In an abrupt change of plans, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees announced David Dockery will serve as the school’s interim president and O.S. Hawkins as senior adviser and ambassador-at-large following the departure of Adam Greenway as president.
The announcement came five days after trustees had named Hawkins, former president of Guidestone Financial Services, as acting president. A statement from the seminary said the board met in executive session on Sept. 27 by video conference.
Seminary faces ‘serious financial challenges’
In a frank acknowledgement of the dire situation at Southwestern Seminary, Hawkins asked the board to consider “a more strategic option” to address the “combination of external and internal challenges facing the seminary.”
“It is no secret that the seminary has serious financial challenges and going forward we will be giving oversight to aggressively manage costs and implementing best business practices with the intent to move our school to a more solid financial footing,” Hawkins said.
“I will be visible on campus and will seek to provide visionary and Christ-hearted, servant leadership to all the seminary family.”
The seminary experienced significant turnover in faculty, staff and administration during Greenway’s time as president and reportedly is running a significant deficit.
“While I am honored and humbled at the invitation of the trustees to become the interim president of Southwestern, I feel my best efforts in piloting and positioning the seminary on its conservative course for the future are better served by giving attention to matters of general oversight, vision and direction, and also shoring up our various and valuable outside constituencies,” Hawkins said.
“Therefore, I have asked the board to invite David Dockery to partner with me in leading Southwestern through these days of challenge and transition.”
Hawkins and Dockery to lead ‘in tandem’
Hawkins said he and Dockery will work “in tandem as important decisions present themselves in the future.”
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Southwestern Seminary Trustee Chairman Danny Roberts from North Richland Hills Baptist Church in suburban Fort Worth said he and the board “have complete confidence in both leaders.” Roberts added, “Their combined experiences in educational and denominational life will serve Southwestern well in the days ahead.”
The public statement from the seminary said the board approved the joint leadership plan with no opposition.
Dockery, who joined the Southwestern Seminary faculty in 2019, has close to four decades experience in higher education. He was president of Union University from 1995 to 2014, before he was named president of Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He also has served as president of the International Alliance for Christian Education.
Hawkins served a quarter-century as president of Guidestone Financial Services. Previously, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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