Preview Day draws record number of prospective students

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary welcomed a record-setting number of prospective students during the fall Preview Day Nov. 1, as the institution provided opportunities for those visitors to meet faculty and ask questions as they determine where they will pursue God’s calling on their lives.

“We have been praying for you and trusting God’s guidance and blessings on your life this day,” President David S. Dockery addressed the campus visitors during the opening time of worship. “And hope that it will be a day of discernment, a day of direction and a day of confirmation for you. … We’re here to help you. We want to answer your questions, and we want to be God’s instrument and agent of guidance to help you today as you make this very important decision. And we pray we will see some of you back here as students in the spring of 2025, others in the fall of 2025.”

Dockery further explained that Southwestern has breadth in the degrees it offers in the variety of its fields, depth through the scholarship of its faculty, but also a balance between the scholarship and the practicality of experience the faculty have to offer.

President David S. Dockery welcomes visitors to campus for the SWBTS Preview Day.

During lunch, visitors were able to meet with faculty in the fields they are specifically interested in, and also hear from a panel of alumni and current students discussing what it was like to study at Southwestern and how it prepared them or is preparing them for their ministry.

“I did not realize what an importance it was until I really got out and away from seminary into the local church,” said Brady Lock, two-time alumnus and senior pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Burleson. “What an important role that Southwestern had played in my life in the development of my understanding and desire for biblical literacy among church members. … I think Southwestern really centered me and gave me a good look at a [Scripture-]centered education, so that when I am serving the local church now, the goal when I get up on Sunday morning to preach is never my opinion. It is God’s word.”

Derrick Bledsoe, senior pastor at City on a Hill Church on the east side of Fort Worth and Southwestern MDiv graduate and current PhD student, said when he first considered getting his MDiv at Southwestern, he was hesitant because he was already serving at a church, had a family, and was looking for a fully online option. But he quickly realized his choice to attend in person was the right one.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Bledsoe said. “Coming into that classroom the first time and feeling the environment and seeing the interaction with professors and students and the accessibility and all of that, was such a game-changer.”

Each member of the panel expressed their gratitude to the faculty members, saying their willingness to invest in their students and mentor them even outside of the classrooms is one of the greatest memories of attending Southwestern.

Provost Madison Grace shares about Southwestern with Preview Day attendees.

“I sat in your seat 21 years, ago thinking about, ‘What do I do?’” said Southwestern’s provost and dean of the School of Theology, Madison Grace, following the lunch panel. Reflecting on the experience from two decades ago, Grace said, “‘God’s called me to the ministry. I know that I can just go serve at a church, but also know that I need some more equipping. I need some more education; I need some more mentorship to come alongside me to do what God’s called me to do.’”

Grace said the openness of the faculty to meet with their students and help them not just learn but grow was what led him to choose Southwestern, and then remain there for another degree and later join the faculty himself.

A total of 73 prospective seminary students, a 48 percent increase over the previous Preview Day and the highest fall count on record, attended from all over Texas as well as other states and countries. Each came from a variety of positions, some in the starting phase of considering where to continue their education, while others are already enrolled for the spring but have not been able to visit the campus yet.

Andrew Forshee of Sedalia, Mo., a youth pastor and biblical counselor at his church, will begin his Doctor of Educational Ministry in the spring, though he initially did not believe Southwestern was the fit for him as he conversed with other sister seminaries. But a professor of one of those seminaries encouraged him to think of doing biblical counseling under Jon Okinaga, assistant professor of biblical counseling at Southwestern. After a conversation with Okinaga, Forshee knew this was where he would continue his studies.

“Southwestern wasn’t even on the radar,” admitted Forshee, who attended Preview Day with his wife and two of their four young children. “… We’re excited and wanted to check it out before I actually come here during classes.”

A record number of visitors participated in the fall SWBTS Preview Day.

Maegen Karakashevich, who is involved in children’s ministry at First Baptist Church in Denton, and Gabby Scott, who serves at that same church in women’s ministry, said their pastor and other leadership attended Southwestern and encouraged them to consider it.

“They just really encouraged us to continue on our education and take a look and see what all [Southwestern has] to offer,” Scott said. “… It’s awesome knowing that our pastors, that we look up to and that guide us, have been here.”

Emma Maxwell spent a portion of her life in Kenya, where her parents have been serving as missionaries for 13 years, but she is now preparing to graduate in the spring from Ouachita Baptist University, where her younger sister is also a student. Maxwell attended Preview Day because of a desire to continue her education while pursuing a call to missions.

“Just this semester I really felt God prompting me to be equipped for what He’s calling me to do in the future,” said Maxwell, whose father flew in from Kenya to come to Preview Day with her and her sister. “So, I started to look at seminaries and Southwestern was one that came up quite frequently, talking with different professors.”

Maxwell said the missions culture encouraged among Southwestern’s faculty and students especially attracted her, as well as the missions opportunities surrounding Southwestern in the city of Fort Worth.

Preview Day visitors were given a tour of the campus, participated in academic sessions to get a picture of what a class looks like, and a campus fair in the Naylor Student Center that provided information on all the different schools and departments on campus. A $1,500 scholarship was awarded to attendee David Qu, a prospective Master of Music in Worship Leadership student from Beijing, China.

“I couldn’t believe it when my name was called during the campus fair. It took me two seconds to realize my name was called,” said Qu, who is currently living and working as a worship intern in Houston, Texas. “I am really grateful to be the winner and think that might be a sign of God’s guidance for my future education. I also loved getting to know Southwestern more during the Preview Day last week, especially after seeing the beautiful campus and the performances from the School of Church Music and Worship.”

Editor’s note: Those interested in becoming students can begin the application process here.