Faculty, administrators recognized, installed during Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary convocation

To mark a historic day as David S. Dockery was invested as the tenth president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary the bells in the tower of MacGorman Chapel rang the seminary’s hymn Lead on, O King Eternal across the Fort Worth campus following the Aug. 22 convocation service.

Convocation, the first chapel service that marks the beginning of the academic semester, began with an opening prayer by O.S. Hawkins, who was installed as chancellor of Southwestern Seminary. In addition to installations of Dockery and Hawkins, a new provost and two academic chairs were also installed into their respective offices and chairs, three faculty signed the Book of Confessional Heritage, and three newly appointed faculty were recognized.

Dockery welcomed new students and followed in the tradition established by Robert E. Naylor, the seminary’s fifth president, by officially declaring the new students “Southwesterners.” He also welcomed new staff and four new members of the board of trustees.

Dockery, who was invested with the office of the president by Jonathan Richards, chairman of the board of trustees, presided over the installation of four individuals to serve in “key capacities.”

O.S. Hawkins was installed as chancellor of Southwestern Seminary during the Aug. 22 convocation service. Hawkins was elected to the role by the seminary’s board of trustees during the April meeting.

Hawkins was elected chancellor of Southwestern Seminary by the board of trustees at the April meeting. Hawkins previously served as president and CEO of Guidestone Financial Resources and as senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hawkins holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy from Southwestern Seminary. He and his wife Susie have two adult daughters and six grandchildren.

W. Madison Grace II was installed as the provost and vice president for academic administration and the dean of the School of Theology. Grace is a two-time graduate of Southwestern.

Dockery recognized W. Madison Grace II as the institution’s new provost and vice president for academic administration. Grace was also installed as dean of the School of Theology. Grace holds a Master of Divinity and Ph. D. from Southwestern and has been part of the Southwestern community for two decades. Grace and his wife Shareen, a two-time Southwestern graduate, have three sons.

Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry Christopher Osborne was installed as the James T. Draper Chair of Pastoral Ministry. Osborne, who began teaching at Southwestern 2020, served for more than three decades as the pastor of Central Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas.

Christopher Osborne, professor of preaching and pastoral ministry in the School of Theology, was installed as the James T. Draper Chair of Pastoral Ministry. Osborne has served at Southwestern since 2020 and was pastor at Central Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas, for more than 30 years. He holds a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from Southwestern Seminary. He and his wife, Peggy, have two children.

Mark Taylor, professor of New Testament and associate dean of the School of Theology, was installed as the Wesley Harrison Chair of New Testament. Taylor has served at Southwestern for more than two decades.

Mark Taylor, professor of New Testament in the School of Theology, was installed as the Wesley Harrison Chair of New Testament. Taylor has served Southwestern Seminary as a professor for 25 years. He also serves as associate dean for the School of Theology. Taylor holds a Master of Divinity from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Seminary.

Grace invited three professors to sign the seminary’s Book of Confessional Heritage, which is the Baptist Faith and Message. Grace explained the act of signing the book comes after a professor has been elected by the seminary’s board of trustees. The elected faculty included Adam Dodd, Jeremiah Kim, and Lilly Park.

Adam Dodd, a two-time graduate of Southwestern Seminary, serves as assistant professor of Old Testament and biblical backgrounds. He was elected to the faculty by the seminary’s board of trustees in the April meeting.

Dodd is assistant professor of Old Testament and biblical backgrounds in the School of Theology. Dodd holds a Master of Divinity, a Master of Theology, and a Ph.D. in Old Testament and archaeology from Southwestern Seminary. He and his wife, Amy, have three children.

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Jeremiah Kim has served at Southwestern Seminary since 2008. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he serves as the director of Korean DMin Studies.

Kim is associate professor of systematic theology in the School of Theology. Kim holds a Master of Divinity from what is now known as Gateway Seminary, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Southwestern Seminary. Kim and his wife, Mi-Hee, have two children.

Lilly Park serves in the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries as associate professor of biblical counseling.

Park has served as associate professor of biblical counseling in the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries since 2020. Park holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from the Master’s University and Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in family ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Grace also introduced three new faculty appointees of the Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College (TBC) faculty.

Brian Berry, a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at Southwestern Seminary, was introduced as instructor of biblical studies at Texas Baptist College.

Brian Berry was appointed as instructor of biblical studies at TBC. Prior to his appointment, Berry was an adjunct instructor and biblical languages tutor at Southwestern. He holds a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary and is currently a Ph.D. candidate. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two children together.

John Mann was appointed as associate professor of business and theology at TBC. In addition to his faculty role, Mann serves as assistant to the president for constituent relations.

John Mann was appointed as associate professor of business and theology at TBC and introduced as assistant to the president for constituent relations. Prior to his role at TBC, Mann served as the executive vice president and interim vice president of academics at Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas. He also served at Jacksonville College as interim president for the 2022-2023 academic year, as well in various pastorates. Mann holds a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from Southwestern Seminary and a Master of Business Administration from Baylor University. He is married to Sandy, and they have two daughters.

Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services and Acting Dean of Students Chandler Snyder was introduced as instructor missions in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. Snyder is currently a Doctor of Philosophy student at Southwestern Seminary.

Chandler Snyder, vice president for enrollment and student services and acting dean of students, was appointed instructor of missions in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. Snyder earned his Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in missions at Southwestern Seminary. He previously served as a missionary with the International Mission Board. He and his wife Kelly have been married for 15 years and have three children.

To view the entire convocation service, please click here.

 Chapel is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT) in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Seminary and TBC. Chapel may be viewed live at swbts.live.