George Schroeder to lead Southwestern Seminary institutional relations

Veteran journalist George Schroeder has been named associate vice president for institutional relations at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, President Adam W. Greenway announced today.

“The addition of George Schroeder to our administrative staff will greatly enhance our ability to more effectively connect with important constituencies of Southwestern Seminary,” said Greenway. “George brings a unique skillset, strong ministry calling, and deep denominational commitment to this strategic role that will help Southwestern Seminary in many ways. I am delighted to welcome George, Shannon, and their children to Seminary Hill.”

Working within the Institutional Advancement division of the institution, Schroeder will be responsible for building relationships with alumni, pastors, churches, denominational entities, local businesses and communities, and other constituencies of the seminary. He will coordinate work with seminary alumni chapters, the Southwestern Advisory Council, and President’s Club, and will provide management and oversight of daily operations of the institutional advancement and relations staff. He will begin his duties July 19.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to begin serving at Southwestern Seminary,” said Schroeder. “My desire and purpose is to proclaim the Gospel, see people come to Christ, and thus glorify God with my life.”

Schroeder said that his “growing call toward ministry” and his recognition to be “better equipped for whatever God might have in store” led him several years ago to begin the Master of Theological Studies with a concentration in cross-culture missions at Southwestern Seminary. 

In recent months as he and his wife have prayed about future ministry opportunities “it has become clear that God has continued to shape my heart toward the ministry of the local church – and that He has turned what I thought was a fleeting idea into reality,” he said. “It has been an incredible honor to serve the SBC Executive Committee and with Baptist Press, working alongside brothers and sisters I greatly respect and love. Leaving Nashville is difficult, but it is simply a shift in ministry. While my role changes, my purpose remains the same.”

Schroeder added, “Dr. Greenway is providing incredible leadership and building a tremendous culture at Southwestern. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve with him and others who share the same ultimate goal of bringing glory to God. Even as I continue to pursue God’s call on my own life, I’m excited to help in Southwestern’s mission of training men and women to fulfill their calling.”

A lifelong journalist, Schroeder most recently served as associate vice president for convention news with the SBC Executive Committee in which capacity he led Baptist Press, the daily news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Previously, he has held roles with USA Today, SiriusXM, The Register-Guard, Sports Illustrated, The Oklahoman, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He has won nine Associated Press Sports Editors awards, and he has been president and served on the board of the Football Writers Association of America and on the board of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Schroeder comes from a family with significant denominational service in the Southern Baptist Convention. His grandfather, George W. Schroeder, was executive secretary of the Brotherhood Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1952-1971, and his father, George T. Schroeder, served on the SBC Resolutions Committee in 1984 and as a trustee at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He has served as a missions team leader for Trinity Baptist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, as well as a member of the board of directors of Neverthirst in Birmingham, Alabama, and board of advocates for Children’s Hospital Foundation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Schroeder earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He has been married to Shannon since 1997, and they have three children, Elizabeth, 21, George, 20, and Christopher, 11.