is no evidence of it. Significant issues would
have been addressed through the East Louisiana Association, but
no such problems are noted. In fact, Clarke continues active par-
ticipation with leadership responsibilities with the Association
through 1847.
Clarke could have been an adherent of William Miller’s escha-
tological views which stated that Jesus would return about 1843 or
1844. When the predictions proved inaccurate, Clarke could have
lost the trust of his people. A more likely explanation relates to
slavery. The abolition movement had strong support in Maine. As
sectional frictions on the issue emerged, such views would not
find favor in New Orleans. They would also not be welcomed by
the Home Mission Society, which was attempting to remain neu-
tral on the subject. Whatever the reason, Clarke’s congregation
was not recognized beyond the association level and disbanded
about 1848.
In 1842, Russell Holman left Kentucky for New Orleans “to
see if anything could be done to revive the work,” in spite of not
having a stout constitution.
47
Holman was born in 1812, the year
that Reis first came to New Orleans, and was educated at Brown
University, which as a Baptist institution at that time. After gradu-
ation in 1838, Holman settled in Green County, Kentucky to serve
as pastor.
48
The Trail of Tears (1838–1839), mandated by the same
Andrew Jackson who had successfully defended New Orleans in
1815, passed nearby and it is likely that Holman had contact with
either the Baptist Cherokees or Evan Jones, who traveled with
46
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 122–24.
47
“Rev. Russell Holman: Founder of the First Baptist Church, New Orle-
ans, and First Secretary of the Home Mission Board.” Southern Baptist Histori-
cal Library and Archives, Rholman-AR631-box 9, folder 36; William Cathcart,
ed., The Baptist Encyclopædia: A Dictionary of the Doctrines, Ordinances, Usages, Confes-
sions of Faith, Sufferings, Labors, and Successes, and of the General History of the Baptist
Denomination in All Lands. With Numerous Biographical Sketches of Distinguished
American and Foreign Baptists, and a Supplement (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts,
1881), 536.
48
“Russell Holman: A Biography.” http://famhist.histwrit.com/russell-
holman/, accessed 23 September 2020.
194 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
them. He may have ministered to the Creek who passed his way.
49
Holman was ordained in 1840, probably by Thomas J. Fisher.
Holman arrived in New Orleans in January 1842.
50
After so
many unsuccessful attempts in the past to establish a congregation
and with Clarke’s group doing well, he found it difficult to per-
suade enough people to meet together for worship.
51
Aided by
Fisher and William Minter of Grenada, Mississippi, Holman was
eventually able to gather a congregation in the upper room of 66
Julia Street and organize a church of ten members on December
28, 1843, with Holman as pastor.
52
In 1844, the congregation
joined the Mississippi River Association, a different association
than the one with which Clarke’s congregation participated.
53
Holman’s preaching attracted growing crowds and he was able to
raise enough funds to purchase land for a chapel.
The Home Mission Society, with William Johnson now as its
president (1841–1844), began supporting Holman as a missionary
in January 1844, and he sought for someone to take over the work
in New Orleans.
54
The mantle of leadership would fall on Isaac
Taylor Hinton. Hinton was born July 4, 1799, in Oxford, England,
into the home of the town’s Baptist pastor. He was converted and
baptized at age 31.
55
A year later, he was licensed to preach and
moved to Philadelphia to work in publishing, occasionally filling
the pulpit. In June 1833, he became the pastor of the struggling
First Baptist, Richmond, Virginia. He stabilized the congregation
and in 1835, accepted the call to First Baptist, Chicago, Illinois.
This frontier congregation had recently been organized, but its
founding pastor had died of typhoid. In 1841, Hinton accepted a
call to Second Baptist, St. Louis, Missouri, where he added more
than 200 members to the congregation of 70 before bringing his
family to New Orleans in December 1844.
56
He was appointed in
49
“Russell Holman: A Biography.”
50
Vera Carter, “History of New Orleans Baptists to 1870” (DipRE thesis,
Baptist Bible Institute, 1929), 22.
51
“Russell Holman: A Biography.”
52
Rightor, A Standard History of New Orleans, 504.
53
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 73.
54
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 583. American Baptist Home Mission
Society Report, 1844: 31.
55
The following information comes from Hinton’s obituary, Mississippi Bap-
tist Convention Annual, 1847: 22–24.
56
R. S. Duncan, A History of the Baptists in Missouri, Embracing an Account of the
Organization and Growth of Baptist Churches and Associations; Biographical Sketches of
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 195
1843 to the inaugural Board of Trustees in establishing William
Jewel College.
57
Hinton became known for his books on baptism
(1841) and prophesy (1843). One of his deacons, William Page,
relocated to the Crescent City, and through Page, the call came for
Hinton to serve in New Orleans.
58
Hinton arrived in the Big Easy on New Years Day, 1845.
59
May
of that year found Holman and Hinton in Augusta, Georgia, as
the only two representatives from Louisiana at the formation of
the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
60
Since only 20 of the 293
delegates to the Convention were from outside Georgia, South
Carolina, or Virginia, their presence is significant.
61
William B.
Johnson, who had endorsed Ranaldson’s missionary appointment
to New Orleans, was elected the first president of the SBC and
Hinton as a vice president of the Foreign Mission Board (now the
International Mission Board).
62
At the inaugural meeting, only one
resolution singled out a specific mission field. New Orleans was
that field: “Resolved, That this Convention recommend to the
Board of Domestic Missions, to direct its effective attention to aid
the present effort, to establish the Baptist cause in the city of New
Orleans.”
63
Holman became the first Corresponding Secretary of the Do-
mestic Mission Board (now North American Mission Board). The
Board wanted to act upon that resolution, but was unable due to a
lack of funds. As its 1846 report notes, “Rev. I. T. Hinton, pastor
of the First Baptist Church in New Orleans, has been appointed a
missionary to that place by our Board. Application for his ap-
pointment was made early in the conventional year, but having no
funds in the treasury, the Board postponed the application until
the state of their finances should justify their action; consequently
ministers of the Gospel and Other Prominent Members of the Denomination; the Founding of
Baptist Institutions, Periodicals, &c (Saint Louis: Scammell & Company, 1882), 114.
57
Duncan, A History of the Baptists in Missouri, 114.
58
Duncan, A History of the Baptists in Missouri, 123.
59
“Isaac Taylor Hinton,” Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives,
ITHinton-AR631-box 9, folder 35.
60
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1845: 11.
61
H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness
(Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 388.
62
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1845: 6.
63
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1845: 15.
196 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
brother Hinton continued his connection with the A. B. H. M.
S.”
64
In January 1847, Hinton was joined by William Cecil Duncan
of Mississippi. Duncan had recently come from New York where
he had received some theological training and had married a
wife.
65
The newlyweds came to the city where Duncan tried to es-
tablish a Baptist newspaper. The enterprise would struggle and
eventually fail because subscribers would not follow through with
payment.
Baptist work in New Orleans was finally in a growing and
hopeful state. A building on St. Charles Avenue was completed in
February 1846.
66
The congregation had grown to almost one hun-
dred members when yellow fever swept through the city. Fortu-
nately, the congregation suffered the loss of only two members.
Unfortunately, they were Duncan’s young bride and Pastor Hin-
ton. Just five days after contracting the disease, Hinton died on
August 29, 1847. Hurricane Katrina would hit the city 158 years
later on the same day.
The congregation struggled with short-term pastorates for the
next few years. This uncertainty showed in the congregation’s fi-
nances, and the congregation had difficulty paying the note on the
building. To complicate matters, Paulding died on March 9,
1851.
67
In his will, Paulding had instructed his executors to sell
some property with the proceeds to be used by a yet-to-be-
organized congregation to build a chapel. Unfortunately, FBC
needed the money to pay the mortgage on its property, but could
not do so under the terms of the will. As a result, FBC lost its
property in June 1851. The sale of the property was not enough to
cover the mortgage, so the congregation was left with no property
and a mortgage. They met for a time in the Universalist Church
building, then in the Carrollton train station. It would not be until
July 1861, a decade after losing its building, that FBC would be
able to secure a place of its own in which to worship.
68
During this difficult time, Southern Baptists kept the city and
its spiritual needs regularly before them. Beginning in 1853, a ref-
64
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1846: 33.
65
Ernest Murphy Daffin, “Biography of Rev. William Cecil Duncan, D. D.”
(Master of Christian Training thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1921), 3.
66
Carter, “History of New Orleans Baptists to 1870,” 25.
67
Carter, “History of New Orleans Baptists to 1870,” 28.
68
Carter, “History of New Orleans Baptists to 1870,” 29–30.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 197
erence to the work in New Orleans or “the destitution of the
field” was made every year at the Southern Baptist Convention.
Giving the “Missions to New Orleans” committee report, J. R.
Graves noted the city was crucial to winning the West:
New Orleans being its great commercial emporium with its
estimated population of 150,000, should and must at once
be occupied. . . . Our government, acting upon the advice of
Jefferson, purchased Louisiana at a great price, in order to
possess itself of New Orleans and the mouth of the Missis-
sippi river [sic]. . . . As important as is New Orleans to the
commercial interests of the west, so great is its importance
to its religious ones, and it should be occupied at once, at
whatever cost or sacrifice.
69
In order to draw attention to the city and its needs, two unsuc-
cessful attempts were made (1861, 1870) to move the Conven-
tion’s annual meeting to New Orleans. The Convention finally
met in New Orleans for the first time in 1877, during the depth of
an economic depression which brought about the end of Recon-
struction.
In order to satisfy the requirements of Paulding’s will, nine
members withdrew from FBC and organized Coliseum Place Bap-
tist on July 3, 1854. The congregation promptly called Duncan,
who had been serving as FBC’s pastor, to be their own. For sever-
al years, the two congregations worshiped together. Coliseum be-
gan to thrive. It launched a German mission and in November
1860 started a mission that met in the Masonic Hall on St. Charles
Avenue with thirty members under the care of Dr. Ryerson.
70
A second African American congregation soon joined the first.
Second Colored Baptist Church joined the Mississippi River As-
sociation in 1850 with Duncan as its pastor.
71
Third African Bap-
tist came a few years later. Fourth African Baptist, organized in
1857, joined the Association in 1859.
72
As racial tensions increased
prior to the war, New Orleans made property ownership by black
churches illegal. In order to preserve their places of worship, and
to skirt regulations on blacks assembling, a white pastor would
69
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1853: 22.
70
Maynard Uriel Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church” (Dip
TH thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1934), 10.
71
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 84.
72
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 127.
198 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
serve as the official leader of a black church and Coliseum Place
oversaw all the property of the various black congregations.
73
The invention of the steamboat made travel up the Mississippi
River possible. This allowed goods to be transported to the port in
New Orleans more quickly and less expensively than if they went
over land. Ships transporting goods from New Orleans to Europe
often filled their hulls with immigrants for the return voyage. By
pricing their transport to the city at rates below that for New York,
New Orleans became a preferred port of entry for immigrants
who wanted to quickly access farm land in the interior. From
1847–1857 some 350,000 immigrants, mostly Irish, German, and
French, passed through the city.
74
Many chose to stay.
Just two weeks after Holman organized FBC, Charles Fusch,
who had been ministering among the Germans, joined the con-
gregation.
75
In 1855, two Germans joined Coliseum Place. One of
the members came from the congregation of the founder of Ger-
man Baptists in Europe, Johann Gerhard Oncken, and the other
was Dr. Henry Nabring.
76
Nabring was appointed as colporteur
and missionary to the Germans in January 1855, a mission of Col-
iseum Place Baptist.
77
The following year also found Second Col-
ored Baptist thriving with Nabring as pastor.
78
As the German
congregation grew, it erected a meeting place on Spain Street and
dedicated it on the first Sunday in January, 1858, with its Sunday
school organized on April 11, 1858.
79
First German organized July
20, 1860, with 23 members and Rev. W. Fasching as pastor.
80
It
joined the Mississippi River Association in 1860.
81
Swedish Baptists had their start in New Orleans. Gustavus
Schroeder, a sailor, was converted in 1844 by the Methodists while
73
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 7.
74
“Major U. S. Immigration Ports,” (unnumbered) page 8,
https://www.ancestrycdn.com/support/us/2016/11/majorusports.pdf, ac-
cessed 23 September 2020.
75
David Benedict, A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America, rev.
ed. (New York: Lewis Colby & Co., 1848), 781; Carter, “History of New Orle-
ans Baptists to 1870,” 23–24.
76
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1855:30. It may be that Fusch was one
of them.
77
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 5.
78
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 91.
79
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 6.
80
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 127.
81
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 96.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 199
on shore leave in New Orleans. Learning about Baptists through
the Baptist Seaman’s Bethel in New York, he was baptized in the
East River later that year.
82
On a subsequent voyage, Schroeder
convinced a fellow Swede, Fredrick Olaus Nilsson, about Baptist
beliefs.
Nilsson was converted in New York in 1834 and began serving
as a missionary in Sweden, first as a colporteur, then in 1842, as a
representative of the Seamen’s Friend Society. On August 1, 1847,
Nilsson traveled to Hamburg, Germany, where he was baptized in
the Elbe River by Oncken.
83
The first Swedish Baptist congrega-
tion emerged on September 21, 1848, at Landa Parish, Halland,
Sweden. Exiled from Sweden in 1852, Nilsson came to America
where he helped start the Swedish Baptist Conference (now Con-
verge Worldwide).
84
When war erupted between the States, the growing momentum
of evangelism and congregational strength was shattered. The
German congregation was scattered. Duncan, pastor of Coliseum
Place, contracted pneumonia and went to San Antonio in 1859 to
recover. He returned to become pastor of the reorganized FBC.
85
Duncan strongly opposed secession, which put him at odds with
the congregation. Just six weeks after becoming the pastor, he re-
signed and moved to New York. When Union troops gained con-
trol of New Orleans, he returned to serve in a variety of civil posi-
tions. Duncan died May 1, 1864.
The Union recognized the strategic military and economic im-
portance of New Orleans for the entire Mississippi River region.
It became a high priority, and Union troops entered New Orleans
in May 1862. On July 22, 1863, the new government seized con-
trol of the Baptists’ church property. The HMS sent Jonathan W.
Horton to the city.
86
Horton came to New Orleans from minister-
82
Gustavus Wilhelm Schroeder, History of the Swedish Baptists in Sweden and
America. Being an Account of the Origin, Progress and Results of That Missionary Work
During the Last Half of the Nineteenth Century. (Greater New York: The author,
1898), 91–92.
83
J. O. Backlund, Swedish Baptists in America (Chicago: Conference, 1933),
23–24.
84
R. A. Arlander, “Review of Baptist Development Among Scandinavians
in America,” Chronicle 2.3 (July 1939): 116–17.
85
Daffin, “Biography of Rev. William Cecil Duncan, D. D.,” 17–21.
86
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 583; Vick, “A History of Coliseum
Place Baptist Church,” 10.
200 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ing to African Americans on St. Helena Island, South Carolina.
87
The people of Coliseum refused to accept his ministry and refused
to let him onto the property, but Horton gained access by means
of a military order.
88
He may have tried to establish an integrated
congregation or use the property to reach African Americans.
For the next three years, the congregation did not function.
The people were scattered, and many of the men had left the city
to join the Confederate forces or escape conscription by them.
The congregation dropped from sixty-four members to five, four
women and a German man.
89
He was all that was left of the Ger-
man congregation. The mission no longer existed.
Both FBC and Coliseum struggled to survive during the war.
Title to the property owned by the congregations was turned over
to the SBC in July 1861 for safe keeping.
90
Russell Holman re-
turned to New Orleans to supply Coliseum the remainder of the
year until his diminishing eyesight forced him to resign his posi-
tion with the Home Mission Board effective January 1, 1862.
91
Coliseum, with the help of Holman, was able to regain control
of its property in March 1866. They called William H. Bayless as
pastor. This new beginning was cut short just a year later when
Bayliss died on June 13, 1867, a month after his sixty-first birth-
day.
92
Throughout these difficult days, the Home Mission Board
took an active interest in New Orleans, supporting pastors, raising
funds to pay down debt or construct a chapel.
With the dawning of a new decade, new life came with a revival,
led by an evangelist from Massachusetts, A. B. Earl. A few
months later, Dr. E. G. Taylor came from Chicago to serve as
pastor of Coliseum. During his five year ministry, the congrega-
tion paid off its debt, remodeled its facilities, and proceeded to
work on completing the sanctuary.
A member of Coliseum, J. C. Carpenter became pastor at FBC
in 1863. Dozens of people were baptized and joined the church.
In 1873, Samuel Hayden, later a leader among Texas Baptists,
came as its pastor.
87
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 397.
88
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 10.
89
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 10.
90
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 9.
91
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 9; “Russell Holman:
A Biography.”
92
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 503.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 201
African American congregations flourished after the war. First
African and Fourth African baptized 3,000 new members and
started several new congregations. When the Union Regular Bap-
tist State Convention organized in 1866, there were 8 congrega-
tions from New Orleans with almost 1,100 members,
93
not count-
ing First and Fourth which remained a part of the Mississippi Riv-
er Association. Black Baptists in New Orleans sent financial sup-
port to the Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1869.
94
After the war, the HMS took a keen interest in providing edu-
cation for the newly-freed slaves. This interest included theologi-
cal training for the growing number of newly-formed African
American congregations. Recognizing the importance of New Or-
leans for the entire South, the HMS sent missionaries to provide it.
Holbrook Chamberlain, a New York shoe salesman, Baptist
deacon, and philanthropist became a leading force in supplying
this need. He came to New Orleans in December 1869 to help
raise funds for the Free Mission Baptist Church on Common
Street. The project expanded to include a school.
95
Chamberlain
became the catalyst, bringing several organizations together to es-
tablish Leland University, personally providing $65,000 to launch
the school. The Freedman’s Bureau added $17,500 to the Home
Mission Society’s $12,500 toward the project.
96
The new school was called Leland University. It was named in
honor the Chamberlain’s wife’s ancestor, John Leland.
97
Leland
was the leading spokesman for religious liberty in the South dur-
ing the Revolutionary War period. The university’s charter pro-
claimed, “The purposes and objects of this corporation are de-
clared to be the Education and training of young men and women
for Preachers and Teachers irrespective of race, color or previous
93
Union Regular Baptist State Convention Annual, 1866: 7–8.
94
Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual, 1869: 5.
95
Janice Richard Johnson, “Leland University in New Orleans, 1870–1915”
(Ph.D. diss., University of New Orleans, 1996), 51.
96
James W. Blassingame, Black New Orleans, 1860–1880, (Chicago: Universi-
ty of Chicago Press, 1973), 124.
97
Sherman Leland, The Leland Magazine, or a Genealogical Record of Henry Le-
land, and His Descendants, Containing an Account of Nine Thousand Six Hundred and
Twenty-Four Persons, in Ten Generations, and Embracing Nearly Every Person of the
Name of Leland in America, from 1653 to 1850 (Boston: Wier and White, 1850),
233–34.
202 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
condition of servitude.”
98
The HMS declared, “We must educate a
ministry for this people, or abandon the field!”
99
Theological edu-
cation for God-called men and women had come to New Orleans.
Classes began in 1870 and soon moved to the summer home
purchased from Judge William J. and Elizabeth Ogden.
100
The
land with its buildings was located at the corner of St. Charles Av-
enue and Audubon Place. At the time, the location was well away
from the city center. In time, more and more people moved into
the area. Tulane University purchased property in 1891 and Loyo-
la University moved there in 1911.
101
The Sophie Newcomb Me-
morial College purchased land on Leland’s northern border in
1908, completing its relocation in 1918.
While all races were welcome, there is no evidence that any
white students ever attended. The faculty was integrated, with pas-
tors of SBC congregations often serving as instructors, but all of
the presidents were white. At its height, almost 2,000 students,
kindergarten through college, attended the school.
102
The HMS
supported Leland into the 1880s. Chamberlain died May 4, 1883,
his estate leaving the school an endowment of $95,000. This al-
lowed the school to become self-supporting. Leland trained 80%
of black teachers in the state and many ministers.
103
The new arrivals to the neighborhood disliked the presence of
the school. In addition, they wanted city comforts which were in-
stalled at the expense of the property owners. The cost of hooking
up to city water and sewer, installing sidewalks, and paving St.
Charles Ave. became increasingly difficult for the school to afford.
As a result, the HMS started looking to sell Leland’s property and
relocate the school. A hurricane hit New Orleans on September
29, 1915, and damaged the buildings. Louisiana Baptists met in
December, after the hurricane hit New Orleans. They passed a
resolution in support of Leland, encouraging their northern breth-
ren, “that if possible, your society will not take this institution
98
“Leland University Charter,” cited in Johnson, “Leland University in New
Orleans,” 227.
99
American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1870: 21
100
Johnson, “Leland University in New Orleans,” 93.
101
Johnson, “Leland University in New Orleans,” 121.
102
“Leland College, New Orleans and Baker, Louisiana, 1870–1960,”
https://www.lostcolleges.com/leland-college, accessed 23 September 2020.
103
Johnson, “Leland University in New Orleans,” 210.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 203
from New Orleans.”
104
That same year, National Baptists split
over who would control the convention’s Publishing Board, leav-
ing them distracted and divided when unity was needed to keep
the school in New Orleans. The property was sold to a local de-
veloper who built luxury homes on the site. The school eventually
reopened in Baker, Louisiana, but closed in 1960.
In 1871, F. W. Schallike was appointed by the HMS to try and
revive the German work.
105
He reconnected with the Mississippi
Baptist Association that same year, but the work was unable to
recover.
106
Schallike accepted a call from a congregation in Bir-
mingham, Alabama, beginning in January 1873, and the church
closed.
107
Just as both white congregations were regaining their strength
after the war, the economy collapsed. Hayden left FBC when it
could no longer support him, leaving the church without a pastor
for the next five years. Funds that were promised for Coliseum’s
building project were not given. Dr. Taylor resigned as Coliseum’s
pastor in 1875, leaving the congregation in a better financial situa-
tion than when he came, but the task ahead was daunting.
108
Norvill W. Wilson accepted the challenge. He came to Colise-
um in the fall of 1875. He led the congregation in 1877 to become
a founding member of the Gulf Coast Association, affiliated with
the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The Association eventually
stretched along the rail lines from Mobile, Alabama, to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. This was a novel attempt at reaching the people
of the unique culture along the coast. Wilson was active in the
New Orleans community, and Coliseum was reviving. The next
year, yellow fever again swept through New Orleans. Approxi-
mately 12,000 people died—including three pastors in the city—
out of the 40,000 who contracted the disease.
109
Wilson stayed in
the city to care for the sick and dying. He contracted the disease
and died September 6, 1878, at age 44, leaving a wife and large
104
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1915: 67.
105
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 583.
106
Paxton, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana, 113.
107
North American Baptist Conference Minutes, 1871: 19; 1873: 12.
108
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 14.
109
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1879: 40; Mississippi Baptist Convention
Annual, 1879: 27–28.
204 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
family. At his death, Coliseum was the only self-supporting con-
gregation in the Gulf Coast Association.
110
That same year, the Mississippi Baptist Convention appointed
David Ingram Purser as State Evangelist, based in New Orleans.
His wife died in 1879 of yellow fever less than a year after coming
to the city, impacting his ministry. Things started looked up for
Coliseum when Sylvanus Landrum became its pastor in 1881.
111
He had previously served as SBC secretary (1863) and vice presi-
dent (1876). He raised large sums of money outside the city to pay
off the church’s debt. During his tenure, Coliseum began a Chi-
nese Sunday school about 1885.
112
Isaac T. Tichenor, who helped organize Coliseum in 1854,
113
became president of the Home Mission Board in 1882. New Orle-
ans regularly continued to be the focus of convention interest. A
report to the Mississippi Baptist Convention noting the need and
importance of New Orleans was made “with a large outline map,
showing the location and relations of New Orleans, both to the
territory of the Southern Baptist Convention, and to the great
mission fields lying South-west, and South of the country, in Mex-
ico, Central and South America and the West Indies.”
114
An SBC
report notes, “Your Committee believe that our Home Mission
Board has under its care no station more important than New Or-
leans.”
115
The following year, “We cannot abandon New Orleans,
the great metropolis of the South-West, that is to mould the moral
and religious thought, as well as the commercial destiny of coming
generations.”
116
With the opening of Leland, Northern Baptists committed
themselves to educating women as well. For over a decade, begin-
ning in 1871, the Home Mission Society supported almost a dozen
110
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1878: 31.
111
George and Corra Leavell named their firstborn son “Landrum” for Dr.
and Mrs. Sylvanus Landrum, who served as pastor of Central Baptist Church,
Memphis, when they were members. Landrum Leavell’s nephew and namesake,
Landrum Leavell II, became the seventh president of NOBTS. See Rex D. But-
ler, “The Leavell Legacy,” in this volume.
112
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 15.
113
Highlights of History of First Baptist Church, New Orleans: A Saga of Baptist Be-
ginnings, Growth and Labors for Christ in the Crescent City (New Orleans: First Bap-
tist Church, [1968]), [8].
114
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1881: 28.
115
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1882: 27.
116
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1883: Appendix B, IX.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 205
women instructors at the school. In addition, Miss Joanna Patter-
son Moore arrived in 1873, followed by Carrie R. Vaughn, to
serve among the African American congregations in the city.
117
Moore was born the same year the HMS was formed, becom-
ing a Baptist at age 20.
118
Called to missionary work, she attended
Rockford Female Seminary in Illinois.
119
She began her ministry
among African Americans at Island Number Ten in Tennessee
during the war.
120
She was commissioned December 31, 1863, and
was the first woman sent by the Society to work among the
freedmen.
121
It was the impact of her work in New Orleans and
the great need of workers that spurred women in the North to
form the Women’s Baptist Home Mission Society (WBHMS) in
1877.
122
Moore was the first missionary they supported.
123
In 1880,
she comprised half of the Louisiana delegation which met on No-
vember 24, 1880, to form what is now the National Baptist Con-
vention, USA.
124
Even though the HMS stopped funding work in
New Orleans in 1883, Moore continued to serve into the 1890s,
supported by the WBHMS.
125
Women missionaries from the South also joined the mission to
reach New Orleans. The first wave was sent by the Mississippi
Baptist Convention. Mrs. Mattie V. Nelson of Oxford, Mississippi,
offered to serve in New Orleans in late 1881. After prayer, the
State Board appointed her. Before she could leave, Miss Emma
Gardner, Liberty, Mississippi, and Miss Cora Montgomery volun-
teered as well. Gardner volunteered to go at her own expense, and
Montgomery asked for only a small stipend.
126
Women’s Home
Mission Societies in Maryland and South Carolina soon joined in
supporting women missionaries in New Orleans,
127
as did the
Home Mission Board.
117
Baptist Home Missions in North America, 583.
118
Mary C. Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes (N.p., [1919?]), 9.
119
Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes, 9.
120
Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes, 400.
121
Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes, 517.
122
Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes, 519.
123
Reynolds, Baptist Missionary Pioneers among Negroes, 9.
124
Lewis G. Jordan, Negro Baptist History, U. S. A., 1750–1930 (Nashville:
Sunday School Publishing Board, N. B. C., 1930), 115–16.
125
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1890: 51.
126
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1882: 32–33.
127
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1886: viii; 1887, xlix.
206 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Gardner arrived in New Orleans in November 1881. Because
she knew some people who worked at the Lane Cotton Mill, she
began working with the women who worked there. They began
meeting in the home of a friend who lived on Valence Street. As a
result, FBC began a Sunday School Mission there on January 1,
1882, meeting on Sunday afternoons. Gardner would sit on a nail
keg to teach the children.
128
The work continued to grow. The
Home Mission Board purchased land and erected a chapel. After
its completion, Valance Street Baptist Church organized with
eighteen members in February 1886, joining FBC and Coliseum as
Southern Baptist congregations in the city.
129
Nearly seventy years
of ministry had yielded just three Anglo congregations.
Working out of Coliseum, Mattie Nelson served in the Carroll-
ton area.
130
She raised the funds to build a 25’ x 40’ home on a
donated lot where she started a mission Sunday School.
131
A sec-
ond mission on Locust Street would soon join it.
132
The congregations and missions were thriving when tragedy
struck. Landrum contracted an unknown disease in the summer of
1886. Granted a leave of absence, he traveled to Brunswick,
Georgia, where he died of the disease on November 16, 1886.
133
He was the third pastor of Coliseum to die in a twenty-year span.
A recession in the early 1890s forced cutbacks in the mission-
ary force. By 1892, none of the women missionaries were being
supported. The Louisiana Baptist Convention met in New Orle-
ans, at Valence, and the only pastor from New Orleans who at-
tended was R. W. Merrill from Valence, and he was on mission
support.
134
The work in New Orleans declined to such an extent
that the Home Missions report called it a “shame”
135
and lamented
that work in the city has always been “too quiet, unaggressive and
weak.”
136
Making matters worse, on April 3, 1892, fire destroyed
128
Slater A. Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church” (ThM
thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1934), 10–11.
129
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 17.
130
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1884: 44.
131
G. Avery Lee, Our Name is Baptist: 100 Years of Faith in Action, Saint
Charles Avenue Baptist Church, 1898 to 1998 (New Orleans: n.p., [1998]), 38.
132
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1888: 25.
133
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 15; Southern Baptist
Convention Annual, 1887: Preface.
134
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1892: 8.
135
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1891: 43.
136
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1892: 12.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 207
FBC’s property. Southern Baptists rallied to purchase a theater
where it could meet.
137
At the Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1892, Merrill, pastor of
Valence, made a motion to establish a training school in New Or-
leans.
138
Even though he resigned the following year, the Purser
brothers, who had been evangelists with the Mississippi Conven-
tion, stepped into the ministry gap. David Purser became pastor
of both Valance and FBC in 1892. The following year, his brother,
John, took over the duties at FBC. Valence was soon self-
supporting. During Purser’s first year he baptized 43 people.
139
In
addition, the state Woman’s Missionary Union placed its central
committee in New Orleans in 1895.
140
The first training school was held during the winter of 1894–
1895, meeting at FBC. The Purser brothers and Dr. George Whit-
tinghill, the new pastor of Coliseum, were the instructors.
141
A
second school was held the following year. However, due to a
“lack of funds and an adequate place for meeting,” the school lat-
er referred to as “Baby B. B. I.” closed in 1896.
142
More than a
decade later, the Sunday School Board, which was organized in
1891, held a Teacher Training school in New Orleans in 1908.
143
The hopeful condition that the training school and renewed
congregational strength brought was again interrupted by calamity.
Yellow fever swept through New Orleans twice in 15 months.
David Purser was on vacation in Alabama with his family when
the outbreak occurred. Leaving his family safely behind, Purser
returned to New Orleans to help the congregation entrusted to
him. He contracted the disease, just as his first wife had done 18
years earlier, and died on October 22, 1897.
144
Overcome by the
ordeal, his brother, John, resigned from FBC three months later.
Death had claimed a New Orleans pastor about once a decade.
FBC lost one, Valence lost one, and Coliseum lost three.
137
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1893: 26.
138
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 22.
139
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 24.
140
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1896: ix.
141
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 22.
142
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 26.
143
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1908: 249.
144
Murphy, “History of the Valence Street Baptist Church,” 27; Louisiana Bap-
tist Annual, 1898: xxiii; Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1898: 39 states Oct 21.
208 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
While FBC and Valence searched for new pastors, only Colise-
um remained self-supporting. Coliseum soon launched its Carroll-
ton mission as St. Charles Avenue Baptist on November 16, 1898.
The new century found FBC, Valence, and St. Charles on mission
support. It also saw the return of women missionaries to the city.
In 1901, Georgia Barnett (at FBC) and Miss Carrie M. Gore (St.
Charles) were supported by the Louisiana Convention.
145
The North Side Mission began as an interdenominational work
between Methodists, Episcopalians, and Baptists. Coliseum took
over the work and it organized as Grace Baptist on November 27,
1904, with 25 members.
146
Coliseum began Canal Street Mission in
January 1905, meeting at Cleveland and Hagan Ave. It organized
on April 14, 1907 as Hagan Ave. Baptist (later Central) with Dr.
Walter M. Lee as pastor.
147
All of these congregations received aid
from the Home Mission Board to purchase property, build chap-
els, or pay their pastor. Momentum led these churches to organize
the New Orleans Association in 1906. John B. Lawrence, who
would later become president of the Home Mission Board (1929–
1953), came to New Orleans in 1907. He first served as pastor at
Coliseum, then in 1910 he moved to FBC where he served until
1913.
148
In 1906, the Louisiana State Missions Committee requested
that the Louisiana Convention establish “what might be called a
Foreign Mission station” to work with the growing number of
immigrants in New Orleans.
149
This request was in anticipation of
the Panama Canal expanding shipping activity in New Orleans.
Three years before its completion in 1914, the report on State
Missions anticipated that the number of immigrants flowing
through the city could increase 10 fold to 20 million annually.
150
The first Italian missionary in Louisiana, J. M. Barra, a former
Catholic priest, fluent in Spanish and Italian, announced his inten-
tion of starting a Baptist mission in New Orleans in July 1914.
151
145
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1902: 43–44.
146
Kathleen E. Haynie, “The Work and Growth of New Orleans Baptists
Since 1900” (DipRE thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1934), 2.
147
Haynie, “The Work and Growth of New Orleans Baptists Since 1900,” 3.
148
Vick, “A History of Coliseum Place Baptist Church,” 20; History of First
Baptist Church, New Orleans, [11].
149
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1906: 31.
150
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1911: 49.
151
Baptist Chronicle (July 9, 1914): 13.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 209
Anniversaries bring forth powerful emotions. Forgetting a
wedding anniversary will prove the point. The year 1912 began a
series of celebrations of important events. The country remem-
bered the start of the War of 1812. Louisiana celebrated a century
of statehood and Baptists in Louisiana noted a century of work in
the state. The city of New Orleans began looking forward to 1918
and the bicentennial of its founding. In anticipation of the centen-
nial of Baptists’ international missionary work, the Foreign Mis-
sion Board launched the Judson Centennial Fund. Baptists across
the country were reminded of how Adoniram and Anne Judson
answered God’s call to fulfill the Great Commission. Southern
Baptists were reminded of the great need in New Orleans.
New Orleans was the largest city in the South. It had a vibrant
port. Rail lines connected the city to manufacturing and agricul-
tural centers. By 1906, yellow fever was largely eradicated. Yet for
all of the interest and activity that Baptists of all kinds had in es-
tablishing vibrant congregations in this import city, the results
were meager. In 1906, the Home Mission Board report noted that
Baptists are the leading evangelical denomination in the state, yet
had only sixteen self-supporting churches in all of Louisiana. New
Orleans had only one self-supporting church.
152
State Mission
leaders lamented that “New Orleans is a synonym for Baptist lost
opportunity.”
153
With World War I breaking out in Europe, the
Home Mission Board reported to the Southern Baptist Conven-
tion,
New Orleans. THE SITUATION here is both unique and
tragic. There is not one self-supporting Baptist church in
the greatest city of the South! One has been self-supporting,
but the shifting of population and removals have so weak-
ened it that the Board is now aiding it.
154
That same year (1914) the New Orleans Baptist Association, una-
ble to sustain an independent existence, merged with the St.
Tammany Baptist Association.
The solution to this seemingly insurmountable challenge was
education. A report to the Mississippi Convention noted, “Educa-
tion and missions go hand in hand.”
155
The first mention of estab-
152
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1906: 199.
153
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1910: 56.
154
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1914: 296.
155
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1910: 57.
210 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
lishing a Baptist school in New Orleans for training pastors,
teachers, and missionaries was a communication between Paulding
and Ranaldson in 1817.
156
The subject emerged again in a letter
dated January 15, 1849, from Basil Manly Sr., then president of the
University of Alabama, to his son, Charles. It stated, “What do
you think of a great Baptist College for the South-West? The idea
seems to me very rational, feasible, eligible. That is, and is to be,
the place of chief commercial importance through the whole re-
gion drained by the Mississippi, – extending from the Chattahoo-
chee to the Rio Grande, and from Missouri to the Gulf.”
157
Once
established, “We will then place by its side a first rate theological
Institution.”
158
He answered concerns regarding the unhealthy
climate (yellow fever) by proposing to schedule school breaks dur-
ing the times of the year when outbreaks were most likely. Later
that year at a meeting in Nashville, Manly, James Boyce, R. B. C.
Howell, and J. R. Graves discussed and affirmed the need for a
seminary in the South.
159
This was a full decade before the for-
mation of Southern Baptist Seminary in Greenville, South Caroli-
na, where Manly’s namesake son and Boyce became founding fac-
ulty members.
It was twenty-one years later that Leland University was estab-
lished to provide theological education in the city. By the mid-
1890s, pastors of the three Southern Baptist congregations in the
city established a theological training school. After two years, the
funds ran out and yellow fever decimated the faculty. However,
the Sunday School Board’s teacher training event proved quite
successful. The Sunday School Board held Sunday school conven-
tions in New Orleans in 1913 and 1914.
160
Plautus Iberus Lipsey, editor of the Baptist Record (Mississippi)
in his November 26, 1914 editorial reissued Basil Manly’s call for a
theological school in New Orleans. Under the heading “The Sem-
156
“Prospectus of the Baptist Bible Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana,”
June 1918, 1.
157
Basil Manly Sr., University of Alabama, to Basil Manly Jr., on 15 January
1849, Manly Collection of Manuscripts, Folder 37, MF# 3900, Southern Baptist
Historical Library and Archives.
158
Basil Manly Sr., University of Alabama, to Basil Manly Jr., on 15 January
1849.
159
Charles Manly, “The Rise of Seminary Sentiment among Southern Bap-
tists.” Review and Expositor 12.2 (April 1915): 252.
160
Baptist Chronicle (July 9, 1914): 1.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 211
inaries and the Load,” he states: “Any seminary founded on right
principles and permeated by the proper spirit, is and ought to be a
great evangelizing or missionary power in the denomination and
especially in the section where it is founded.” He argues that
South Carolina and Kentucky have benefitted from Southern
Seminary being in their midst. The same holds true for Texas with
Southwestern.
Now what these have done and are doing up to the measure
of their ability and within the radius of their influence can
be done by an addition to their number. There was room
for the seminary at Fort Worth and need of it. There is also
room for and need of just what a seminary can do in the
district surrounding the city of New Orleans. Baptists have
attempted to assault that stronghold of Satan with paper
balls. Hitherto we have not made much impression on it;
and are not now working at it in any adequate way. A semi-
nary there would plant the Baptist cause in this city in a way
that would immediately command the attention and respect
of all. It would be planting the siege guns at the enemies’
gates. It would rally the Baptists and put heart into them
and equip them for their work as nothing else could do.
This is missionary territory in every direction from the city.
Louisiana is probably the most needy mission field in the
Southern Baptist Convention and has never had the atten-
tion it deserves. New Orleans is destined to be the greatest
city in the South. Why not do what we can to make it not
only a Baptist city but a city of influence to radiate Baptist
life in a needy and important field? There is no surer way to
make it a great blessing than building here a great semi-
nary.
161
The following week, George Harver Crutcher, editor of Louisi-
ana’s Baptist Chronicle, added his support for a seminary in New
Orleans.
162
“If we had a great theological seminary in New Orleans,
with a splendid training school in connection with it, we could
have a regular beehive of denominational evangelists in all that
surrounding country, and would do more for the securing and an-
161
Baptist Record (Mississippi), (November 26, 1914): 4.
162
In recognition of the advocacy by P. I. Lipsey and G. H. Crutcher, the
seminary named buildings and a street in their honor.
212 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
choring of our denominational interests there than almost any-
thing else that could be done.”
163
Momentum for the idea continued to grow. Over the next few
months, letters to the editor of both papers voiced their approval
for a school in New Orleans. Mississippi had a vested interest in
advancing theological training. The 1915 Committee on Ministeri-
al Education noted Mississippi students comprised 20% of all
SBC ministerial students.
164
Interested parties gathered informally in May 1915 at the
Southern Baptist Convention to compare notes.
165
Messengers to
the 1915 Mississippi Convention, meeting later in the year, ap-
proved the formation of a committee to explore the establishment
of a missionary training school in New Orleans and they invited
Louisiana Baptists to join them.
166
Louisiana Baptists answered the
call and formed its own committee.
167
A joint committee representing the Home Board, Mississippi
Convention and Louisiana Council met in February 1916 and
passed a resolution. It began, “1. That a Baptist Missionary Train-
ing School should be established in the city of New Orleans,
which should have for its primary purpose the object of Mission-
ary propaganda.”
168
It went on to “request the services of such
French, Spanish and Italian missionaries, who are located in New
Orleans, as would be necessary as teachers in their respective lan-
guages.”
169
Meeting in New Orleans in May 1917, Southern Baptists ap-
proved the creation of Baptist Bible Institute. It was almost 100
years to the day from when the Triennial Convention had ap-
pointed Ranaldson as a missionary to the city. Of the seventy-
eight Baptist churches in New Orleans at the time, only six of
them were reaching white segments of the population.
170
163
Baptist Chronicle (December 3, 1914): 2.
164
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1915: 24.
165
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1917: 81.
166
Mississippi Baptist Annual, 1915: 58–59.
167
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1915: 44–45.
168
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1917: 83–84.
169
Southern Baptist Convention Annual, 1917: 83–84.
170
William A. Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer: A History of the New
Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans: New Orleans Baptist Theologi-
cal Seminary, 1969), 15.
BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN NEW ORLEANS 213
Moody Bible Institute in Chicago become the inspiration and
model for Baptist Bible Institute. Moody held a certain fascination
for Louisiana Baptists. One of its missionaries resigned in 1911 to
attend Moody Bible Institute.
171
News of Moody reunions and
reports of its annual meetings were carried regularly in the Baptist
Chronicle, highlighting its emphasis on personal work in evangelism.
Byron H. DeMent became the first president of the fledgling
school. A week after he assumed the role, Baptist Bible Institute
was chartered on October 8, 1917.
When Newcomb College relocated to Leland University’s
northern border, its former Garden District campus became avail-
able. DeMent was able to purchase it below the appraised value. It
took longer to assemble the faculty than originally anticipated.
This pushed the opening semester from January to October 1,
1918. In keeping with the history of a century of ministry in the
city, classes had to be suspended just ten days into the inaugural
semester due to an outbreak of influenza.
172
The city requested
that all public gatherings be halted. Undaunted, the faculty mailed
assignments to the students, foreshadowing the technological in-
novations of distance education in the twenty-first century.
A second blow came on November 1, when the government
asked to use the campus as a hospital for soldiers wounded during
the First World War. Believing it was their civic duty, the school
agreed. When the war ended on November 11, there was no long-
er a need for a hospital. Classes resumed on November 19.
The visionaries who sought to establish a missionary training
school in New Orleans to help Baptists gain a foothold in the city
were correct. It is a credit to their vision and selflessness that they
sought to establish the school in New Orleans, a place of great
need, rather than in their own state of Mississippi, where it would
be more convenient for them. Within five years of the school’s
opening, the number of congregations doubled. At the end of the
first decade, there were seventeen congregations, almost triple the
number of when the school was organized, with a combined
membership of 4,698.
173
There were enough congregations for the
New Orleans Association to resume an independent existence in
1925.
171
Louisiana Baptist Annual, 1911: 14.
172
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 16.
173
New Orleans Baptist Association Minutes, 1928: 28.
214 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
From its inception, the school would have a missionary focus
of evangelism within the varied cultural communities of the city
and beyond. Historian H. Leon McBeth noted that New Orleans
was the “logical place not only for training missionaries but also
for their embarkation.”
174
Succeeding generations continue to dis-
cover that New Orleans, the school of Providence and Prayer, is
the logical choice for seminary education.
174
McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, 671.
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 215–29
Portraits of the NOBTS Presidents
Chuck Kelley, PhD
Chuck Kelley is president emeritus and distinguished research professor of
Evangelism at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Introduction
The first formal responsibility for a new faculty member at
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is participation in the
New Faculty Orientation. At that orientation, the president gives a
greeting, and the Provost leads the new faculty members through
all the procedures and processes—the “hows and whys” of life as
a professor at the seminary. One August, our Provost Dr. Steve
Lemke asked me, “Why don’t you take the new faculty through
the portraits of the NOBTS presidents in the DeMent Room?”
Lining the walls of that conference room are portraits of each of
the men who have served as President of the Seminary. That
spontaneous suggestion has become a tradition that faculty have
come to enjoy. Imagine you are the newest faculty member at
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Let me introduce you
to our history by introducing you to the men who have led this
School of Providence and Prayer through the years.
Byron Hoover DeMent (1917–1928)
In 1917, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) did some-
thing it had never done before; the Convention voted to create a
Seminary from scratch. Two other seminaries existed, Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky and Southwestern Bap-
tist Theological Seminary in Texas. Both schools were started in-
dependently and adopted by the Convention. This time the SBC
wanted to create a school in the city of New Orleans. That vote
was taken, and so the task began. How in the world, and why in
the world, and what in the world do you do to start a school from
scratch? The first task of the men assigned these responsibilities
was to find a President for this new school. God led them to a
man who was well-known in Southern Baptist life named Byron
Hoover DeMent. He was a pastor who served churches in several
different states, and he was an educator who taught in a variety of
216 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
schools. DeMent was very well-educated by the standards of the
day, in particular having a Th.D. from Southern Seminary. When
the original trustees of the school shared their vision, he was quick
to accept.
Two things stand out about Dr. DeMent: his deep love for the
Bible and his passion for evangelism and missions. As a young
man, DeMent had memorized the New Testament and was quite
well-known for quoting lengthy passages of Scripture whenever he
preached. An emphasis on evangelism was a priority in each place
he served. After he was selected as the president of the seminary,
he studied the models of other schools. One of his most interest-
ing journeys was to Moody Bible Institute. In the nineteenth cen-
tury, the great evangelist D.L. Moody started this school in Chica-
go to prepare Christian workers. He wanted to emphasize evange-
lism throughout the academic programs and required all the stu-
dents to be involved in personal evangelism and Gospel preaching
as a part of their preparation. Dr. DeMent spent two months at
the Moody Bible Institute observing their practices, talking with
faculty and staff about their procedures, and interacting with the
students. He returned to New Orleans, convinced the Moody
model was perfect for the new school. Thus the original name of
the school was born: Baptist Bible Institute. It was to be a mis-
sionary training school, preparing workers for the church and the
mission field. The twin focal points of the curriculum were to be
the study of the Bible and the practice of evangelism. With those
two purposes, the Baptist Bible Institute was launched in what
remains to this day the most un-Baptist setting for any SBC entity.
Dr. DeMent did a wonderful job! He served as president from
1917 to 1927. In that time, he launched the school and found a
campus. Sophie Newcomb College, a very prominent women’s
college in New Orleans, merged with Tulane University and
moved away from their established campus, near Commander’s
Palace on Washington Avenue. By negotiating the purchase of this
property, DeMent secured a beautiful campus for the Institute
without having to build a single building. Watching God work in
such amazing ways led Dr. DeMent to call the school “the child of
providence and prayer.” He made another great contribution by
putting all of the emphasis on the work of God, rather than hu-
man effort.
This inaugural chapter of the school was very, very difficult,
not surprising in light of other historical events during that time.
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 217
Trying to launch a Baptist school for ministers and missionaries in
the unlikely city of New Orleans took its toll, and by 1927, De-
Ment’s health began to fail. His body was worn out, and he had to
step down from the responsibilities as president. He continued on
the faculty from 1928 through 1933 and is remembered as a great
man who launched this seminary with its emphasis on the Bible
and evangelism, as well as his recognition that BBI was the School
of Providence and Prayer. For Dr. DeMent, God and God alone
was the driver behind this school.
W. W. Hamilton (1928–1942)
Following the retirement of Dr. DeMent, the trustees turned to
a man who was prominent in Southern Baptist life for a very par-
ticular reason. He was a pastor who led great churches in several
different states. Most importantly for our school, he was the first
Director of Evangelism for the Southern Baptist Convention. In
1906, he created the Office of Evangelism at the Home Mission
Board, now called the North American Mission Board. The DNA
of evangelism was woven even more tightly into the heart of
NOBTS.
Dr. W. W. Hamilton was one of the three or four most im-
portant people in the history of Southern Baptist Evangelism,
completely apart from his work at the seminary. He had unprece-
dented success in mobilizing Southern Baptist churches to reach
their communities for Christ. He became pastor of the St. Charles
Avenue Baptist Church. At the time, it was one of the strong,
evangelistic churches in the city of New Orleans. When Dr. De-
Ment was required to step down and retire as president to lighten
his workload, the trustees turned to Dr. W. W. Hamilton – a great
witness and great soul-winner. He accepted this great responsibil-
ity at a very difficult time. His tenure began in 1928 as the Great
Depression was sweeping the United States. Now, put yourself in
that circumstance! The whole nation was suffering from the bur-
den of a collapsing economy – it was hard everywhere – and imag-
ine being the president of a Baptist seminary in a place like New
Orleans. The Baptist work was still small and in its early stages.
Everything was hard; the cultural and economic conditions then
made it that much harder.
Dr. W.W. Hamilton faced some of the greatest challenges ever
faced by a President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
218 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
At one point, the Southern Baptist Convention appointed a com-
mittee to consider whether or not to simply close the school. They
chose not to close it, but to continue only if the faculty was re-
duced to five people, including the president. How tough it must
have been for Dr. Hamilton to deliver that news to the faculty. In
fact, what we think was the first faculty fight in the history of the
seminary began at that time—not a fight over this or that, but a
fight over a most unusual decision: who would have the privilege
of being laid-off? The older professors thought it would be best
for the school if they resigned and turned the School over to the
younger professors with a lifetime of teaching before them. The
younger professors said, “Absolutely not. We need to leave this
School in the hands of our experienced professors. And it would
be much easier for us to get a new ministry responsibility. Our
School needs the wisdom and experience of these older profes-
sors.” And the faculty had a fight over who would have the privi-
lege of being laid-off.
What a generation of spiritual heroes! It was not just the faculty
members who were heroic. The whole Seminary family worked
together to control costs and keep the School alive. Late one night
after a long and hard day, Dr. Hamilton went home and walked
into his bedroom to dress for bed when he noticed a light left on
in the classroom building. He was upset, disturbed, and tired, but
he got dressed again, walked across to the classroom building,
went to the second floor, and opened the door of the classroom
where a light was still burning. When he opened the door, he saw
a group of students on their faces on the floor, crying out to God
to provide what was necessary for the School to be able to con-
tinue. Oh, my goodness! What a generation of professors and stu-
dents!
When the Seminary family went out on the weekends to share
the Gospel and do ministry, they were rarely paid with money in
those days. Often times, they were given food. Some might re-
ceive vegetables, some chicken or ham or beef. Whatever was giv-
en was shared among faculty and students who gathered in the
School cafeteria on Sunday nights. Everyone put everything on a
table that they had received and divided it among the families so
that every family – faculty and student – got approximately the
same amount of food to help them survive for the week. I wonder
if anyone in that room had any idea that the School struggling so
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 219
hard to survive would one day become one of the largest seminar-
ies on the face of the earth.
Dr. Hamilton accomplished many great things, deeply pushing
evangelism further into the heart of the seminary and seeing the
school through a very, very difficult time in Southern Baptist life
and American history. The tenure of Dr. Hamilton came to an
end very abruptly. He made an unfortunate choice very unusual
for Southern Baptists and the Seminary. Over the years, he and his
wife had lost a young daughter to a death that came too soon.
Later on, Mrs. Hamilton passed away. After his wife’s death,
Hamilton’s cousin came down to New Orleans to help him man-
age the details of life at the seminary without a wife – handling
social arrangements and managing the President’s Home. During
the summer and while everyone was away on school break, Dr.
Hamilton and his cousin decided to get married. However, a mar-
riage of cousins was not legal in Louisiana. When the Seminary
family returned and realized what had happened, a great crisis de-
veloped at the Baptist Bible Institute. J. Wash Watts – a Hall of
Fame faculty member and beloved professor of Hebrew and Old
Testament – talked with Dr. Hamilton on behalf of the faculty
and explained why his marriage was illegal and unacceptable in
Louisiana. Dr. Hamilton, a man of great integrity, immediately
said, “You are absolutely right.” He did not argue or debate the
case at all. He said, “We will have the marriage annulled immedi-
ately, and I will step down as President.” He finished his years
serving as a chaplain at the Baptist Hospital in New Orleans.
Duke McCall (1943–1946)
The trustees of the seminary were then faced with the respon-
sibility of finding a new president in the middle of World War II,
when so many men of the nation were involved in the war effort
in various capacities. The School was without a President for
about a year. During that year, J. Wash Watts was appointed Act-
ing President. He served very well in that capacity, and the School
continued to train students. Finally, the trustees were led to a
young man. How young? Not yet thirty years old, Dr. Duke
McCall was the youngest president in the history of the seminary.
He was well-educated and served as pastor of Broadway Baptist
Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He knew the dynamics of local
church life, but he was not very experienced as an educator. Dr.
220 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
McCall was raised in a strong Baptist family and had active Baptist
connections. When he spoke with the trustees, he made the focal
point of his discussion the text of William Carey’s great missionary
sermon: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for
God.” The thread of evangelism and missions so important to this
School of Providence and Prayer was once again prominent in the
selection of a President.
The trustees were unanimous, and Dr. McCall became the
third president of the seminary. He did not serve very long – only
from 1943 through 1946 – but it was a very important time in
NOBTS history. The School began as Baptist Bible Institute and
offered training of all types for people with virtually no education
to people with college degrees. The School grew in academic ex-
cellence and began offering more graduate-level education. The
decision was finally made during Dr. McCall’s tenure for the Bap-
tist Bible Institute to become a true Seminary, and plans were
made to ask the SBC to approve changing its name from Baptist
Bible Institute to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
During that time, the Executive Committee of the Southern Bap-
tist Convention came to New Orleans, met with the president of
the seminary and asked him to take leadership of the Executive
Committee of the SBC. Dr. McCall agreed to do so, but only if he
was allowed to continue his work on the project he had set in mo-
tion – the name change of the seminary – and to make some fi-
nancial provision for the seminary to acquire new property as
space was limited in their present location.
Dr. McCall was a little concerned about the receptivity of the
Convention to the name change. He feared that Southern Semi-
nary and Southwestern Seminary might be a little jealous if a third
school had the name “Seminary.” So, he made these arrangements
for the SBC business meeting: A representative of the school
made the motion that the name should be changed from Baptist
Bible Institute to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr.
McCall asked Dr. J. D. Grey – legendary pastor at First Baptist
New Orleans – to offer the second to the motion. Dr. Grey was
well-known across the whole Southern Baptist Convention. He
was a great preacher, very active in denominational life, and had a
strong, booming voice that could fill any room or hall in which he
spoke. After the motion was made, Dr. Grey stood to his feet and,
in his loudest voice, said, “I second that motion.” The president
of the Southern Baptist Convention heard that great, booming
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 221
second and said, “Well, that sounds like all of us. Motion passed.
On to the next item of business.” The name was adopted without
an actual formal vote of the Convention.
Dr. McCall ensured the new name for the New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary and clarified the identity for the future of
the school. He had that mission concern – making William Carey’s
sermon that launched the modern mission movement the sub-
stance of his conversation with the trustees – and he put the sem-
inary in an excellent position for its future.
Roland Q. Leavell (1946–1958)
The seminary was challenged again to find a president with
World War II just drawing to a close. In 1946, their search led
them to a man by the name of Roland Q. Leavell. Dr. Roland Q.
Leavell was one of nine brothers born to a wonderful Christian
family – very devout in their faith and very deeply committed to
Baptist life and mission. Eight of those nine brothers, including
Dr. Roland Q. Leavell, became Baptist preachers. All eight did
significant work for the Kingdom. One of them created the disci-
pleship training program of the SBC. One of them built the hospi-
tal in China where Bill Wallace – a famous missionary doctor –
was serving when he was martyred. Another one created the colle-
giate ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention. They were a
very influential and significant family in denominational life. Dr.
Roland Q. Leavell, one of those nine brothers, was a terrific pas-
tor whose churches were very strong in evangelism. In fact, the
churches he pastored grew so strong that in 1936 the Home Mis-
sion Board turned to Roland Q. Leavell to become the leader of
evangelism for the Southern Baptist Convention. Do you see it?
There it is again – God was making His will very clear that He
wanted evangelism to be at the heart and soul of New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary.
That great evangelist and soul-winner came to the seminary,
making sure evangelism remained a core part of the academic cur-
riculum and the focal point of the mission of NOBTS. His great
challenge was space for the school to meet. The seminary was
completely out of room and could not grow if it did not relocate.
The original location on Washington Avenue was a wonderful
place to get started, but the campus was too small for the potential
student body of the seminary. Dr. McCall had realized this during
222 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
his tenure and set aside some money at the Southern Baptist Con-
vention to help the seminary. However, property was needed in
order to relocate, and property of significant size in the city of
New Orleans was very difficult to find.
In God’s timing, a large piece of property, one of the largest
pieces of property available in the city in many years, was listed on
the market. A pecan orchard on the eastern edge of New Orleans
seemed ideal. Dr. Leavell began negotiations to buy the property
in order to move the seminary. The Catholic Church was also in-
terested in the property for a monastery and a school. The proper-
ty was listed by a very devout and active Catholic layman. Dr.
Leavell knew that he was in a very tough battle to acquire that
property, but he also knew it was the only piece of property that
could possibly meet the needs of the seminary for the future. He
decided to have one last meeting with the realtor before the final
decision was made on who would get the property. At that meet-
ing, he thanked the realtor for his time and reminded him the
Baptists wanted to buy this property in order to move our School.
He noted, “We absolutely have to find more space than we have
right now. We will use it very well to create something New Orle-
ans will be proud of – a new campus for New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary. I understand that the Catholic Church is
also interested in acquiring the property for a monastery and a
school. I also know that you are very active in the Church and
very devout in your faith. That’s fine. However, it occurred to me
that I might not have made one thing clear in our conversations. I
know if you sell this property to the Church, they will expect you
to forgo your commission on the sale as a gift to the Church. I
want to be sure you understand that if you sell the property to the
Baptists, we will expect you to take your full and rightful commis-
sion on the sale of the property.”
While I am not aware of what else happened in negotiations, I
do know that NOBTS is located today at 3939 Gentilly Boulevard
in that old pecan orchard. Would you call that being wise as a ser-
pent and harmless as a dove? Dr. Roland Q. Leavell was a great
leader. The seminary’s relocation was a massive project. He select-
ed a young architect who later became one of the most famous
architects in the history of Louisiana. A. Hays Town designed
beautiful, classic, and timeless buildings in French-Creole style
with red brick and green shutters. The beautiful campus was well-
laid out and well-designed. The pressure of having to raise all the
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 223
money, to build the buildings, to relocate the seminary, to operate
on one campus while another was being built, to operate on two
campuses during the transition was an incredible time. Roland Q.
Leavell was a great president by any standard of measure. Yes, a
relocation happened. Yes, the seminary grew significantly in en-
rollment. Yes, the seminary gathered its financial strength. By any
standard of measure, Leavell was one of the greatest presidents
ever in the history of NOBTS. With all that pressure and hard
work, Dr. Leavell eventually had some serious health issues which
forced him to retire very quickly as president. He died shortly after
his retirement. Deep gratitude is owed to this great man who did
so much for the Kingdom of God.
H. Leo Eddleman (1959–1970)
As Dr. Roland Q. Leavell stepped down as NOBTS President,
the trustees once again began the search for the next President for
this School of Providence and Prayer. The search team was led to
a former International Mission Board missionary. Do you see that
common thread? Evangelism and missions—so deeply woven into
the fabric of this School of Providence and Prayer—have been
consistently an outstanding characteristic of this school.
Dr. H. Leo Eddleman was a former missionary to Palestine
and Israel. He was a brilliant Hebrew scholar who had pastoral
experience and had taught in other schools. He was called to serve
the Seminary as President in 1959 and remained through 1970.
The decade of the sixties was a tumultuous time in the United
States! The country was experiencing disruption. Our culture went
through many different challenges during this very, very turbulent
time. The country and NOBTS struggled. The most notable event
within the seminary during that decade was a civil war on the
NOBTS faculty. This moment was not a proud one for NOBTS,
but the moment had great significance. The civil war was about a
theological dispute over the nature of Scripture, and conservative
versus liberal theology. A disagreement among faculty members
began and became more and more severe as time passed. The rift
became so severe that faculty relationships, as well as students,
were affected.
Years ago, I learned about this faculty fight during a revival for
a church in our region. In a visit with the pastor prior to the ser-
vice, I asked if I was correct in remembering that he was a gradu-
224 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ate of our seminary. He started to cry. Now, usually, people cry
after they hear me preach. I was stunned and immediately apolo-
gized to him: “Pastor, I am very sorry for whatever I said that so
upset you.” He replied, “No, no, no, it’s not your fault. You just
don’t know what happened to me, do you?” He then related his
story: “Yes, I graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary with my master’s degree, and then I entered the doctoral
program. Unfortunately, I was flunked out of the program be-
cause I worked for the wrong professor. A professor who did not
like the man for whom I graded, flunked me out of the program.”
I was stunned. Later I began to piece together the details. Dur-
ing that decade of the sixties, there was indeed a virtual civil war
on the faculty that became very hostile – professors attacking one
another face-to-face, professors attacking one another in class-
rooms, and then, not only attacking other professors and speaking
negatively about them in public settings but also attacking the stu-
dents of professors with whom they disagreed. This scenario was
unacceptable. When another student was about to be flunked out
of the seminary in the midst of this conflict, a member of the fac-
ulty, beloved preaching professor Dr. V. L. Stanfield, finally de-
cided enough was enough. He called a meeting of the whole facul-
ty without the presence of any administrators. No one knows
what was said. No one in that meeting ever spoke of it. All we
know is what happened when they came out of that room. They
agreed never to speak about what was said in the meeting. They
agreed the civil war was over, never to happen again. From that
point forward, the faculty of New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary agreed to have collegial respect for everyone around
them, that no faculty member would ever attack another faculty
member in a classroom or in public, that differences and disa-
greements would be handled person-to-person. The faculty also
agreed the student would be allowed to continue in the doctoral
program and would not be flunked out as long as the grade of “F”
remained on his transcript. In spite of the “F,” full credit for the
seminar was given. Does it sound a bit childish? But that com-
promise was apparently what put everything together, and the fac-
ulty all agreed. Here’s the great irony: the seminar in question was
“The Love of God.” How often do disagreements seem severe at
the moment yet rather childish in retrospect?
This civil war nearly destroyed the seminary, resulting in a spi-
raling decline in enrollment as well as significant financial chal-
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 225
lenges. Though the seminary was in peril, God redeemed the situ-
ation by creating a sense of collegial connection that remains to
this day on the faculty of NOBTS. We thank the Lord for His re-
demption and remember that at NOBTS, we are very determined
to love and support one another.
Grady Cothen (1970–1974)
As the trustees searched for the next President, God led them
to a wonderful Baptist leader by the name of Grady Cothen. Dr.
Cothen was an experienced pastor, an experienced Baptist leader
in educational circles, and an experienced denominational leader in
Baptist life. He shared that Baptist passion for missions and evan-
gelism. Dr. Cothen became president at a very important time in
our seminary. Because of the faculty controversy, decreased en-
rollment, and great financial difficulties, the School was in a pre-
carious position. Dr. Cothen did not serve very long, only about
three years. He left New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to
become president of the Sunday School Board, now called Life-
Way Christian Resources. Though short in tenure, Cothen played
a very important role. He stopped the free fall in enrollment and
helped the seminary stand on solid ground again. He controlled
the financial problems, the red ink, the very struggle to survive,
and he helped the Seminary return to the black and a position of
fiscal health. In other words, he put a foundation in place for the
seminary to grow again into the future. We owe Cothen a great
debt for serving in a tough time and strengthening NOBTS. He
did not complain about the civil war; he simply did the necessary
work to position the School for its future. What an outstanding
job of leadership!
Landrum P. Leavell II (1975–1995)
After Dr. Grady Cothen stepped down, the NOBTS trustees
were led to the dynamic Baptist pastor by the name of Landrum P.
Leavell II. While he was not one of those nine famous Leavell
brothers, he was the child of one of them. In addition to being a
nephew of Roland Q. Leavell, Dr. Landrum P. Leavell II was an
NOBTS alumnus. Every church he served grew in baptisms, grew
in attendance, and grew in budget. Dr. Leavell had been recog-
nized as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pas-
tors Conference, served many roles in Southern Baptist life, and
226 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
was a well-known, well-respected Baptist leader. He came to the
seminary ready to do a great work of God, and a great work was
done through him.
By any standard of measure, Dr. Landrum P. Leavell II was
one of the greatest presidents in the history of the seminary. He
served for twenty years, from 1975 through December 1994. In
that time, the seminary grew significantly in enrollment, and it
grew significantly in endowment, from virtually no endowment to
a twenty-five-million-dollar endowment. The campus was enlarged,
acquiring the facility that is now our student center and acquiring
the Providence Guest House across the street. A campus of about
seventy-four acres was enlarged to a campus of eighty-five acres.
Of interest to many people is the response of our seminary
during the greatest controversy of the Southern Baptist Conven-
tion, the “Conservative Resurgence.” This theologically-based
conflict was an SBC-wide civil war like the one NOBTS experi-
enced. Dr. Landrum Leavell did a magnificent job of steering the
seminary through the conflict unscathed. How did he do that?
One, he was a great leader. Two, everybody in the SBC knew that
he was theologically conservative; he was absolutely certain the
Bible was the Word of God, inspired and inerrant, and he was
very evangelistic. People had confidence in Dr. Leavell, and be-
cause they had confidence in Dr. Leavell, they had confidence in
our seminary. Of all the entities in the SBC, the entity least affect-
ed by all the battles during the Conservative Resurgence was
NOBTS, thanks to the leadership of Dr. Leavell. Enrollment in-
crease, financial strength, and denominational leadership were
three evidences that Dr. Landrum P. Leavell II was a great presi-
dent.
Charles S. (Chuck) Kelley Jr. (1996–2019)
January 1995 marked the beginning of the next search for a
new NOBTS President. The process took more than a year and
resulted in the election of Charles S. (Chuck) Kelley Jr. He was
serving as a Professor of Evangelism on the NOBTS faculty at the
time and became the first member of the faculty selected by the
trustees for the presidency, indicating further the stability of the
seminary during the Conservative Resurgence. Evangelism and
missions have always been and continue to be a part of the DNA
of this School of Providence and Prayer.
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 227
Enrollment has doubled, the endowment has more than dou-
bled, and a number of innovative programs have been implement-
ed during Kelley’s tenure, including online degrees in multiple lan-
guages, a mentoring program, multiple degrees for non-residential
students, and ministry training for prison inmates.
A number of academic centers were created. The Center for
the Textual Study of the New Testament engages students and
faculty in the groundbreaking research on ancient manuscripts of
the New Testament. The Center for Apologetics hosts the annual
Greer-Heard Point/Counterpoint Lecture bringing a nationally-
known evangelical scholar and a nationally- known skeptic of
Christianity to campus to discuss some aspect of the Christian
faith from opposing perspectives. The Magee Counseling Center
both trains students and provides Christian counseling to the
community. The Rogers Center for Expository Preaching is rais-
ing up the next generation of Baptist preachers. These centers and
others are becoming points of excellence that make NOBTS a na-
tionally-known and respected theological institution.
Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans in 2005. The
greatest natural catastrophe in the history of the United States re-
sulted in seventy percent of the city of New Orleans being under-
water, including the NOBTS campus. The campus was closed for
a year to repair the storm damage. Virtually every building and
every form of housing were flooded except the front quadrangle,
housing the academic buildings, the library, the classroom build-
ings, the chapel, the student center, and the president’s house. The
marvelous, wonderful mercy of God spared the heart of the semi-
nary. Southern Baptists from all over the nation and every state
convention sent volunteers to the city of New Orleans and the
Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was also significantly affected by
the storm. Baptists gave even more than usual to the Cooperative
Program, and $6 million above and beyond that amount was given
to NOBTS that year. The faculty played a crucial role in saving the
seminary. They reinvented the entire curriculum and found ways
to keep teaching every single course without access to the campus.
The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, welcomed
us for December graduation in 2005. We were truly the School of
Providence and Prayer, and we saw God do great and mighty
things to facilitate a remarkable recovery. Ten years after Katrina,
NOBTS set a new student enrollment record. Dr. Kelley an-
nounced his retirement in October 2018 and was given the title of
228 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Chancellor by the Trustees so that the search for a new president
could begin.
James (Jamie) K. Dew (2019–present)
1
Dr. Jamie Dew was elected New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary’s ninth president on June 5, 2019, by a unanimous vote
of the NOBTS board of trustees. Dew’s academic credentials in-
clude two Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees—a Doctor of Phi-
losophy in Theological Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theo-
logical Seminary (SEBTS) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Philoso-
phy from the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Dew’s
Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry is from SEBTS, and his
Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies is from Toccoa Falls Col-
lege in Toccoa, Georgia. Prior to his coming to NOBTS, Dew
served as Vice President of Undergraduate Studies and Distance
Learning and Associate Professor of Philosophy and the History
of Ideas, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dew also
served as senior pastor of Stony Hill Baptist Church, Wake Forest,
North Carolina, for eight years, and in a variety of church ministry
positions including minister to adults, youth minister, and interim
pastor.
As a young Christian attending a small college of about 500
students, his goal was to share his faith with each of his fellow
students. But he was dismayed when he learned that others were
not as eager to hear about Jesus as he was to talk about him. How
could he interact faithfully and effectively with skeptics, agnostics,
and atheists? He decided that in order to counteract their criti-
cisms of his faith, he need to prepare intellectually. So he pursued
studies in Apologetics and Philosophy as ways to undergird his
witnessing to the lost in our increasingly skeptical society. There-
fore, in his own way, Jamie continues the legacy of evangelism
borne by previous seminary presidents at NOBTS.
When he began his tenure as president, Dr. Dew announced
four initiatives: grow Leavell College, improve enrollment man-
agement, enhance marketing and communications, and re-engage
the NOBTS family throughout the SBC. His first year in office
included facing financial challenges that have arisen throughout
academia, particularly because of the COVID-19 pandemic remi-
1
The portrait of Dr. Jamie Dew was written by Steve Lemke and Rex Butler.
PORTRAITS OF THE NOBTS PRESIDENTS 229
niscent of the 1918 epidemic that impacted the seminary’s first
year. With his academic credentials, Dr. Dew is well-positioned to
lead NOBTS into its second century.
Conclusion
The story of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
continues to live up to its name as the School of Providence and
Prayer. A great faculty is doing terrific work, and amazing students
are making great sacrifices in order to be in school to prepare for
excellence in ministry. Students, faculty, and staff are still sharing
their faith in Christ across the city of New Orleans, and NOBTS
is still partnering with the New Orleans Baptist Association, the
Louisiana Convention, and the North American Mission Board to
start new Baptist churches in our area and beyond. God’s provi-
dence is apparent throughout the seminary’s history. God’s provi-
sion helped the School survive. NOBTS is indeed a testimony, a
witness to the fact that our amazing, awesome God delights in
doing amazing, awesome things to care for His children and ex-
tend the work of His Kingdom.
May this walk through the NOBTS presidents help you realize
that this School’s story can be your story. The same God who
walked every step through every year with NOBTS is walking with
you. When you belong to Jesus, you can be confident that God’s
unshakable grip is on your life. God will do whatever is necessary
to care for you. Our God is an amazing God!
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 231–59
The Leavell Legacy
Rex D. Butler, PhD
Rex D. Butler is professor of Church History and Patristics, occupying
the John T. Westbrook Chair of Church History at New Orleans Bap-
tist Theological Seminary.
A visitor to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is im-
mediately uplifted by the sight of the steeple rising from Roland Q.
Leavell Chapel, situated in the center of the campus. Driving
around the perimeter, the visitor finds at the southwest corner the
Landrum P. Leavell II Center for Evangelism and Church Health.
Back at the other side of the campus is the building that houses
Leavell College. Entering that building and going upstairs, the visi-
tor finds a small museum appropriately labeled “The Leavell Leg-
acy.” Inside the museum, among the memorabilia, is a seminary
catalog, and browsing through it, one sees that there are two aca-
demic chairs – the Roland Q. Leavell Chair of Evangelism and the
Landrum P. Leavell II Chair of New Testament and Greek. Even
the President’s Home bears the name of Corra Berry Leavell.
“The Leavell Legacy” indeed! The Leavell family has impacted
NOBTS in so many ways that their name is found everywhere on
the campus. As the seminary enters its second hundred years, it is
appropriate to examine the legacy of this family, who continues to
play a significant role in our School of Providence and Prayer.
George and Corra Leavell
The story of the Leavell Legacy at NOBTS must begin with the
patriarch and matriarch of their family of nine boys, including Ro-
land Quinche Leavell. George Washington Leavell (1844–1905)
returned from the Civil War to a South that was decimated by the
hostilities that had divided the nation. Nonetheless, he used his
accounting skills to create a new life, first in Memphis, Tennessee,
and then in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. On May 14, 1872, he
married Corra Alice Berry (1851–1913), a music teacher at Chicka-
saw College. Complementing each other, he was sober and serious,
while she was lively and vivacious. Together, they embarked upon
a life focused on faith and family.
232 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
They specialized in raising boys. Less than two years into their
marriage, their first of nine sons arrived on May 10, 1874. They
named him Landrum Pinson for Dr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Landrum,
1
pastor of Central Baptist Church, Memphis, where they were
members; and for Colonel and Mrs. Pinson, in whose home they
boarded. Their eighth son, the one who later had a major impact
on NOBTS, was named Roland Quinche, his first name for a pa-
ternal ancestor, John Roland Leavell, and his second, for a profes-
sor at the University of Mississippi, Dr. A. J. Quinche, who nego-
tiated with the Union army not to destroy the campus.
Soon after Landrum’s birth, George moved his growing family
to Oxford, Mississippi, where he opened a mercantile store. He
served First Baptist Church as a faithful church worker and Sun-
day school teacher and superintendent. Beyond the church build-
ing, George organized and maintained the Union Grove Sunday
School in the countryside, where there were many people but no
church. Every Sunday afternoon, George would travel two miles,
usually by foot, to a one-room school building, where he conduct-
ed a mission to this rural community. He pressed his sons and
other young people into service, to pass out hymnbooks, to sing
while he played the organ, and later to teach classes. Every August,
George would build a brush arbor and invite a preacher to con-
duct a week of evangelistic services. Over the years, hundreds
were led to faith in Christ. The oldest son Landrum, who later
played a significant role in the development of the Baptist Young
People’s Union, said of his father: “He was a trainer of young
people. His delight was to have a prospective young preacher to
preach at the mission. How many of his boys got their start in
Christian work in that way, I cannot say, but I can testify for my-
self.”
2
Of his father, Roland recalled: “He referred to himself as ‘Old
Whitey,’ the name of his father’s favorite horse of all burdens.
‘Old Whitey’ would pull the biggest load up hill and stand the
most whipping of all the horses – a very accurate description of
George W. Leavell as a church worker.”
3
1
Later, Sylvanus Landrum made a significant impact on Baptist life in New
Orleans when he became pastor of Coliseum Baptist Church in 1881. See Lloyd
Harsch, “Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Teach Dem Saints?” in this volume.
2
Roland Q. Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell: A Christian Mother (n.p., 1952), 48.
3
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 47–48.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 233
As much influence as George Leavell had on his sons, their
mother Corra’s influence was even greater. Early every morning,
she knelt to pray for her sons as she leaned upon a well-worn,
hump-backed trunk. Often she also bent them over the same
trunk to whip them with a switch from a peach tree. The boys re-
ferred to these times as “peach tree tea!” After her prayer time,
Corra held her Bible with one hand and churned the butter with
the other. Her sons remembered her for both her laughter and her
relationship with God.
Corra had a heart for missions and proved it through sacrificial
giving. On her wedding day, George gave his bride a beautiful
gold watch with a long gold chain, an especially exquisite gift con-
sidering the poverty of the times. Years later, when Dr. J. B.
Gambrell spoke on missions at the Oxford church and took up an
offering, Corra had no money to give but placed her treasured
watch and chain in the offering plate. Gambrell was touched by
her sacrifice and was able to find a donor to redeem the offering
for $50. After the watch and chain were returned to Corra,
George made sure that she left it at home whenever there was to
be a missions collection at the church!
Roland recounted another chapter in the history of Mama’s
watch. “Ullin, the youngest of the brothers, fell heir to the watch.
It was while holding in one hand an unsigned contract from a
business firm assuring him an income of several thousand dollars
a year and holding Mama’s watch in the other, that he made his
decision to go to China as an educational missionary. He returned
the contract to the business firm unsigned.”
4
Corra and George conspired to keep their sons busy, off the
streets, and away from worldly temptations. Their oft-repeated
proverb was: “work is the best tonic for boys.” Corra set a weekly
and daily schedule of chores around the house, garden, livestock,
and, since there were no daughters, even in the kitchen. In later
years, when the family could not afford a mule, George hitched
the boys to the plow as he guided them up and down the rows of
the garden. Roland commented that waiting on tables at home
prepared him for jobs later to pay his board at the university.
Much of the work demanded of the boys resulted from the fi-
nancial reverses that struck the household. George’s war wounds
never completely healed, and, in 1893, the pain and difficulty in
4
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 13.
234 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
breathing forced him to convalesce at home. The eldest son
Landrum assisted at the mercantile store, but its operation was
entrusted to a dishonest employee, who ultimately bankrupted the
business but secured wealth for himself. When George returned to
his store after more than a year, he found depleted stock and
mounting debts. In 1895, he was forced to close his store, but,
refusing to hide behind bankruptcy laws, he worked laboriously to
repay his creditors. His bookkeeping skills proved valuable once
more as he found work as a cashier at the Bank of Oxford, but he
struggled for the rest of his life to pay off his debts.
Roland told the rest of the story about the employee who had
ruined his father’s business. “After Mother’s death my brother
James told me the story of how the rich but ungodly man had de-
frauded our father during his illness. Then we recalled to each
other how our mother had sent various ones of us time and again
to this man’s house during his last days, bearing trays of food and
message of concern about his health. The spirit of Jesus who
prayed for those who were crucifying him so possessed our moth-
er’s heart that I am almost convinced that she literally forgot that
this man had robbed her of everything that financial prosperity
could have offered her in her mature years. As I think back on the
lawlessness in that man’s family and the horrible type of death that
he died, I can now understand what my mother and father meant
when they would say, ‘Our poverty is our greatest blessing.’”
5
George’s wounds and burdens bore him down to a relatively
early death at age 61. According to Roland, “It seemed to his boys
that they never knew him as a well man free from suffering.” On
his deathbed, he called his two youngest sons, Roland and Ullin,
to his side and encouraged them: “Grow up into Christian man-
hood. I am grieved I cannot be there to guide you.” Then the re-
maining seven sons were called in and charged: “Guide these
younger boys just as you have been brought up. Teach them to be
honest, hardworking, loyal, dependable, and mostly busy about
God’s business.”
6
Also at his bedside was his brother, the boys’
favorite uncle, the college professor, Richard, who assured George:
“You have lived a great life.” George replied: “I didn’t know it.”
7
What George did not know, however, was that the greatness of
5
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 40–41.
6
Dottie L. Hudson, He Still Stands Tall (Gretna, LA: Pelican, 2008), 21.
7
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 21.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 235
his life would not be measured by his own achievements, worthy
though they were, but by the legacy that he left behind in his sons
and future grandchildren and other descendants.
Seven years later, Corra’s health was failing, but she lived to see
her oldest four sons married and their careers begun. Her fourth
son, George, was under appointment as a medical missionary by
the Foreign Mission Board and newly married. He postponed his
sailing date to China because, as a doctor, he knew that the end
was near for his Mama. She insisted, however, that God was de-
laying her death until her son set foot on Chinese soil. When she
bid him farewell, both knowing that they would never see each
other again on this earth, all those present wept except Corra, who
smiled a radiant smile. Soon thereafter, on January 30, 1913, she
passed away. That same day, a telegram arrived from George, an-
nouncing his arrival in China. Calculating the difference in time,
the Leavell family realized that Mama arrived in heaven at the
same time that George landed in China.
In his biography of his mother, Roland wrote: “Every one of
the sons of Corra Berry Leavell feels that the most fortunate thing
we ever experienced in this world was to pick the mother and fa-
ther that we did. In this story of our mother, we quote the Wise
Man of the Proverbs and say, ‘Her children arise and call her
blessed.’”
8
Just before her death, Corra wrote this letter to her sons and
tucked it in her Bible,
My dear, dear boys,
The dear Lord may call me at any time. How sweet it will be
to be with Jesus. He has sweetened the tomb so death is
robbed of its terror. My heart’s desire and prayer for each of
you is that you may ever live for Jesus, that your chief aim
and desire in every action may be to glorify God. O ever
live for Jesus, that He may always use you for His glory in
bringing lost men to the cross in the extension of His king-
dom. At last may we all be gathered around His throne, an
unbroken family, to praise His name forever.
Mama
9
8
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 57.
9
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 57.
236 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Indeed, no greater tribute to George and Corra Leavell can be
expressed than to recognize the accomplishments and ministries
of their nine sons. Eight worked in full-time vocational ministry as
pastors, evangelists, missionaries and denominational leaders in
the Southern Baptist Convention; the ninth served his community
as a dentist. One son and a grandson presided over New Orleans
Baptist Theological Seminary during fruitful tenures that extend
the impact of the Leavell Legacy into the twenty-first century.
In 2002, the trustees of NOBTS voted to change the name of
the College of Undergraduate Studies to Leavell College in honor
of George and Corra Leavell’s nine sons. Their accomplishments
were listed in the spring 2002 issue of Vision:
Among the brothers were Frank, who pioneered in South-
ern Baptist student work, serving as a longtime leader of the
Baptist Student Union of the Sunday School Board (now
LifeWay Christian Resources); Landrum P., who was the
first director of the Baptist Young Peoples Union and
worked at the Sunday School Board; and Roland Q., who
served as evangelism director for the Home Mission Board
(now North American Mission Board) and later as president
of New Orleans Seminary. Other brothers included James
Berry, an evangelist and pastor who served churches across
the Southeast; and Leonard O., another pastor in the South-
east and father of NOBTS’ seventh president, Landrum P.
Leavell II; George Walne and Ullin Whitney, who served as
missionaries in China; Clarence Stanley, who served on the
Arkansas state mission board; and Arnaud Bruce, who
served as a dentist in Hollywood, Calif.
10
Roland Quinche Leavell
On December 21, 1891, the day of Roland’s birth, his mother,
who was accustomed to having babies, went about her morning
tasks of Bible reading, praying, churning butter, and preparing
breakfast. Finally, when the birth pains could be ignored no longer,
she broke off her daily routine to send George with the older boys
to school and the younger ones to relatives. By the time George
10
“Undergraduate college renamed in Leavell’s honor at NOBTS,” Vision
(Spring 2002): 17.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 237
returned and the doctor arrived, Corra had delivered their eighth
son, Roland.
The arrival of another Leavell boy generated no special news in
town, not like a baby girl might have. In fact, the addition of an-
other child was not especially good news to parents in their forties,
to a family struggling financially, at Christmas time, when poverty
is felt especially keenly. In later years, when Roland was too young
to understand fully his place in the family, his Aunt Lizzie told
him that he was not wanted. Not wanted! What a burden for a
young boy to carry, and he carried it throughout his life. Accord-
ing to his daughter Dottie Hudson, “This sensitive little boy ab-
sorbed all the rejection that comes with being told he was an in-
trusion into his family. He told this incident over and over
throughout his life, and perhaps this childhood pain was the driver
that made it necessary for him to prove his worth in his family and
in this world.”
11
Roland told the story from his perspective. “They didn’t want
me according to Aunt Lizzie’s report. She never knew how pro-
found an impression that made on the little boy’s mind. Twas just
before Christmas, financial affairs and father’s health were both
low – with seven boys already, I … came to spite them before the
Doctor got there. But Aunt Lizzie says in two months my mother
said I had laughed my way into their hearts.”
12
Concerning his spiritual birth, Roland told two stories. The
first occurred about a year before his father’s death, upon the oc-
casion of his father’s departure to Kerrville, Texas, to recuperate
from ill health. Roland recalled, “He put his arms around me, a
boy of twelve, and said, ‘My son, it is time you are giving your
heart to the Saviour and joining the church. I shall be praying for
you while I am gone.’”
13
Sometime later, when he was fourteen,
Roland responded to the pastor’s invitation to accept Jesus’ par-
doning offer and be saved. Roland described his conversion expe-
rience in this way: “I felt so badly when the minister had preached
so long and hard and no one came to confess his sins. I walked
down the aisle and told him that I wanted to be a Christian.” De-
spite the seeming lack of emotion, according to his daughter Mary
11
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 16.
12
Mary D. Leavell Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell: A Biography” (PhD Diss.,
Louisiana State University, 1984), 20.
13
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 52.
238 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Bowman, he considered this event to be a “‘rebirth’ experience,
one in which he felt transformed from a state of sin to a state of
salvation.”
14
The summer of 1913 was memorable for Roland, as he realized
that God was calling him to be a preacher. For years, he had de-
sired such a call, but he needed divine assurance of God’s will.
One Saturday night, he prayed: “Lord, stop me if You are not call-
ing me to preach.” Then he spread a fleece: he challenged God to
enable him to win to Christ seven unsaved teenaged boys in his
Sunday school class; in this way, God would reveal his call for Ro-
land. Here is his account of that Sunday morning:
The Sunday school lesson was about the Israelites and their
forty years of wandering in the wilderness, of all things! I
drew a football field on the blackboard, with Egypt and the
holy land as the two goal lines. Moses and Pharaoh were the
opposing captains; Jesus and Satan were the opposing
coaches. That game lasted forty years, and at last Israel
made a touchdown. When I asked who wanted to play the
game of life under Jesus, the Great Coach, seven boys rose
and shook my hand. They joined the church for baptism
that morning, all seven of them.
15
In the entry of his diary, dated June 15, 1913, he wrote: “‘Oh! If I
could only tell Mama,’ was my great thought.”
16
That fall he entered his senior year at the University of Missis-
sippi. On December 28, 1913, he was ordained by First Baptist
Church, Oxford, and his brother Jim preached the ordination
sermon based on Hebrews 12:1–2. Then at the conclusion of the
spring semester 1914, he completed both his B.A. and M.A. As
one of the outstanding students, he presented a speech on “The
Contribution of Missions to Civilization,” a topic that reflected
the direction of his life and ministry.
As well as home and church, education had a major impact on
Roland’s life and ministry – not only on him but also on all his
brothers. The brothers determined that each one would support
everyone else, pooling their funds until all completed their college
educations. Roland recalled: “There was at least one of the nine
Leavell boys in the University [of Mississippi] every year from
14
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 26–27.
15
Roland Q. Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1961), 41.
16
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 61.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 239
1895 until Ullin dropped out for a time in 1916.”
17
Ultimately, all
nine brothers received degrees, and many went on for master’s
and doctor’s degrees.
After a summer of preaching at Holly Springs, Mississippi, Ro-
land set out for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville,
Kentucky, on September 29, 1914. He had one hundred borrowed
dollars in his pocket and clothes handed down from his brothers.
Soon, several of his brothers joined him in Louisville, either to
attend the seminary or to minister in the area. Roland settled into
pastoring at a Baptist church in New Castle, Kentucky. Although
Roland struggled, as many seminarians do, with the challenging
theological curriculum, he concluded his time at Southern with the
summation: “My seminary courses meant much to me.”
18
Roland often repeated the story of his first honorarium for
preaching. “I was ashamed to open the folded check when they
gave it to me so I put it in the pocket of my coat. Curiosity about
that check was eating me up. I thought my host and hostess would
never go to bed so I could see my check …. When I finally got to
my room and closed the door, I jerked out the check and saw it
was for twenty-five whole, wonderful dollars, I jumped on the bed
and stood on my head at the precise moment the host, Mr. Orem,
stuck his head in the door to ask if I wanted a drink of water.
There was I, the preacher of the evening, standing on his head on
the bed.”
19
In May 1917, the month that Roland graduated from Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary, a significant event in Baptist life
transpired elsewhere, in New Orleans, Louisiana. There the
Southern Baptist Convention gathered from May 16–21, and the
messengers heard Dr. M. E. Dodd, pastor of First Baptist Church,
Shreveport, Louisiana, present a proposal for a missionary training
school in that city. Such an institution had been the dream of the
founders of the SBC at its establishment in 1845, and the dream
continued to be fostered by Baptists in Louisiana and Mississippi.
One resolution stated: “There has been everywhere manifested
among our brotherhood that the time has come when such an in-
stitution is an absolute necessity to 1,500 miles of Baptist Gulf
Coast Country.” The messengers “unanimously and enthusiastical-
17
Leavell, Corra Berry Leavell, 52.
18
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 51.
19
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 23.
240 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ly” approved the proposal, and, by this action, the school, initially
named the Baptist Bible Institute, officially was established by the
Southern Baptist Convention.
20
At this time, national and world-wide events were taking place
that would impact Roland more immediately. On April 6, 1917,
President Woodrow W. Wilson declared war on Germany. In light
of the war, Roland debated what direction he would take. If he left
the pastorate to serve his country in the war effort, should he do
so as a chaplain in the army or as a worker in the YMCA? Because
of their ability to speak French, he and his brother Leonard,
whom his family called “Greek,” were recruited to minister
through the YMCA. During his two years in France, Roland spent
most of his time in Paris serving soldiers who were on their way to
the front or on leave. He regretted that he had few opportunities
to preach or share the Gospel, but he passed out New Testaments
when he could. Later, he volunteered to go into the war zone to
carry the wounded to safety and medical treatment. He rejoiced
with all his comrades when they heard the news: “GERMANY IS
SEEKING AN ARMISTICE!” In January, 1919, he gratefully
returned home, not only to the United States, but even to Oxford,
Mississippi, where he assumed the pastorate of First Baptist
Church.
Roland was something of a ladies man. In the spring and
summer of 1911 alone, he wrote in his diary the names of twenty-
eight girls, many of whom he described as “a peach of a girl.” The
first love of his life was Annie Ball Cooper, but because she was
his first cousin, a romantic relationship was forbidden. Finally,
during his time as pastor at Oxford, he had occasion to conduct a
training class at First Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi,
where he met the pastor’s daughter, Lilian Yarborough. On that
occasion, he wrote in his diary: “I ‘suttenly’ do like Miss Lillian,”
misspelling her name for the only time.
21
Their courtship and engagement were extended until Lilian
graduated from college. They married on June 24, 1923, and their
honeymoon included Chattanooga, Atlanta, and scenic parts of
Kentucky. By that fall, they were living in Lawrenceburg, Ken-
tucky, where Roland pastored while pursuing a Doctor of Theolo-
20
Claude L. Howe, Seventy-Five Years of Providence and Prayer (New Orleans,
LA: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993), 16.
21
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 81.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 241
gy at Southern Seminary. After he graduated with magna cum
laude honors, he and his growing family moved to a pastorate in
Picayune, Mississippi, so that Lilian, now in her second pregnancy,
could be closer to her mother. Eventually, Roland and Lilian’s
family included three daughters: Mary, Lilian, and Dorothea (Dot-
tie).
After two years at Picayune, Roland’s brother Frank recom-
mended him to First Baptist Church, Gainesville, Georgia. This
church, located about sixty miles north of Atlanta and strong
Southern Baptist activity, was Roland’s favorite pastorate. During
his ten years there, he also served as president of the Georgia Bap-
tist Convention and as a trustee of the Foreign Mission Board.
One tragic disaster of his tenure in Gainesville was a tornado that
devastated the downtown area, including the church, on April 6,
1936. Roland and Lilian immediately went to work, freeing people
from the wreckage. In days ahead, they offered their undamaged
home as a hospital and as a funeral parlor. Optimistically, Roland
predicted that the tornado was a “holocaust from which Gaines-
ville would rise with triumph.” But he would not remain long
enough to see the rebuilding of the city or the church; a new chal-
lenge of rebuilding lay ahead.
In his autobiography, Roland said: “If the angels should come
to take me to the celestial city, I would be tempted to say, ‘Please
take me by Gainesville one more time!’ Ten happy years of abun-
dant living were enjoyed in that beautiful ‘Queen City of the
Mountains,’ among the most united and devoted church people
that one could wish to find. The people in that cultured college
center challenged me to my hardest study, to my best efforts to
maintain a teaching ministry, to my most active endeavors to win
souls, to my most energetic work at organization and promotion,
to my most prayerful pulpiteering.”
22
In the early throes of the Great Depression, the Home Mission
Board was forced to close the Department of Evangelism. By
1937, however, the great need for training in evangelism led to its
reestablishment and the calling of Roland Leavell as its new direc-
tor. His task was not only to know himself how to evangelize but
especially to train laypeople in the churches to win souls. So he
moved his family to Atlanta and served a five-year tenure with the
HMB. During these years, he published numerous magazine arti-
22
Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living, 34.
242 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
cles on the subject of evangelism and several books: Helping Others
to Become Christians, Saving America to Save the World, Preaching the
Doctrines of Grace, A Handbook for Southwide Baptist Revival of 1939, A
Handbook for Southern Baptist Participation in the Nationwide Evangelistic
Crusade for 1940, and The Romance of Evangelism. He preached exten-
sively in evangelistic crusades across the nation and also taught
principles of revivalism to other mass evangelists. During the early
years of this ministry, baptisms rose from 191,993 in 1936 to
269,155 in 1939. The outbreak of World War II, however,
brought a decline in revivalism, and Roland resigned his position
in May 1942 in order to return to the pastorate at First Baptist
Church, Tampa, Florida.
This pastorate differed from Roland’s previous ministries be-
cause Tampa was a big city with three military bases and a transi-
ent population. During much of his ministry there, he counseled
soldiers about to leave for the war, tended to families left behind,
administered hasty wedding vows to couples immediately before
their separation, and later conducted memorial services. He turned
down many invitations to conduct city-wide revivals, but he did
accept one that brought him much pride and joy in Washington,
D.C. Later Roland described his four-year ministry in Tampa as “a
very sobering and disciplinary experience.” Events were about to
transpire that would lead him into his best known and perhaps
most fruitful endeavor.
Roland described one hasty wedding ceremony: “Last week a
soldier called me and said he wanted me to do his wedding cere-
mony that night. I asked him his name and then his girl’s name.
He said ‘Her name is Mary Frances … Oh, what is your name?’ I
hope the boy knows her last name now, since she has taken his.”
23
The year 1946 was important both to Roland Q. Leavell and
NOBTS. On May 14, the trustees of the seminary unanimously
elected Roland as the institution’s fourth president. Three days
later, the Southern Baptist Convention changed the name of the
Baptist Bible Institute to New Orleans Baptist Theological Semi-
nary. In Roland’s discussion with the trustees, he recommended
the name change in order to gain the respect needed not only to
accomplish its academic mission but also to achieve recognition
among the predominantly Catholic population of New Orleans.
Roland also mandated that the emphasis of the seminary would be
23
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 209.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 243
the conviction of his heart – evangelism. It seemed to Roland that,
after many years of ministry, his undertaking on behalf of ministe-
rial education “was the phase of my life work for which all the rest
has been made and planned.”
24
At the time of his retirement, Roland recalled: “On my election
in 1946 I told the trustees: ‘If you want me to go there to be a
friend to those students and try to make that a better seminary,
there is nothing I would rather try to do; if you want me to raise
money, there is nothing I want less to do.’ Much of my twelve
years there was absorbed with receiving and spending millions of
dollars. It was the joy of my life to teach Evangelism classes dur-
ing those years. Evangelism is part of the core curriculum of all
Southern Baptist seminaries. It reaches into the Biblical realm for
the record of methods that succeeded or failed; it reaches into
Theology for the message of it; it reaches into the Practical Fields
area for the application of it.”
25
Roland faced two serious challenges early in his tenure at the
seminary. The first task was to move the campus to a location
with growing room, and yet he must do so with no apparent fund-
ing. When the seminary was founded in 1917, the Southern Bap-
tist Convention purchased the Sophie Newcomb College in the
prestigious Garden District. This site had beautiful grounds, lovely
structures designed with New Orleans style, but no room for ex-
pansion. The student body had already outgrown this space, and
Roland’s goal was to exceed one thousand students. It was at this
time that God’s providential hand began to move.
Because New Orleans is situated below sea level and is bound
by a river, a lake, and swampland, the city has limited usable land.
In 1946, very little suitable land was available and certainly not at a
price that the seminary could afford. Six weeks into Roland’s pres-
idency, however, a 375–acre plot of land became available on the
east side of New Orleans. In spite of numerous obstacles, Roland
made this land the focus of concerted prayer. The story has been
told many times, never better than in Roland’s own words,
Virtually all the real estate dealers wanted those 375 acres.
The agent in charge said, “We will not subdivide; we will sell
it all or none.” A wealthy New Orleans politician and real
estate promoter had offered a million dollars for the acreage,
24
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 219.
25
Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living, 82.
244 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
and the holding company offered to sell it to him for a mil-
lion and a half. The real estate agent said to us, “And be-
sides, our archbishop wants the part you want, to build a
boys school.” That was stiff competition indeed for Baptists
in New Orleans, especially when they scarcely had the down
payment for a portion of it. We negotiated for weeks. I per-
suaded the agent that the holding company would eventual-
ly compromise and sell it for a million and a quarter. If he
would sell us seventy-five acres – one fifth of it – for a quar-
ter of a million dollars, the rich politician-promoter would
give his million for the remaining three hundred acres. I let
him know I knew that if the owners sold it to the Baptists,
he would get a fat commission; if they sold it to the arch-
bishop, he would have to give his commission to the church.
Early in November, 1946, we signed an agreement to buy,
taking a three-months option on 75 acres at $3,330.00 per
acre, by faith counting on at least $225,000.00 in capital
funds to come in during November and December. I
scraped the bottom of the barrel of the seminary’s assets to
get up the necessary $25,000 down payment. That afternoon
the owners signed an agreement to sell. The very next
morning that politician-promoter offered the real estate
agent a million and a quarter for the entire acreage. He went
into a rage when he found out that the Baptist “School of
Providence and Prayer” had signed a ninety-day option the
afternoon before for the most desirable seventy-five acres.
26
The challenge of obtaining this choice piece of property, how-
ever, had only begun, and Roland’s fundraising skills were put to
the test. Nonetheless, just days before the end of the ninety-day
option, Roland was able to finalize the purchase on behalf of the
SBC. Early in the history of New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary, its first president, B. H. DeMent, had christened the
new institution as “The School of Providence and Prayer.” The
appellation has proved true many times, but certainly so on the
occasion of the acquisition of these choice acres fronting Gentilly
Boulevard.
The second and equally significant task facing Roland immedi-
ately was to achieve accreditation for the seminary. In 1953, the
American Association of Theological Schools granted the highest
26
Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living, 83–84.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 245
level of accreditation for the Bachelor of Divinity, Master of The-
ology, and Doctor of Theology degree programs with curricula
that covered four major fields of study: biblical, theological, his-
torical, and practical. Two years later, the School of Religious Ed-
ucation received accreditation by their overseeing agency, the
American Association of Schools of Religious Education. The
seminary was taking its place as an outstanding theological institu-
tion among Southern Baptists and all denominations.
Beyond these two immediate tasks, the new president faced
other ongoing challenges. His tenure is notable, among other
achievements, for the construction of buildings on the new cam-
pus, the increase of faculty and student body, the never-ending
need for fundraising, and his personal mandate to establish an
emphasis on evangelism at the seminary.
Two years transpired before the first groundbreaking, but, as
Roland reminisced later in his life, “Construction on the campus
never ceased for one day from that time until a very brief period
in 1957. The sound of saw and hammer was music to my ears,
music as sweet as the ‘Hallelujah Chorus.’”
27
The architecture of
the campus was designed to reflect the French Colonial influence
that was typical of New Orleans. The first buildings were student
apartments, named for John T. Christian, James E. Gwatkin,
George H. Crutcher, and W. H. Managan Sr.; and then the library;
next the William Carey residence hall for women; the M. E. Dodd
administration building; and the John Bunyan building for class-
rooms. Ongoing construction included the E. O. Sellers music
building; faculty residences; a cafeteria; a children’s building; three
men’s residence halls, named for Charles Spurgeon, P. I. Lipsey,
and M. E. Dodd; and a bookstore. By the fall of 1953, enough
construction had been completed to bring all classes to the new
campus. Construction continued with the J. M. Frost building for
the School of Religious Education; and J. H. Martin Chapel; plus
many more student apartments. All in all, at least eighty-five build-
ings were completed during Roland’s presidency.
One other building project accomplished by Roland was the
President’s Home, built for his wife Lilian and enjoyed by suc-
ceeding presidents and their wives. Lilian had dreamed of a red
brick home, graced by white Corinthian columns, but such an edi-
fice seemed beyond the frugal means of the seminary. Roland
27
Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living, 84.
246 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
reached out to his family and friends for the necessary funds, and,
as a result, those entering the campus pass by this gracious house,
named the Corra Berry Leavell Home, in honor of Roland’s
mother. Every year, hundreds of visitors to the seminary are host-
ed here, and at the conclusion of every semester, the graduates,
their families, and guests are greeted by the president and his wife
along with faculty during a reception held in the house in their
honor.
The capstone of the construction guided by Roland is the
chapel, which serves as the centerpiece of the campus. The archi-
tect, A. Hays Town, had envisioned the library as the center of
learning on the academic campus. Roland, however, believed that
the focus needed to be on the spiritual purpose of the seminary as
symbolized by the chapel. He wrote: “What the temple was to Is-
rael, a chapel will be to this Seminary … What the sanctuary is to
the church, a chapel in the center of our campus will speak …
Come this is a trysting place with God.”
28
The chapel was com-
pleted, albeit without its steeple, months after Roland’s retirement
and was named the Roland Q. Leavell Chapel.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the chapel, Owen Cooper,
president of the trustees, made these remarks: “We come as Bap-
tists to mark an historic day in the annals of Southern Baptist life.
As this spire shall point above, and as speakers will come and as
faculty members will occupy the pulpit in the chapel, their chal-
lenge and their message and their urge always will be onward, up-
ward, and God-ward.” Furthermore, Cooper described the chapel
as the “lengthened shadow of a great man.”
29
Even more heartwarming to Roland than the buildings was the
numerical growth in the student body and faculty. His goal was to
increase the number of students to 1000, but in fact, enrollment
grew from 331 students during his first year to almost 1200 in his
last. The number of faculty grew almost fourfold – from ten to
thirty-nine. In his inaugural address, Roland explained the necessi-
ty of a good faculty: “We must remember that a student will not
cross the street just to sit in a comfortable, air-conditioned class-
room. He will cross the United States to sit at the feet of a great
28
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 230.
29
“Ground Breaking Ceremony,” Vision (April 1958): 3.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 247
teacher. While we construct buildings we must keep developing an
outstanding faculty.”
30
Even though Roland had told the trustees that he did not want
to raise money, fundraising certainly was an area of his giftedness
and one of his major contributions to the seminary. Roland was a
builder – of a campus and of a faculty – and as such, he needed to
be a fundraiser. To accomplish his goals, Roland assembled a cir-
cle of donors that included Baptists and non-Baptists, NOBTS
trustees, old friends from his fraternity Sigma Chi, New Orlean-
ians who believed in the seminary’s mission in the city, and many
others. Roland declined only one major donation, which was of-
fered by the owner of a large brewery, because he could not ac-
cept money tainted by alcohol. The results of Roland’s abilities are
evident in the achievements already outlined: the purchase of the
campus, the construction of the buildings, and the development
of a world-class faculty.
Roland’s youngest daughter, Dottie Hudson, said of her father:
“He claimed not to enjoy the job of fund-raising, but he was a
natural at it and must have learned to enjoy it to some extent….
He loved people and knew how to warm their hearts and give
them a sense of purpose.”
31
His appeals for funds were based up-
on his conviction that the seminary had an evangelical mission.
Yet one pastor, who had observed from a distance the seminary’s
struggles with financial needs, criticized the construction of the
campus as a waste of resources that should be channeled into di-
rect evangelism. Dottie observed:
How strange! This was the passion of Roland’s life – the
winning of lost people into the kingdom of God. Had Ro-
land gotten so drawn into bricks and mortar that he had lost
his direction, forgotten the driving force of his life? New
Orleans Seminary was developing into a beautiful place
where a man or woman … could learn how to be effective
in evangelism, preaching, and just loving the people God
created. Instead of one man holding revivals and approach-
ing individuals concerning their faith, there was to be gradu-
ating class after graduating class of hundreds of men and
women trained in leading others to a faith in Jesus…. Some-
time later, the man who felt Roland’s priorities were out of
30
Bowman, “Roland Q. Leavell,” 235.
31
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 121.
248 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
order was known to urge young men to attend this ‘out-
standing New Orleans Baptist Seminary.’
32
Indeed, Roland’s passion was what he described in his autobi-
ography as “The Ineffable Joy of Soul-Winning and Evangelism.”
This work was what Roland was about all his life, as a pastor, as
director of evangelism for the Home Mission Board, and now as
president of NOBTS. In New Orleans, he recognized the need for
the faculty and students of the seminary to reach out to a commu-
nity populated by those whose god was their appetite for pleasure
and entertainment.
He established a program for his students, who not only
learned methods of evangelism but also participated weekly in two
mission projects, including street preaching, traveling to un-
churched areas of the bayou, and pastoring small churches. He
had written many books on evangelism, and now he composed
the classic textbook, Evangelism: Christ’s Imperative Commission. Every
year, in spite of his many responsibilities, he committed to teach
evangelism classes. As he wrote later in his life: “The teacher of
Evangelism has a captive audience of God-called and dedicated
young people who want more than anything to lead others to be
Christians. The Bible is the heart of the seminary curriculum; soul-
winning is the reach and run of the hands and feet.”
33
On January 19, 1958, Roland scribbled in his journal the dread-
ed message: “This is the day I suffered a stroke of paralysis.” He
grieved his impairment and, longing to complete more of his
dreams, he labored through therapy. Two months later, he was
able attend the groundbreaking for the chapel and to turn one
spade of dirt. In April, however, the doctor instructed him that he
must retire. Lilian wrote in her own diary: “Roland is heartbroken
over having to give up his position. Simply heartbroken.” The lo-
cal newspaper, The Times-Picayune posted this tribute: “…the spir-
itual good which he has accomplished dwarfs physical achieve-
ment he has made. He deserves a hearty ‘well done.’”
34
Even in retirement, however, he was able to continue to minis-
ter in many ways. He and Lilian settled in Jackson, Mississippi,
and he continued his therapy. Eventually, he was able to preach
and to serve as interim pastor in multiple churches, including his
32
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 127.
33
Leavell, Sheer Joy of Living, 82.
34
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 141–42.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 249
beloved home church in Oxford. He wrote several books, one of
which was his autobiographical The Sheer Joy of Living, as well as the
annual January Bible Study on Matthew. In 1961 he was elected as
vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention with a unani-
mous vote and a standing ovation.
In January 1963, Roland and Lilian were in Chattanooga, Ten-
nessee, where they had spent part of their honeymoon, so that he
could teach from his Studies in Matthew: The King and the Kingdom.
After teaching on Monday night, early the next morning, he awoke
with difficulty in breathing. He alerted Lilian and told her: “I am
afraid this may be it. You know I am ready. We started out here
together forty years ago, and perhaps it is a good place for us to
depart for a while.”
35
He died in Lilian’s arms on January 15, 1963.
Roland’s daughter Dottie recounts the memorial service at
First Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi, where Dr. Douglas
Hudgins, pastor and friend, preached the sermon titled “Moses,
My Servant, Is Dead.” After reading the text from Deuteronomy
34:1–12, Hudgins said: “Centuries have gone by and here we are
this Sunday morning, the third of this space-age year of 1963, lis-
tening to God’s message saying, ‘Moses, my servant, is dead,’ not
in the least feeling it would be sacrilegious to join in with thou-
sands of fellow Christians throughout the world … to hear our
Lord say, ‘Roland, my servant, is dead!”
36
Landrum Pinson Leavell II
Following Roland’s retirement in 1958, the trustees elected Dr.
Henry Leo Eddleman as president. Twelve years later, he resigned,
and the next president, Dr. Grady Cothen, was an alumnus of the
institution. Cothen stayed only three years before leaving to be-
come president of the Baptist Sunday School Board. In the fifteen
years since Roland’s presidency, NOBTS had been enhanced by
some building projects and expanded faculty but also had been
challenged by financial difficulties. The next president would be
one with close ties to the seminary and with unique strengths with
which to lead it – Landrum Pinson Leavell II, a nephew of Roland
and an alumnus of NOBTS.
35
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 147.
36
Hudson, He Still Stands Tall, 149.
250 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Landrum was born to Roland’s older brother, Leonard, known
by family and friends as “Greek,” and Annie Elias. Leonard and
Annie met during the summer of 1913, just after Annie’s gradua-
tion from State Teachers College, Frostburg, Maryland. Leonard
was secretary of Sunday School and B.Y.P.U. work in Baltimore,
Maryland, and came to Annie’s church to conduct a course on
Sunday School work. The two spent a day together, accompanied
by Annie’s brother Tom and other friends, and Leonard was im-
pressed by her spunk. They saw each other often that summer and
fall, but then he returned to the University of Mississippi while she
continued her work as a school teacher. Although they occasional-
ly encountered each other at a Sunday School encampment or a
Baptist convention, they spent most of the next several years apart,
Leonard studying at Southern Seminary, serving in World War I,
and pastoring First Baptist Church, Ripley, Tennessee; Annie di-
recting religious education at Freemason Street Baptist Church,
Norfolk, Virginia. Finally, Greek, as Annie knew him by then,
proposed, and they were married on February 28, 1923.
Greek and Annie settled in Ripley, Tennessee, where their
three children were born in short order. First came two daughters,
Margaret and Anne; then their son was born on November 26,
1926. Landrum Pinson Leavell II was named in honor of his uncle,
the oldest and most revered of the nine Leavell brothers. Only six
weeks after Landrum’s birth, his family left Ripley to move to a
pastorate in Leland, Mississippi. Then, in September, 1928, the
family uprooted again to Louisville, Kentucky, where Greek fin-
ished his doctoral degree and pastored Deer Park Baptist Church.
Greek served two other pastorates at First Baptist Church, Gads-
den, Alabama, and First Baptist Church, Newnan, Georgia. He
died in Newnan on November 26, 1952, his son’s twenty-sixth
birthday. Annie died nearly twenty-six years later and was buried
next to her husband in Newnan.
In an interview for The Baptist Program, Landrum recalled his fa-
ther’s graduation with his PhD from Southern Seminary: “I re-
member the day he graduated. I was six years old, sitting in the
audience. During the processional down the aisle, Dad reached
out and touched me. I knew something deeply important was
about to happen.”
37
37
Robert J. Hastings, “He Thought He’d Always Be a Pastor,” Baptist Pro-
gram (December 1986): 8.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 251
Birthdays were important occasions in the Leavell family, espe-
cially in 1934. Greek’s birthday was November 24, and Landrum’s,
on November 26. On Sunday, November 25, Landrum and his
sister Anne came forward at their father’s invitation to accept Je-
sus as their savior. Landrum’s mother tells the story: “Landrum
and Anne came down the aisle to their daddy. He put his arms
around them. Landrum reached up to tell his daddy that he want-
ed to give his heart to Jesus for his birthday present. When Greek
was able to look out on the congregation and tell them what
Landrum had told him, many eyes were filled with happy tears.
For our family it was a day we would never forget.”
38
When the Leavell family moved to Newnan, Landrum was a
freshman in high school, so he came of age in Georgia. In 1948,
he graduated from Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, with a B.A.
in English. While he was a student at Mercer, he pastored Corinth
Baptist Church and supply preached at a number of country
churches. After graduation, he committed to study for the minis-
try and was ordained by his father and a council on July 25, 1948.
For an article in The Baptist Program, Landrum spoke about his
time at Corinth Baptist Church: “They’d take up an offering,
which they gave me in a #1 paper sack. It was mostly loose
change and a few dollar bills. Usually $8 to $14 in all. When I said
I wanted to put a tithe back in the church, they told me they had
no budget and no treasury. I was their only expense! . . . I’m glad
to say that today Corinth is a much stronger church with a full
program – and no longer pays its pastor in a paper sack!”
39
During the summer of 1948, Landrum’s Uncle Roland recruit-
ed his nephew to the seminary where he presided. Landrum came
to New Orleans and was treated to deep sea fishing with his uncle
and Dr. J. Wash Watts, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew.
During that visit, Landrum attended the groundbreaking for the
first building on the new campus. In September, he enrolled in the
newly named New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. During
the three years that he spent earning his Bachelor of Divinity de-
gree, he pastored Union Baptist Church, Magnolia, Mississippi.
After completing his first degree at NOBTS, he continued his ac-
ademic work on a Doctor of Theology degree in New Testament
38
Annie Glenn Elias Leavell, “A Family to Remember” (Unpublished man-
uscript, 1977), 120.
39
Hastings, “He Thought He’d Always Be a Pastor,” 9.
252 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
and Greek while he pastored Crosby Baptist Church in Crosby,
Mississippi.
During this time in his life, he met Jo Ann Paris, a graduate of
Sophie Newcomb College, the institution whose former campus
was purchased for the original site of the seminary. According to
family members, they met each other at St. Charles Avenue Bap-
tist Church in Training Union. They married on July 28, 1953,
with Uncle Roland officiating the wedding. That year, Landrum
began pastoring First Baptist Church, Charleston, Mississippi,
where he remained until 1956.
His next pastorate took him, his wife, and their young son,
Landrum III (Lan) to First Baptist Church, Gulfport, Mississippi.
There, two more children were added to the family, Ann Paris and
Roland Quinche II. Once Roland quipped that the Leavell family
did not name their children, they assigned them numbers! While in
Gulfport, Landrum served his community as a member of the
Mayor’s Bi-Racial Committee. After seven years in this scenic,
gulf-coast city, Landrum left Mississippi to assume his next, long-
est pastorate at First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, in the flatlands
of midwestern Texas.
Landrum’s youngest son, David Earl, was born within a year
after the family’s advent to Wichita Falls. According to Landrum’s
oldest son, Lan, the church in Wichita Falls under his father’s
leadership became a megachurch before megachurches were cool.
Although the population of the city was only about 100,000, in
1973, the membership topped 2,000 and was ranked the seventh
largest in the Southern Baptist Convention. One of his methods
was the use of fifty buses for a bus ministry headed by a retired
mechanic. Landrum also utilized innovative, creative worship
forms such as drama; for example, an actor would dress as an
apostle to present a monologue to introduce a sermon. Further-
more, Landrum shared his uncle’s passion for evangelism, and the
church grew through baptisms.
Landrum’s youngest son, David Leavell, recalls that his mom
and dad practiced behind their doors what they preached before
their public. Every morning at the breakfast table, the family gath-
ered to share Scriptures and devotionals from Open Windows, read
through the list of missionaries on their birthdays, and pray to-
gether. After their family altar, his mom served a hot breakfast.
Then every night in bed, his parents would pray aloud. Often, Da-
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 253
vid heard them praying for him. Landrum and Jo Ann demon-
strated consistency between their private and public lives.
During his twelve years at Wichita Falls, Landrum served as a
denominational leader in many ways. He was elected first vice-
president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1968 and presi-
dent of the SBC Pastor’s Conference in 1971. Then, from 1971–
1973, he served as president of the Baptist General Convention of
Texas. His civic work included service on the boards of the Unit-
ed Fund and Child Welfare. And he continued to serve his alma
mater as president of the alumni association in Texas, as he had in
Mississippi, as well as the national association. Furthermore, he
promoted financial campaigns, recruited students, and publicized
activities of the seminary. He proved himself an indefatigable
worker on behalf of his church, his denomination, his seminary,
and the kingdom of God.
Perhaps his biggest work, however, was ahead of him. During
November, 1974, a search committee seeking a successor to
Grady Cothen at NOBTS reported to the trustee board their
nomination of Landrum as president of the seminary. Landrum
became the second Leavell and the second alumnus, after Cothen,
to serve in this capacity. Later, Landrum would say that he never
dreamed of being anything but a pastor: “I thought I’d be a pastor
for the rest of my life. I enjoyed being a pastor, and never wanted
to leave any of my churches. Fortunately, I worked in places
where growth was possible, and I was able to lead every church I
served to set new records in baptisms and record giving.”
40
Landrum’s eldest son, Lan Leavell, recalls that his Great Aunt
Lilian, Roland’s widow, who was still living in a campus apartment
at the time of Landrum’s nomination, was quite concerned about
the future of the seminary. After the announcement that Landrum
was coming as president, she seemed relieved, and within two
weeks, she was willing to let go of life and died – in her beauty
parlor. Landrum preached her memorial service in Leavell Chapel.
Landrum assumed his duties on January 1, 1975, and for him
and his wife Jo Ann, this move was a return to the place where
they met and married. She carried on her own ministries as a lead-
er of women’s conferences and Bible studies and inaugurated a
certificate program for student wives. Out of this program came a
book, Don’t Miss the Blessing, based on her lessons from her most
40
Hastings, “He Thought He’d Always Be a Pastor,” 10.
254 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
popular class, “The Minister’s Wife.” A second book, Joy in the
Journey, followed in 1994. The consummate minister’s wife herself,
in 1990, she received the Mrs. J. M. Dawson Award for distin-
guished ministers' wives, an annual award given by the SBC Minis-
ters' Wives.
Dr. Rhonda Kelley, wife of the seminary’s eighth president, Dr.
Chuck Kelley, was a 23-year old newlywed and one of the first
student wives to attend Jo Ann’s classes. She said to the SBC Di-
gest: “I knew that my husband was called to the ministry when we
married, but I had no idea how to be a minister's wife. What a
blessing to learn from our president's wife how to serve the Lord
alongside my husband. She had a dynamic personality and many
spiritual gifts, but she taught us to be ourselves, who God created
us to be. Mrs. Leavell became a treasured mentor, encouraging me
in marriage and ministry.”
41
In the second month of Landrum’s presidency, the steeple was
elevated to its place on top of the Roland Q. Leavell Chapel, her-
alding the end of one Leavell’s era and the beginning of another’s.
Although these two men certainly were different and served in
different contexts, they were alike in many ways. Both came to
their presidencies with vast pastoral experience, each having
served decades in multiple churches. They emphasized evangelism
in their personal and corporate ministries, and each taught at least
one evangelism class every year. The second Leavell also was a
builder, and his presidency would be highlighted by expansions of
the campus, extensions centers, the faculty, and student enroll-
ment. And not least of their accomplishments were their successes
in fundraising, which fueled the growth and stability of the semi-
nary through their years of leadership.
The Gatekeeper quoted Landrum on the importance of his
teaching an evangelism course every year: “One of the greatest
blessings I derive from teaching the class is the contact with stu-
dents, [seeing their] attitudes, needs, strengths, and weaknesses,
and not being totally detached from the student body as an admin-
istrator.”
42
41
“Jo Ann Leavell, wife of former NOBTS president, dies,” Baptist Press
(March 9, 2015), http://www.bpnews.net/44346/sbc-digest-jo-ann-leavell-dies-
sullivan-donates-papers-to-baptist-college, accessed 1 October 2020.
42
“Dr. Leavell: Committed to Evangelism,” Gatekeeper (November 7, 1989), 1.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 255
Having come from a strong background in pastoral and de-
nominational ministry, Landrum emphasized the connection be-
tween the seminary and the local church. He expected that his
faculty members would come to the seminary with church experi-
ence. In January 1992, the seminary opened the Center for Evan-
gelism and Church Growth, later named in honor of Landrum P.
Leavell II in recognition of his work both with evangelism and
churches. The first such facility in the Southern Baptist Conven-
tion, the Center connects the resources of the seminary with the
needs of local churches.
Under Landrum’s leadership, the seminary revived its under-
graduate program, begun under Roland but later discontinued and
merged with the regular graduate program. NOBTS set a trend as
the first SBC seminary to establish an undergraduate theological
college. Launched as the School of Christian Training, the school
was targeted toward older, non-traditional students whom God
had called later in life but who had never attended college. The
school began in 1976 with only thirty students, but enrollment
quickly grew to 266 students in the 1977–1978 academic year and
increased to over 600 by the time of Landrum’s retirement. In
2002, the name of the school was changed to Leavell College to
honor the legacy of George and Corra Leavell and their nine sons
and their families. Today, over 1,000 students attend Leavell Col-
lege.
Dr. Thomas Strong, current Dean of Leavell College, said to
The Gatekeeper: “We are thrilled about the name change … to
Leavell College. The Leavell legacy is one of effectiveness in min-
istry and the indwelling desire of men of God to be used to
change the world. Our prayer and our goal is for that same legacy
to continue through our students – a desire for them to be effec-
tive in their ministries and to be world changers as God uses
them”
43
In 1982, the seminary greatly expanded its outreach through
the establishment of extension centers throughout the southeast-
ern United States. The rationale for the extension centers derived
from the reality that many Southern Baptist pastors were not sem-
inary trained but were unable to leave their ministries or uproot
their families in order to move to the main campus in New Orle-
43
Shannon Baker, “New Orleans Seminary trustees rename college, desig-
nate Leavell endowment funds,” Gatekeeper (October 22, 2001), 2.
256 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ans. Recognizing the insufficiency of the traditional, on-campus
approach, Landrum led his administration and faculty to make
theological education available to pastors and ministers as near as
possible to the fields where they served. The first six seminary ex-
tension centers were located in Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham,
Alabama; Shreveport, Louisiana; Clinton, Mississippi; Orlando
and Graceville, Florida. Leavell College also expanded through
extension centers in this five-state area plus Puerto Rico.
Also under Landrum’s leadership, the seminary utilized new
technology, such as Compressed Interactive Video (CIV), which
connects classrooms in different cities for real-time audio and vid-
eo interaction. Innovations introduced during Landrum’s years
continue to make theological education accessible to God-called
men and women in distant locations.
Not to neglect the campus itself, however, Landrum led the
seminary to expand its acreage and to enhance its buildings. First,
the seminary purchased the Gaylords Building, which previously
had housed the Maison Blanche Department Store. This building
was renovated thoroughly and is now known as the Hardin Stu-
dent Center (HSC), named for the Mary G. Hardin family of
Gadsden, Alabama. Currently, the HSC is the location of a num-
ber of key facilities, including offices, Café New Orleans, Leavell
College, and numerous classrooms. In partnership with the North
American Mission Board, NOBTS plans to locate in the HSC a
church planting center, which will enhance ministry initiatives in
New Orleans, a NAMB Send City. Above all, the HSC is a place
where students and faculty gather for community, which is a hall-
mark of NOBTS and Leavell College.
Second, the seminary acquired a small hotel across the street
on the south side of Gentilly Boulevard. The renovated hotel,
named the Providence Guest House, provides housing for visitors,
especially students who come to campus for workshops and con-
ferences. Third, additional housing for on-campus students was
provided by the purchase of two nearby apartment complexes.
Finally, the legacy of Landrum’s building acumen include a
number of renovations and enhancements to the campus. Alt-
hough too numerous for a complete listing, these building projects
include: the conversion of the DeMent Administration Building to
the Dodd Building for faculty offices; the conversion of the Frost
Building to house administrative offices; the renovation of Martin
Chapel; the expansion of the library and addition of the covered
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 257
walkway to the chapel, which was Landrum’s idea; the enlarged
and renovated gymnasium and the added swimming pool; on-
campus playgrounds, picnic areas, tennis courts, and a softball area.
Landrum was a sportsman and athlete. He was a quail hunter
and owned a number of bird dogs. He also was a jogger, who ran
the circuit around the campus during the early mornings. His son
Lan tells the story about one particular morning, when Landrum
was jogging with his wife Jo Ann. As they were heading back
home on Seminary Place, Landrum shifted to the left to avoid a
panel truck parked at the curb in front of the Frost Building. He
expected Jo Ann to do the same, but in his peripheral vision, he
could see her run smack into the back of the truck! When he
asked her why she didn’t move, she said that she hated running so
much that she did it with her eyes closed. Lan also reported that,
while jogging on a foggy day, his father was struck by a student
wearing Coke-bottle glasses. That unfortunate fellow thought that
he would never graduate!
Landrum increased not only the physical resources of the sem-
inary but also the human resources in terms of faculty and student
body. In 1975, thirty-five faculty and three administrators served
the seminary; by Landrum’s retirement in 1994, there were more
than fifty faculty and staff. Furthermore, student enrollment in-
creased over 500%, from 954 to 5,468, during Landrum’s tenure.
Like his Uncle Roland, Landrum was a gifted fundraiser.
Through his fundraising efforts, the seminary’s endowment rose
from approximately $1.5 million in 1975 to over $26 million upon
his retirement. In 1992, he expressed his motivation for fundrais-
ing during the 75
th
Anniversary Celebration: “It is patently clear to
me that a seminary with inadequate funds will fight for its life
when it should be occupied with matters of far greater significance
in terms of eternity.” He went on to say that fundraising is in the
interest not only of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
but also of the Kingdom of God.
Landrum’s leadership and reputation proved extremely im-
portant during the Conservative Resurgence, a movement within
the Southern Baptist Convention from the late 70s through the
early 90s, concurrent with his presidency. During these years,
when factions in the convention divided over conflicting views
about doctrinal integrity and Baptist identity, other SBC seminar-
ies were disrupted by such tensions. Under Landrum’s guidance,
258 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
however, NOBTS remained stable and continued its mission to
provide biblical, theological education.
On December 13, 1994, Landrum announced to the trustees
his intention to retire at the end of that year, although he actually
remained for another year past that deadline. In his statement, he
said:
Twenty years ago today I made the most strategic decision
of my ministerial calling. I decided on the best evidence I
had that it was God’s will for me to leave the finest and
friendliest Baptist church on earth and the ministry of being
pastor of the local church to become president of my alma
mater, the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It
was a decision that God has confirmed every day of these
20 years. I have been privileged to work with some of the
godliest and most generous Christians on earth.
44
Landrum and Jo Ann returned to Wichita Falls, Texas, the city
where he spent his longest pastorate. After several more fruitful
years, Landrum died on September 26, 2008. After a funeral ser-
vice in Wichita Falls, interment in Newnan, Georgia, a memorial
service was held, very appropriately, at Leavell Chapel. Jo Ann
followed her husband in death on March 6, 2015.
Upon the occasion of Landrum’s passing, the next president,
Chuck Kelley, had much to say about his predecessor: “Greatness
is the ability to fulfill your calling effectively and efficiently, what-
ever the circumstances, while nurturing and building up the peo-
ple around you in the process. This is the essence of the life and
ministry of Dr. Landrum P. Leavell II.”
45
Landrum lives on through his writings. He wrote or contribut-
ed to fourteen books, including Angels, Angels, Angels and Twelve
Who Followed Jesus. The legacy of Landrum and Jo Ann continues
in their four children, Landrum P. “Lan” Leavell III, Ann Leavell
Beauchamp, Roland Q. Leavell II, and David E. Leavell. Lan min-
isters at The Village Church, Denton, Texas, as the Groups Pastor.
And David pastored multiple churches, most recently for ten years
at Millington, Tennessee, and served a ten-year term as a trustee at
NOBTS.
44
Debbie Moore, “Landrum Leavell to retire Dec. 31 from New Orleans,”
Baptist Press (December 14, 1994), http://media.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com/
7894,14-Dec-1994.PDF, accessed 1 October 2020.
45
Charles S. Kelley Jr., “A Celebration of Greatness,” Vision (Fall 2008): 1.
THE LEVEALL LEGACY 259
The Leavell Legacy
By the time a student graduates from New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary, he or she is well familiar with the land-
marks named for the Leavell family. One more time, however, the
Leavell name appears for every graduate who walks the stage of
the chapel, for Roland Q. Leavell’s name appears in the program
as the author of the “Alma Mater Hymn.” Each verse opens with
a variation on the theme that the graduates’ Alma Mater is the
“School of Providence and Prayer.” The hymn emphasizes the
many characteristics and qualities evidenced by the seminary – its
location in New Orleans, the friendships formed on campus,
evangelistic preaching, scholarship, faithfulness to the Scripture
and the Great Commission, God’s love, and our longing for
Christ’s second return. These descriptors apply not only to the
seminary but also to two men – Roland Q. Leavell and Landrum P.
Leavell II – whose legacy continues to have an impact upon this
School of Providence and Prayer.
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 261–99
A Legacy of Scholarship:
Legendary Teachers and World-Class Research
James Parker, PhD
James Parker is professor of Biblical Interpretation and executive director
of the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology at New Orle-
ans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Rex D. Butler, PhD
Rex D. Butler is professor of Church History and Patristics, occupying
the John T. Westbrook Chair of Church History at New Orleans Bap-
tist Theological Seminary.
Introduction
As Park H. Anderson describes in his New Orleans Baptist Theo-
logical Seminary: A Brief History,
1
only those who were involved in
the founding of the Baptist Bible Institute (BBI) and what is today
called the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS),
could really understand that they were creating an institution with
world-class faculty who would be as scholarly as any institution of
higher education in the world. Anderson reflects that there was no
intention on the part of Southern Baptists to create another semi-
nary in the South. Apparently there was a strong feeling that
Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, should be the “semi-
nary” where all Southern Baptist ministers received their academic
training. B.H. Carroll named the school he founded in Fort Worth,
Texas Southwestern Seminary; however, it was not, as was also the
case of Southern Seminary, founded by the Southern Baptist Con-
vention, but by Texas Baptists, so Carroll could call it whatever he
liked. The school in New Orleans, however, would be a denomi-
national creation and because of that, the founders were very sen-
sitive to the issue. Anderson notes that you can see this in the
naming of the school, Baptist Bible Institute instead of “seminary”
and acknowledges the wisdom in this move.
1
Park H. Anderson, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary: A Brief History
(New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1949).
262 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
One can see the scholarly intent of the founders by looking at
the professors and teachers that were employed and the curricu-
lum that they taught. There were eight original professors and
teachers, including Byron Dement, who taught twenty-one cours-
es for the forty students that showed up on October 1, 1918.
While there was a practical side to the curriculum with classes, in
missionary training, personal work, pastoral training, gospel music,
and Sunday School work,
2
the more classical “seminary” curricu-
lum was present such as New Testament Exposition, Bible Syn-
thesis, Old Testament Exposition, Christian History, and Christian
Doctrine. E.O Sellers, who was professor of Music, Personal
Work, and Student Activities, wrote the Alma Mater for BBI, and
as William Mueller mentions in his The School of Providence and Prayer:
A History of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary,
3
he had used
his vast musical talents with the likes of R.A. Torrey, Gipsey
Smith, and J. Wilbur Chapman. There was an abundance of highly
qualified scholars from the outset of BBI.
In April 1920, the Trustees opened a Department of Modern
Languages under the leadership of R. P. Mahon. L. O. F. Cotey
was professor of French, L. Zarrilli was professor of Italian, and
Mahon was professor of Spanish. While any institution of higher
learning would have been glad for such a department, this particu-
lar development in faculty and curriculum gives insight into what
the Trustees were thinking about their mission when they orga-
nized this program. Anderson quotes from the 1918–19 BBI cata-
log which said, “This city is cosmopolitan, with large foreign set-
tlements. It is estimated that there are 60,000 French, 25,000 Ital-
ians, and 40,000 Spanish people in the city.” While the language
program was certainly an academic endeavor and as Anderson said
“…marks a unique and significant achievement in our Baptist
theological training,” the purpose of learning the languages was to
reach the people who spoke these languages as well as all the
communities in New Orleans with the Gospel. This would be the
hallmark of training at both BBI and NOBTS from then until the
present. Adrian Rogers, an NOBTS alumni, called this combina-
tion of scholarship and evangelism “scholarship on fire.” Indeed,
2
Anderson, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 11.
3
William A. Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer: A History of the New
Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans, LA: NOBTS Press, 1969).
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 263
this “scholarship on fire” can be seen in the lives of the faculty of
which this chapter is about.
Legendary Teachers
John Tyler Christian (1854–1925)
John T. Christian joined the faculty of BBI in 1919 and served
as professor of Church History and Librarian until his death in
1925. Mueller summarizes his career by quoting that he was a
“seasoned minister and denominational leader.” He goes on to say
that “Professor Christian” had “wide experience in the pastorate
both North and South, a militant apologist for strict Baptist origin
views, an ardent popularizer and preacher, a historian of some
merit, a lecturer of parts, a theological professor who loved and
collected books.”
4
His work would hardly be paralleled by any
other Southern Baptist in any age.
Along with him, Christian brought what was an immense li-
brary for the day, numbering over 18,000 volumes. Anderson, in
his work, tells how valuable this library was, not in money but in
content. Apparently, there was some speculation about where
Christian would go to teach, Southwestern Seminary being one
opportunity and BBI the other. Perhaps J. B. Gambrell was the
person from Southwestern that suggested that school.
5
Anderson
says that Southern Seminary would never have been an option due
to the famous Whitsitt Controversy in the Southern Baptist Con-
vention. William H. Whitsitt was President at Southern, and Chris-
tian had been an outspoken critic of his theories of baptism.
6
1919 had not been the first association Christian had with BBI.
In 1915, he, G. H. Crutcher, M. E. Dodd, and others met at that
year’s Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, Texas, to discuss
the possibility of forming BBI. It was Dodd and Christian that
drafted the constitution for BBI in 1917. In this, John T. Christian
can be numbered as one of the founders of the institution.
Christian was one of the most prolific writing scholars to serve
the institution, writing ten books. His work is best seen as it con-
nected to the historical developments of his time. It seems that
4
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 54.
5
Anderson, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 55.
6
For more information on the Whitsitt Controversy see Robert G. Torbet,
A History of the Baptist, 3
rd
ed. (Valley Forge, PA: Judson, 1982), 20, and H. Leon
McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1987), 446–47.
264 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
most of his work was created to speak to a certain occasion or
issue that had arisen or was something that Christian was intimate-
ly interested in. He traveled widely throughout Europe and the
Near East and was forever the collector of books, manuscripts,
and artifacts. As Mueller mentions, Christian was not a trained
church historian, he was, however, highly recognized in the field,
being a member of the “Society of Christian Archaeology of
Greece, the Academy of History of France, the Academy of Sci-
ence, Arts and Belles Lettres of the Mediterranean and the Ameri-
can Society of Church History.”
7
Included in the books that he
wrote were, American or Rome, Which?, Americanism or Romanism,
Which?, both written in 1895;
8
Baptist History Vindicated, 1899; Close
Communion: or, Baptism as a Prerequisite for the Lord’s Supper, 1892,
written prior to the Whitsitt Controversy; Did They Dip: or, an Ex-
amination into the Act of Baptism as Practiced by the English and American
Baptists before the Year 1641, 1896, which foreshadowed the Whitsitt
Controversy, however, antedated it, but helped defend against
what many Southern Baptists considered a heresy propagated by
Whitsitt. Christian also showed another interest of his life when he
presented lectures at the University of Chicago in 1901 and turned
those lectures into a book called The Form of Baptism in Sculpture and
Art, 1907.
During his teaching tenure at BBI, Christian produced three
works of note. The first, written across the period of 1922–26 (the
last published after his death in 1925) was a two volume work His-
tory of the Baptists. Because of his great familiarity with Louisiana,
he also produced a work in 1923 called A History of the Baptists in
Louisiana. His final work, although other publications came out
later, was The Trial of Jesus, which was published in 1924, just prior
to his death.
Christian is also credited with writing twenty journal articles in
addition to these books. These articles were published in various
Baptist journals. Mueller said that the articles were written on sev-
eral subjects including: “seven of which are on Roman Catholics,
7
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 57.
8
This likely was written in response to the Know Nothing Movement from
1854–56 where Protestant men as members militated against immigration (es-
pecially Italian and Irish Catholic) and the power of the papacy in America. See
Dale Baum, “Know-Nothingism and the Republican Majority in Massachusetts:
The Political Realignment of the 1850s,” Journal of American History 64 (1977–78):
959–86.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 265
five on the Waldensians, one each on the Pilgrim Fathers, Jeffer-
son’s Religion and the ancient Paulicians.” Christian also used the
medium of the newspaper to share his ideas, writing articles which
were published in the” Arkansas Democrat, Courier-Journal, Hatties-
burg American and the Chicago Standard. Twenty-five articles ap-
peared in the Western Recorder.”
9
Perhaps the best reflection of who John T. Christian was is
found in the words of the first President of BBI, Byron DeMent:
Dr. Christian brought to his work a magnificent equipment
of knowledge and love for his task. His zeal was all-
consuming. With elasticity and alacrity of youth, he began
and continued his work of research, writing, and teaching.
Dr. Christian was free from the pride of learning and filled
with the humility of wisdom. He was a superb lecturer and
first class drill master. He knew the great points for histori-
cal emphasis and had a fine perspective of the entire course
of events in every age and land.
10
So is the brief summary of the life of a Baptist scholar. The library
of NOBTS bears his name and there could be no better tribute to
him, nor appropriate memorial for the school than that it bears
the name of the man who started the library with his own 18,000
volumes.
James Washington Watts (1896–1975)
J. Wash Watts, as he was commonly known, came to BBI in
the fall of 1931 and would serve the institution until 1967. Watts
earned his B. A. degree from Furman University in 1925 and the
ThM degree from Southern Seminary in 1922. Watts had studied
at Southern Seminary under the famous Hebrew and Old Testa-
ment scholar, John R. Sampey, earning the PhD degree in 1933
after joining the faculty at New Orleans. Prior to his coming to
New Orleans, he and his wife Mattie Leila Reid Watts, whom he
9
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 59.
10
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 61. Mueller quotes Byron De-
ment from an article in The Baptist Record dated December 24, 1925. This refer-
ence was also cited in Joe Madison King, “John Tyler Christian: A Study of his
Life and Work” (ThD diss., NOBTS, 1953), 10.
266 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
had married in 1920, served the Foreign Mission Board as a mis-
sionary in Palestine for the years 1923–1928.
11
His arrival to New Orleans was not under the best of circum-
stances for at least two reasons. He was to replace James Dean,
who had been released due to his modernist views about the Bible,
and he came at a time of dire financial need at BBI.
W. W. Hamilton had taken the presidency of BBI in 1928, just
at the beginning of the Great Depression. Up to that time, the
small faculty had written fourteen books, many tracts, Sunday
school lessons, and articles for the denominational press and the
library contained 40,000 volumes.
12
Although Hamilton had
worked diligently to raise funds for the very promising institution,
the nation and the whole world were in the throes of the worst
financial depression known in history. After the 1932 Southern
Baptist Convention meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Trus-
tees of BBI made a decision. They said, “It seems absolutely nec-
essary to rearrange our course of study and to build all of our cur-
riculum around not more than five men, including the Presi-
dent.”
13
J. Wash Watts was one of the four professors, along with
W. W. Hamilton, E. F. Haight, John W. Shepard, and A. E. Tibbs,
who remained to propel BBI forward, even in times such as these
were.
J. Wash Watts served BBI and later NOBTS in a number of
roles. He was best known for his work as professor of Old Tes-
tament, but also served as Dean of Students and on three different
occasions as Interim President. The first time he was Interim Pres-
ident was immediately after W. W. Hamilton departed in 1942 and
he served until Duke McCall became President. He also served as
interim when McCall departed. Watts was once again called to fill
the role of interim president when Roland Q. Leavell suffered a
stroke and retired in 1958.
14
Watts, above all, was a gifted teacher. He is best known for his
lecture on Psalm 23, which would bring so many students and
faculty to listen to the presentation that they would line the walls
11
Claude L. Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer: An Illustrated His-
tory of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS, LA: Josten’s, 1993), 65–
66.
12
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 75
13
Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 61.
14
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 95.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 267
of the classroom, standing for the lecture.
15
These lecture notes
were captured in his book, In the House of the Lord: Psalm 23
(Broadman, 1964). Another work that came from his lecture notes
was A Survey of Old Testament Teaching, which was divided into two
parts: Adam to David and Solomon to Malachi and was published
in 1947. This work came from an earlier publication that he called
Outline of Old Testament Teaching, published in 1943. Published in
1951, his work on biblical Hebrew, A Survey of Syntax in the Hebrew
Old Testament (Broadman; revised for Eerdmans, 1964), became a
very popular work among professors of Hebrew. Another of his
works was A Distinctive Translation of Genesis (Eerdmans, 1963).
16
In
his earlier ministry, he had published Living of the Gospel (Broadman,
1939).
After Watts’s death, his son, John D. W. Watts, published
posthumously his works in Exodus and Isaiah following the motif
of A Distinctive Translation. Also included with these posthumous
publications was Glimpses of God, all of which were published in
1977.
As would be the case for many of those who would follow him,
Watts gave his life to NOBTS. As President Hamilton had said of
him when he came in 1931, “Prof. Watts is known as a most lova-
ble and loyal man, a gifted preacher as well as teacher,” so the
years proved that to be a true description of a most remarkable
man.
Helen Emery Falls (1916–2012)
Helen Falls joined the faculty of NOBTS in 1945, signing the
Articles of Religious Belief, as did all faculty. She was hired to re-
place Ruby Daniel as Dean of Women. Her responsibilities also
included teaching courses in remedial English and Women’s Mis-
sionary Union methods. In 1946, Park Anderson became ill, so
Falls began to teach missions courses. She began a network of
correspondence with field missionaries all over the world and be-
came what was certainly one of the most knowledgeable of her
peers in regards to understanding what was going on in SBC mis-
sions (and other denominations as well) around the world.
15
Daniel Holcomb, personal interview with Jim Parker, New Orleans, LA,
October 6, 2016.
16
Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 66.
268 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
In 1965, Falls graduated from Columbia University with a PhD
and continued to teach missions at NOBTS until her retirement in
1981. Never having married, most students knew her as “Miss”
Falls, although she was legitimately Dr. Falls.
Her network of correspondence was vast,
17
and this enterprise
must have taken a great deal of time. Nevertheless, Falls found
time to publish, first with her research in An Examination of Chang-
es Made Necessary in the Work of the Baptist Foreign Missionary by Chang-
es in Society (1965) and then through a collaboration with Rees
Watkins for the Women’s Missionary Union in 1983, Teaching
Guide: Annie Armstrong, Dreamer in Action and the New Lottie Moon
Story.
John Olen Strange (1918–1995)
John Strange was born in Campobello, South Caroline in 1918.
He completed a BA (1940) at Furman University and went on to
complete the Bachelor of Divinity (1949) and Doctor of Theology
(1954) degrees at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Louisville, Kentucky. He did post-doctoral work in Israel in 1963,
at Hebrew Union College from 1967–1968, and at Vanderbilt
University in 1976.
Strange had a very long teaching career at NOBTS, teaching as
full-time professor from 1953 until the end of 1982 and then as a
contract teacher from 1983 until 1990. He was best known for his
work as a Hebrew grammarian. Waylon Bailey, his colleague and
collaborator, said of him, “He had a wonderful way of teaching his
subject. He taught so you could remember.”
18
Strange and Bailey
would go on to publish the fruit of their work in biblical He-
brew.
19
Ordained in 1936, Strange pastored churches in South Carolina,
Kentucky, and Louisiana. He also served as a chaplain in the US
Army in the Pacific theatre during World War II from 1943–1946.
One of the most memorable and perhaps one of the most im-
portant life events for Strange was a chance meeting with a First
Sergeant while he was stationed in Korea. The other soldier’s
17
For Jim Parker, “It was a great privilege to speak to Helen Falls on the
telephone shortly before her death. She was as excited about missions and what
God was doing in the world as she was when she was a young woman.”
18
The Gatekeeper (January 23, 1995), 1.
19
D. Waylon Bailey and John O. Strange, Biblical Hebrew Grammar (New Or-
leans, LA: Insight, 1985).
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 269
name was George W. Harrison, who would become not only a
student of Strange, but also his colleague on the NOBTS faculty.
Harrison would say of Strange, “He was a distinguished scholar, a
gifted teacher, a compassionate preacher, a devoted family man
and a warm personal friend to hundreds of students and col-
leagues.”
20
A loyal Southern Baptist, he was at his best in one-on-
one situations. Obviously, he was excellent at student enlistment.
Waylon Bailey said, “His greatest contribution came as personal
contact with students, pastors and colleagues. Strange was a warm
human being for whom everyone was important. He always had
time for people. If you had a need, he had time.”
21
Janice Meier, a
fellow and secretary to Strange, said, “He frequently quoted
Lamentations 3:22–25, a reference to the steadfast love and faith-
fulness of the Lord. He never failed to demonstrate that kind of
compassion and loyalty in all of his dealings with others.”
22
In addition to his Hebrew grammar, Strange published studies
on the books of Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, and especially Isaiah. He
taught graduate-level courses on Isaiah for many years and wrote
The Preacher’s Notebook on Isaiah (Pelican 1983) with colleague Jo-
seph H. Cothen.
George William Harrison (1926–2018)
George William Harrison was born in Aetnaville, Kentucky
(Ohio County) in 1926. After attending Western State College and
the University of Kentucky, he served in the military in the US
Army infantry. His military service include the Battle of Okinawa,
one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, for which he earned
a Bronze Star, as well as other medals. He finished his Army ser-
vice during the Korean occupation, where he first met John
Strange, who later would become his teacher and colleague at
NOBTS. When he returned from military service, Harrison earned
the AB degree from Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky,
in 1949. Upon graduation at Georgetown, Harrison immediately
entered Southern Seminary where he was awarded the BD in 1952
and the ThD in 1963. He did further post-doctoral work at Union
Theological Seminary in New York in 1963, San Francisco Theo-
logical Seminary in 1966–1967, also the Graduate Theological Un-
20
The Gatekeeper (January 23, 1995), 1.
21
The Gatekeeper (January 23, 1995), 1.
22
The Gatekeeper (January 23, 1995), 1.
270 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ion in Berkeley, California, the Toronto School of Theology of the
Wycliffe and Knox College 1974–1975 and Union Theological
Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, in 1981.
While teaching at Georgetown College from 1955–1960, the
next 32 years, however, were spent teaching Hebrew and Old Tes-
tament studies at NOBTS. Harrison served under three Seminary
presidents and two acting presidents during his tenure. Harrison
recounted more than fifty new faculty members during his career.
Quoted on the occasion of his thirtieth anniversary with NOBTS,
Harrison said, “I’ve been amazed at the administration’s ability to
secure replacements of equal quality with those who are departing,
so we have not suffered a weakening of academic strength and
outreach of our faculty.”
23
Harrison published a number of articles in publications includ-
ing The Biblical World by Baker Publishers (1966) and Wycliffe Bible
Encyclopedia by Moody Press (1975). The majority of his writing
was for the Sunday School Board of the SBC producing lessons
for various Sunday school curriculum, including lessons on Jere-
miah and Psalms.
Fisher Humphreys (b. 1939)
Fisher Humphreys joined the NOBTS faculty in 1970, after
completing a BA at Mississippi College, BD at NOBTS, an MLitt
at Oxford University, a MA at Loyola University in New Orleans,
and a ThD from NOBTS. After all of this and almost humorously,
he was enrolled in accounting classes at the University of New
Orleans.
24
As is apparent, he was a man with an insatiable appetite
for learning across all disciplines. He stated at the time that he was
interested in “the language of numbers” and how they were used
in communication, an important subject to a theologian.
He wrote widely on many subjects. His publications include
Speaking in Tongues, with Malcolm Tolbert (Insight, 1973); Thinking
about God: An Introduction to Christian Theology (1974, revised in 1994
and 2016); The Christian Church (Insight, 1974); The Almighty (Cook,
1976); The Death of Christ (Broadman, 1978); The Heart of Prayer
(Broadman, 1980); Nineteenth Century Evangelical Theology, editor
(Broadman, 1983); A Dictionary of Doctrinal Terms, with Philip Wise
23
The Gatekeeper (March 27, 1990), 4.
24
Jim Parker was Humphreys’s student in 1985–1986, when Humphreys
was enrolled in accounting classes.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 271
(Broadman, 1983); and The Nature of God (Broadman, 1985).
Humphreys left NOBTS in 1990 to teach at the newly-formed
Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and served there
until his retirement.
Billy Simmons (1931–2017)
Billy Simmons taught at NOBTS from 1976 until 1996, which
was an amazing twenty years of service. Simmons had been pro-
fessor of Religion at East Texas Baptist University from 1968 until
1976 but decided to return to his alma mater. He held the BA de-
gree from Mississippi College (1956), BD (1959) and ThD (1962)
degrees from NOBTS. Simmons pastored for six years before he
went to ETBU to teach, and those six years gave him more than
ample examples of the people and situations that came forth out
of the New Testament that he taught so well. Hilarious would
likely not be a strong enough word for the humor that Simmons
shared in his classes. He was best known for his “Aggie” (Texas
A&M) jokes, but his pastorates provided much material, too.
25
While Simmons seemed to be a comedian in a scholar’s body,
his humor only helped to express his scholarship. He had written
extensively over his scholarly career producing works such as A
Functioning Faith (Word, 1967); Resplendent Themes (Crescendo,
1971); Galatians (Crescendo, 1972); The Incomparable Christ (Broad-
man, 1980); and Be Born in Us Today (Broadman, 1982). Along with
these monographs, he also wrote many articles for Proclaim, Biblical
Illustrator, and Quarterly Review, and curriculum for the Baptist Sun-
day School Board.
Simmons was also an avid traveler, taking many to Israel to vis-
it the Holy Land sites. He was well versed in the geography and
background of the Bible, especially the New Testament, and
brought it to life to those who traveled with him.
Billy K. Smith (1928–1997)
Billy K. Smith had what was perhaps the longest-running rela-
tionship with NOBTS than anyone has, or likely will have. Present
at NOBTS for 43 years, Smith was a student, faculty member,
trustee, provost, and interim president. Debbie Moore reported,
“King David of Israel had his mighty men, the best of the best of
25
Jim Parker felt it a privilege to have him for several courses from 1985–
1987.
272 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
his soldiers. We shall remember Dr. Billy K. Smith as one of the
mighty men of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, the
best of the best from the army of the soldiers of the Lord who
passed through the gates of this school of providence and pray-
er.”
26
Smith attended NOBTS from 1953–1963 earning both the BD
(later converted to the MDiv) and the ThD degrees, specializing in
Old Testament and Hebrew. His dissertation was entitled The
Problem of the Future Life in the Book of Job. This would be the
firstfruits of a number of scholarly works including, but not lim-
ited to, Obadiah, Jonah, Amos, volume 19 in the New American
Commentary series by Broadman & Holman. Smith also wrote
many articles for the Sunday School Board of the SBC and a
number of articles for The Theological Educator, the NOBTS faculty
publication. Further, he contributed nine articles to Biblical Illustra-
tor, the last of which was “The Meaning of ‘God’s Spirit Moved.’”
“His last writing assignment was a series of lessons on selected
Psalms, set to appear in the spring 1999 issue of the Explore the
Bible Commentary. He completed and mailed these lessons to his
editor just three weeks before he died.”
27
Serving as chairman of the division of Biblical Studies for many
years, Smith was named vice president for academic affairs at
NOBTS in 1992. Later that same year, he was named provost and
academic dean of the graduate faculty.
Smith certainly was a scholar par excellence. Jim Parker re-
members being in class, with Smith facing the class, a piece of
chalk in hand, writing on the blackboard behind him in Hebrew
without even looking. Smith once shared with Parker that perhaps
the time of testing for his scholarship was when he was called up-
on to be a consultant at the Southern Baptist Convention during
the year of the Ralph Elliott controversy. He said that he had
waited with great apprehension but that he was not needed in the
meeting. This was not only a great compliment to Smith as a
scholar, who could have been called on to deliver the inspired,
inerrant, interpretation of Genesis 22, but to trust him to do so in
26
Debbie Moore, “Prolific Seminary Servant Dies Peacefully at Home,”
Baptist Press (January 30, 1998), https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-
library/news/prolific-seminary-servant-dies-peacefully-at-home/, accessed 5
October 2020. Jim Parker can personally attest to this assessment, having been
Smith’s student from 1985–1987.
27
Moore, “Prolific Seminary Servant Dies Peacefully at Home.”
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 273
such a volatile climate. Smith was such a humble man; many who
were close to him never knew that he had been selected for this
service.
His upbringing as a Primitive Baptist might have informed his
theology, as he is quoted as saying, “If you consider that God is
sovereign, you just have to do what he has assigned you to do and
wait on him.”
28
All of those who knew Smith until the end of his
earthly journey can attest that he never wavered in this position.
Macklyn Ward Hubbell (b. 1930)
Macklyn (Mack) Ward Hubbell served as professor of Psychol-
ogy and Counseling in the Pastoral Ministries Division at NOBTS
from 1980 until 1978. Hubbell had an interesting path in his edu-
cational preparation. He graduated from Baylor University in 1952
with a BA degree. He then enrolled in an MA program at the Uni-
versity of Houston, completing that degree in 1953. Hubbell then
went to Zurich, Switzerland where he attended the Baptist Theo-
logical Seminary at Ruschlikon. After a year there, he returned to
the United States and attended The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he earned both the Bach-
elor of Divinity and the Master of Theology degrees. Hubbell then
went on to earn the PhD degree from the University of Southern
Mississippi in 1972.
Hubbell wrote a number of books across his very active career.
He authored Being a Good Senior Samaritan (Convention, 1983);
Helping the Hurting (Insight, 1988); His Daddy Is God (Insight, 1992);
and Who Me? Go Where? Do What?: The Missionary and the Mission
(Insight, 1995). He and his wife, Elizabeth, also collaborated on
two books about life in New Orleans: Food in the Faubourgs: Dining
in the Neighborhoods of New Orleans (MacBet, 1989); and On the Stoop
(Insight, 1993), stories about fifty-six citizens of this diverse city.
In addition to these monographs, Hubbell was also a contributor
to SBC publications such as The Theological Educator, The Baptist Rec-
ord, Home Life, Church Administration, Equipping Youth, and Church
Training.
C. Ferris Jordan (1934–2014)
C. Ferris Jordan earned his B.A. degree from Louisiana College
in 1955, his BD degree from NOBTS in 1958, his ThD degree
28
Moore, “Prolific Seminary Servant Dies Peacefully at Home.”
274 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
from NOBTS in 1965, and an MS from the University of South-
ern Mississippi in 1989.
Jordan joined the faculty of NOBTS in 1978 serving as the J.
M. Frost Baptist Sunday School Board Professor of Christian Ed-
ucation and Professor of Adult Education. In 1989, he was ap-
pointed faculty liaison between NOBTS and the Sunday School
Board, also serving as the chairman of the Christian Education
division.
From his extensive work in senior adult ministry, he was led to
establish a gerontology specialization in the MACE curriculum. In
light of the demographics of the baby-boomer generation, this
served the academic community and the churches well.
29
Upon his retirement and reflecting on his twenty years as a
faculty member of NOBTS, Jordan was quoted as saying, “One of
the most fulfilling things for me as a teacher has been seeing what
former students are doing now as missionaries, professors, and
church staff ministers.”
30
He further mentioned some of those
students that had brought him great joy, one of them being
Jeanine Bozeman, whose doctoral committee he chaired. Jordan
said, “I am a perfect specimen of the teacher whose students have
excelled him.”
31
As all who knew him will testify, his humility,
which made him a great man, was with him till the end.
While majoring on the practical side of ministry, Jordan did not
let the academic side escape him. He was responsible for several
works including: Bible Teaching for Adults through the Sunday School
(Convention, 1984); Living Values for Today’s Singles (Convention,
1985); Study Guide for Hebrews: Call to Christian Commitment (Con-
vention, 1985); Bonded Together in Love: Singles Building Relationships
(Convention, 1989); Grandparenting By Grace, co-authored with Ire-
ne Endicott (LifeWay, 1994); and Grandparenting by Grace: Leader
Guide (LifeWay, 1994). And he contributed to several works in-
cluding: Adult Sunday School Work, Equipping Deacons as Partners in
Ministry, A Church Ministering to Adults, and Professors Can Preach. In
addition to all of this, Jordan also wrote Adult Sunday School cur-
riculum materials in the Life and Work and the Bible Book Series
for Convention Press, Church Training curriculum for Baptist
Youth, and was author of the student’s guidebook and the teach-
29
The Gatekeeper (April 6, 1998), 1.
30
The Gatekeeper (April 6, 1998), 1.
31
The Gatekeeper (April 6, 1998), 1.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 275
ing guide for the course “Adult Education in the Church” pro-
duced by the Seminary Extension Department of the SBC. There
were also many articles that he contributed to Proclaim, The Deacon,
Media, Search, Baptist Program, Church Administration, and Christian
Single. Jordan also wrote devotional readings in several editions of
Open Windows.
C. Ferris Jordan was the epitome of the servant scholar, bring-
ing the church to the classroom and taking the classroom to the
church. His ministry career trajectory was forty years, but his
memory will last far beyond that.
Robert Lee Hamblin (1928–2013)
Robert Lee (Bob) Hamblin earned the BA degree from Union
University in 1950. He then, in quick succession, earned the BD
(1954) and the ThD (1959) degrees from Southwestern Seminary.
The ThD degree was converted to the PhD in 1979. In addition
to this academic work, Hamblin was also awarded the honorary
DD degree from Mississippi College in 1978 and the LLD from
Union University in 1983.
Hamblin pastored many churches in his long career. He also
served the SBC faithfully as the vice president of the Home Mis-
sion Board (HMB, now North American Mission Board) in the
role of director of evangelism from 1982–1988. In between the
pastorates and his service at the HMB, Hamblin served as associ-
ate professor of Evangelism at NOBTS from 1980–1982. Ham-
blin returned to NOBTS in 1994 as chairman of the Pastoral Min-
istries Division and also as professor of Evangelism.
Hamblin authored several works including Studies in Galatians
(Four Star, 1974); The Spirit Filled Trauma (Broadman, 1978);
Triumphant Strangers: A Contemporary Look at First Peter
(Broadman, 1983); The Doctrine of Lordship (Convention, 1990);
Meet My Messiah: A Contemporary Look at the Life of Christ
(Hancock Foundation, 1993); Amazing Graced: A Contemporary
Look at Ephesians (Hancock Foundation, 1993); How to Be
Happy: A Contemporary Look at the Sermon on the Mount (In-
sight, 1992). Hamblin also authored a number of articles on evan-
gelism in the 1986 publication of the Discipleship Study Bible
along with many articles on evangelism and church growth in var-
ious periodicals.
276 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Harold T. Bryson (b. 1938)
Harold T. Bryson was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1938. He
graduated with a BA degree from Mississippi College in 1960 and
came immediately to NOBTS to work on a BD degree, which he
earned in 1963. Entering into the doctoral program, he earned a
ThM in 1967 and then the ThD in 1971.
Bryson joined the faculty of NOBTS in 1976, serving as pro-
fessor of Preaching and ultimately as chairman of the Division of
Pastoral Ministries. After serving for 16 years, Bryson left NOBTS
in 1992 to become the national consultant on preaching and wor-
ship for the Baptist Sunday School Board.
32
Bryson was a member of the Academy of Homiletics and
wrote a number of books during his career as follows: Yes, Virginia
There Is a Hell (Broadman, 1975); Portraits of God (Broadman, 1978);
Evangelism: Christ’s Imperative Commission, co-authored with
Landrum Leavell (Broadman, 1979); Building Sermons to Meet People’s
Needs, co-authored with James C. Taylor (Broadman, 1980); In-
creasing the Joy: Studies in 1 John (Broadman, 1982); The Reality of Hell
and the Goodness of God (Tyndale, 1984); How Faith Works: Studies in
James (Broadman, 1985); and Expository Preaching: The Art of Preach-
ing from a Bible Book (Broadman & Holman, 1995). In addition to
books, Bryson also had sermons included in the Zondervan Pastor’s
Annual for the years 1976–1986. He also wrote articles for a num-
ber of journals and magazines including Proclaim, Search, Church
Administration, Adult Sunday School Life and Work, Church Training
Magazine, At Home With the Bible, Sunday School Leadership, and The
Theological Educator.
Harry Lee Eskew (b. 1936)
Harry Lee Eskew was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in
1936. He earned a BA in Church Music from Furman University
in 1958. He then went on to earn an MSM (Musicology) from
NOBTS in 1960 and a PhD in American Musical Studies from
Tulane University in 1966. Eskew did post-doctoral work at the
University of Erlangen where he engaged in German language
study for the purpose of studying German-American hymnody.
He also studied at the University of New Orleans where he com-
pleted a degree in Cultural Anthropology and at Notre Dame
32
The Gatekeeper (December 7, 1992), 4.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 277
Seminary where he studied Theology of Christian Worship. He
was also a Research Fellow in Residence at Candler School of
Theology at Emory University. Eskew joined the faculty of
NOBTS in 1965 and retired in 2001 after a marvelous thirty-six
year tenure.
Eskew’s major publications consisted of Sing With Understanding,
with Hugh T. McElrath (Broadman, 1980); six articles for New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Macmillan, 1980); twenty-
eight articles for New Grove Dictionary of American Music (Macmillan,
1986); and 149 articles for Handbook to The Baptist Hymnal (Con-
vention, 1992).
At a banquet in honor of his retirement, NOBTS president
Chuck Kelley said of Eskew, “What all of us know in this room, if
NOBTS ever had a world class scholar in a particular area, that
world class scholar is – not would be – Dr. Harry Eskew.”
33
Jimmy Ward Dukes (b. 1941)
Jimmy Ward Dukes was born in Jackson Mississippi on De-
cember 18, 1941. He graduated from Delta State University with a
BA degree in 1969. Beginning at the age of 19, Dukes pastored for
16 years before starting seminary. He came to NOBTS and earned
an MDiv degree in 1979 and a ThD degree in New Testament and
Greek in 1983.
In 1984, Dukes became a faculty member, teaching in the area
of New Testament studies and in 1990, succeeding Jerry Breazeale,
he was made director of the School of Christian Training.
34
In this
role, he led the baccalaureate program, which would ultimately
become Leavell College. He was Dean of the College of Under-
graduate Studies, Dean of the North Georgia Campus, and Dean
of the Extension Center System during his tenure at NOBTS. In
addition to his role as Dean for several areas, Dukes also served as
Registrar, Assistant Provost, and Interim Provost. He also was
responsible for starting the seminary’s Compressed Interactive
Video (CIV) classes. Dukes served on the board of the Associa-
tion of Theological Schools (ATS) and worked extensively with
ATS on accreditation for NOBTS and many other schools.
35
33
The Gatekeeper (February 5, 2000), 1.
34
The Gatekeeper (November 14, 1994), 2.
35
The Gatekeeper (September 6, 1999), 3.
278 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Dukes is known by his NOBTS colleagues as a person with a
“practical bent.” Daniel Holcomb said of him, “He is a visionary
who very early saw the potential of distance education, in the
sense of extension centers, but also quickly saw the benefit of
electronic education. He was usually at the point of advances as
far as the Seminary was concerned and was supported by both
Presidents Leavell and Kelley.” Holcomb said that Dukes “saw
this ‘electronic education’ as a wave of the future.”
36
While another chapter in this book will deal with the NOBTS’s
prison programs, it must be stated that no one involved in that
ministry was as instrumental in its long-range success as was
Dukes.
Don H. Stewart (b. 1935)
Don H. Stewart earned his BA from William Carey College in
1957, his BD (1960) and his ThD (1965) [converted to the PhD in
2002] from NOBTS. He joined the faculty as professor of New
Testament and Greek and came to NOBTS as executive vice pres-
ident in 1978. He had taught at William Carey College for the pre-
vious fifteen years.
In addition to his work as professor of New Testament and ex-
ecutive vice president, Stewart also served as director of the doc-
tor of ministry program and led the seminary extension center sys-
tem. On the occasion of the Board of Trustees naming Stewart
professor emeritus, Chuck Kelley, president of NOBTS said
Stewart “is one of the most faithful and dedicated administrators
and teachers this school has ever had.”
37
Stewart wrote prolifically for the Sunday School Board over his
career. He authored a number of works for Senior Adults, January
Bible Studies and Study Guides for Ephesians and I Corinthians, a
Bible Book Study Commentary on I Corinthians, a Hebrews Study
Guide, Adult January Bible study in the Sermon on the Mount
entitled Design for Discipleship, the Bible Book Study Commentary
on Hebrews and James, The “Adult Teacher” for the Uniform
Lesson Series on Galatians and Romans, and Adult Bible Study on
Colossians and Revelation.
36
Daniel Holcomb, personal interview with Jim Parker, New Orleans, LA,
December 14, 2016.
37
The Gatekeeper (Dec. 15, 2003), 3.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 279
During the 2003 Celebration of Excellence, Steve Lemke,
provost of NOBTS, said about Stewart, “His heart and his love is
teaching New Testament.”
38
The NOBTS newsletter, The Gate-
keeper, observed, “He is best known for his pastoral, yet scholarly
approach to teaching the New Testament.”
39
Upon his promotion
to professor emeritus, Stewart said, “Teaching is the thing I’ve
enjoyed most of all that I’ve done. God called me to minister to
people and to teach people not to teach subjects. I’ve always tried
to do that and it’s been very gratifying.”
40
Stewart is best remembered by his students and colleagues as a
pastoral encourager. Jim Parker can attest to the Godly demeanor
and encouraging persona that is Don H. Stewart.
Daniel Harrell Holcomb (b. 1933)
Daniel H. Holcomb holds a BA degree from Mississippi Col-
lege (1954), a BA and MA degree from the University of Southern
Mississippi (1957), a BD degree (1959) from NOBTS, a ThM
(1963) and a ThD (1969) from The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary (SBTS). He has done additional study at Notre Dame
Seminary (Archdiocese of New Orleans), Yale University, Oxford
University, and Vanderbilt University.
Holcomb began his teaching career as a Teaching Fellow and
Instructor in Church History at Southern Seminary. From there he
went to Oklahoma Baptist University, where he was associate pro-
fessor of Religion and Chairman of the Department of Religion.
Holcomb taught there for ten years before coming to NOBTS
and joining the faculty in 1979. He was named chairman of the
Division of Theological and Historical Studies upon the retire-
ment of Claude Howe in 1994 and also served as professor of
Church History, occupying the John T. Westbrook Chair of
Church History. In 2005, his colleagues selected him as the “Out-
standing Classroom Teacher,” high praise indeed and well de-
served.
During his tenure at NOBTS, Holcomb was arguably the most
eloquent member of the faculty, able to weave together threads
from a variety of disciplines, such as history, theology, philosophy,
hermeneutics, and homiletics, and to create a meaningful narrative.
38
The Gatekeeper (May 12, 2003), 2.
39
The Gatekeeper (May 12, 2003), 2.
40
The Gatekeeper (Dec. 15, 2003), 3.
280 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
His lively delivery earned him the affectionate nickname “Smoke
‘Em Holcomb” among his students.
41
Holcomb is best remembered for his class entitled “Christian
Devotional Classics,” lauded by former students as the pinnacle of
their seminary education. The class surveys historic Christian
works, including Augustine’s Confessions, Pascal’s Pensees, and Bun-
yan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and recent books like The Divine Conspiracy
and The Cost of Discipleship.
42
Holcomb has published several works,
including Costly Commitment; Our Heritage of Faith; The Recovery of Ex-
cellence; Beyond Narcissism: The Christian Alternative to Self Worship; and
Readings in Baptist History.
Holcomb remembers that during his BD years at NOBTS, he
was enchanted by church history due largely to the influence of
Penrose St. Amant, who later moved to SBTS to teach. Holcomb
said, “St. Amant was an eminent Southern Baptist historian and
master teacher. More than anyone else, he whetted my appetite for
church history.”
43
It was St. Amant that encouraged him to seek
his doctorate, had him first teach Church History at SBTS, and
recommended him to the position at OBU. When asked in an in-
terview what was driving him to continue to serve so faithfully, he
offered two answers, “A calling that God has sustained over the
years,” and the joy and fulfillment received from teaching.
44
Among his six diplomas that decorate his office wall, Holcomb
has hanging in the center a prayer that symbolizes “his personal
drive to unite theology and ministry, a prayer that has been the
theme of his teaching career.” The prayer, “A Litany of Truth,”
reads as follows:
From the irresponsibility which casts
Aside all old truths in search of nothing
Better than novelty;
From the cowardice that shrinks from
All new truth;
41
Thus, Holcomb joined Claude “Clean Your Plow” Howe and Lloyd “Not
So” Harsch as church historians with endearing nicknames.
42
Vision (Holiday Edition 2004), 21; see also The Gatekeeper (March 14,
2005), 2.
43
Vision (Holiday Edition 2004), 21; see also The Gatekeeper (March 14,
2005), 1.
44
Vision (Holiday Edition 2004), 21; see also The Gatekeeper (March 14,
2005), 1.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 281
From the lethargy that rests content
With Partial truth;
And from arrogance that lays claim
To total truth;
O God of Truth, deliver us.
Jeanine Cannon Bozeman (b. 1929)
Many students’ favorite professor at NOBTS is Dr. Jeanine
Bozeman, currently distinguished professor of Social Work and
35-year veteran of teaching at the seminary. Dr. Bozeman received
her BA at University of Montevallo, Alabama; her MSW at Tulane
University, New Orleans; and her MRE and PhD at NOBTS. Bo-
zeman also did additional study at Tulane in 1992 and at the Uni-
versity of Alabama, earning a Certificate in Thanatology (the study
of death and dying) in 2001. Bozeman also has a number of pro-
fessional certifications, including the Board Certified Diplomate in
Clinical Social Work, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor,
and is a member of the Clinical American Association of Marriage
and Family Therapy.
Before and during her tenure at NOBTS, she served also as a
pastor’s wife. Her husband, Welby, pastored churches in Alabama
and Louisiana until his death in 2008. She served churches in a
variety of capacities, including Family Life Coordinator at First
Baptist Church, Chalmette, Louisiana (1980–1983) and Interim
Minister of Education at Parkview Baptist Church, Alexandria,
Louisiana (1984–1985). When Bozeman began her teaching career
at NOBTS in 1985, she brought nearly two decades of social work
experience in Orleans Parish in the 9
th
Ward, Gentilly, and New
Orleans East, and as a Special Education social worker in Orleans
and Rapides Parish. Out of this well of experience, Bozeman
poured forth the knowledge and wisdom that has made her legend
among her students and a prolific speaker throughout the SBC.
Bozeman served as professor of Social Work her entire career
at NOBTS; however, she also aided the institution with her many
administrative gifts as well. From 1997 until her transition to sen-
ior professor in 2003, she served as the chairperson of the Chris-
tian Education Division. While performing the many duties of a
division chairperson, she never neglected her teaching role, gar-
nering her the award for “Outstanding Classroom Teacher” in
2003.
282 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Bozeman has made major contributions to the ongoing teach-
ing ministry of NOBTS. One is the course, “Interpersonal Rela-
tionship Skills,” which she developed along with Dr. Argile Smith,
professor of Pastoral Ministries at NOBTS. The two professors
co-authored the textbook, Interpersonal Relationship Skills for Minister.
The need for this course among ministerial students is self-evident.
Another course that Bozeman pioneered is “Death, Loss, and
Grief.” Again, the application of this course to a minister’s life is
obvious. “One characteristic of Bozeman’s teaching the Death,
Loss and Grief class is her use of role-play. Each student must act
out receiving crushing news from someone and giving that infor-
mation to another person. It forces students to face situations that
are sure to arise in ministry.”
45
Bozeman draws from her own ex-
periences to teach her students: the sudden death of her mother in
an automobile accident; the crisis of Hurricane Katrina; and the
death of her beloved husband, Welby, after forty-eight years of
marriage. She also invites guest speakers to come to class and
share their own experiences with grief.
One other contribution made by Bozeman is “Senior Fest,” a
senior-adult conference conducted annually. Founded by Bo-
zeman, this one-day event is sponsored by the Social Work Pro-
gram and is hosted on the campus of NOBTS. Senior adults are
provided with enriching breakouts, engaging worship, and oppor-
tunities for fun and fellowship with other believers.
At the time of her transition to senior professor in 2003, Bo-
zeman spoke about the many conversations she had with students
over the years of her tenure at NOBTS, many she said over break-
fast in the cafeteria. She noted that it was in these conversations
that she learned about the challenges that these students faced and
she concluded that “God does not waste anything in people’s lives.
He sort of brings it all together.”
46
But of course, now looking
back over the arc of Jeanine Bozeman’s life, that conclusion has
been many times over affirmed.
45
Michael McCormick, “20 years on faculty helped profs withstand hurri-
cane’s trauma,” Baptist Press (September 28, 2006),
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/20-years-on-faculty-
helped-profs-withstand-hurricanes-trauma/, accessed 5 October 2020.
46
Vision (Summer 2003), 15.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 283
World-Class Research
47
NOBTS professors have made contributions to scholarship
not only in publishing books and articles, presenting scholarly pa-
pers, and teaching courses, but also by establishing centers and
institutes for the purposes of research and ministry. These centers
and institutes serve such diverse goals as evangelism and church
growth, Baptist heritage and thought, archaeology, New Testa-
ment textual criticism, counseling, youth ministry, and apologetics.
Through these centers and institutes, the founding professors ex-
tend their scholarly contributions beyond their tenures at the sem-
inary.
Landrum P. Leavell II Center for Evangelism and Church
Growth
In spring 1991,
48
the Center for Evangelism and Church
Growth was established as the first such facility in the Southern
Baptist Convention. In March 1995, the center was renamed in
honor of Landrum P. Leavell II, seventh president of the seminary,
upon the occasion of his retirement after twenty years at NOBTS.
Leavell long had worked in the areas of evangelism and church
growth and had emphasized both during his tenure as president.
Sometime later, the name was finalized as Landrum P. Leavell II
Center for Evangelism and Church Health (LCECH), in recogni-
tion of its broader goal of achieving church health as well as
church growth.
The first director of the Center was Charles Lowry, who had
served as Minister of Christian Education under Dr. Leavell at
First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls. Although he had never func-
tioned in an academic setting, he joined the faculty as an evange-
lism professor and added courses in evangelism and church
growth to the curriculum. At the beginning of the 1992–1993 aca-
demic year, Lowry left NOBTS to return to local church ministry,
47
Many thanks to Dr. Rex Butler, professor of Church History at NOBTS,
who interviewed numerous people and wrote all of the history of the centers
with the exception of the Center for Archaeological Research and the Michael
and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology.
48
Some sources date the opening of the Center in January 1992, but Dr.
Chuck Kelley remembers that it opened during his sabbatical leave from 1990
to 1991. Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA,
January 5, 2017.
284 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
and Dr. Chuck Kelley, professor of Evangelism, became the inter-
im and later the permanent director of the Center.
49
It was Dr.
Kelley who recommended that the Center be renamed in honor of
Dr. Leavell.
An early function of the Center was continuing education in
evangelism and church growth, and, in fact, the only continuing
education space on the campus was located in the Center. As part
of its continuing education program, conferences often were con-
ducted there, but its maximum capacity for one hundred seats lim-
ited the scope of conferences that it could host. Eventually, the
conference space at the Center was opened up for purposes other
than evangelism and church growth alone.
50
The major purpose of the Center is to serve churches, not aca-
demics. One service that LCECH provides churches is de-
mographics analysis, which can be focused on the community or
on the church’s story. At one time, the only demographics reports
were simply pages of statistics, but Linda Tse, the first secretary at
the Center, was able to interpret such statistics in color graphs that
were attractive and easier to understand.
51
Since then, LCECH has
invested in technology “to provide comprehensive demographic
analysis of any church field in the nation, growth analysis for any
church in the SBC, and a Louisiana mapping center database to
facilitate door-to-door outreach in our state.”
52
Interestingly, during the 1990s, the Center functioned as Re-
search and Development for the remainder of the campus and
actually became the leading edge of technology at NOBTS. When
finances were tight, Dr. Kelley purchased a color laser printer and
provided the ink for reports and overhead transparencies not only
for the Center but also for the other faculty. Eventually, income
from demographics services provided computers and other
equipment for the Center, which housed the first computer net-
work on campus.
53
49
Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 179; Chuck Kelley, person-
al interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, January 5, 2017.
50
Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 5, 2017.
51
Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 5, 2017.
52
https://nobts.edu/leavell-center/default.html, accessed 5 October 2020.
53
Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 5, 2017.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 285
In a personal interview, Dr. Kelley observed that the Leavell
Center focused on two emphases: evangelism, typically housed
under Pastoral Ministries; and church growth, usually connected
to Christian Education. The Leavell Center then created a bridge
between these two disciplines and brought them together in a
unique way to serve the Kingdom. In a broader sense, the Leavell
Center also brought about opportunities for interaction and coop-
eration between two SBC entities: the Home Mission Board (now
the North American Mission Board) with its emphasis on evange-
lism and the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Re-
sources) with its emphasis on church growth through the Sunday
School.
54
This cross-disciplinary interaction at the Leavell Center led to
dynamic changes in the Doctor of Ministry program at NOBTS.
The faculty of the Pastoral Ministries and Christian Education di-
visions cooperated to develop a DMin major in Evangelism and
Church Growth, which allowed students to select seminars in
both disciplines. Thus, the Center became a catalyst for this com-
bination of disciplines and led to a healthier DMin program.
55
Since Dr. Kelley became the seminary’s eighth president, three
men have served as director of LCECH: Dr. Chuck Register, Dr.
David Meacham, and Dr. Preston Nix, who currently fills that po-
sition.
According to the Center’s Vision Statement, “The Leavell Cen-
ter for Evangelism and Church Health exists to assist Southern
Baptist churches and agencies in developing and implementing
strategies for effective evangelism and measurable church
growth.” The stated priorities of the Center are evangelizing the
lost, revitalizing churches, and praying for spiritual awakenings.
56
H. Milton Haggard Center for New Testament Textual
Studies
The H. Milton Haggard Center for New Testament Textual
Studies (CNTTS) is “a research center devoted to the study of the
New Testament text in the Greek manuscripts.”
57
In 1992, Dr. Bill
54
Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 5, 2017.
55
Chuck Kelley, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 5, 2017.
56
https://nobts.edu/leavell-center/default.html, accessed 5 October 2020.
57
http://www.nobts.edu/cntts/, accessed 5 October 2020.
286 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Warren started the work that later became the center, with the
center proper beginning in 1998. The story of the beginning of the
center has become legendary as Chuck Kelley often offers it up as
an example of a professor’s dream that came to fruition. Warren
went to Kelley with a request for a computer and a table in order
to start a textual studies center. According to Warren, “Dr. Kelley
responded with much more than I had hoped for, way more.”
Previously, Warren’s work had been based on a couple of shelves
in his office, but what Kelley offered was “a fantastic expansion
and fulfillment of a dream.”
58
The seminary furnished facilities
and funds for operations as well as acquisitions to expand the col-
lection of manuscripts. Currently, the center is located in the Har-
din Student Center and includes several research stations, a refer-
ence library, a collection of manuscripts in a variety of forms, a
microfilm reader-copier and other equipment, and a database of
manuscript evidence compiled by the center – facilities far beyond
the original request of “a computer and a table.”
As well as Warren, the director of the CNTTS, on-site person-
nel include several research assistants, an administrative assistant,
and two project directors. In connection with the CNTTS, a
number of courses are offered in the area of New Testament tex-
tual criticism at both the master’s and PhD levels are available at
NOBTS. PhD students majoring in New Testament may acquire a
substantial amount of specialization and even write dissertations in
this field.
An endowment was provided for the CNTTS by H. Milton
Haggard and his wife Miriam, both members of Diamondhead
Baptist Church, Mississippi, where Warren was a long-term inter-
im pastor. Milton became connected to the seminary through his
friendship with Dr. Landrum Leavell II, former NOBTS president,
and after Milton had passed away, the connection deepened due
to Warren’s ministry to Miriam Haggard, Milton’s wife who was
homebound due to health problems. At Miriam Haggard’s request
and based of this couple’s generous estate gift, the center was
named in honor of H. Milton Haggard.
As mentioned earlier, one of the goals of the CNTTS is to ac-
quire and maintain manuscripts in multiple forms, including digital,
microfilm, facsimile, and hard copies as well as to obtain access to
manuscripts by loan. As a result of research on these manuscripts,
58
Bill Warren, e-mail message to Rex Butler, January 2, 2017.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 287
“In 2010, the center reached a milestone with the completion of
the world’s first comprehensive searchable, electronic database of
variants in the entire New Testament.”
59
This database is available
through multiple Bible study software programs, making the cen-
ter’s research available to New Testament scholars worldwide.
As beneficial as digital manuscripts are, hard copies and facsim-
iles still have considerable value in the work of the CNTTS. In
March 2010, Warren had the opportunity to acquire a facsimile of
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus, notable for its purple-dyed
leather pages. This codex is further distinguished by its text let-
tered in silver ink with sacred names set apart in gold ink. During
an academic tour of Greece, Warren visited the Monastery of St.
John the Theologian located on the Island of Patmos. He had
been tipped off by Dr. Dan Wallace of Dallas Theological Semi-
nary that a facsimile might be available there. In telling his story
about the acquisition of the Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus,
Warren recalled: “When we got to the monastery, we entered and
there was a small gift shop in a small courtyard. I saw the facsimile
on the back shelf versus out front where everyone would have
seen it. Knowing right away what it was, I purchased it for about
$500, and walked away with my prize! But then I realized that this
thing was HEAVY to carry around. So I gave the ‘privilege’ of
carrying it to some of the NT PhD students who were on the trip
(Matt Solomon and Nathan VanHorn)!”
60
Today, the facsimile of
this beautiful, unique codex, one of a limited number of copies, is
on display in the NOBTS Bible and Archaeology Museum.
Youth Ministry Institute
The Youth Ministry Institute (YMI) of NOBTS was estab-
lished in 1999 under the leadership of Dr. Allen Jackson, profes-
sor of Youth Education and Collegiate Ministry. According to its
vision statement, YMI exists “to extend the mission of New Orle-
ans Baptist Theological Seminary through leadership in advanced
research, practical application, quality training, and on-going dia-
logue with local youth ministers.”
61
59
https://www.nobts.edu/cntts/general-overview.html, accessed 5 Octo-
ber 2020.
60
Bill Warren, e-mail message to Rex Butler, January 2, 2017.
61
https://www.youthministryinstitute.org/, accessed 5 October 2020.
288 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
The original intent of the Institute was to provide training for
extension center students seeking specialized training in youth
ministry. Jackson recalls the early plans for YMI in this way:
The dream of doing a conference/class at the seminary was
the first inkling of what would become a major part of the
youth ministry education strategy at NOBTS. I had taught
at the Atlanta extension for three years prior to joining the
faculty on the main campus, and I knew that it was difficult
for students to get a youth ministry elective in their course-
work. Because accrediting standards at that time mandated
on-campus classes as part of every degree, I thought the
January interterm would be a good time for youth ministers.
The logic was that their students had just started back to
school and they might have the ability to get away for a con-
ference.
62
With this rationale in mind, Jackson began to plan a January
conference for youth ministers. He recruited Jim Graham, who
was at the time a PhD student and already a veteran youth minis-
ter, and Stephanie Wright, who served as first administrative assis-
tant for YMI.
63
In January 2000, this conference, which became
the flagship event of YMI, debuted with almost one hundred stu-
dents participating in an intensive academic workshop with pro-
fessionals teaching from their expertise in youth ministry.
The initial, ongoing plan for the YMI scheduled the conference
during the first two weeks every January. On-campus and off-
campus students came to the campus to earn three to six hours of
credit in youth ministry electives that enabled them to conduct
youth ministry more effectively. At first, academic credit was
available only for master’s level classes, but eventually YMI added
tracks for undergraduate, certificate, and doctoral (Doctor of Min-
istry) levels.
A number of nationally known leaders in youth ministry shared
their expertise at YMI conferences. Past guest speakers include
62
Allen Jackson, e-mail message to Rex Butler, January 2, 2017.
63
Allen Jackson, e-mail message to Rex Butler, January 2, 2017. Jim Wright
is now youth and children’s minister at Trinity Baptist Church, Katy, Texas.
Stephanie Wright went after graduating from NOBTS to LifeWay Christian
Resources and ultimately to Beth Moore’s Living Proof Ministries. Jackson felt
a dedication to Stephanie was appropriate in memory of her tragic death in a
car accident in 2005.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 289
Walt Mueller (Center for Parent-Youth Understanding), Mark
Matlock (Youth Specialties/Planet Wisdom), Greg Love (Ministry
Safe), Richard Ross (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary),
Bart Millard (Mercy Me), Mark Hall (Casting Crowns), Duffy
Robbins, Doug Fields, Ed Newton, and many others willing to
share their time and talents.
First and foremost, the mission of YMI is to “make an impact
on youth ministry in the local church.” A second, significant as-
pect of YMI is to conduct research on issues that impact youth
ministry. Under the leadership of Jackson and Graham, YMI iden-
tified the essential competency base for youth ministry training.
The four areas of ministry competency include: “1. Biblical, theo-
logical, and pastoral competency; 2. Personal skill competency; 3.
People skills competency, and 4. Administration competency.”
64
In January 2015, after sixteen years of service to NOBTS and
YMI, Jackson stepped down as the director in order to serve
Dunwoody Baptist Church in Georgia. He continues to contribute
to youth ministry education at the seminary as a ministry-based
professor and as a speaker at YMI events and conferences. The
new Director of YMI is Dr. David Odom, associate professor of
Youth Ministry, who brings to this position years of experience
and much scholarship in youth ministry. “The Youth Ministry In-
stitute will continue to be a vital asset for youth ministers and stu-
dents alike for years to come.”
65
Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry
In 2002, the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry (BCTM)
was founded by Dr. R. Stanton Norman as an expression of his
passion for theology and his love for Baptists. Looking back on
the origin of BTCM, Norman recalled: “The Baptist Center was
birthed out of a desire that I had to try to provide a platform for
diverse groups within Baptist life to come together to address is-
sues that are relevant to Baptist churches and ministries. We often
talk past each other, about each other, but not to each other. I en-
visioned the Baptist Center as a place where the professor, pastor,
layman, denominational worker, missionary, and evangelist could
64
http://yminobts.wixsite.com/youthmininstitute/history, accessed 2 Janu-
ary 2017.
65
http://yminobts.wixsite.com/youthmininstitute/history, accessed 2 Janu-
ary 2017.
290 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
come together for scholarly, thoughtfully driven discussion – rec-
ognizing that not everyone would be considered a scholar but cer-
tainly would have a credible voice to contribute to the discussion
about what is pertinent to Baptist life.”
66
A significant contribution of the BCTM to Baptist life is the
Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry, all issues of which are availa-
ble on the website. The inaugural issue of the journal was
published in spring 2003 with Norman as the editor. In his intro-
duction, Norman stated that the ongoing goal of the journal is to
present articles and essays that “address issues and concerns rele-
vant for Baptist life.” Appropriately, therefore, the first volume
was devoted to “Issues in Baptist Life” and included articles about
evangelism, apologetics, denominational life, church practice, and
Christian living. Going forward, the journal welcomed contribu-
tions from professors from all SBC academic institutions as well
as pastors and denominational leaders. Norman encouraged a
broad participation in the journal: “All Baptists are invited to in-
form us of topics of interest or relevance for Baptist thought or
ministry.”
67
During February 2004, the Baptist Center hosted its first con-
ference, which focused on “Issues in Church Polity,” specifically
congregational and elder-led polities. Norman described polity as
“an issue that was percolating in Baptist life and that was of inter-
est to everyone. We tried to get a swath of individuals with exper-
tise related to that topic.”
68
The goal of the opening conference of
the BCTM was to make contributions to the ongoing discussion
of polity in the Southern Baptist Convention.
69
Speaking of the goals of the Baptist Center, Norman said:
66
R. Stanton Norman, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans,
LA, January 19, 2017.
67
R. Stanton Norman, “Editorial,” Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry 1.1
(Spring 2003): 1–3, available at https://www.nobts.edu/baptist-center-
theology/journals/journals/spring-2003/JBTM_1-
1_Spring_2003_01_Editorial.pdf.
68
R. Stanton Norman, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans,
LA, January 19, 2017.
69
Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.,
represented elder-led polity, and the supporters of congregationalism included
David Dockery, president of Union University, Jackson, Tennessee; Paige
Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; James Leo
Garrett, distinguished professor emeritus of theology at Southwestern Seminary;
and Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 291
I had a heart to connect the academic side of our denomina-
tion to the practical side, the ministry side. I think that is
one of the geniuses behind Southern Baptist higher educa-
tion, seminary education – it is ecclesially minded and eccle-
sially driven. The target of the center was to encourage,
equip, and enable Baptist life. So my philosophy for the
Baptist Center was for New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary in particular and seminary professors in general to
develop clear lines of service and connections outside of the
immediate boundaries of our students, to expand our influ-
ence to the local church, both the staff and the laity.
70
After Norman departed NOBTS to serve at other Baptist insti-
tutions, Dr. Steve Lemke, provost, assumed the duties of the di-
rector of the center and editor of the journal. Lemke oversaw the
publication of nine issues of the journal and expanded the center’s
resources by recording interviews and soliciting academic papers
for circulation through the website.
In 2013, Dr. Adam Harwood came to NOBTS as associate
professor of Theology and director of the BCTM. In recent years,
the Baptist Center has hosted conferences on topics such as Bible
translation as missions as well as a multiple-views conference on
theological and ministry questions concerning infants and children
in the church. Journal articles have addressed topics such as the
gospel, evangelism, salvation, chaplaincy, student ministry, and
preaching the Bible. Some of the content from the journal and the
conferences is reaching a wider audience by being published as
books.
71
Harwood explains, “My hope is that the resources pro-
duced by the Baptist Center will make a small contribution to
God’s work in the world through his churches and its minis-
tries.”
72
70
R. Stanton Norman, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans,
LA, January 19, 2017.
71
See as examples David L. Allen, Eric Hankins, and Adam Harwood, ed.
Anyone Can Be Saved: A Defense of “Traditional” Southern Baptist Soteriology (Eugene,
OR: Wipf & Stock, 2016) and Adam Harwood and Kevin Lawson, ed. Infants
and Children in the Church: Five Views on Theology and Ministry (Nashville: B&H,
2017).
72
Adam Harwood, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA,
January 10, 2017.
292 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Institute for Christian Apologetics
In spring 2008, the Institute for Christian Apologetics (ICA)
was founded as a ministry of NOBTS with Dr. Bob Stewart, pro-
fessor of Philosophy and Theology, as Director and Dr. Mike
Edens, professor of Theology and Islamic Studies, as associate
director. Two years later, Dr. Rhyne Putman, professor of Theol-
ogy and Culture, joined the team as associate director.
ICA is supported in many ways by the faculty of the Theologi-
cal and Historical Studies Division. Disciplines such as philosophy,
theology, church history, ethics, and Islamic studies inform Apol-
ogetics, which in turn is applied to evangelism and missions. The
Institute partners with the Center for Islamic Studies to meet the
challenge of Islam in our culture.
73
In his proposal for ICA, Stewart explained: “The need for
Christian apologetics has never been greater than it is today in our
pluralistic culture. The Christian faith is challenged by relativism,
naturalism, world religions, cults, and various other worldviews
that compete with the Christian worldview. Scripture commands
us ‘to make a defense at all times to everyone who asks you to give
an account for the hope within you’ (1 Pet 3:15). The world today
desperately needs the hope that only Jesus Christ truly offers.” He
went on to state the purpose of ICA, which is: “To equip Chris-
tians to defend the Christian faith and present compelling reasons
for embracing the Christian faith in a manner that is comprehen-
sible and relevant in our contemporary culture.”
74
The target audi-
ence of ICA includes not only students and scholars but also lay
people and churches.
The purposes of ICA are fulfilled in a number of ways but
most prominently in two major events: the Greer-Heard Point-
Counterpoint Forum and the Defend the Faith Conference. The
Greer-Heard Forum actually began in spring 2005 and, therefore,
preceded the formation of ICA, but it now functions under the
auspices of the Institute. In the twelve years since the inaugural
Greer-Heard Forum, it has become a well-known event that
showcases the intellectual talents of a number of world-class
scholars. The premise of the Forum is to “provide a venue in
73
Robert Stewart, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA,
January 9, 2017.
74
Robert Stewart, “Proposal for the Formation of the Institute for Christian
Apologetics,” provided in an e-mail message to author, January 9, 2017.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 293
which respected scholars of differing opinions dialogue on critical
issues in religion, science, philosophy, and/or culture from their
differing perspectives.”
75
In this way, students at NOBTS see
apologetics modeled by leading evangelical scholars. Furthermore,
this event always attracts a large audience from the community
and beyond, representing a variety of worldviews but hearing an
intellectual Christian viewpoint from the evangelical scholars.
The Institute conducted the first Defend the Faith Conference
on the campus of NOBTS in January 2009 and then took the
Conference on the road to the North Georgia Extension Center
in June of that year. Defend the Faith brings to the NOBTS cam-
pus leading experts in apologetics, philosophy, theology, world
religions and cults to lecture in plenary gatherings and to teach in
breakout sessions. Students can earn up to six hours of credit in a
number of courses offered at the conference, and again, visitors
from the New Orleans community come to the campus to hear
these nationally known scholars.
The Institute hosts and participates in other events. In No-
vember 2009, ICA hosted the Evangelical Philosophical Society’s
Stand for the Faith Apologetics Conference, which brought to-
gether twenty top Christian apologists. ICA also sends speakers
such as Drs. Stewart, Edens, Putman, Page Brooks, and Steve
Lemke to a variety of venues, including Collegiate Weeks at Glo-
rieta and Ridgecrest, and also to churches and associations
throughout the nation.
76
In the years since its inception, ICA has enhanced the overall
teaching ministry of NOBTS by developing a number of degrees
at multiple levels. ICA serves as the platform for the Master of
Divinity in Christian Apologetics, Master of Divinity in Islamic
Studies, Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics, Master of Arts
(Apologetics), Doctor of Ministry in Christian Apologetics, and
Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Apologetics.
In summarizing the mission of the Institute, Rhyne Putman,
associate director, said, “Our mission is to train as many people as
possible to share their faith as effectively as they possibly can.
Apologetics is not a substitute for evangelism but it can be a sig-
75
http://greerheard.com/wp/about/, 9 January 2017.
76
Mike Edens, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Janu-
ary 9, 2017.
294 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
nificant aid for evangelism in removing intellectual roadblocks to
faith.”
77
Leeke Magee Christian Counseling Center
In August 2014, the Leeke Magee Christian Counseling Center
(LMCCC) opened on the NOBTS campus in a facility dedicated
to its services. For decades previously, the faculty and students of
the Psychology and Counseling Department (now part of the Di-
vision of Church and Community Ministries) provided limited
services to clients from the campus and the community beyond.
Now, with the establishment of LMCCC not only as a facility but
also as a ministry, the Center is able to amplify its training of stu-
dent interns and its ministries to those in need.
Dr. Kathy Steele, professor of Counseling and director of
LMCCC, enjoys telling the story of God’s provision for the Cen-
ter.
78
The late Dr. Jim Headrick and several of the counseling fac-
ulty long had dreamed of a facility for counseling when the former
William Carey building on the NOBTS campus came available. At
just the right time, an estate gift from the late Leeke Magee pro-
vided the funds necessary to convert the space into a facility for
counseling and for housing the faculty of the CCM division.
Therefore, the center is named in honor of this generous Louisi-
ana Baptist and NOBTS supporter.
Steele goes on to tell of God’s providence through other do-
nors, whose gifts met the needs for ongoing ministry. The material
needs included furnishings for the counseling rooms, a Wi-Fi sys-
tem, an electronic filing system, capability for video recording, and
office equipment. Human resource needs included staff needs,
including an Associate Director and three receptionists. One gift
made possible specialized training for counseling trauma, which is
a significant issue with their clients from drug rehab programs.
“One of the miracles of LMCCC was that unsolicited donations
came in to take care of the ‘dream list’ for the Center. It was excit-
ing to see step-by-step how God provided what we needed.”
79
77
Rhyne Putman, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA,
January 10, 2017.
78
Kathy Steele, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 10, 2017.
79
Kathy Steele, personal interview with Rex Butler, New Orleans, LA, Jan-
uary 10, 2017.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 295
The LMCCC provides an array of biblical, evidenced-based
counseling services that are affordable, accessible and address the
diverse mental health and relational counseling needs of individu-
als, couples, and families in the greater New Orleans community,
including children, adolescents, elderly clients, and, in particular,
the Bethel Colony and Women at the Well ministries. Regarding
the mission of the LMCCC, NOBTS then-president Chuck Kelley
said,
We deeply believe that Southern Baptists need to develop
the necessary skills and knowledge to engage the communi-
ties around our churches. We have to find a way to start the
conversation about Jesus with people who are not in our
churches and we think a counseling program centered in
Christ does that and we believe that community-based min-
istries, again, centered in Christ and the church, can do
that.
80
Steele pointed out that the NOBTS counseling program em-
phasizes a biblical worldview. Counseling students take many of
the foundational biblical and theological courses common to other
master’s degrees. She said,
All of the students have to learn how to examine the foun-
dational and philosophical assumptions of the techniques,
models or theories of counseling to see how these fit into
the biblical worldview. In typical counseling, the primary
goal is to alleviate pain, alleviate suffering. That is not our
primary goal. Our primary goal is to help clients come to
the fullness of what God has created them to be. That
doesn’t always mean that you eliminate pain and suffering.
81
The counseling program at NOBTS is unique in that it pro-
vides the educational background necessary to achieve state licen-
sure. Currently, NOBTS is the only Southern Baptist seminary
offering a licensure track in counseling. The extensive curriculum
offered here makes it possible for counseling graduates to serve
not only as church-based counselors but also in nonprofit organi-
zations and private counseling groups in order to meet needs of
80
http://www.nobts.edu/ccm/counseling-center.html, accessed 5 October
2020.
81
http://www.baptistpress.com/44688/counseling-center-trains-with-biblical-
worldview, accessed 5 October 2020.
296 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
those outside the church. The counseling students at NOBTS are
committed to biblically based ministry that takes the Gospel to
hurting people everywhere.
Dr. Ian Jones, professor of Counseling and chair of the CCM
Division, made this statement about the LMCCC and its mission:
Christ challenged believers to be salt and light in the world
“so that they may see your good works and give glory to
your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16). The division of church
and community ministries is committed to training students
with the skill sets necessary to help churches connect with
their communities through counseling and social ministries,
building up the church and bringing the transforming power
of the Gospel into the world. The new Leeke Magee Chris-
tian Counseling Center will be a significant part of this min-
istry as students are trained to provide an array of biblical,
effective and accessible counseling services to individuals,
couples and families in the greater New Orleans communi-
ty.
82
The Center for Archaeological Research and
the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology
Archaeology has been a vested interest of NOBTS since its
founding. John T. Christian was an avid traveler and collector and
brought back many artifacts to the school’s library from all over
the Near East. J. Wash Watts was also well traveled, having served
in the 1930s as a missionary in “Palestine,” which is now the State
of Israel. He served before there was a ban on removing antiqui-
ties from Israel, so he was able to acquire many very nice pieces.
He brought back to NOBTS several things of great interest and
value, including a piece of a scroll similar to the Aleppo Codex
and which had come out of the Aleppo synagogue.
While these men were avid collectors and others had taught
courses on archaeology, professional archaeology did not come to
NOBTS until the 1970s in the person of George Kelm. Kelm, an
archaeologist, led teams to several locations during the time he
was at NOBTS, including Tel Aphek and Timnah on the Soreq
River. Kelm apparently arranged artifacts that NOBTS already had,
as mentioned above, and added some of the more recent finds to
82
http://www.nobts.edu/ccm/counseling-center.html, accessed 5 October
2020.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 297
the collection.
83
These were all exhibited in an area of the John T.
Christian library.
A number of NOBTS students and faculty members worked
with Kelm on these projects. For example, Mike Edens, long-time
IMB missionary and current distinguished professor of Theology
and Missions, and his wife Madelyn, worked with Kelm at Aphek
in 1973. Many others experienced digging in the Holy Land during
this period, but probably none was more important to the institu-
tion than Dennis Cole. Cole became an avid digger, working in
numerous archaeological excavations over a period of time that
spans from the very early 1980s until the present. His persistence
over the years and the fine cooperation of the administrations of
NOBTS kept archaeology and biblical backgrounds in front of the
students.
In 1996, under the leadership of Dennis Cole, NOBTS found-
ed the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) for the purpose
of unifying the biblical background curriculum, archaeology, and
travel in Israel. Clay Corvin took over the travel program in 1984,
raising funding and arranging scholarships for students to see the
Holy Land.
The center performed very well during the next few years and
with the hiring of Steve Ortiz, another professional archaeologist
who had studied with William Dever at the University of Arizona,
the CAR expanded and looked for an opportunity to perform its
own excavations in Israel. That opportunity came in 2004–2005,
when Steve Ortiz, under the auspices of NOBTS, was given a
permit by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to excavate Tel
Gezer. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina interrupted those plans
and Ortiz soon departed to Southwestern Seminary. Ortiz contin-
ued to press forward at Tel Gezer from Southwestern, and
NOBTS joined the consortium for that dig and continued to take
students to Gezer.
In 2008, NOBTS was given the opportunity to excavate the
ancient water system of Gezer with the Senior Archaeologist of
the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Tsvika Tsuk. At this time,
Daniel Warner, an archaeologist who had recently begun to teach
at the NOBTS Orlando extension center, and who had dug with
Ortiz at Gezer, became one of the co-directors along with Dennis
83
These artifacts were acquired prior to 1973, the year the antiquities law
was passed in Israel.
298 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Cole and Jim Parker. The team began excavations on the ancient
water system in 2010, after two years of study and preparation.
That excavation is still ongoing at present.
In 2009–2010, Jim Parker met with the Israel Antiquities Au-
thority (IAA) regarding new laws and rules that they had enacted
and what was required of NOBTS to maintain an archaeological
excavation in Israel. Several things came out of that discussion
including the founding of the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute
of Archaeology. One of the requirements for a foreign entity to
excavate in Israel is that they have an institute. Out of that need
the Moskau Institute was founded. The institute took its name
from Mike Moskau, the Seminary’s general contractor who had
rebuilt the campus after Hurricane Katrine. Moskau, and his wife
Ginger (Sara) had made numerous trips to Israel and had become
avid promoters of the NOBTS archaeology program. Unfortu-
nately, Mike Moskau died in 2015 at only 58 years old; however,
the Moskau Institute proudly bears his name. The Center for Ar-
chaeological Research, while still using that name at times, has be-
come the Moskau Institute.
As a part of the Moskau Institute and in collaboration with the
Havard New Testament Textual Center and the John T. Christian
Library, the Museum of the Bible and Archaeology at NOBTS
was constructed and now houses many of the precious artifacts,
manuscripts, and bibles possessed by NOBTS. The museum is
located on the second floor of the Hardin Student Center in a
space specifically constructed for it.
Conclusion
Over a hundred years ago, the initial report from Baptist Bible
Institute delivered to the Southern Baptist Convention in May
1918 listed five faculty members, including the president, Byron H.
DeMent.
84
Subsequently, as has been seen, the faculty has been
multiplied many times over with outstanding scholars. Further-
more, faculty members at NOBTS have furthered the scholarship
of their seminary by founding numerous research centers and in-
stitutes. This chapter has listed only a sampling of scholars and
scholarship that reflect favorably on our institution. May God
continue to bless New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with
84
Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 29.
A LEGACY OF SCHOLARSHIP 299
the academic resources needed to “prepare servants to walk with
Christ, proclaim His truth, and fulfill His mission.”
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 301–14
The School of Providence and Prayer:
From the Great Depression through Hurricane
Katrina and Beyond
Steve Lemke, PhD
Steve Lemke is vice president for Institutional Assessment, provost emeri-
tus, and professor of Philosophy and Ethics at New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary.
Difficult Early Days
The year was 1918. Classes began at the new Baptist Bible In-
stitute in New Orleans on October 1, 1918, but a problem quickly
arose – a yellow fever and influenza epidemic had struck the city!
Health officials declared a quarantine until November 19 and or-
dered all schools, colleges, and churches to be suspended indefi-
nitely. The United States Health officer also requested the use of
part of two of the buildings on the BBI campus to care for the
sick, which was granted. The faculty met (a precursor to what a
later faculty would do almost a century later after Hurricane
Katrina) to discuss how to continue classes despite the quarantine.
They made weekly assignments through November and gave tests
each week (by mail correspondence, if not in person). As the end
of the quarantine neared, yet another unexpected challenge arose.
The United States had entered World War I by the declaration of
war in April 1917. Although only 14,000 American Expeditionary
Forces troops were in France in June 1917, that number had in-
creased to over a million by May 1918 and over 2 million troops in
France by the end of the war. In light of these events, War De-
partment officials met with President DeMent and other BBI rep-
resentatives to seek the use of some of the BBI facilities as a hos-
pital for injured soldiers. The BBI representatives unanimously
agreed that it was their patriotic and Christian duty to make the
space available. Still, the Armistice was signed on November 11,
precluding the military’s need for the facilities. What a challenging
first semester!
From that shaky start until today, New Orleans Baptist Theo-
logical Seminary has faced many challenging days. The 1920s
brought many challenges to the young institution. BBI had initiat-
302 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ed a fund-raising campaign in Louisiana and had raised $163,000
in subscriptions for that campaign. Even so, Southern Baptists
instituted the $75 million campaign in 1919, and these funds were
turned over to the $75 million campaign to be allocated.
1
Though
the $75 million campaign appeared to be a success at first, bring-
ing in pledges of over $92 million, it produced just $58 million as
the economy faltered (for example, cotton prices had plunged
from 40 cents a pound to 10 cents a pound). BBI had been
pledged $500,000 out of the campaign, and BBI faculty and stu-
dents pledged $37,000 toward the campaign but received just
$83,000.
2
The Great Depression hit the United States economy in
1929, the same year that Clinton S. Carnes, treasurer of the Home
Mission Board, was revealed to have embezzled about $900,000
from that Baptist agency. These events brought severe economic
pressures on Southern Baptists and their young school in New
Orleans for years to come.
Students and faculty members alike were only getting by finan-
cially. Those who served in churches over the weekends often
came back to New Orleans having been paid with vegetables, eggs,
or other foods. Some students went downtown by the docks to
pick up any bananas that had fallen off while banana boats were
being unloaded. The families would put what they had received on
a common table, and everyone took what they needed, so every-
one’s base needs could be met. Because of God’s provision
through these challenging days, BBI’s first president, Byron Hoo-
ver DeMent, referred to the seminary as “the child of Providence
and Prayer,”
3
and often called the institution “The School of
Providence and Prayer.”
4
1
Ethel L. Holcomb, “The Life and Labors of Byron Hoover DeMent”
(MCT thesis, Baptist Bible Institute, 1935), 22.
2
Holcomb, “The Life and Labors of Byron Hoover DeMent,” 22.
3
Byron H. DeMent, Bulletin of the Baptist Bible Institute, Memorial Number,
(January 1933), 1; c.f. Holcomb, 22–23; Claude L. Howe, Seventy Five Years of
Providence and Prayer: An Illustrated History of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
(NOBTS, LA: Josten’s, 1993), 28.
4
William A. Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer: A History of the New
Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans, LA: NOBTS Press, 1969), 139.
The phrase was included in both the first and second alma maters (pp. 19, 139).
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 303
Continuing Financial Challenges
The seminary itself suffered financially through these difficult
days. The situation was so dire that there were rules about turning
out the lights. President Hamilton saw that a light was on in one
of the classroom buildings one night, so he quickly dressed and
walked over from his house to turn off the light. When he arrived
there, he saw what had become common on the BBI campus –
students praying for God’s intervention and help in the financial
crisis.
5
By 1932, the SBC become concerned about the financial
viability of BBI. The seminary had a bonded indebtedness of
$45,000 to $50,000 maturing each year over the next six years.
Some Baptists began to wonder if BBI could survive, and a com-
mittee was formed to investigate the financial viability of BBI.
Eventually, in 1932, the seminary’s trustees determined that just
five faculty members (inclusive of the president) could be retained.
The decision came down to which faculty members to retain. The
Trustee Instruction Committee chose to retain some of the
younger professors since they had advanced degrees, but one of
the younger faculty members pled with the board to allow him to
resign and retain the older faculty members in light of their expe-
rience and their larger family responsibilities. The young faculty
member asserted that he had a better chance to find other em-
ployment.
6
However, with the reduced faculty, the seminary was
able to stay afloat. Costs were cut while donations increased, and
BBI was able to pay off its debt entirely by 1943. As President
Hamilton said, “the Bible Institute refused to die.”
7
Under the brief presidency of Duke McCall, BBI changed its
name to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and its over-
all financial situation continued to improve. His successor, Roland
Q. Leavell, brought in significant contributions to help the semi-
nary relocate to its new location on Gentilly Boulevard. Dr.
Leavell was an effective leader and fundraiser. Not only did he
find monies to support the building of the new campus, but stu-
dent enrollment surged from less than 400 students in 1947 to
5
Mueller, The School of Providence and Prayer, 83.
6
Howe, Seventy Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 59–60; Mueller, The School of
Providence and Prayer, 82–86.
7
W. W. Hamilton, “Baptist Bible Institute History,” 19; cited in Howe, Sev-
enty Five Years of Providence and Prayer, 58.
304 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
over 1,000 students in 1957. Tragically, Leavell experienced seri-
ous health concerns and had to resign in 1958.
New challenges arose during the presidency of Leo Eddleman
through the decade of the 1960s. A doctrinal civil war arose from
within the faculty. Faculty members were criticizing other faculty
members in the classroom. At times, doctoral students associated
with one faculty member were penalized with poor grades by a
faculty member on the opposite side of the issue. The situation
became so toxic that some faculty left the seminary and student
enrollment began to plunge, increasing stress to the school’s fi-
nancial situation. Two hurricanes further negatively impacted the
seminary during this period – Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and Hurri-
cane Camille in 1969. Hurricane Betsy, which hit New Orleans on
September 9–10, 1965, had a devastating impact on the city. In
many ways, Hurricane Betsy foreshadowed the impact of the later
Hurricane Katrina. With its winds of over 100 miles per hour,
Hurricane Betsy pushed a storm surge of water into Lake Pont-
chartrain, causing the levees on both sides of the Industrial Canal
to break, flooding Gentilly and the Upper and Lower 9
th
Wards,
just as it would almost exactly forty years later.
President Eddleman summarized the impact of hurricane Betsy
on the NOBTS campus, which hit New Orleans the evening after
convocation had been celebrated in the chapel that morning, with
these words:
For a whole day after the recent hurricane, most New Orle-
anians sat around stunned and looking at one another. The
presence of up to 36 inches of water on the northern one-
third of this campus, with fish almost as long as your hand
swimming therein, was unbelievable. But I saw it. After vis-
iting two or three dormitories around 10:00 P.M. the night
of the hurricane, Mrs. Eddleman and I returned and stood
briefly on the screened porch of the southern side of the
home we occupy. A sudden booster gust of wind ripped an
entire section of screen from the porch as though it were
tissue paper. We went inside. Shortly after, a baby tornado
was spawned, entered the campus at the southeast corner,
felled a tree between Dr. J. Wash Watts’ home and the one
we occupy, proceeded to the chapel where it ripped off nu-
merous shingles of the roof, from there to Carey Hall where
it brought untold havoc, then departed the campus to stage
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 305
a Sherman-like march of destruction for at least four blocks
off campus.
8
The wind-driven rain damaged many campus buildings, some of
them by the numerous trees and limbs that fell all over the cam-
pus. This was, of course, before the day of mobile phones, so the
campus was effectively knocked out of all electronic communica-
tions, with all electricity and phone lines out from Thursday even-
ing, September 9, until Monday, September 13. The campus’s
damage was so extensive that a study committee considered relo-
cating the seminary, but the decision was made to remain in its
existing location in New Orleans.
Then, just four years later, New Orleans received an indirect
hit from hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969. Although the hur-
ricane turned slightly to strike the Mississippi Gulf Coast more
directly, it damaged or destroyed many churches in South Missis-
sippi, which had supported the seminary financially and offered
ministry opportunities for NOBTS students. All of these factors
contributed to an emerging financial crisis at the seminary. An
austerity budget was implemented in 1969. Both Dean Kennedy
(in August 1968) and President Eddleman (in January 1970) re-
signed, and the search was on for new leadership.
Grady Cothen was elected the next president, and though he
served just four years in that role, he helped stabilize the semi-
nary’s economic position. He economized the operation of the
seminary, including requiring the president’s signature on virtually
every expenditure. These financial controls brought the seminary’s
budget back into alignment.
After Cothen’s resignation, Landrum P. Leavell II was elected
in 1970. During the twenty-year presidency of Dr. Leavell, the
seminary’s financial picture slowly improved, with the seminary
endowment and student enrollment increasing significantly. Under
Leavell’s leadership, innovations such as the creation of extension
centers, the use of compressed interactive video (CIV), and the
recreation of the seminary’s undergraduate program swelled the
seminary’s student enrollment to over 2,000 students. Leavell was
able to raise the seminary’s endowment from less than a million
dollars to over $20 million.
8
Leo Eddleman, Vision (December 1965), 2; cited in Howe, Seventy Five
Years of Providence and Prayer, 133.
306 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
The endowment raised by Leavell provided a firm financial
foundation for the early presidency of Chuck Kelley, who became
president in 1996. New curriculum and new delivery systems were
implemented under President Kelley and the new provost, Dr.
Steve Lemke, and the seminary’s student enrollment doubled over
the next five years. By 2004, NOBTS had achieved its largest stu-
dent enrollment ever, which was the largest student enrollment of
any SBC seminary. Then came August 2005.
Through the Storm
Hurricane evacuations are not particularly rare on the Gulf
Coast, and even through Hurricane Katrina, the campus suffered
only modest damage from the wind, rain, and fallen branches.
Then the levees broke, and the situation became entirely different.
Much of the city of New Orleans was flooded – including most of
the NOBTS campus. The entire situation changed overnight. The
entire main campus in New Orleans was going to be unavailable
for a year. How could the institution keep afloat and keep having
classes when faculty offices, faculty homes, student and staff
housing, classrooms, and the library were not available for use?
The answer is the amazing story of the survival of NOBTS
through the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
9
On August 23, 2005, a tropical storm touched the southeastern
coast of the Bahamas. Early projections predicted that Hurricane
Katrina would make landfall far to the east of New Orleans, so
many people in New Orleans weren’t paying that much attention
to it. The winds strengthened to make Hurricane Katrina a weak
hurricane by the time it made landfall on the east coast of Florida
on Thursday, August 25, but it weakened again to tropical storm
status while crossing Florida. The weather prognosticators pre-
dicted that the storm would strike somewhere along the Florida
panhandle and posed no threat to New Orleans. But by Friday
afternoon, August 26, unusual weather conditions caused the
storm to go off track westward, eventually placing the city of New
9
This story has been recounted in greater detail by two works by several
former NOBTS faculty members. See Curtis Scott Drumm, Providence through the
Storm: The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Hurricane Katrina Experience
(Metairie, LA: Journey Publications, 2009); and Steve Echols and Allen England,
Catastrophic Crisis: Ministry Leadership in the Midst of Trial and Tragedy (Nashville,
TN: B&H, 2011).
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 307
Orleans squarely in its sights. The storm dramatically intensified
on Saturday, August 27, to become a major hurricane, and by
Sunday, it became the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the
Gulf of Mexico.
As soon as the hurricane’s direction and strength changed, the
NOBTS administration met and called for an immediate evacua-
tion from the campus. Typically, hurricane evacuations involve
evacuating for just several days until the storm has passed and
electric power is restored if interrupted. Sometimes hurricanes
make a last-minute turn and miss the evacuated area altogether.
Thus, many people who have lived along the coast for many years
choose to stay home to either ride through the storm or enjoy a
couple of days off. Those who left often viewed the evacuations
as sort of a weekend vacation. However, this evacuation came so
suddenly and unexpectedly that few people had made any prepara-
tion for evacuation. By Sunday, August 28, the mayor of New Or-
leans had ordered the entire city’s mandatory evacuation, a virtual-
ly unprecedented decision. Since almost no one had evacuated
early, traffic jams extended for over a hundred miles from New
Orleans, and trips that were normally five hours took at least twice
that time. Hotels in safer areas at a distance from New Orleans
sold out of rooms.
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday, August 29. The
winds were high, blowing down tree limbs and shattering the
Leavell Center stained glass window over its classic organ. But by
Monday evening, the small crew still on the seminary campus re-
ported that the damage had been comparatively minor, and that
classes could begin again in a few days.
Then the levees broke. The wind-driven rain drove 20 feet of
water into Lake Pontchartrain and other waterways, flooding the
city’s levee system to overflowing. Disaster officials for many
years had warned of the possibility of a “perfect storm” – a hurri-
cane tracking up the Mississippi River up to New Orleans, driving
a storm surge of water into Lake Pontchartrain and from there
into the city. That is exactly the path that Katrina took. The city’s
levees are at a higher elevation than much of the city, which is five
to eight feet below sea level. The levee system functions to pump
the water out of New Orleans and into Lake Pontchartrain. But
the storm surge left the water with nowhere to go. The NOBTS
campus slowly began to flood on Monday evening, August 30.
Although the academic buildings of the seminary, which sit atop
308 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
one of the higher elevations in Orleans Parish, largely escaped
flooding, much of the campus housing was flooded the next
morning with from three to eight feet of water.
New Orleans immediately after the flood was a dangerous
place. Power lines were down, increasing the danger of electrocu-
tion. The safety of the flood water itself was unknown, since it
had swept over so many toxic chemicals from various locations.
Roving gangs were looting neighborhoods, and even shot at police
helicopters. A small group of campus security returned to the
campus to protect it, at some personal risk to themselves. Howev-
er, through several providential connections, and because the
front of the campus was not flooded, National Guard troops and
visiting police groups from several states came to use the campus
as their base. They stayed at the Providence Guest House, and
military helicopters came and went from Hardin Student Center.
This strong presence of National Guard troops and police on the
campus helped preserve the campus from looting and vandalism
through these difficult days.
Meanwhile, the faculty who lived on the New Orleans campus
had evacuated to 8 states and the staff and students to 28 states, as
they each went to temporary housing offered by family or friends.
Most families evacuating from the campus took just enough cloth-
ing and supplies for the weekend, anticipating that they could go
back to New Orleans in a few days after the storm had passed. As
it turned out, those few possessions would prove to be virtually all
that survived the storm. They literally had to start over with cloth-
ing, houseware, linens, and all such things that might normally be
given to a newly married couple beginning their life together. Also,
school had already begun, so the faculty families were forced to
make fairly quick decisions about where to live so that children
could get in a school. Sometimes the temporary situation they
chose was far short of ideal, but it was the best that could be done
in such demanding circumstances.
Many questions came to mind in light of these events. The
campus and New Orleans itself were inaccessible to the public for
weeks to come. Although some classrooms were available, there
was no livable housing for students, staff, or faculty members.
How could classes go forward that semester when the classrooms,
faculty offices, and the library were inaccessible? How could the
semester continue when the faculty members had evacuated to 8
states and students to 28 states? How could students be recruited
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 309
when there was no campus to which to recruit them? Could the
seminary continue to be viable at all into the future?
When the reality of this new situation was driven home, a team
of seminary leaders met in the seminary’s extension center in met-
ropolitan Atlanta to come up with answers to these questions. For
years, the seminary’s Atlanta extension was housed in the Colum-
bia Drive Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, and it was here on
September 1, 2005, that a diverse team of about sixteen adminis-
trators, faculty, staff and students gathered. After a devotional and
information-sharing time, the team that was there broke into three
groups, each of which addressed a key question about the future
of the seminary.
The academic team, led by Provost Steve Lemke, sought to de-
velop a plan for how the seminary could possibly continue classes
that semester. Because the seminary had extension centers in a
number of Southeastern cities, including Atlanta, it was fairly easy
to go forward with those classes, although adjustments had to be
made to teach courses by compressed interactive video (CIV)
from Atlanta rather than from New Orleans. But the big problem
was how to continue the New Orleans campus courses. Fortu-
nately, the seminary had been utilizing some internet classes since
2000, so some courses could be shifted to a fully online delivery
system. But in addition, in many of the on-campus classes, faculty
members were using the same Blackboard software as was used in
the online classes to supplement their class time. Some classes
used the Blackboard format to give quizzes or conduct threaded
discussions online between class sessions. So the academic team
proposed continuing all the New Orleans campus courses by en-
hancing these Blackboard tools that were already in existence. Of
course, the faculty member would have to completely revise the
syllabus for the semester, shift more of the class material and tests
online, and utilize the threaded discussions tool much more signif-
icantly. The faculty would be given until the first of October to
reshape their classes, and then the fall semester would continue in
this new format. Ironically, these changes strangely paralleled the
sort of adjustments made back in 1918 to respond to the health
quarantine. Because of the new format focused on replacing the
classroom discussions with “threaded discussions” online, the ac-
ademic team came to call this format “TDS” classes. This alterna-
tive delivery system would prove key to not only salvaging the se-
mester and allow eligible students to graduate in December, but
310 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
literally in making the long-term survival of the seminary more
possible.
A second team, led by Dean of Students Craig Price, came up
with a plan to locate and communicate with each New Orleans
campus student. Since the students had evacuated to live tempo-
rarily with family or friends, this proved to be a challenging but
crucial task. Many of these calls involved grieving with the stu-
dents that were coming to grips with the fact that it was likely,
particularly if they lived on the first floor of their housing, that
they lost most or all of their possessions back in New Orleans.
But these calls shared key information and provided needed coun-
seling at times to keep the student body on board as a whole.
Without that personal contact, many of the students would have
given up on their seminary plans.
The third team, led by Vice President for Development Charlie
Harvey, came up with plans for the crucial task of soliciting funds
to rebuild the New Orleans campus, aid hurting faculty, staff, and
students, and make it possible for the seminary to achieve long-
term survival financially. Southern Baptists would prove to be very
generous in supporting NOBTS through this time of crisis.
With these initial plans in place, the faculty and their spouses
gathered on the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary cam-
pus in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 9–11, 2005. On the first
night, Dr. Kelley and others shared what the situation was on the
New Orleans campus. He showed pictures from the campus, in-
cluding showing pictures of faculty homes under several feet of
water. For most of the faculty and their spouses, this was the first
view they had seen of the campus, and it was shocking. To see
their own houses under several feet of water was devastating emo-
tionally. The president assured the faculty families that the semi-
nary intended to rebuild in New Orleans and led in some devo-
tional thoughts and prayer. The next couple of days, the faculty
began working within the normal faculty academic divisions to see
if the provisional plan that had been proposed in Atlanta would
actually work. Without exception, each academic division agreed
to shift their classes to this alternative delivery system to keep the
semester going. Faculty members who lived in the Northshore
area were not as severely impacted by the Katrina experience, and
they proposed that some classroom type classes continue at First
Baptist Church of Covington, Louisiana. This plan was also ap-
proved, and about a hundred students living in that area utilized
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 311
that option. The faculty families received encouragement from
Southwestern Seminary faculty families who hosted them in their
homes, as well as being offered a large number of clothing options
from churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The administrative team relocated to Atlanta to make the De-
catur extension center the seminary’s temporary base of opera-
tions. Some lived in housing provided by churches in the Atlanta
area, but many lived in the Clairmont Crest senior adult housing
facility owned by the Georgia Baptist Convention. Food, clothes,
cooking implements, and dishware were collected in the former
church gym at the Decatur campus to help meet the needs of fac-
ulty, staff, and students alike. First Baptist Church of Atlanta of-
fered classrooms for students, so almost all the classes were relo-
cated there to allow the Decatur location to house all the adminis-
trative offices. Chick-fil-A generously catered a meal one day a
week, and the fellowship in the former church cafeteria area was
always warm between faculty, staff, and students over meals at
that location. Many of the administrative team were able to relo-
cate back to New Orleans early in 2006, living for months in the
Providence Guest House. Most of the campus housing was ready
for faculty and students by August 2006, and a modest on-campus
program began again that academic year.
Because the seminary was able to continue virtually all of its
classes in the difficult days following Katrina, the student body
stayed largely intact through the Katrina crisis. Students in their
last semester of seminary in fall 2005 were able to complete the
work toward their degrees and receive their diplomas at gradua-
tion exercises in December 2005 at the seminary’s Birmingham
extension center location, Church at Brook Hills. Even though
sister institutions made the kind offer to allow NOBTS students
to transfer and enroll at no charge in the fall 2005 semester, most
NOBTS students stayed enrolled at NOBTS, or laid out a semes-
ter or two and then resumed their studies at NOBTS. The part of
the student body most impacted by the storm were international
students, whose immigration status could have been in jeopardy if
the semester had not gone forward. So many international stu-
dents, particularly doctoral students, went to the sister SBC semi-
naries offering the free tuition. But as a whole, the Katrina event
did not cause a large drop in student enrollment. Between the
2005–2006 and 2006–2007 academic years, student enrollment
declined just about 350 students, from 3,761 to 3,412. However, it
312 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
had bounced back to 3,605 students by the next academic year,
2007–2008, and by 2014–2015 a new enrollment record of 3,908
had been reached, surpassing even the previous all-time high en-
rollment in 2003–2004.
At one meeting in the midst of these challenging days, the ad-
ministrative team began to list all the ways that God had provi-
dentially provided for NOBTS long before the storm to prepare
our way to survive the storm. An opportunity had come to in-
crease the seminary’s property insurance just months before the
storm, and the insurance protection was essentially tripled from
$10 million to $33 million. The seminary had sold off a couple of
off-campus apartment buildings to another institution, largely be-
cause of security concerns, but these buildings were greatly dam-
aged and the income from the sale was more valuable to the re-
covery efforts than the storm-damaged buildings were worth. The
seminary had moved from a health insurance policy for its em-
ployees primarily served by one New Orleans hospital to a nation-
ally transportable health insurance policy, which was crucial for
the faculty families who evacuated to different states. The exist-
ence of the large facility donated by Columbia Drive Baptist
Church to house the seminary’s temporary headquarters in Deca-
tur, Georgia, was a Godsend, including the fact that it housed the
backup servers for the Seminary’s internet system. The seminary’s
early adaptation of the online class delivery system, and the use of
internet-assisted components even in regular semester on campus
classes, made the transition to the all-online “threaded discussion”
format possible. The seminary’s large extension center system,
largely unaffected by Katrina, continued as an anchor for student
enrollment through the post-Katrina days. The seminary’s consor-
tial agreements with other Louisiana libraries (LOUIS) and Geor-
gia libraries (GALILEO), along with its online resources and
agreements with various Baptist college libraries, made it possible
for the seminary to continue without immediate access to the John
T. Christian Library on campus. The recent construction of the
Providence Guest House provided a venue to house National
Guard and state police troops at the seminary, and their presence
prevented the sort of looting on the seminary campus that was
rampant across the city. In all, the administrative team listed two
pages of specific ways in which they realized in retrospect that
God had prepared his seminary to survive the tragic damage
caused by Hurricane Katrina.
THE SCHOOL OF PROVIDENCE AND PRAYER 313
The Pandemic of 2020
In Spring of 2020, another worldwide pandemic, reminiscent
of the one in the Seminary’s first year, impacted NOBTS and
Leavell College. The COVID-19 numbers were very high in New
Orleans, and the Louisiana governor imposed a quarantine with
statewide limitations on businesses and public gatherings. The
New Orleans mayor imposed some even stronger limitations on
the city. As with schools across the country, NOBTS and Leavell
College moved their in-person classes to internet classes in March
2020 and continued through the semester to complete all classes.
Chapel had to be discontinued; the cafeteria closed; and all offices
closed. Faculty and administrative meetings were held by video
conferencing.
Some schools lost tens of millions of dollars due to the pan-
demic, but because of its Katrina experience and its early adoption
of online learning, NOBTS was well-positioned to make this tran-
sition. Almost all the Seminary students stayed enrolled, and most
who lived on campus continued to do so. The school had several
“socially distanced” social events through the Spring and Summer
to help break the isolation of faculty members, staff, and students
caused by the quarantine.
The Seminary administration outlined several budgetary ad-
justment options in case the school experienced financial reversal,
but happily only the most modest of these options had to be im-
plemented. The school was concerned that Summer enrollment
would decrease, so the administration launched a “Bridge Cam-
paign” to assist students financially, many of whom had lost jobs
and income. The school’s donors came through in an amazing
way with $435,000 to assist students, and Summer enrollment held
steady.
Like at all institutions of higher learning, the Seminary admin-
istration was concerned about the Fall semester enrollment as well.
The institution’s student enlistment personnel were not able to
travel to recruit new students because of the pandemic. But the
Seminary initiated “Bridge Campaign 2.0” for the Fall semester,
and again the donors came through with $275,000 to help the stu-
dents through this crisis time. Fall enrollment remained steady.
The school was able to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program to
continue paying Seminary personnel whose offices were closed.
314 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
The Seminary reached its $1 million goal for the Providence Fund
to help fund the budget. The SBC Cooperative Program, which
some thought would face dramatic reductions, continued within
just a few percentage points of the budgeted amount. Amazingly,
through it all, NOBTS was able to finish the year “in the black”
financially. NOBTS was begun as the School of Providence and
Prayer in the midst of a pandemic, and it is still the School of
Providence and Prayer to this day!
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 315–25
Theological Education Delivered to You:
The Extension Centers and Online Learning
Norris Grubbs, PhD
Norris Grubbs is provost and professor of New Testament and Greek at
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary was one of the pi-
oneers of theological education through extension centers and
online learning. Extension center education partners with the local
churches to offer accredited theological training to equip leaders
where they are called to serve. Many extension centers are located
in a local church setting. Extension center education allows stu-
dents who feel called to further their theological training the op-
portunity to do so without having to move to New Orleans.
Extensions Center Beginnings
NOBTS began extension center education during Dr. Landrum
P. Leavell II’s presidency. The first extension center work was in
partnership with the Home Mission Board and the Florida Baptist
Convention. In 1979, the seminary helped begin an “ethnic cen-
ter” for training in South Florida, reaching Hispanic and Haitian
pastors. Not long after that, Dr. John Sullivan, pastor of Broad-
moor Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, encouraged the
seminary to start a center for training in Shreveport. A series of
undergraduate off-campus centers began in 1979 under the leader-
ship of Dr. Jerry Breazeale, the dean of the School of Christian
Training (later called Leavell College). The first extension centers
offered a portion of the Associate of Divinity degree and included
Boaz, Alabama; Tampa, Florida; Shreveport, Louisiana; and North
Georgia. One goal of extension work was to give opportunities
for theological training to those who were already serving in a lo-
cal church but did not feel called to leave their ministries. Dr.
Jimmy Dukes, former dean of the extension centers, remarked,
“We were able in the early years to reach out particularly to pas-
tors who had not gotten theological training and were not consid-
ering theological training because it was so far away. They had
families and responsibilities and could not ‘pull up stakes’ and
316 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
move to campus. So, we reached out to those kinds of people in
the five southeastern states.” Starting an extension close to where
the students were serving in ministry allowed them to gain quality
theological training without relocating to New Orleans.
Dukes began to work with the undergraduate extensions in
1983 and helped expand the program. The seminary knew that
traditionally 40% of Southern Baptist pastors had no higher edu-
cation or theological training, so the need for theological training
was great, specifically with the undergraduate program. Dukes
commented, “I remember meeting with several associational di-
rectors in Mississippi and asking for names of pastors in their as-
sociation without a college degree. In just a few days, I had 120
names. We saw the need.”
Undergraduate courses were typically offered on Mondays,
with students able to take three or four classes each semester to-
wards their degree. Qualified local pastors helped the seminary
provide accredited training by teaching as adjuncts in the various
extension centers. All undergraduate students had to complete a
residency requirement of at least 24 credit hours taken on the
New Orleans campus. One-week intensive workshops on the
New Orleans campus allowed students the opportunity to com-
plete their residency hours in a timely manner. Students were also
able to complete their degrees by transferring in general education
classes from local colleges.
The first graduate centers were officially opened in 1982. A few
classes had been offered since 1980 in the North Georgia center
due to repeated requests from local pastors, denominational lead-
ers, and interested students. In 1982, a cycle of courses was estab-
lished at the North Georgia center, which began at the Roswell
Street Baptist Church, where alumnus and former trustee Dr. Nel-
son Price was pastor. Five other graduate centers were begun in
1982 as well, including Birmingham, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama;
Graceville, Florida; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississip-
pi. The Jackson site was eventually moved to Mississippi College,
and the Graceville site was established at the Baptist College of
Florida. Partnering with the local Baptist colleges has been a fruit-
ful aspect of the extension center system.
As NOBTS began extension center education, each graduate
center had a four-year cycle of courses offered for required work
in the Master of Divinity program. Courses were typically sched-
uled on Mondays. Professors from the New Orleans campus
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION DELIVERED TO YOU 317
commuted to the extension locations and taught an afternoon
class with an adjunct teacher leading the evening class. In some
locations, this required the professor to fly and then be picked up
for a several-hour drive to the local extension. After teaching the
class, the professor would be driven back to the airport and fly
home. Often students would volunteer to transport the professors
between the airport and the center, and the professor and student
shared valuable conversations.
The task of providing quality training at the extension centers
was not easy. Dr. William Warren, professor of New Testament
and Greek, who taught at the extension center when he first began
at the seminary recalled,
My first time to teach in one of our extension centers was in
Orlando about a year after having come to NOBTS in 1990.
Teaching in an extension center was somewhat of a privi-
lege, with teaching opportunities offered through the dean’s
office. The day started early, with a flight to Orlando via
Nashville. I would leave New Orleans around 6:30 a.m.,
then arrive in Orlando around 12:15 p.m. At that point, a
student would pick me up at the airport, and we would rush
to class so that we could begin at 1:00 p.m. Almost as soon
as the class finished around 5:00 p.m., we would rush back
to the airport so that I could catch the flight back to New
Orleans via Nashville. I would arrive home at about 11:00
p.m., barring no flight delays. I remember one week, the
flight was delayed in Nashville, so I finally arrived home at
about 2:00 a.m. The next day I had a class to teach at 8:00
a.m. Such schedules were not for the faint of heart, but at
least we got to keep the frequent flyer miles!
In each location, the seminary retained a liaison/director to handle
administrative details such as registration, collection of fees, order-
ing textbooks, and so forth. Each center contained some library
facilities, and often there were cooperative agreements with local
libraries so NOBTS students could access their resources. Stu-
dents could complete approximately two-thirds of the degree at
the local extensions, and the other part of the degree could be
completed through one-week intensive workshops on the New
Orleans campus.
In 1994, NOBTS began experimenting with Compressed In-
teractive Video (CIV) for extension center education. The use of
CIV allowed a professor to teach from New Orleans to various
318 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
extension center sites, which were also connected through the
phone line to a CIV monitor. At the time, CIV was on the leading
edge of educational technology, and very few schools were doing
anything like it. The seminary’s accrediting agencies approved
NOBTS to utilize CIV in 1997, beginning as an experimental pro-
ject. The utilization of CIV multiplied the efforts of the New Or-
leans faculty and provided access to the campus resources to stu-
dents throughout the Southeast.
The initial attempts at CIV were not without problems. Dr.
Charlie Ray commented, “I remember teaching one of the first
classes using CIV, and we were told not to move from place to
place. If you moved, there would be a little trail of your body
showing on the screens elsewhere since there was a brief delay.
We’ve come a long way since then.” The seminary made signifi-
cant investments in CIV equipment to facilitate this type of train-
ing, and the faculty in New Orleans learned to teach with this
emerging technology. Faculty were encouraged to travel to exten-
sion sites a couple of times a semester, but the use of CIV limited
the number of trips New Orleans faculty were required to make to
the extensions. In 2013, the seminary began to use web-
conferencing technology to facilitate distance education. The sem-
inary continues to investigate ways that improved technology may
allow for greater access to theological education. Each year, as the
quality of internet access has improved across the Southeast, the
student experience has continued to develop and grow. Interac-
tion between New Orleans faculty and extension center students
has continued to be an important part of the courses taught via
CIV.
From the beginning in 1979, NOBTS has expanded, relocated
various extension centers, and adjusted what was offered at each
site, but the philosophy remained largely the same. The seminary
wanted to make theological education accessible to as many peo-
ple as possible, and the extension centers provided a convenient
way for many to receive quality training for ministry.
Extension Center Expansion
By 1992, seminary courses were offered in eleven locations, in-
cluding a campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a significant por-
tion of NOBTS students were extension center students. That
same year, Dr. Jimmy Dukes was tasked with the oversight of the
graduate extension centers in addition to what he was already do-
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION DELIVERED TO YOU 319
ing with the undergraduate sites. By the mid-1990s, NOBTS had
expanded to fifteen extension center locations, and over one
thousand students were enrolled off-campus. The use of CIV al-
lowed faculty to teach to several centers at once, which was an
important factor in the expansion. At this point, a significant por-
tion of the seminary’s student body was composed of extension
center students. For example, in 1997, 32% of the students were
enrolled at extension centers. Another 12% of the student enroll-
ment was from prison extension sites and Church Leadership Cer-
tificate sites. Thus, in 1997, over 40% of the NOBTS student
population was enrolled somewhere other than New Orleans. The
number of extension center students peaked in 2003–2004, when
1,351 students were enrolled as extension center students.
The growth and expansion of extension centers prepared the
seminary for the coming storm. When Hurricane Katrina hit on
August 29, 2005, approximately half of the student body was en-
rolled somewhere other than New Orleans. As a result, many
NOBTS students were relatively unaffected by the storm person-
ally. Their homes and their classrooms were never in the storm’s
area of destruction. Also, New Orleans students scattered
throughout the Southeast because of Katrina were able to pick up
their seminary education through offerings at the closest extension
site. Many of the classes students were taking were not impacted
by the total shutdown of the New Orleans campus. Perhaps no
other seminary in the world was better equipped to handle the
devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina.
After Hurricane Katrina, the student population was more
heavily focused off-campus than in New Orleans. Whereas 56%
of the students were on campus in 1997 and still 51% in 2005,
that number dropped to 46% the year after Katrina. The impact
of internet classes shifted this number as well. In 2019, approxi-
mately 44% of students enrolled were on the New Orleans cam-
pus.
In the year following Katrina, the seminary decided to place a
renewed emphasis upon extension center education, establishing
three “hubs” to serve the extension center system and moving
full-time faculty to some extensions. Three regional deans were
commissioned to administrate the hubs. Dr. Norris Grubbs was
tasked with the role of the regional dean for Louisiana and Missis-
sippi. Dr. Steve Echols was the regional dean for Georgia and Al-
abama, and Dr. Mark Stephens was the regional dean for Florida.
320 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Dr. Jimmy Dukes, the associate provost, was tasked with oversee-
ing all extension center work. Each regional dean was responsible
for the centers in their area and coordinating the extension center
for maximum efficiency. While the personnel and responsibilities
have shifted some, the seminary maintains the general administra-
tive structure established in 2006.
Since the late 1990s, NOBTS had offered theological training
at fifteen locations. While there was some movement and inter-
change, the number of extension sites remained stable until 2007
when the North Mississippi Center was started on the campus of
Blue Mountain College. From 2012 until 2017, the number of ex-
tension centers increased by one-third. The strategy for extension
centers was adjusted in 2013 to focus on smaller centers closer to
where the students lived. Thus, several new centers were estab-
lished within driving distance from existing centers. The extension
center expansion included sites in Huntsville, Rainsville, and Tus-
caloosa in Alabama, as well as Duluth, Jonesboro, Savannah, Au-
gusta, and Columbus in Georgia. At its peak, the seminary had
twenty-five extension centers located throughout the Southeast.
Online Education
As the role of internet education has increased, the need for
extension center education has subsided. NOBTS was an early
adapter of online education. The seminary experimented with
online courses as early as 2000 but has more heavily invested in
this delivery format in recent years. Consequently, the seminary
has closed several extension center sites in the last few years. The
seminary currently has fifteen extension sites serving students
throughout the Southeast. In many cases, students attend the ex-
tension center because they desire a community of learning, which
they struggle to maintain online. NOBTS will have to continue to
manage the size of the extension center system since student in-
terest continues to shift.
Beginnings
NOBTS began offering online classes in the spring semester of
2000. One graduate course and two undergraduate courses were
offered. One of the undergraduate courses did not enroll any stu-
dents, and the two classes that went forward were relatively small.
The graduate course was Philosophical Foundations of Christian
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION DELIVERED TO YOU 321
Education taught by Dr. Tim Searcy, and Dr. Thomas Strong
taught Greek 1 as the undergraduate course. Strong remarked,
I found it both challenging and exciting – challenging to
learn a new way of offering courses and exciting to be on
the cutting edge of online learning for our institution. In re-
flection, it was actually new to many institutions at that
time – few had ventured into online learning at other insti-
tutions, so there were few models to imitate. Also, we had
many experiments, both with the uploading of information
and the presentation of the information. Some of the exper-
iments succeeded, and some failed. For those which failed,
we simply saw it as an opportunity to seek another possible
means to accomplish the task. For example, because we had
difficulty getting a font that we could use, I had to learn
simplified HTML in order to create the tables and Greek
words in each lesson. I distinctly remember some thinking
that it was a passing fad and required too much investment
of time/energy. Though they were correct about the incred-
ible investment of time/energy, they were incorrect about
this being a passing fad. We have come a long way, but I am
glad that we continue to emphasize the importance of ac-
cessible education. I am honored and thankful to have been
a part of the groundbreaking process of online learning at
NOBTS.
The following semester, twelve online classes were offered. At this
time, the seminary’s accrediting agencies only allowed a portion of
a degree to be offered through distance education, including
online courses. Thus, the online courses were mainly offered to
help students speed their coursework along or reach students who
could not take classes on a regular schedule.
Many students valued the online offerings as a matter of con-
venience. Students were no longer required to drive to the nearest
extension center or campus, and those who worked during the
times when classes were offered were still able to take classes. At
first, students who lived on or near the New Orleans campus were
not allowed to register for online courses. Over time, this re-
striction was dropped, and students throughout the NOBTS sys-
tem enrolled in online courses.
322 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
The Impact of Hurricane Katrina
In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the NOBTS faculty
was scattered without access to their homes or office. The admin-
istration decided to try and continue classes for the fall 2005 se-
mester using online course offerings. Two weeks after Katrina, the
seminary faculty met on the campus of Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary and discussed how to redesign the curricu-
lum and offer every course through an online format. Faculty
were provided with laptops and given the monumental task of
continuing to teach the courses through an online format that they
were previously offering on-campus in New Orleans. While some
faculty had been teaching online before this time, many had not.
The seminary provided training, and the faculty helped each other
learn how to navigate the BlackBoard Learning Management Sys-
tem. A few faculty had thought to bring an electronic copy of
their notes on their way out of New Orleans, but many were es-
sentially building their classes from the ground up without many
resources at hand. Every faculty member had to spend hours
learning to teach in a new way. Students were given the opportuni-
ty to continue their classes online, and many did. Professors and
students alike were grateful to have the opportunity to communi-
cate with those who had been separated so suddenly. A few pro-
fessors were able to teach at an extension or at a class on the New
Orleans campus in the spring of 2006, but most of the faculty
were primarily online teachers for the 2005–2006 academic year.
For obvious reasons, the Katrina experience drastically in-
creased the number of classes that were ready to be offered online
as well as the number of faculty who were equipped to teach
online. However, as the New Orleans campus reopened in the fall
2006 semester, several factors pushed against the growth of online
education. Many faculty were so relieved to get back to a “normal
life” that their focus was on the traditional classroom. Before
Katrina, faculty volunteers had taught online, but not everyone
was forced to teach in the new format. Katrina forced some who
did not see themselves as online teachers to teach in the new de-
livery method. When these professors returned, they were happy
to resume teaching on campus and hesitant to teach online in the
near future. The seminary’s online programs did continue to grow,
but the growth was steady rather than dramatic.
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION DELIVERED TO YOU 323
Degree Completion and Hybrids
Before 2014, the seminary was not permitted by the accrediting
agencies to offer any degrees completely online. Online courses
were used primarily to supplement the ways students could take
courses. In 2009, Leavell College began to outline how students
who had completed the associate’s degree could use the online
offerings with workshops to complete their degree. Students were
afforded the opportunity to finish degrees that, otherwise, they
would not have been able to complete, and the seminary contin-
ued to make education as accessible as possible.
Before 2012, the faculty had begun to experiment with hybrid
courses that combined occasional face-to-face meetings with an
online learning component. While the faculty continued to utilize
hybrid courses in various ways, the administration outlined a cycle
for hybrid courses that met four times beginning in fall 2012.
These courses allowed the seminary to reach out regionally to
those who could travel to campus just four times in a semester
while completing the rest of the work online. Students who were
able to attend half of the class meetings in a “hub” or on the New
Orleans campus could fulfill part of their on-campus requirements.
Some students found it easier to commit four days a semester to
fulfill the residential requirement than to commit a full week for a
workshop. Many students found the hybrids to be a healthy bal-
ance between a fully-online environment and coming to class eve-
ry week. Again, the faculty were forced to learn to teach in new
ways to make theological training accessible.
Since each hybrid class was based upon a robust online course,
the development of online courses was an important factor for the
growth of hybrids. Similarly, some online courses were developed
because of the need to have the backbone for the hybrid course.
The continued development of courses was vital for the time
when the seminary would be allowed to offer fully online classes.
Online Learning Center and the Rubicon Project
Since the seminary was constantly developing new online
courses, the administration decided to appoint someone to help
oversee the internet delivery system. Dr. Craig Price was appoint-
ed the associate dean of Online Learning in 2008. Price and his
staff were responsible for creating the Online Learning Center,
324 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
which promotes the online delivery systems and helps maintain a
system of quality control for the courses.
By 2011, most of the undergraduate and graduate courses were
available online. However, some essential classes were missing for
a full degree to be available. Dr. Kelley and the administration
wanted NOBTS to be ready to offer fully online degrees whenever
the accrediting agencies approved such a course of action. Thus,
they made an important decision to “cross the Rubicon” and fin-
ish out the courses needed to offer fully online degrees. In a
spring faculty meeting, each faculty member was tasked with cre-
ating a new online course to help round out the needed courses
for the online delivery program. Faculty received technological
help if needed for creating courses, but faculty members were re-
sponsible for completing their new course in the following year.
Every faculty member was enrolled in the “Teaching in the Twen-
ty-First Century” graduate certificate as a means of providing
needed technological training for the new types of teaching. “The
Rubicon Project,” as Kelley titled it, was essential in preparing
NOBTS for the coming days of fully online degrees.
Fully Online Degrees
The seminary first offered fully online degrees in 2014. That
year, the Master of Theological Studies, a 48-hour degree, was ap-
proved to be offered completely online. The Master of Arts (Bib-
lical Studies) and Master of Arts (Theology) were developed and
offered online as well. NOBTS was among the first seminaries to
be approved to offer all-online degrees by the Association of
Theological Schools. While some students were interested in these
shorter degrees, there was still a desire for the standard degrees to
be offered online.
In 2015, the seminary began to offer the associate’s, bachelor’s,
and Master of Divinity degrees online. That year, the trustees ap-
proved removing the residency requirement for NOBTS students.
The removal of an on-campus requirement meant that students
could truly complete their studies completely online. Many stu-
dents began to utilize the online delivery method instead of work-
shops or hybrid options for courses. Most NOBTS students today
do not complete their classes totally online but use the online
courses to continue their education during semesters when they
could not attend at an extension or the New Orleans campus.
Some students can only take classes through the online method,
THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION DELIVERED TO YOU 325
and NOBTS continues to expand its global reach through internet
courses.
Currently, the seminary offers multiple completely online de-
grees and as well as certificates for specialized training. Degrees
are offered in English, Spanish, and Korean. In 2018–2019, the
student body was composed of 19% internet-only students, and
almost 26% of the credit hours taught were taken online. The ma-
jority of students at the seminary will take at least one online
course before they finish.
In addition to traditional online courses, which are asynchro-
nous, NOBTS and Leavell College offer some courses which uti-
lize web conferencing software to enable online students to partic-
ipate in the live class on campus. Students who take NOLA2U
Live classes participate in the class from their home or office
computer as if they were in the class on campus. Many of the PhD
classes are offered in this format. Students who take NOLA2U
Flex classes can either participate live or watch the class’s video
within a short period to receive credit. Regardless of the format,
the administration and faculty of NOBTS and Leavell College
have shown that they will continue to seek ways to make theologi-
cal education accessible to those called to pursue it.
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 327–37
The NOBTS and Leavell College of Tomorrow:
The Future of Theological Education
Norris Grubbs, PhD
Norris Grubbs is provost and professor of New Testament and Greek at
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Theological education has undergone fundamental changes in
recent years, and the pace of change seems to increase year by year.
In light of these changes, no one can responsibly predict exactly
what theological education will be like in 25–50 years. However,
based on the heritage of New Orleans Baptist Theological Semi-
nary (NOBTS) and Leavell College and the initiatives we have be-
gun, we anticipate that the future NOBTS (and perhaps most suc-
cessful seminaries) will have several key characteristics. Every suc-
cessful institution has to be driven by its mission, and that will be
just as important in the future as now. In addition, successful sem-
inaries will likely be more urban and ethnically diverse, provide
flexible learning opportunities, find ways to deal with rising costs,
develop partnerships with churches and other educational institu-
tions, and provide more efficient pathways to the traditional de-
grees.
A Foundation for the Future
Every institution has to deal with an ever-changing environ-
ment. NOBTS recently experienced presidential change when Dr.
Jamie Dew became the ninth president of our School of Provi-
dence and Prayer in June 2019. Successful institutions face chal-
lenges with the mission in mind. Dr. Dew led us to articulate the
NOBTS and Leavell College mission statement in these words:
“NOBTS and Leavell College prepare servants to walk with Christ,
proclaim His truth, and fulfill His mission.” The seminary and col-
lege will be guided by this mission as we face the future. Each
word in this statement was chosen prayerfully and carefully. Eve-
rything we do or decide not to do will be decided in part by it. Let
us examine the new mission statement in greater detail.
We exist to prepare servants. In Matthew 20, the mother of James
and John came to Jesus, bowed down, and requested that he
328 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
would let her sons sit on his right and left in the kingdom. When
the other disciples heard about it, they were angry, presumably
because they wanted the place of honor (28:24). Jesus responded
by teaching the disciples about the nature of his kingdom and the
importance of being a servant.
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among
you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall
be your servant, and whoever wishes to become great
among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be
first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life
a ransom for man.” (Matt 20:25–28)
1
A Christian is one who follows Christ. If we truly follow him, we
must be servants. Therefore, NOBTS and Leavell College will fo-
cus attention and energy on producing graduates who serve.
The first sermon Dr. Jamie Dew preached in chapel was from
Phil 2:5–11, entitled “Kill the Peacock.” A “peacock” is one who
struts around and shows off. Even though their bodies are small,
peacocks spread their feathers to make themselves look larger
than they really are. The peacock attitude is the exact opposite of
Jesus’s attitude. Jesus demonstrated the attitude of a servant when
he “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Phil
2:7). Our desire is for God to help us mold and shape graduates
who would pick up the towel and the basin and serve others for
God’s glory.
We will prepare servants to walk with Christ. Those who have
attended seminary or a religious college understand an ironic truth.
The time spent preparing for ministry and studying the Bible can
often be a time that is spiritually dry. Perhaps because the Bible is
used as a textbook and examined thoughtfully and not simply read
devotionally, students often struggle during seminary with their
relationship to God. They come excited and “on-fire” for the
Lord, and, if not careful, they can lose the excitement and fervor
that drove them to seminary for God’s glory.
As a seminary, we want to combat the spiritual decline that
sometimes accompanies formal education. We seek to do this
1
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the New American Standard
Bible.
THE NOBTS AND LEAVELL COLLEGE OF TOMORROW 329
through many avenues. The curriculum is designed to include
courses focused upon spiritual formation. Our faculty and admin-
istration must cultivate a close walk with Christ so that students
can learn and grow with them. Often students grow in their rela-
tionship to Christ as faculty and staff mentor and guide them dur-
ing their time of education. Our campus event calendar must pro-
vide opportunities for students to build the kinds of relationships
that can lead to accountability and disciple-making moments.
When they first arrive, we sometimes tell students that if they
leave our institution with a full head and an empty heart, we have
failed in our task. Not only do we pray their intellectual knowledge
increases while at NOBTS and Leavell College, but we also pray
they grow deep roots in their faith, which can sustain them for a
lifetime of ministry.
The need for students to walk with Christ is painfully obvious.
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in
Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can
do nothing” (John 15:5). The key to successful ministry is abiding
in Christ. NOBTS and Leavell College can equip students with the
tools they will need for ministry in various ways, but even the best
training cannot give the strength needed to serve faithfully in a
ministry setting. Our students must grow deep in their relationship
with Christ to withstand the storms of ministry that are certain to
come.
NOBTS and Leavell College will prepare servants to walk with
Christ and proclaim His truth. God desires more than servants who
walk with him. He wants his followers to call others into the king-
dom. Thus, our graduates need to be prepared to proclaim the
truth of God’s Word effectively. Our curriculum is designed to
guide students as they learn more about how to study the Bible.
This includes understanding the culture and context of the biblical
audience, learning how Christians have understood the truth of
Scripture through the ages, and discovering how to think about
the challenges of today’s world in light of God’s Word. In addi-
tion, graduates will have opportunities to learn about and practice
preaching and teaching God’s Word, serving others in a ministry
setting, and leading others to grow in their relationship with God.
While many schools have left the moorings of the Bible in
search of “relevance,” NOBTS and Leavell College are deter-
mined to remain anchored to the Word of God. We recognize
that only God’s Word is inerrant and able to transform lives.
330 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
Nothing is more relevant than God’s Word to his people. There-
fore, our graduates must dedicate themselves to knowing and
sharing the truth of God to be effective.
The final piece of the revised mission statement of NOBTS
and Leavell College is to fulfill His mission. Each of the former ele-
ments (serving, walking with Christ, proclaiming His truth) are
pointed towards this goal of fulfilling the mission God has given.
Each of the four Gospels gives a version of the Great Commis-
sion. After Jesus was resurrected, he gave his disciples final march-
ing orders. Matthew records his version in Matt 28:18–20.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teach-
ing them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age.
One could certainly expand on what the mission involves, but
the Great Commission is the unchanging foundation. As a semi-
nary, we are aimed at changing the world for Christ. We want to
see lost people being saved, previously unreached nations hearing
about Jesus, stagnated churches growing again, and believers living
their lives in total obedience to Christ. We want to see disciples.
Students who come to NOBTS and Leavell College are not simply
trying to gain an education, and we are not merely trying to edu-
cate them. Instead, we are seeking to equip graduates to go out in
the power of Christ to make disciples and change the world. May
God help us to be effective as we prepare servants to walk with
Christ, proclaim His truth, and fulfill His mission!
Glimpses of a Possible Future
A Danish proverb states, “Predictions are difficult, especially
when they involve the future.”
2
In the same vein, James warns
against presuming to plan the future without considering God’s
will in chapter 4, verses 13–15:
2
Quoted in Frank Shapiro, “Quotes Uncovered: Fools and Theory,”
Freakonomics Blog (italicized – word won’t let you use italics in comments),
July 30, 2009, https://freakonomics.com/2009/07/30/quotes-uncovered-
fools-and-theory/.
THE NOBTS AND LEAVELL COLLEGE OF TOMORROW 331
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to
such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in
business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what
your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that
appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead,
you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do
this or that.”
Therefore, we are hesitant to prognosticate about the future of
theological education. Certainly, all that we think might happen is
subject to the sovereign will of God. In addition, we are best able
to speak about the future from the perspective of a Southern Bap-
tist seminary, in the context of New Orleans, even though we ex-
pect many seminaries will find similar experiences and challenges
in the future. With these cautions in mind, we will offer six sug-
gestions of what the future might look like for a seminary like ours.
First, seminaries of the future will provide flexible learning oppor-
tunities. NOBTS and Leavell College currently provide classes in
traditional formats and through online offerings that are asyn-
chronous. Also, students may take classes through “NOLA2U
Live” courses that provide synchronous online interaction be-
tween professors and students through “NOLA2U Flex” classes,
which provide the freedom to participate in the live class or par-
ticipate online during the week of class. Students may also take
classes through mentoring classes in partnership with a local min-
istry setting and at various extension centers hosted by local col-
leges and churches. Some of these offerings were not possible
even ten years earlier. Therefore, we are hesitant to predict exactly
what formats future classes may take.
Instead, we suggest seminaries will continue to provide flexible
learning opportunities to meet the needs of students. The most
recent accreditation standard revisions by the Association of The-
ological Schools (June 2020) allow for fully online degrees at every
level except the research doctoral degree with proper approval.
NOBTS and Leavell College already offer a variety of undergradu-
ate and graduate degrees fully online, and the Doctor of Ministry,
Doctor of Educational Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy de-
grees are available with limited trips to campus. In today’s world,
students can communicate in real time with the professor and the
rest of the class from any internet connection. As schools com-
pete for students and seek to maximize their impact, this trend will
only continue.
332 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
A predicted rise in flexible options for obtaining a degree
should not be taken to forecast the demise of residential education.
Each of the options above has been added by NOBTS and
Leavell College while maintaining a robust focus upon the campus
in New Orleans. We believe that some students will continue to
want to focus on their education through a residential setting.
While students may receive a quality education fully online, stu-
dents who primarily get their degree in a residential setting are
more likely to be full-time students, and, for this reason, they are
more likely to complete their degree successfully. In addition, on-
campus students benefit from the curriculum and culture of the
classroom. They may have lunch with a professor or fellow stu-
dents and think through topics discussed in class or issues in their
particular ministry setting. They will gather in the coffee shop and
refine some deep theological issues in their minds. Therefore, we
are not predicting the abandonment of residential education. Vir-
tually every degree will be available from a distance, but the need
for a residential campus will remain.
Second, seminaries will be more urban and ethnically diverse.
Through much of our history, Southern Baptists have been a rural
people. Beginning primarily in the 1960s, Southern Baptists have
moved into suburban metropolitan areas. Our culture, however, is
becoming more and more urbanized each day. People around the
world are flocking to larger cities. For Southern Baptists to fulfill
the Great Commission, without neglecting the rural and suburban
areas that have been our base, we must impact lostness in the
great cities of America and around the world. Few seminaries are
in a better situation to prepare ministers for this brave new urban
world than NOBTS. We are not predicting that seminaries of the
future will only be in the cities. Rather, even if seminaries have a
rural location, their students, staff, and faculty makeup will likely
come from those who grew up in urban areas.
Moreover, population trends in the United States will create a
more ethnically-diverse student body. According to an article by
the Brookings Institute, the US will become “minority white” by
2045.
3
Since American society is becoming more racially and eth-
nically diverse, Southern Baptists must train leaders to reach these
persons for Christ. Non-Anglo congregations in the SBC have
3
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/03/14/the-us-will-
become-minority-white-in-2045-census-projects/
THE NOBTS AND LEAVELL COLLEGE OF TOMORROW 333
increased from 6,083 in 1998 to 11,605 in 2020.
4
Non-Anglo con-
gregations increased from 5% of SBC congregations to now com-
prising 22.5%. Over 3,900 of these congregations are predomi-
nantly African American, and about 3,500 SBC congregations are
Hispanic. Currently, about 7.5% of our SBC congregations are
African-American (having more than doubled from 1,907 congre-
gations in 1998 to 3,902 in 2020), and 6.7% are Latino.
5
In addi-
tion, Southern Baptists have over a thousand Asian congregations
and congregations representing a variety of other minority
groups.
6
Of course, the count of these ethnic congregations does
not include the many ethnic and racial minorities who are mem-
bers of racially mixed and/or predominantly Anglo churches. As
the makeup of Southern Baptist churches becomes more ethnic,
so will the makeup of Southern Baptist seminaries.
NOBTS and Leavell College currently offer classes in Spanish,
French Haitian, and Korean. The need for multi-ethnic training
will only increase in the future. As a part of this training, our facul-
ty and administration must become more diverse as well. NOBTS
has made a determined effort to broaden the ethnicity of both its
faculty and its students over the last decade. In April 2018, the
NOBTS approved a “Policy to Increase Ethnic, Racial, and Gen-
der Diversity at NOBTS.”
7
While much work remains to be done
in this area, the future need is clear. The membership of Southern
Baptist churches is going to be more multi-ethnic as we move to-
ward the future. Theological schools across America are training
many more students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
One of the responsibilities of the seminaries of the future is to
train students who can minister to the ethnic and language con-
gregations in America’s cities.
Third, seminaries of the future will be more costly and dependent
upon fundraising for scholarships. Every institution of higher learning is
struggling with higher costs, including seminaries. Southern Bap-
tist seminaries, including NOBTS, are blessed to be supported by
4
https://www.baptiststandard.com/news/baptists/sbc-executive-committee-
affirms-racial-diversity-report/;
http://www.sbc.net/BecomingSouthernBaptist/FastFacts.asp
5
Ibid.
6
http://www.sbc.net/BecomingSouthernBaptist/FastFacts.asp
7
The statement can be accessed online at https://www.nobts.edu
/faculty/itor/LemkeSW-files/Policy%20to%20Increase%20Faculty%20Ethnic
%20Racial%20and%20 Gender%20Diversity%20at%20NOBTS.pdf
334 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. A
little less than 30% of the total budget of NOBTS and Leavell
College comes from the Cooperative Program. In essence, every
Southern Baptist student receives a substantial scholarship be-
cause of the convention support. Therefore, Southern Baptist stu-
dents feel the impact of rising costs of higher education less than
others, but even at Southern Baptist schools, education has be-
come significantly more expensive.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Cooperative Program
(CP) accounted for approximately 70% of the budget at NOBTS.
Declining CP income and increasing costs have shifted our budget
from one that was primarily funded by the denomination to one
primarily funded by tuition. As a result, we have been forced to
raise more money for scholarships and raise the cost of education.
The annual fund for NOBTS used to be something that friends of
the seminary gave to and represented a small portion of the budg-
et. Today, the “Providence Fund” is at least one million dollars of
the seminary’s operating fund. In the same way, we have raised
substantial funds for scholarships so that more than 40% of our
tuition each year is provided by scholarships.
Rising costs are an issue for every institution. Some costs are
specific to NOBTS and our location (such as increased flood in-
surance cost after Hurricane Katrina), but many of the expenses
we bear are common to other schools. For example, every educa-
tional institution spends more money to meet the rigors of accred-
itation today than in previous years. As expectations have in-
creased, largely due to federal regulations, schools are forced to
hire more employees who will focus on issues of accreditation. In
the same way, schools face rising costs associated with technology.
Student desires have also shifted in the last few generations. While
in the past, students expected to live in dorms that were dated and
shared a communal bathroom, today, most students come to sem-
inary, having lived in some version of apartment living. Students
expect high-speed WiFi, flexible course offerings, writing centers,
a full campus life, and all the “extras” that make for a full educa-
tional experience. Each of these items comes with an added cost
to the institution, which typically is passed to the student.
In some ways, this is not a prediction as much as a look in the
mirror. However, we don’t see anything on the horizon shifting
the trend. In the future, school administrators will focus more at-
tention on fundraising to keep the costs manageable, but in many
THE NOBTS AND LEAVELL COLLEGE OF TOMORROW 335
cases, tuition will continue to rise. This trend is one about which
we are particularly concerned. Many Southern Baptist ministers do
not have any formal theological education. While we are doing
everything we can to make it more accessible, rising costs may
prevent many from taking advantage of the opportunities offered.
Fourth, seminaries of the future will have more partnerships. We
already see this happening in many ways. At NOBTS, we have
articulation agreements with several Baptist colleges. Through our
Accelerated MDiv program, religion majors at Baptist colleges can
reduce their time in seminary and save a substantial amount of
tuition. Partnerships like this enable students to gain the education
that is needed without having to repeat courses they have already
had in college. Also, we have many partnerships with church min-
istry schools and mentoring sites, allowing students to earn part of
their degree while serving in a ministry setting with a local mentor.
We even have a partnership with the North American Mission
Board through their Send Network to train students in church
planting and allow them to receive credit towards their MDiv de-
gree.
We think rising costs and other pressures will encourage more
partnerships in the future. Baptist colleges and seminaries are
uniquely situated to partner together. Often, colleges offer degree
programs that seminarians might desire. At the same time, many
Baptist college students are interested in a seminary degree.
Schools will be encouraged to think of partnership possibilities as
they seek to recruit students for their programs. In addition, the
role of the local church in theological education has always been
important. As classes are offered through flexible online offerings,
partnership possibilities with churches are more available than ev-
er. Southern Baptist seminaries have not often partnered together,
but we have hopes that schools might partner together in ways
that are beneficial for all the institutions involved. For example, is
it necessary for each SBC seminary library to maintain subscrip-
tions to every journal, or could there be a consortium that in-
volved sharing resources? As technology needs rise, could the
SBC seminaries dream of ways to partner with technology that
might be beneficial to all involved? Many secular schools have be-
gun experimenting with consortiums in the past decade with vary-
336 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
ing success.
8
In the future, successful seminaries will be open to
any partnership that is helpful to their students.
Fifth, seminaries will provide shorter pathways to traditional degrees.
Several factors are lead to this conclusion. Many students enter
college with a significant amount of credit towards their bachelor’s
degree already earned through dual-enrollment and Advanced
Placement classes. Thus, the traditional time of four years in col-
lege is already being shortened. In addition, all of the SBC semi-
naries offer master’s degrees that can be earned in one year of full-
time study. Simultaneously, the Master of Divinity degree remains
the recommended degree by seminary faculty and administration.
As tuition and living costs rise, students may not be willing to in-
vest four years of college and three years of seminary to earn the
traditional MDiv. Thus, schools will be encouraged to provide
shortened means to the MDiv and other traditional degrees.
NOBTS and many other seminaries already offer five-year
programs that allow students to achieve their BA and MDiv in a
total of five years. Through a combination of advanced standing
and allowing qualified students to take graduate courses and count
them toward their undergraduate degrees, students can save thou-
sands of dollars and up to two years. Programs like this will be-
come essential as costs continue to rise, and students have other
degree options. In the future, shorter pathways to the DMin and
PhD will also be important. In secular institutions, students often
earn their master’s degree while working on the research doctorate.
Seminaries have typically not followed this model; in the future,
however, they likely will.
Finally, successful seminaries of the future will be able to deal
with an increasingly rapid rate of change. Institutions of higher educa-
tion are not known for their adaptability. Historically, the pace of
change for seminaries and colleges is slightly faster than the pro-
verbial snail. In the last few decades, we have all been forced to
adjust as the culture and environment have shifted. In the late
1990s, when I first began teaching for Leavell College, only a
handful of professors were using PowerPoint, and color transpar-
8
See the following articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education for exam-
ples https://www.chronicle.com/article/library-consortium-tests-interlibrary-
loans-of-e-books/; https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-colleges-should-
pool-teaching-resources; https://www.chronicle.com/article/new-consortium-
of-colleges-will-share-homemade-software-19812/
THE NOBTS AND LEAVELL COLLEGE OF TOMORROW 337
encies were considered “high tech.” Hardly anyone had a laptop
computer, and smartphones were not yet on the scene. The aver-
age classroom environment was basically the same as it was in the
middle of the twentieth century. Not much had changed. Howev-
er, in the first two decades of the twenty-first century, we have
seen rapid change. Virtually every student has a laptop and a
smartphone. Our classrooms provide WiFi access to the internet,
and NOBTS has moved from having virtually no online presence
to fully online degrees, synchronous class offerings at every level,
including the PhD, and offering classes in ways that no one could
have imagined in 1999.
Higher education has dealt with tremendous changes in areas
like technology, libraries, student expectations, and learning man-
agement systems, to mention a few. Who can safely predict what
changes artificial intelligence or some new discovery we do not
even know about now might have upon colleges and seminaries?
Instead, we want to suggest that the leaders of colleges and semi-
naries should be prepared for rapid change. Successful schools will
not be able to keep doing things the way they have always been
done and remain successful. They must be agile institutions ready
to maintain focus on the mission while remaining flexible.
People respond to change in a variety of ways. Many people
hate change. Some seem to thrive in the face of it. We think it is
important to face change with a confident trust in the God who
knows all things. Proverbs 3:5–6 says it best: “Trust in the Lord
with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In
all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight.” Our prayer is that God would bless New Orleans Bap-
tist Theological Seminary, Leavell College, and all who would seek
to proclaim his kingdom as we enter into the future.
JBTM 17.2 (Fall 2020): 339–42
Guiding Principles for NOBTS
James (Jamie) K. Dew Jr., PhD
James (Jamie) K. Dew Jr. is president and professor of Christian Philos-
ophy at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
I am deeply grateful for the contributors of this edition of the
journal that have reflected upon the wonderful 100 years of histo-
ry of NOBTS and Leavell College. As we turn now to the next
century of ministry, we have given ourselves to a simple mission:
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell Col-
lege prepare servants to walk with Christ, proclaim His truth,
and fulfill His mission.
This mission will set the course for everything we do in the years
to come. Every program we offer, every course we teach, every
dollar we raise, and every initiative we unfold will come back to
this mission. It captures who we have been for the last 100 years,
what we are well situated to do now in our present day, and ex-
presses the calling that God has placed upon us. Within this
statement are four distinct principles that shape and direct our
work.
Servanthood
Quite literally, followers of Jesus go where he goes, do what he
does, love what he loves, and are about what he is about. And as
we look to Jesus himself, we find our Lord exemplifying servant-
hood in the way he loved people and showered them with grace.
In Mark 10:42–45, for example, the Bible says:
Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that
those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over
them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them.
But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants
to become great among you will be your servant, and who-
ever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For
340 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
1
Jesus further demonstrated this in John 13 when “got up from
supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and . . . poured
water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet” (vv. 4–5).
In response to Jesus’s example and call on our lives, the people
of NOBTS and Leavell College commit ourselves to a life of serv-
anthood. Though imperfect in our execution, we strive to crucify
the pride and arrogance that often drives us, and instead follow
our Lord in making ourselves low for the benefit of others and the
advancement of the kingdom. In whatever tasks God gives us to
do, we pray that we will do it with great humility and submission
to God.
Devotion
Absolutely nothing is more important for us as a people than
that we walk with God and commune with him in all that we do.
God made us for himself and in him is fullness of life. In the pur-
suit of theological education, we cannot allow our faith to transi-
tion from being something deeply spiritual and personal to being
something purely academic and professional. This happens far too
often in our institutions, and our lives and our work are the poor-
er for it. As Paul reminds us in Col 2:6–8, “So then, just as you
have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.”
But there is also a very practical reason that we must cultivate
and nurture our communion with God. In short, we cannot do
what we are called to do without his sustaining power and provi-
sion within our ministries. In Ps 127:1, this is made painfully clear.
The psalmist says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders
labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the
watchman stays alert in vain.” We must remember that the work
we are called to do is not just difficult work, it is impossible
work—at least if we are doing it within our own power. Therefore,
we remember the words of Jesus who said:
Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to
produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither
can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the
1
All Scripture references are taken from the Christian Standard Bible.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR NOBTS 341
branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produc-
es much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
(John 15:4–5)
With this in mind, we commit ourselves to our walk with God and
to cultivating an environment on campus where devotion is fun-
damental and spiritual formation takes place in all that we do. We
pray that God would cleanse us of our sin and bring a renewal
among us that others who have gone before us have tasted.
Gospel Proclamation
As the first two principles have focused on who we seek to be,
the second two focus on what it is that we do. NOBTS and
Leavell College have been a people of proclamation, and we seek
to be that for the age come. No matter what kind of ministry or
vocation our students take up, we train them to proclaim the gos-
pel in the places that God puts them. We prepare them by making
sure they are well established in the doctrines of the faith as stated
in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. This document articulates
both the faith once delivered to all the saints and also captures our
doctrinal identity as Southern Baptists.
But being theological by itself is not enough. To be faithful to
our calling, we must also develop our students in such a way that
they become passionate proclaimers of our faith. As Paul instructs
us, we must “preach the word . . . in season and out of season” (2
Tim 4:2). In every context and in every season, “we preach Christ
crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks fool-
ishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:23–24). Our
students will do this in the churches of the Southern Baptist Con-
vention and well beyond. May God work in us to make us a gen-
eration of gospel preachers that are faithful to the work of proc-
lamation.
Mission
Finally, in the years before us, we strive to do our part in send-
ing people to the nations for the sake of Christ and his gospel. As
Jesus instructed his disciples before leaving earth, we must take
the gospel to those who have not heard. Jesus said,
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
342 JOURNAL FOR BAPTIST THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age. Amen. (Matt 28:18–20)
Given its location and positioning for cultural and global impact,
NOBTS was started to be a seminary that takes the gospel to this
nation and the nations abroad. There was a time when students
poured off of our campus to the nations. We want to see that
again in our lifetime, and pray for God’s favor to us such that
once again, he would raise up a generation of missionaries on this
campus that will take the good news to the dark places of the
world.
God has been faithful to us for over one hundred years, and he
is faithful to us in the present age as well. Together, we move for-
ward as the people of NOBTS and Leavell College to carry out
this mission. May God add his favor to the work of our hands for
the advancement of his kingdom.
