Caston uses experiences in academia, practical ministry to impart wisdom

Experience is crucial when establishing credentials in teaching, and experience is one reason students enjoy learning from Bennie Caston, professor of voice at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to Luke Hannah, a Doctor of Musical Arts student from Richland, Mississippi. Utilizing his 29 years of experience in music ministry and performing, Caston imparts wisdom and knowledge to the students at Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College.

From the small town of Liberty, Mississippi, Bennie Caston was raised with three siblings in a Christian home. He and his siblings, through the encouragement of his parents, were involved in Southern Baptist church activities from a young age which has continued throughout his life.

“We all came up through church doing children’s choir, youth choir, GA’s, RA’s, and all that stuff,” Caston said. “I made a profession of faith when I was 12 years old at a Vacation Bible School and I felt called to surrender to ministry when I was around 15 years old at a Ridgecrest youth camp.”

Caston added that while he knows that he was saved when he was 12, “some doubts crept in” when he was in high school.

“Satan is the father of lies and he’ll get us to doubt anything,” Caston said. “He was really working on me and I wanted to be sure of my salvation, so I went through that process again. Looking back on it, I realize that I was just making sure that I understood who Jesus was and what He has done for us.”

Bennie Castor, a Mississippi native who is professor of voice at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has taught at the seminary since 2015. Caston is the leader of Southwestern Singers, a choral ensemble composed of undergraduate and graduate students.

Following high school, Caston briefly went to Southwest Mississippi Community College before attending William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he earned a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in voice and piano. He also began his career in serving the Lord in ministerial positions.

“I started serving in ministry while in college in 1994, so 29 years later, I’ve been serving in music ministry, sometimes in full-time capacities, but most of the time in part-time or bi-vocational capacities,” Caston recalled.

While he was still in college at William Carey, Caston and his wife, Rebecca, met each other and married “right after graduation,” according to Caston. “We ended up at New Orleans Seminary where I did my Master of Music in church music degree and then stuck around for my Doctor of Musical Arts in church music and voice.”

Caston said his goal while studying in college and seminary was to “be in the local church.” However, because of the advice and counsel from a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Caston got involved with teaching.

“In my last five months or so before graduating with my DMA, one of my professors asked me into his office,” Caston said. “He told me that he had a friend at a small school in Georgia who needed someone to come teach voice and church music and that I should send him my resume. A few weeks later, he told me that the friend never heard from me and I should send that resume.”

Caston combines his ministry experience and academic education as he teaches in the classroom. He encourages his music students to “sing for the glory of God” and to give their “best” as they serve.

Caston said while his final semester was finishing up, he was being called to teach at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He said that after his interview, he, his wife, and his seven-month-old child, moved to South Georgia so he could teach.

Caston’s connection to Southwestern Seminary predates his arrival on campus as a professor, but not through attending the seminary. His piano teacher while growing up was a Southwestern alumnus who encouraged Caston to consider attending Southwestern.

“She had gone to Southwestern many years before I did and she would always encourage me to consider Southwestern while I was in college,” Caston said. “I had thought about Southwestern, but New Orleans was better for my wife and I at the time. I like to joke about it saying that I almost came to Southwestern in 1996, and then 19 years later, I finally made it.”

Having later moved to another school in Georgia, Truett McConnell College, now Truett McConnell University, Caston was invited to join the faculty of Southwestern.

“While I was teaching at Truett McConnell, James McKinney, who was the dean of the School of Church Music and Worship (SCMW) at the time, reached out to me about teaching at Southwestern,” Caston recalled. “I had to put him off for a year because I was planning an international trip with the college, but a year later, I interviewed in April and began in August.”

In addition to his teaching at Southwestern, he also serves as the part-time minister of music at Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, across the street from the seminary’s campus. He has been serving there since he arrived in Fort Worth to teach at Southwestern in 2015.

At Southwestern, Caston is involved with extracurricular activities with students as he directs and leads Southwestern Singers, a choir that is part of the SCMW. He also leads private voice lessons through the school.

One of his voice lesson students, Annalysse Miller, a Bachelor of Arts in intercultural studies student from Belton, Texas, said that Caston is a “very good teacher” and that he has helped her refine her talent.

“I’ve grown more in his private lessons than I have ever from anyone else’s lessons throughout my life,” Miller said. “Every piece of knowledge he imparts on me isn’t just from a textbook, it is from his personal experience. He’s able to give insights that no one else can because he is so experienced.”

Hannah said that Caston is “fiercely passionate” about incorporating God’s Word into his lessons.

“He actively pursues for each student to bring together being a performer and a believer,” Hannah said. “He shows how we should prepare to sing for the glory of God and that should reflect our best. He is just so passionate about relating school to the Word of God and why it’s important for us.”

One way Caston tries to best relate to his students after teaching for 19 years is by continuing to study, even without pursuing a degree.

“I did about six hours of advanced graduate study at Westminster Choir College after my DMA,” Caston said. “I did this because the students that are coming here in 2023 are wanting to sing a variety of styles, and I think it is up to us professors to continue to sharpen those skills for our students.”

Caston continues to learn so that he can continue to provide a high level of education for the students he comes across. His experience is only increasing, but not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of training students to serve the Lord and His church.