Robert Overton

Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Director of Applied Ministries, and Associate Dean of the J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies

Dr. Overton served as Senior Pastor of five different Southern Baptist Churches over a span of 47 years.   The final one, the Rice Temple Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, was for 31 years.  During his pastoral years he preached in revivals and conferences in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Washington, Ohio, Michigan, England, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.  He also served terms on the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Board of Trustees of Houston Baptist University.  He was active in two Baptist associations, the Unity Baptist Association in Lufkin, and the Union Baptist Association in Houston.  He chaired every major committee and also served as Moderator. 

For two of the seven years that he was pastor of the Redland Baptist Church in Lufkin, he also worked as a part-time chaplain in a Lufkin Hospital.

He has written Sunday School lessons for the Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway) for both pupils and teachers.  He has also written for the Biblical Illustrator. 

He began teaching as an adjunct professor of Southwestern Seminary in 1983 and has served the seminary continually since that time.  In 2000, he became the Director of the Houston campus in a part-time role.  In 2001, he resigned from the church and began a full-time position at the seminary.  He is now an Associate Dean, Professor of Pastoral Ministry, and Director of Applied Ministry. In recent years he has served six churches as Interim Pastor and also consulted with other churches and pastors.

He brings his years of experience to the classroom, teaching classes in pastoral ministry and leadership, the Christian home, evangelism, and disciple-making.  He is thankful for the opportunity to invest his time and life in the lives of seminary students.