DALLAS (BP) — The six Southern Baptist seminaries gave reports to messengers in the final session of the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting.

Gateway thankful for historic support, Groza tells messengers

By Tyler Sanders

DALLAS — Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza began his report to messengers at the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in Dallas, on June 10-11, with a message of gratitude for Southern Baptist churches.

“Your seminary in the West owes its existence, its strength, its growth, its impact and its longevity to the work of God through Southern Baptist churches,” he said. Groza added that the commitment of Southern Baptists to both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message is essential to the education of seminary students

“Brothers and sisters, it is with profound gratitude to God and to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention that I report to you today that Gateway Seminary is healthy, we are growing, and we are focused,” he said.

Groza reported on growth at Gateway Seminary in both academic programs and funding.

The seminary launched a Spanish master’s degree in the 2024-2025 academic year, the third language program alongside the Chinese-English and Korean-English bilingual programs.

“We are striving to meet the needs of all Southern Baptist churches and removing barriers to Christ-centered theological education,” Groza said.

Additionally, the seminary established a number of strategic partnerships, including the 4+1 Program with California Baptist University (CBU). Through it, students earn a bachelor’s degree in CBU’s School of Christian Ministries and a Master of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gateway Seminary in only five years.

Groza said this program will “create an expedited pipeline of ministry leaders for the churches of the West and for global missions.”

A $2 million gift was donated to the Go Grant fund, an endowment that provides free short-term missions opportunities for every Gateway student. The Go Grant endowment was established through a $2 million gift in 2023. The now-$4 million fund will send Gateway students overseas on short-term trips for class credit in perpetuity.

“Some of these students will answer the call to missions, but all of them will return to their local church to more effectively and enthusiastically champion the biblical cause of global missions,” said Groza.

He also shared recent developments regarding Gateway’s properties. The campus in Fremont, Calif., is in a relocation process this summer to San Leandro. The sale of the property in Fremont will add $7 million to the Land Sale Endowment, originally established through the sale of the Mill Valley Campus, and create a $3 million scholarship fund.

“These new scholarship funds will help Gateway students complete their seminary training debt-free while serving in their local church,” he said.

At the primary campus in Ontario, California, a solar panel construction project was completed that will save an estimated $120,000 per year in utility costs.

Groza ended his report with another acknowledgment of the seminary’s dependence on faithful Southern Baptists.

“Thank you for the faithful support you give, and thank you for the amazing students you send,” Groza said.

“Thank you for upholding us in prayer as we endeavor to glorify God by remaining faithful to His Word as we carry out our mission of shaping leaders who expand God’s kingdom around the world.”

Allen highlights five strategic priorities in MBTS report

By Michaela Classen

DALLAS — Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) President Jason Allen’s report to messengers at the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting on June 11 focused on the seminary’s five strategic priorities in accomplishing its mission for the Church.

Allen began by expressing his gratitude to serve the churches of the SBC through the work of Midwestern Seminary.

“It is a remarkable fact of North American Christianity that, for 180 years, this convention has been on mission together, seeking to be confessionally faithful, seeking to reach the world for Christ, and through your six seminaries, training annually an incredible number of men and women to fulfill the Great Commission and serve the various ministry and pastoral roles that this convention needs,” he said.

Allen noted God’s recent blessings on Midwestern Seminary’s mission, including a 2024-25 headcount of 5,416 and a Southern Baptist full-time equivalent total of 1,862, marking the institution’s 13th consecutive year of enrollment growth.

In light of God’s blessings, Allen emphasized the institution’s first strategic priority of missional faithfulness, both in what it believes and why it exists.

“We understand that if we are wrong in our confessional commitments, it doesn’t matter where else we are right,” he said.

He noted that all Midwestern Seminary faculty members, including adjunct professors, are committed to teach in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality.

He went on to say, “You can look to your seminary in Kansas City with confidence as to what we believe and what we teach.”

Pointing to the institution’s purpose, he continued, “We are absolutely committed to serving Southern Baptist churches. Those three words have become synonymous with this institution: for the church.”

He added, “Brothers and sisters, you are our ministry.”

Emphasizing that the seminary’s missional commitments are carried out in the work of training students for local church service, Allen shared the institution’s second priority of faculty strength.

He listed the institution’s five most recent faculty additions, Donald Whitney, John Meade, Peter Gurry, Matthew Boswell and Ronni Kurtz, highlighting their contributions and leadership for the church in fields including biblical spirituality, biblical studies and the history of Scripture, hymnody and systematic theology.

Third, Allen addressed the institution’s priority of student success. “Our ambition is to see students holistically trained, minds full of truth, hearts passionate for the Lord and hands skilled in local church service,” he said.

Reflecting on the past year, Allen shared that students in the institution’s residential program and Global Campus represent all 50 states and 63 countries, including many hard-to-reach places around the world.

Fourth, he shared the institution’s priority of a flourishing campus community. He highlighted God’s blessing on the institution to complete deferred maintenance and capital projects over the past 10 years. Recent projects have included a restoration and beautification of the original stonework on the campus exterior and an increase of residence space by 66 beds to accommodate growing on-campus enrollment in Fall 2025 and beyond.

Finally, Allen highlighted the institution’s priority of intergenerational stewardship. “We understand that we are stewards,” he said. “I am not an owner, and we are not owners in Kansas City. We are stewarding this institution for you as Southern Baptists.”

He listed several examples of the institution’s focus on stewardship, including its lack of debt, growing endowment and sustainable business model. Allen pointed to God’s grace through these efforts to provide the institution with a nearly $100 million increase in net financial assets since 2013.

Allen concluded, “This is God’s kindness to us through Southern Baptists, so many of you in the room today. Thank you for the privilege of serving your youngest seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.”

NOBTS president expresses gratitude for Southern Baptists

DALLAS — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and Leavell College President Jamie Dew expressed deep gratitude for the ministry and support of Southern Baptists during his report to messengers of the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting.

“Before I share my report about how our wonderful school in New Orleans is doing, I just want to say how personally grateful I am for Southern Baptists,” Dew said during his address on Wednesday morning (June 11). 

“In five days I will celebrate 30 years of being a Christian. I came to faith through Southern Baptist witness, was discipled in Southern Baptist churches and was educated in your institutions. Everything that I have and everything that I am, I have those things because of you dear people. In addition to all those things, you have given me the very best job in all of the world.”

Dew said the great character of Southern Baptists is reflected in the students NOBTS is training to serve the convention.

“When I think about Southern Baptists, I often say that Southern Baptists are kind, hard-working and faithful. They love Jesus and they just want to make Him known. When I think about you all that way, I also see that on our campus. That’s who the people of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College are.

“You would be proud of our students if you were to come to our campus and see who they are, what they’re training for and where they’re going. It is a deep and profound joy to serve all of them, and by extension, all of you. Thank you for this privilege and for your continued faithful support of the Cooperative Program (CP).

“That support is absolutely essential for us as we train up the next generation of servants [who] are going to come back to your churches and labor there with the gospel for you.”

Regarding the Cooperative Program, Dew noted the significance of the anniversary of both the CP and the Baptist Faith and Message.

“It’s a big deal to celebrate 100 years of the CP and the Baptist Faith and Message,” he said.

“I can assure you that at NOBTS and the other seminaries, when we hire faculty, we are pressing in hard to make sure that faculty members affirm, teach and defend what is articulated in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. We press in hard because we understand our stewardship to you. We celebrate these anniversaries today and are grateful to God for it.”

Dew closed by saying this past academic year has been the best year of his ministry career, and NOBTS will continue to train students to be faithful ministry servants for the SBC.

“This has been the best year of my entire career,” Dew said. “I’ve been in higher education in some way for all of my adult life, but this particular year was absolutely fantastic. I can talk about numbers and measurables, but what gives me particular joy is the morale on our campus. It is a sweet place, and our people are bought into what we’re doing.

“We want to train a generation of students that are going to be humble, hard-working and faithful Southern Baptists. We press into them that the most important task on planet Earth is to preach Jesus Christ to a lost, hurting and dying world. 

“It has been a great year and we do this work not only for our Lord, but for you. Southern Baptists, you are worth this work. While we do our work, we think about all of you all year long.”

Akin reports on God’s kindness to ‘your Great Commission seminary’

By Mary Asta Mountain

DALLAS — On Wednesday morning, during the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting on June 11, 2025, President Danny Akin presented his seminary report for Southeastern Seminary and Judson College.

“Southeastern Seminary is your Great Commission seminary,” Akin told attendees. “It’s embodied in our mission statement. Our purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.”

“In other words,” he said, “we seek to train men and women that will follow the final marching orders of the Lord Jesus. That is to go and make disciples of all the nations. We’re grateful for your trust in what we’re doing.”

Akin highlighted areas of encouragement and growth that Southeastern has witnessed this past year, including the celebration of the seminary’s 75th anniversary, continued growth within the Master of Divinity program and encouraging reports on Great Commission faithfulness within the Southeastern community — both in the lives of Southeastern students and in the institution’s global equipping efforts.

“This last year, more than 150 students took international short-term mission trips,” Akin shared. He also highlighted Southeastern’s spring commissioning chapel, in which “more than 40 students and their families were commissioned to go to the nations as well as to serve with the North American Mission Board.”

“Over the last three years,” he noted, “we’ve seen significant growth in our Master of Divinity program. Our enrollment, again, this year, will pass the 5,000-person mark. God’s been very, very kind in that regard.”

Akin also shared about the institution’s grief over the loss of Drs. Adrianne Miles, Jim Shaddix and Keith Harper — three beloved and highly respected Southeastern professors who passed away this past year following difficult but faith-filled battles with cancer. Their presence within the Southeastern community is deeply missed.

Even as Southeastern sorrows at their passing, God’s kindness is seen. The Southeastern community is eager to welcome several new additions to Southeastern’s part-time and full-time faculty — individuals who share the institution’s passion for theologically equipping students and pursuing the Great Commission and who walk in the footsteps of those who came before. These faculty members include Landon Dowden, associate professor of preaching and pastoral ministry; Kelly King, assistant professor of Christian ministry; and Rhyne Putman, professor of theology.

Akin also shared about the recent celebration of Southeastern’s second Persian graduation, in which numerous students from across Central Asia joined the ranks of Southeastern alumni, having completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees completely in the Farsi language.

“It is amazing to see the courage and the joy of these Persian believers, each of whom find themselves in very, very difficult places,” Akin expressed.

In addition, Akin shared the exciting news of the rename of Southeastern’s college to Judson College, in honor of the Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson, who — along with his family — so faithfully represents the same mission that characterizes Judson students: to give their lives for the cause of Christ in the church, among the nations, and in every aspect of society.

Akin also expressed his gratitude to Southern Baptists for their continued support of Southeastern through their gifts to the Cooperative Program and to the institution.

“There aren’t words to say thank you enough for what happens through the Cooperative Program. This year Southeastern held out its hand, you put in that hand 6.7 million dollars, and we simply said thank you — thank you, thank you.” It is through this generous giving, Akin said, that “our students are getting a quality education, an excellent education, at the very best cost.”

“If you are wanting to be a Great Commission minded pastor,” Akin told those listening, “Southeastern, I think, is a really good place for you to come at this time.” Akin closed by reminding his fellow Southern Baptists of the light of the gospel that God has entrusted to them — to bring to those living in darkness who need it most.

To learn more about Southeastern Seminary and its mission to equip students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission, visit sebts.edu/about.

Mohler urges Southern Baptists to keep the gospel ‘Thick on the ground’

By Jacob Percy

DALLAS — Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) President R. Albert Mohler, Jr. addressed messengers of the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting with a clear reminder of the denomination’s responsibility to maintain a strong gospel presence wherever Southern Baptists are found. Speaking in his 32nd annual report as president of SBTS, Mohler expressed gratitude for the faithful support of Southern Baptists and urged continued investment in theological education to ensure a vibrant witness for generations to come.

“In Europe, you can still see the buildings, but in too many places the preaching is gone,” Mohler said, recounting a recent teaching trip to historic sites of the Protestant Reformation. “It is our stewardship to make certain that wherever the Southern Baptist Convention is found, the gospel is thick on the ground.”

Against that sobering backdrop, Mohler expressed profound gratitude that the SBC remains committed to training pastors, missionaries, and gospel workers. “At Southern Seminary, we take that as our first priority,” he said. “We exist to produce preachers — ministers who are grounded in the faith once for all delivered to the saints and equipped to serve the church and reach the nations.”

Mohler reported that Southern Seminary remains healthy “by every measure,” including strong enrollment in its Master of Divinity program. He highlighted the global reach of the institution, pointing to the seminary’s May commencement exercises where graduates represented 26 nations: Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the People’s Republic of China, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

“When you think about the Great Commission,” Mohler told messengers, “you need to remember that it is visible right in our midst. These graduates have been trained in the Word and are being sent out to preach Christ.”

Mohler closed by thanking Southern Baptists for their faithful support.

“We are committed to doing everything we can, for as long as Southern Baptists continue to plant churches and reach the nations, to be found faithful in training the next generation,” he said.

In a moving moment following his report, Mohler was asked to lead the convention in prayer following the passing of Jennifer Lyell, a former student and advocate for abuse reform within the SBC. Mohler offered a heartfelt prayer, asking for comfort for her family and for righteousness, healing and faithfulness in the life of the denomination. 

Dockery celebrates gains, 50,000th graduate in SWBTS report

By Karen Garcia

DALLAS — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) is “by God’s grace … in a very different place than it was 33 months ago,” President David S. Dockery told messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) during his June 11 report, noting the institution’s improved financial position, enrollment gains, revised Master of Divinity, a new faculty book, evangelistic initiatives and prayer emphasis.

“The board, faculty, staff and students are unanimous in their sense of joyful hopefulness regarding the future of the seminary as we seek in accordance with our great heritage as a Great Commandment and Great Commission institution to equip and educate students for service to the churches for the glory of our majestic Triune God,” he said.

During his report, Dockery recognized Chris Gardner, who received the Master of Divinity in December as the 50,000th graduate in the seminary’s 117-year history. The achievement makes Southwestern “one of the few theological institutions in the world to reach this amazing milestone,” he said, also noting the spring commencement saw the seminary’s largest graduating class since 2002.

Dockery also said the seminary’s celebrations throughout the 2024-2025 academic year of the centennial anniversaries this year of the Cooperative Program (CP), Baptist Faith and Message and Southwestern’s official affiliation with the SBC. As the first SBC entity to formally adopt the Baptist Faith and Message, he said the seminary has “reaffirmed” its “commitments to both the Cooperative Program and our confessional heritage.”

In praise of the faculty, he pointed to the publication of Shapers of the Southwestern Theological Tradition, a 400-page volume published by Seminary Hill Press that traces the seminary’s theological heritage. Twenty-three current Southwestern faculty members wrote about 80 former and present faculty members throughout the seminary’s history.

Dockery said the Southwestern campus “has been characterized by a deep dedication to faithful and regular prayer as well as intentional institutional stewardship, pointing toward a hopeful sense of institutional stability.”

He told messengers that adjustments of more than $8 million to the annual operational budget have been made while continuing to support the seminary’s academic mission and strategic plan.

“Since the conclusion of the 2022 fiscal year, total debt has been significantly reduced, all short-term debt has been eliminated, and total net assets of the institution have increased by more than $20 million, following the patterns of the two previous years,” Dockery reported.

He also highlighted enrollment gains of more than 200 students since 2022 and an increase of more than 3,000 total credit hours in that same time period.

Dockery told the messengers that while Southwestern continues to await news regarding the seminary’s options related to current sanctions from its regional accreditor, “I’m pleased to let you know that our status with the Association of Theological schools is in a good place.”

In other campus news, Dockery shared that Southwestern Seminary welcomed the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center to campus. The partnership with Prestonwood Baptist Church, led by Southwestern alumnus Jack Graham and the church, will enable the entities to “mutually live out our commitments to sanctity of life convictions.”

He also noted the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Southwestern’s formal partnership with the Bibelseminar in Bonn, Germany.

Regarding the newly revised MDiv curriculum, Dockery said the degree was unanimously approved by both the faculty and affirmed by the board of trustees. The process has led the seminary “to reprioritize efforts to serve students, to strengthen academic seriousness, to prepare the next generation to more faithfully serve the churches and to help our students engage the rapidly changing culture by anchoring this new curriculum in the articulation of a Christian world and life view.”

Following his report, Dockery received a question from Timothy Sanford, lead pastor of New Hope Community Church in El Monte, Calif. Sanford, a military veteran, asked why seminaries had stopped receiving funding from the Veterans Administration.

“It is a concern, not only at Southwestern Seminary, but for all six [seminary presidents],” Dockery said. “This was certainly not our decision.” However, he noted, through the seminary’s endowment, “each year we give $2.6 million in scholarships to our students, and we have found ways to serve those veterans through those scholarship funds, and we want to commit to continue to do that for as long as the Lord provides.”

A second question came from Southwestern alumnus Jacob Smith, pastor of Union Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas, who asked if the seminary’s board of trustees had implemented any systems to “help prevent the kind of financial mismanagement that has occurred at Southwestern previously from being a problem in the future.”

Dockery replied that he was “pleased to tell you that the board of trustees approved a new board policy manual in the past two years, which has extensive guidelines for financial management, guardrails that are in place, responsibilities for the role of the administration, the role of the board working together to ensure ongoing, faithful institutional stewardship, not just for the short term, but for the long term and the good of Southwestern Seminary and the glory of God in the days ahead.”