SWBTS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor of Foundations of Education Director of the Southwestern Center for Writing Excellence
Education
B.A., Miami University; M.A., Miami University; Ed.D., Southern Seminary
Dr. Crider serves as associate professor of foundations of education and director of the Southwestern Center for Writing Excellence. Her current research and writing focuses on developing theologically grounded pedagogy, the impact of creativity on pedagogy, rhetoric, writing style, the Trinity's impact on the teacher-student-subject triad in residential and virtual classes, and mentoring pedagogical development in doctoral students.
Dr. Crider has written journal articles for Perichoresis and the Southwestern Journal of Theology. She is a member of the Society of Professors in Christian Education. Crider also has extensive experience as an editor.
Prior to coming to SWBTS, Dr. Crider served on the faculty at Boyce College and as the Writing Center Coordinator for Southern Seminary. She has taught adjunctively at several colleges and universities, including the University of Northern Colorado, Aimes Community College, Westmont College, Southwest Baptist University, and Liberty University.
She is married to Dr. Joseph Crider, and they have four adult children.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Assistant Professor of Women 's Ministries Director of News and Information
Education
Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; M.A., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; B.J., University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Allen serves as assistant professor of women's ministries and as director of news and information at Southwestern Seminary. Coming to Southwestern Seminary with more than a decade of denominational ministry experience, Allen most recently served as a senior consultant for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina since 2009. In her role there, she developed and provided key oversight to statewide women's ministry in the areas of evangelism and discipleship.
She has also served as an adjunct professor of women's ministry at Southwestern Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Allen has served at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, and First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, other Christian ministries, Baptist state conventions and conferences, as well as serving as corporate chaplain for Marketplace Ministries, Inc. She also worked for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
She is the author of several resources, including co-authoring Responding Well: A Guide for Women's Ministry Leaders to Help Survivors of Sexual Abuse. Additionally, she has written for and contributed to numerous publications, Bible study resources, and devotional materials, including serving as a contributor to LifeWay's Journey magazine, a daily devotional publication for women.
Job Titles:
- Interim Dean of the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries Professor of Educational Ministries Jack D. and Barbara Terry Chair of Religious Education
Education
Ph.D. in Foundations of Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; M.A.R.E, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; B.B.A, Belmont University
Dr. Shirley serves as interim dean of the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries, professor of educational ministries, and Jack D. and Barbara Terry Chair of Religious Education. In nearly a decade of teaching at Southwestern, Dr. Shirley has taught in the areas of adult ministry, family ministry, Christian education, and discipleship. Dr. Shirley previously served at Dallas Baptist University, where he was the Program Director for the Master of Arts in Discipleship. In addition to these experiences, Dr. Shirley also has 20 years of ministry experience in parachurch and local churches in North Carolina and Texas.
Dr. Shirley, author of Family Ministry and the Church: A Leader's Guide to Ministry Through the Family (2018, Randall House) is a frequent conference and workshop speaker in a variety of areas: discipleship, family ministry, men's ministry, older adult ministry, adult education, and teacher training. In addition, he was written youth and adult Sunday School curriculum, adult and youth Vacation Bible School materials, and Bible book studies for LifeWay Christian Resources. He has also published several articles and book reviews in publications such as Southwestern Journal of Theology, Christian Education Journal, and the Evangelical Dictionary of Education.
Chris and his wife, Isabel, have been married for over 30 years and they have two grown children, and three grandchildren. Chris and Isabel are active members of Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where he serves as an elder and small group leader.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Institutional Administration
- Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff
Adams has been married to his wife Amanda since 2014. The couple has two children-Harper and Micah.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Humanities at Texas Baptist College
Dr. Ford serves as assistant professor of humanities at Texas Baptist College. His research interests include the spirituality and pastoral theology of Augustine of Hippo, the transcendentals (truth, goodness, beauty) in the patristic tradition, virtue and ethics in the patristic tradition, Christianity in late antiquity, and the history of Christian spirituality and formation.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Professor
- Editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology
- President of the Evangelical Theological Society
Education
B.S., University of Alabama-Birmingham; M.Div., Grace Theological Seminary; M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; M.A., Texas Christian University; Ph.D., University of Texas System; Additional Study: Drew University; Honorary Degrees: D.Litt., Union University; D.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
David S. Dockery serves as distinguished professor of theology, editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology, director of the Dockery Center for Global Evangelical Theology, and special consultant to the president. He is highly regarded as one of the outstanding leaders and senior statesmen in the world of Christian higher education. Dockery served as president of Union University for nearly two decades where during his transformational presidency the enrollment more than doubled, the net assets of the institution more than tripled, the campus was transformed, and Union vaulted to a place of national leadership in Christian higher education.
Following his years of service at Union as president and University Professor of Christian Thought and Tradition, Dockery was named president emeritus. He also served for more than five years as the 15 th president of Trinity International University/Trinity Evangelical Divinity School before being named chancellor and Professor of Christianity and Culture. Prior to his service at Union and Trinity, Dockery served as the chief academic officer at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also held a tenured faculty position in theology and New Testament. He has also served as a visiting or affiliate faculty member at a number of institutions. He was unanimously elected as the founding president of the International Alliance for Christian Education on August 8, 2019.
Dockery has served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society and as chair for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. In addition, he has served as chair of the Consortium for Global Education and the Christian College Consortium.
Having authored or edited more than 40 volumes, and contributed to more than 75 other books, he is best known for his works in the area of Baptist studies, Christian higher education, and biblical interpretation. He is the author, co-author, co-editor, or editor of the following significant books: Christian Scripture: An Evangelical Perspective on Inspiration, Authority, and Interpretation; Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society through Christian Higher Education; Biblical Interpretation Then and Now; The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking; Theology, Church and Ministry: A Handbook for Theological Education; Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal; Baptist Theologians; Southern Baptists and American Evangelicals; The Doctrine of the Bible; Our Christian Hope; Theologians of the Baptist Tradition; People of God; Southern Baptist Identity; Interpreting the New Testament: Essays on Methods and Issues; Foundations for Biblical Interpretation; Christian Worldview Handbook; Christian Higher Education: Faith, Teaching and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition; Christian Leadership Essentials: A Handbook for Managing Christian Organizations, and The Challenge of Postmodernism: An Evangelical Engagement, among other titles. He has written two Winter Bible Study volumes and two Annual Doctrine Study books for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Dockery has contributed to a wide-range of major reference works as well as more popular publications like Christianity Today, Decision Magazine, Books & Culture, and Touchstone. Dockery has served as the New Testament editor for the 40-volume New American Commentary series (B&H), as general editor of the Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series (Crossway), and as co-editor of the forthcoming multi-volume Theology for the People of God series. He also served as general editor of the Holman Bible Handbook and as co-general editor for the Worldview Study Bible. He has authored more than 100 articles along with more than 100 reviews in various periodicals. He has served as editor, consulting editor, or member of the editorial board for such periodicals as The Southwestern Journal of Theology, Christianity Today, Review and Expositor, Christian Higher Education Journal, Criswell Theological Review, and Renewing Minds, among others.
Dockery given academic lectures and presentations a numerous academic institutions or associations including: the presidential address at the Evangelical Theological Society; the Norton Lectures, McCall Lectures; and Founders' Day Lectures at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; the Page Lectures at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; the Day-Higginbotham Lectures at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; the Pinson Lectures at Houston Baptist Theological Seminary; the Gallup Lectures at Dalas Baptist University (twice); the Hobbs Lectures at Oklahoma Baptist University; and several others. He has given the Presidential Inaugural Addresses at several institutions including: Oklahoma Baptist University, North Greenville University, Williams Baptist University, Carson-Newman University, Anderson University (SC), Hannibal-LaGrange University, Blue Mountain College, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, and others.
Dockery has also served on the boards of the following institutions: Christianity Today International, Touchstone/Fellowship of St. James, Prison Fellowship, Colson Center for Biblical Worldview, the International Association for Baptist Colleges and Universities, Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the Executive Committee of the Evangelical Theological Society. In Baptist life, Dr. Dockery has served on the InterAgency Coordinating Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC Name Change Study Committee, Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, Calvinism Study Committee (Chair), Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Founding Fellow of the Center for Baptist Renewal, and on the Theological Heritage Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. He has been married to Lanese for over 40 years. They have three married sons (Jon and Sarah, Ben and Julie, and Tim and Andrea) and eight grandchildren. Their travels have taken them to the various regions of the United States and Canada, as well as to Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President
- Associate Vice President for Development
Job Titles:
- Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement
- Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Edward Upton has served as vice president for Institutional Advancement since May 2021.
Previously, Upton served at the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee; Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas, and Neosho, Missouri; and Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. He earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Ministry from Freedom Bible College.
Upton is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership here at Southwestern Seminary.
Upton has been married to his wife, Eleanor, for 13 years and they have 4 kids and a dog.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President
- Associate Vice President for Institutional Relations
George Schroeder serves as associate vice president for Institutional Relations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Professor of Foundations of Education Vice President Emeritus for Institutional Advancement Special Assistant to the President
Education
Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994; Ph.D. (ABD), North Texas State University; M.R.E., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1962; B.A., East Texas Baptist University
Education
Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994
Ph.D. (ABD), North Texas State University
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President for Communications
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Professor of Children 's Ministry Bessie Fleming Chair of Childhood Education
Education
Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; M.A.C.E. in Childhood Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; B.B.A. in Marketing/Management, Baylor University
Dr. Kennemur serves as professor of children's ministry in the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries. She holds the Bessie Fleming Chair of Childhood education. Dr. Kennemur also serves with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention where she is the children's ministry and family ministry associate. Prior to teaching, she worked in the local church as a preschool and children's minister and weekday director.
Dr. Kennemur's passions are working with and training preschool, children's, and family ministers. Kennemur is the author of "Teaching Children" in The Teaching Ministry of the Church (2 nd Ed. B&H, 2008) and "Nurturing Faith in the Home: Equipping Parents of Children to be Spiritual Leaders" in Family Ministry and the Church: A Leader's Guide for Ministry To, With, and Through Families (Randall House, 2017). She has also written Sunday School, camp, and retreat curriculum. Dr. Kennemur is a member of the Baptist Association of Christian Educators, Early Childhood Christian Network, and the Society of Professors in Christian Education.
She is married to Danny. They have three children, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Women 's Auxiliary Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Option Student Loan for Undergraduate Students