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Summer 2009 | Volume 67, No. 4
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Distinguished Alumnus Profile: Gary Ledbetter
by Rebecca Carter
Starting out in a Royal Ambassador (RA) children’s class, Gary Ledbetter made a profession of faith at age 10. After more than 30 years of ministry experience and with ministry that spans states, industries, and countries, this distinguished alumnus has come full circle. Along with being communications director and editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), Ledbetter serves Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, by teaching the current crop of RAs.
Ledbetter, who received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southwestern in 1981, is honored to be chosen as the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
“My gratitude for the education I received from Southwestern has only grown since I graduated,” said Ledbetter. “I am indescribably humbled and honored to be recognized by my seminary in this way.
“My sincere expectation is that Southwestern will continue to excel in its equipping ministry to pastors, missionaries, and,” in referring to himself, “the occasional newspaper editor. In this day, I’m very happy to be called a Southwesterner.”
During an address to fellow editors at the 2009 Association of State Baptist Papers fellowship in February, Ledbetter expressed his passion for using print media to support and encourage churches and agencies, as well as to hold them accountable.
Jim Richards, the executive director for the SBTC, calls Ledbetter a close friend.
“I count on him for wise counsel to navigate the waters of ministry,” Richards said.
“He is unquestionably one of the premier newspersons in Southern Baptist life. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention rejoices in Southwestern Seminary’s choice of Gary Ledbetter for this prestigious award.”
Prior to his position with the SBTC, Ledbetter was editor of the Indiana Baptist from 1989 to 1995.
Ledbetter spent 25 years in student ministry, serving in numerous churches in Arkansas, Texas, and Indiana. While in Indiana, he became the state convention’s director of communications and student ministry. This started a history of committee leadership that followed with trustee and chairman positions through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Order of Business and the Christian Life Commission (now the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission).
Ledbetter recognizes the impact that Southern Baptists as a whole and specific professors played in his preparation for a lifetime of ministry.
“Southern Baptist churches that contributed through the Cooperative Program so that I could attend a world class seminary did the Lord’s work in my life,” Ledbetter said.
“I also thank God for the precious contributions that men such as Russ Bush, James Eaves, Curtis Vaughan, Larry Walker, and Tom Nettles made to my ministry. These men and others fortified my trust in God’s Word and my love for His church. They conveyed an excitement about the things God was teaching them, as well as what he was teaching through them.”
Ledbetter earned a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree and served as vice president for student development at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1995 until 2001.
Ledbetter and his wife, Tammi, have three grown children: Douglas, a CPA; Philip, a history teacher; and Maggie, a student at Union University.
Southwestern Seminary selects as “distinguished alumni” men and women who have excelled in ministry and who support the mission of the seminary.
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