As summer heats up here in Texas, the mission of B. H. Carroll has never cooled off. We continue to deliver accredited, accessible, achievable, and affordable theological education for the men and women God sends our way through a network of churches and ministry partners. While I would have preferred to meet in person for our latest spring events, I am grateful we were able to share with our global family our colloquy and convocation.
I am grateful to Dr. Louise Kretzschmar for her Frank and Pauline Patterson Endowed lectures on “Living Truth in a Cheap-Talk World.” You can read more about Dr. Kretzchmar here. I have some new notes from her lectures the next time I teach my “Leadership in Ministry” class. We are grateful to have had such a scholar and follower of Christ to call us to make disciples and be leaders of integrity. I am also thankful for all who participated in our 2021 Convocation. If you missed the event, you can celebrate with the graduates and their families here. I am truly humbled and honored by the quality of servant leaders and churches who make up the Carroll family.
On June 8, the B. H. Carroll Board of Governors met virtually to approve the 2021-2022 operating budget (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022) and to hear reports from the several board committees. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Leon Leach and committee chairs reported on their areas of responsibility and oversight after having collaborated with Carroll’s faculty and staff. Dr. Leach stated he believed the school has come out of the pandemic stronger than ever and that through prayer and performance of our plans, the provisions for mission will follow. He thanked our ultimate Provider, the Lord, for the good year of provision and mission we complete this month. Please thank our board members for their investment of “wisdom, work and wealth” (to quote our previous Chair, David Chisum) in the mission of B. H. Carroll.
B.H. Carroll will be an Anchor Site for the Baptist World Alliance which will meet virtually July 7-10. We are honored to be a portal to this global gathering of Baptists for the Carroll family and beyond. If you are a faculty or staff member or student, you may join the gathering for free. You can sign up here. Carroll will have a virtual booth for the event, which will give our seminary exposure to a global audience. We are grateful to BWA General Secretary Dr. Elijah Brown for his invitation for Carroll to be an anchor site for this event.
We have begun to offer course Intensives, one-week classes to help students complete a course in a concentrated period of time. We recently finished offering “Revivals and Revivalism” with Dr. Greg Tomlin and will offer New Testament II, “Acts and Paul’s Letters” (Dr. Matt Baird), and “Christian Witness” (Dr. Terry Coy) the week of November 29-December 3. These are effective ways to add units to a degree plan in a short period of time. If you are interested in one or more of these intensives, you can inquire here. I want to thank our Master’s Program Council for their work to make these available and the professors who have taught these intense times of study and learning.
B. H. Carroll recently received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to assess the needs of Hispanic pastors and opportunities to equip them through theological education. We are grateful to Lilly Endowment for its generosity to improve our degree offerings, delivery systems, and partnerships to equip men and women called to serve Christ and his church. I recently made a trip through south Texas to interview those who lead and work with Hispanic pastors as part of the assessment opportunity. These leaders serve the Lord and their churches in a variety of settings, some with few resources and pastoring bi-vocationally. This segment is the fastest-growing group in our population, and these leaders have stepped into the gap to serve and equip others in the name of Jesus.
I recently preached for Dr. Scott Jones, PhD (Carroll, 2016), pastor of First Baptist Church in Rockport, Texas. These folks got hit by Harvey, and just when they got back on their feet the pandemic hit. Then the 10-year freeze froze them this winter, yet they gather, worship, and serve with enthusiasm and grateful hearts to the Lord. Scott exemplifies those we point to as “pastor/scholars” and a partner in equipping church leaders through theological education. We have many graduates, students, and faculty who serve on church staffs around the world who are equipped where they live and serve and who are building up the church of Jesus Christ. The Carroll network is far-reaching and growing each year through the favor of our Lord and the excellent labor of our people.
Serving Him With You,
Gene