WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)–The search for a new president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to replace Paige Patterson began July 22 with the first meeting of a nine-member search committee.
The committee consists of board of trustees chairman Timothy Lewis of Troy, Ill., and trustees Jimmy Jacumin of Connelly Springs, N.C.; Jim Goldston of Raleigh, N.C.; Philip Mercer of Columbia, Md.; Wendell Estep of Columbia, S.C.; James Merritt (a businessman) of Easley, S.C.; Steve Felker of Colonial Heights, Va.; Ronald Cherry of Dallas; and Mark Harris of Augusta, Ga.
The first meeting allowed the group to get a “sense of procedure” in choosing a president, Lewis reported. None of the current trustees were involved in the election of Patterson as Southeastern’s president 11 years ago.
“This will be a careful and thoughtful procedure to find God’s man,” Lewis said. “Southeastern Seminary has become well-known as a world-class seminary with a faculty second to none. We have an outstanding student population who are committed to Christ and want to carry out their mission and purpose.
“We don’t intend to change our purpose and vision. We want to find the man we believe God will call to lead us.”
Lewis said he is uncertain how long it may take to complete the search. The process right now is in the “candidate discovery” portion, he said, during which the committee will evaluate recommendations from not only church and Southern Baptist Convention officials but the general public as well.
Anyone can nominate someone for the presidency. The candidate’s resume and letter of recommendation should be sent to: Presidential Search Committee, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Attn: Rev. Timothy D. Lewis, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588-1889. To submit the recommendation and resume electronically, send it via e-mail to Lewis at [email protected].
During the July 21 trustee meeting, Bart Neal, 63, the seminary’s vice president for institutional advancement, was named as interim president.
Patterson, who resigned in June to become president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, addressed the trustees for the final time. He urged them to take their time in finding a new president but noted that God has a man ready to assume the position.
“The first thing you should do is put together a profile of a president and then throw it away,” Patterson said. “Find God’s man. Your biggest task will be to find him.
“Get a man who walks with God. Find a man who’s consistent in his witness. Find a man who has strong family commitments. Find a man of courage, vision and passion. Find a man who is an advocate of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Find someone who will be respected by the faculty. Find an encourager.
“Find someone who will love Southeastern Seminary with all his heart. Find someone with a pastor’s heart. And find someone who’s appealing, who can hire people who get the vision of what Southeastern is all about.”
At the meeting, trustees also approved the promotions of David Nelson and Peter Schemm Jr. from assistant professor of systematic theology to associate professor.
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