NEW ORLEANS (BP)–New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary trustees elected two new faculty members during their regular summer meeting June 5, while the presidential appointment of a third new faculty member also was announced to trustees.
William H. “Bill” Day Jr. was elected associate professor of evangelism and church health, occupying the Gurney Chair of Evangelism and Church Health. He will also serve as associate director of the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health.
Gary F. Hallquist was elected by trustees as assistant professor of worship ministries, while Jim Graham has been appointed by President Chuck Kelley as an instructor in Christian education.
Day has served as pastor of Parkview Baptist Church, a multi-staffed, 554-member church in Metairie, La., since 1993. Day previously served as pastor of First Baptist Church of South Daytona, Fla., a suburban church with 939 members, from 1985-92; associate pastor of Northwest Baptist Church, a 5,500-member church in Miami, from 1981-85; pastor of Coral Gables (Fla.) Baptist Church from 1976-81; and minister of evangelism and associate pastor at Farmdale Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky., 1973-76.
“Finding an evangelism professor with both extensive experience in the church and outstanding abilities as a researcher is a rare opportunity,” Kelley said. “We are delighted at the prospect of what will come from both the teaching and writing of Dr. Bill Day.”
Certified as a pastor/equipper in several evangelism programs, including F.A.I.T.H. and Continuing Witness Training, Day has served as an adjunct faculty member teaching evangelism at NOBTS and has served since 1977 in a variety of capacities in the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, the Halifax (Fla.) Baptist Association and Miami (Fla.) Baptist Association.
A native of Bradenton, Fla., Day earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Florida; a master of science degree from Purdue University; a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.; and a doctor of philosophy degree from NOBTS. He and his wife, Peggy, have two adult children, Richard Bradley and Warren Douglas.
“Bill Day has not only a passion for evangelism, but the ability to think strategically about how our churches can be more effective in evangelism,” said Steve Lemke, seminary provost. “He knows how to utilize demographic data and other resources to assist churches to be healthier and more evangelistic.”
Hallquist currently serves as associate minister of music at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala. A specialist in instrumental music, with a passion for worship, Hallquist previously has served on the music staff of several churches in Louisiana and Georgia. He has also served as a worship leader at events sponsored by the Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, Birmingham, Ala., and First Baptist Church of Atlanta.
“I was particularly pleased to learn that Gary Hallquist added formal training in theology to his training in music as he prepared himself to teach students about worship,” Kelley said. “He will do an outstanding job of teaching both the biblical and theological foundations of worship and the functional skills necessary for leading worship.”
Hallquist is a widely published composer and arranger of choral music, orchestrations and praise choruses. He has written several musical works commissioned by churches and state conventions. In 2000, NOBTS commissioned Hallquist to compose “Requiem for the Millennium,” the seminary’s 10th annual Holy Week concert held in the historic St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square in New Orleans. The work was performed by the NOBTS division of church music ministries, together with a community chorus from the Greater New Orleans area, Jones County Junior College Concert Choir, members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and a jazz quartet.
Other commissioned works by Hallquist include “People of Light” for the Alabama Baptist Convention in celebration of its 175th anniversary in 1998; “I Fall on My Knees” for Shades Mountain Baptist Church in honor of the pastor’s 25th anniversary in 1997; and “We Are His Love” for the Better Bridges Campaign of the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1996.
A native of Shreveport, La., Hallquist earned a bachelor of music education degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.; a master of music degree in clarinet performance from North Texas State University in Denton, Texas; and a master of theological studies degree from Beeson. He and his wife, Sherrell, have three adult children, Kevin, Virginia and Meredith.
“More and more churches are incorporating instrumental music and orchestra as a part of their worship experience,” Lemke said. “Gary Hallquist is one of the premiere instrumental musicians in the Southern Baptist Convention. We are excited not only for the addition to our seminary community of his expertise in instrumental music and worship leadership, but also the addition to our music division faculty of one of Southern Baptist’s top composers and arrangers.”
Graham is a youth ministry specialist who serves as a research fellow for NOBTS’s Youth Ministry Institute, a cutting-edge program providing leadership in advanced research, practical application, quality training and ongoing dialogue for those who work with youth. Currently pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree at NOBTS, he has served as an adjunct faculty member in the area of Christian education for NOBTS’s College of Undergraduate Studies and graduate school.
Graham also currently serves as minister of education and outreach for Riverside Baptist Church, River Ridge, La. He has served in the youth ministry of three Texas churches. In each of these positions, Graham led youth in Sunday school programs, mission trips, student camps and discipleship and outreach. He has written extensively, including a six-year Sunday school curriculum for teenagers, multiple retreat and camp Bible studies and a discipleship notebook for youth.
A native of Miami, Graham earned a bachelor of music education degree from Samford and a master of arts degree in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He anticipates completing Ph.D. studies at NOBTS within the next two years. He and his wife, Robin, have two children, Emily and Matthew James.
Of Graham’s appointment, Lemke said, “Under the leadership of Dr. Allen Jackson, the NOBTS Youth Ministry Institute has become a national center for the study of how to impact youth for Jesus Christ. Jim Graham has already made a significant contribution to YMI, and we look forward to what he will add to our strong program in youth ministry at NOBTS.”
In other action, the trustees also approved a sabbatical during the 2001-02 academic year for Gerald Stevens, professor of New Testament and Greek.
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