Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol 90.1) The Light of Truth: Apologetics in the 21st Century
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news & features<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>ues to fulfill its<br />
call<strong>in</strong>g, not only as an academically<br />
rigorous <strong>in</strong>stitution, but as a tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
ground for those called to take<br />
<strong>the</strong> gospel to <strong>the</strong> nations.<br />
sbts trustees elect<br />
faculty and approve<br />
annual budget at<br />
Spr<strong>in</strong>g Meet<strong>in</strong>g<br />
—<br />
By Jeff Rob<strong>in</strong>son<br />
Graham School Dean Paul Ak<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviews IMB President Paul Chitwood<br />
dur<strong>in</strong>g Great Commission Week at SBTS.<br />
sbts encourages<br />
mission-centric work<br />
dur<strong>in</strong>g great<br />
commission week<br />
—<br />
By Travis Hearne<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> encouraged<br />
students, faculty, and staff to get <strong>in</strong>volved<br />
<strong>in</strong> missions both locally and<br />
globally dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> school’s Great<br />
Commission Week April 12–14.<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> filled <strong>the</strong> week, <strong>the</strong>med<br />
“Send Me!”, with events designed<br />
to present options and <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
for <strong>the</strong> many students consider<strong>in</strong>g<br />
full-time missions after graduation.<br />
Paul Chitwood, president <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> International Mission Board,<br />
kicked <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> week with a chapel<br />
message on <strong>the</strong> need for <strong>the</strong> gospel<br />
<strong>in</strong> solv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> world’s greatest problem.<br />
“Lostness is <strong>the</strong> world’s greatest<br />
problem.” Chitwood said, “We<br />
know <strong>the</strong> solution to <strong>the</strong> world’s<br />
greatest problem, <strong>the</strong> gospel <strong>of</strong> Jesus<br />
Christ, and we have been called<br />
to share it.”<br />
Paul Ak<strong>in</strong>, Dean <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Billy<br />
Graham School <strong>of</strong> Missions, Evangelism<br />
and M<strong>in</strong>istry, <strong>in</strong>terviewed<br />
Chitwood <strong>in</strong> <strong>The</strong> Bookstore at<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> on <strong>the</strong> mission <strong>of</strong> SBTS<br />
and <strong>the</strong> IMB. <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> has proudly<br />
partnered with <strong>the</strong> IMB for 160<br />
years and <strong>the</strong> sem<strong>in</strong>ary is more<br />
mission-centric than at any o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
time, Chitwood said.<br />
“Today’s SBTS is more focused<br />
on deploy<strong>in</strong>g a generation <strong>of</strong> missionaries<br />
to <strong>the</strong> nations than at any<br />
time I’ve witnessed over <strong>the</strong> past 30<br />
years,” he said.<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong> also hosted Kev<strong>in</strong><br />
Ezell, president <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> North American<br />
Mission Board, for Thursday’s<br />
chapel. Ezell called for churches to<br />
prioritize send<strong>in</strong>g missionaries <strong>in</strong> a<br />
sermon on Acts 13:1–8.<br />
“In <strong>the</strong> end, success for churches<br />
will be determ<strong>in</strong>ed, not by <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
seat<strong>in</strong>g capacity, but by <strong>the</strong>ir send<strong>in</strong>g<br />
capacity,” Ezell said.<br />
All <strong>in</strong> all, <strong>the</strong> week provided resources<br />
and guidance to any student<br />
called to serve <strong>in</strong> local, regional,<br />
and <strong>in</strong>ternational missions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> IMB, KBC, and NAMB each<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered <strong>in</strong>fo fairs and active missionaries<br />
from each agency <strong>of</strong>fered<br />
testimony and answered questions<br />
from prospective missionaries.<br />
Great Commission Week is no<br />
exception to <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong>’s mission,<br />
Ak<strong>in</strong> said. It’s just one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ways<br />
In <strong>the</strong>ir spr<strong>in</strong>g meet<strong>in</strong>g Monday<br />
even<strong>in</strong>g, trustees <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong><br />
Baptist <strong>The</strong>ological <strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong><br />
unanimously approved a $50.4<br />
million operat<strong>in</strong>g budget for 2022-<br />
2023, as enrollment and f<strong>in</strong>ances<br />
rema<strong>in</strong> very strong.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new budget represents a $2.3<br />
million <strong>in</strong>crease (4.8 percent) from<br />
<strong>the</strong> budget trustees approved last<br />
year. Over <strong>the</strong> past two budget cycles,<br />
<strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong>’s budget has grown<br />
by more than $13 million despite<br />
challenges from <strong>the</strong> recent pandemic.<br />
“God cont<strong>in</strong>ues to bless <strong>Sou<strong>the</strong>rn</strong><br />
<strong>Sem<strong>in</strong>ary</strong> and our churches<br />
cont<strong>in</strong>ue to send us <strong>the</strong> most amaz<strong>in</strong>g<br />
students,” SBTS President Albert<br />
Mohler said.<br />
“This is a great era <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> history<br />
<strong>of</strong> this sem<strong>in</strong>ary and college and<br />
we are press<strong>in</strong>g ahead. Our board<br />
<strong>of</strong> trustees and faculty and staff<br />
work toge<strong>the</strong>r for <strong>the</strong> best <strong>the</strong>ological<br />
education we can provide our<br />
students for a lifetime <strong>of</strong> faithful<br />
m<strong>in</strong>istry. We pray to bear this great<br />
mission with faithfulness until Jesus<br />
comes.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> new budget is just right for<br />
<strong>the</strong> current economic circumstances,<br />
sem<strong>in</strong>ary leaders said.<br />
“We believe this is a conservative<br />
budget,” said Jon Aust<strong>in</strong>, senior<br />
vice president for <strong>in</strong>stitutional<br />
summer 2022<br />
53