| (Photo: SWBTS Facebook) Prominent Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson, who heads Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, is embroiled in controversy over past remarks about abuse and divorce. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky is now the largest of the SBC schools, with a reported FTE enrollment of 2,762, followed by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, 2,438; Midwestern Seminary in Missouri. Four days after the allegations in the Book of Reports were published, Baptist Press, the SBCs internal news service, published comments from Paige Patterson denying the accusations against him and his wife. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; William Wistar Hamilton (#22) New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (formerly Baptist Bible Institute) Pat Morris Neff (#23) Baylor University; Leighton Paige Patterson (#50) Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Four other presidents also served as SBC entity heads, though not at the time of . Now, Southwesterns administration led by new President Adam Greenway, who has been on a three-year apology tour trying to mend fences with donors and alumni and other stakeholders has laid out specific charges against Paige and Dorothy Patterson. Carrolls vision and sacrifices in extraordinary ways, and has raised up a remarkable lineage of able successors, starting with Lee Rutland Scarborough, a zealous evangelist, renowned preacher, and trusted denominational leader. In receiving President Greenways resignation, we express our deepest appreciation for his more than three and one-half years of service to his alma mater, said Danny Roberts, chair of the Southwestern board. Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Mormonisms slow shift away from demonizing working mothers, Faith leaders urge Biden to sign executive order for reparations study by Juneteenth, For many congregations, wiping out medical debt has become a popular calling, Southern Baptists oust Rick Warrens Saddleback Church for naming a female pastor, Beth Moore tries to untangle her all knotted-up life in new memoir, Todd Benkert leaves SBC abuse task force after conflict over pastors restoration, Why the He Gets Us Super Bowl ads make Jews nervous, Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. Carroll persuaded Baylor to give up its own new theological seminary to make possible the establishment of Southwestern Seminary. "We believe our next assignment is not a departure from but a continuation along the journey God has always had us walk. Adam Greenway has resigned as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary three and a half years after he succeeded fired president Paige Patterson. He came to Southwestern Seminary during a difficult time of transition and has worked tirelessly to lead the institution to serve well the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. (RNS) The president of one of the Southern Baptist Conventions largest seminaries resigned on Friday (Sept. 23), less than four years after taking office. L.R. "The chief concern of the church and its ministry should be the salvation of men. In 2018, the Sandy Creek Foundation reported only $1,448 in gifts and grants to assist other organizations. Adam Greenway was elected president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2019, in hopes that he would help it recover from the controversial tenure of Paige Patterson. The IRS form lists seven people beyond Paige and Dorothy Patterson as officers of the organization: Charles H. Armstrong Jr., a Dallas accountant, who is treasurer; Scott Colter, former chief of staff to Patterson at Southwestern and now a director of strategic initiatives at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary as secretary. The school also accused Patterson of stealing seminary property and confidential donor information in its 2021 report to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Patterson, during his tenure at Southeastern Seminary from 1992 to 2003, pioneered this innovation to expand the seminarys reach, increase its enrollment and maintain funding from the SBC Cooperative Program even as graduate-level enrollments already were declining. Carroll had strongly supported The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, but the expansive population growth of the American Southwest placed urgent demands for gospel labor that a seminary a thousand miles distant could not provide. The Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention released a statement denouncing racism, but also declared critical race theory incompatible with their beliefs. Others include former SBC Executive Committee Presidents Ronnie Floyd and Paige Patterson; David Platt, former president of the SBCs International Mission Board, who resigned after a troubled tenure that included the loss of nearly 1,000 missionaries due to budget cuts; and Russell Moore, former president of the SBCs Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a critic of former President Donald Trump. In the last case, Baptist News Global was sent photographs taken by a private investigator showing both Pattersons traveling to Memphis, Tenn., by private jet during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and meeting face-to-face with the elderly donor, who is named in the SBC Book of Reports as Elizabeth Griffin. The Pattersons and several others including some who were current and former seminary trustees were accused of illegally redirecting that money from the two schools to the Pattersons own foundation, the Sandy Creek Foundation. On May 22, the seminary's trustees demoted the 75-year-old Patterson from his position as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, citing vague reasons about his. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. President Jerry Falwell Jr. has stained glass windows from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary unveiled at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Video screenshot from Liberty University That is described as a 7,700-square-foot single-family residence. It also notes that the foundation owns a library collection of approximately 31,300 volumes, including an estimated 3,500 antiquarian volumes. The strange saga of the Riley Foundation lawsuit now forces SBC to figure out who has the right to remove a seminary trustee, Lawsuit reveals details about Paige Pattersons break her down meeting with woman alleging campus rape, Paige Patterson out at Southwestern Seminary, Seminary removes stained glass windows celebrating conservative takeover of SBC. Greenway resigned during a meeting of the seminarys executive committee. Faculty. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. #SWBTS. We regret the omission. In doing so, the Seminary specifically identified the records that needed to be returned. On top of ongoing litigation around Pattersons response to abuse, disputes with the previous leadership at Southwestern lingered under the new administration. What we failed to appreciate was the enormity of the reputational, legal, and financial realities that would welcome us to the Domeonly to be compounded by a global pandemic unlike anything we have ever experienced before. in Political Science, Texas Tech University County records show the property was purchased by the foundation on Aug. 20, 2018, three months after Paige Patterson was fired at Southwestern. Most recently, that led to the sudden resignation of President Adam Greenway, who held the post only three years. This story was updated at 7:15 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, June 1, to include additional comments from Paige Patterson. 1949: Clarence Bouma: 1973: Arthur H. Lewis: 1997: Moiss Silva: Calvin Theological Seminary: Bethel College: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: 1950: Clarence Bouma Carroll, and we remain steadfastly committed to seeing that vision fulfilled in our day., He said he sees his new position at the International Mission Board as not a departure from but a continuation along the journey God has always had us walk.. He also spoke about his new role with the IMB. 2023 Baptist News Global. Tax records for Collin County, Texas, show the Sandy Creek Foundation owns real estate in Parker, Texas, with a current tax-assessed value of $1,285,688. Paige Patterson, Ph.D. - President, Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary Paige Patterson is president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. From its inception, Southwestern Seminary has sought to combine the highest standards of research and scholarship with vigorous training in the practical areas of ministry including missions, evangelism, discipleship, preaching, and worship. Longtime SBC leader O.S. degree is the basic degree offered by seminaries and divinity schools for pastor training nationwide. Thomas Pulley was one of the Southwestern trustees involved with Patterson in a reported attempt to gain control of the Harold E. Riley Foundation. They are also challenging times for academic institutions, particularly theological seminaries. As of the time of this response, the missing items have yet to be returned to the seminary.. Former president. Many of those students were part-time, as the school reported a full-time equivalent enrollment of 1,105 in 202122, down from 1,414 in 20192020. Not only that, they were accused of attempting to take control of the company Riley founded, Citizens Inc., a $300 million publicly traded company. Sometime between 2017 and the end of 2018, the name of the foundation was changed from Patmos Evangelistic Association to Sandy Creek Foundation. The school also accused Patterson of stealing seminary property and confidential donor information in its 2021 report to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Lockdowns during COVID-19 have been handled differently by governments around the world. Southeastern Seminary in North Carolina leads the six schools in enrollment of non-SBC students, which account for 32% of its headcount. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The report looks at churches approved for disaffiliation through the end of 2022, and identified 1,967, amounting to 6.6% of total U.S. churches in 2019.". Several other notable Texas Baptists also served First Baptist Church of Sulphur Springs as pastor, including J. Howard Williams, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Darold Morgan, former president of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, what is now Guidestone. B.H. Although rumors and intimations of the current seminary administrations displeasure with former President Paige Patterson and his wife, Dorothy, have circulated for months, the new item released in the SBCs 2021 Book of Reports is the most explicit accusation yet made public. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary had 107 faculty members and 3,364 students for the 1992-93 regular term, plus 1,163 for the 1992 summer session. Southeastern began classes in the fall of 1951 on the campus of Wake Forest . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The new details from Southwesterns administration add to an already bizarre tale that implicates the Pattersons in attempts to gain personal benefit from donors and funds previously allocated to the seminary. Sign up for our newsletter: It has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) since 1958 [6] and by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 1978. The reason Southwestern Seminary leadership felt it was important to provide this information to our institutional community is because we want to make sure you have the resources available to report any incident of sexual abuse or sexual assault, said Roberts and Greenway. It remains the oldest building in continual operation on any of the six Southern Baptist seminary campuses. Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Former Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Porn While on Probation for Minor Solicitation Conviction, Don Hinkle, Longtime Conservative Missouri Baptist Editor, has Died. Patterson was fired from leading Criswell College in 1991. Main photo: Adam Greenway addresses the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on June 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Alabama. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. (Photo / Ken Camp) Ken Camp / Managing Editor Legal counsel for the SBC Executive Committee wrote to Southwesterns legal counsel to complain about this, asserting that under Texas law a trustee has the right to participate in meetings of the board as long as he holds office.. Parker is a more rural part of the same county. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. We hope you will! The current president is Daniel L. Akin . From the beginning, Southwestern Seminary has offered a wide program of training to equip not only pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, but also both men and women who are called to serve in a wide variety of ministries and roles. [7] History [ edit] Binkley Chapel Jacumin-Simpson Missions Center Robert E. Naylor became the fifth president on September 1, 1958. The former, longtime pastor of Wacos First Baptist Church, Carroll knew that Southern Baptists desperately needed a denominational seminary situated in the Southwest. E.D. Southwestern Seminary would stand against all such false teaching. But in Greenways report to the convention at the 2022 annual meeting, he did not indicate any financial woes. Paige Patterson was known on campus for his love of big game preserved through taxidermy and displayed not only on campus but specifically in the presidents office. Renamed in 2009 in honor of former dean Jack D. Terry Jr., it is now the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met for its regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 22 and subsequently accepted the resignation of President Adam W. Greenway, Chairman Danny Roberts announced today. All rights reserved. On multiple occasions, legal counsel for the seminary has contacted the Pattersons legal counsel to request the items be returned. In a time where there are voices wanting to sow seeds of discord and disunity and dissension and division all across our landscape, I want you to know that your seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, desires to be an instrument of healing and reconciliation, of Gospel-advance, working to bring people together under a big-tent vision of commitment to a high view of Scripture, confessional fidelity, the Great Commission, and cooperation, Greenway told the SBC in 2021. The recent publication of the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Book of Reports has reignited a public dispute between Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and its former president Paige . The attorney general's reasoning closely tracks that of Southwestern and Baylor.