SBC classrooms provide models of diversity

The classrooms of Southern Baptist seminaries provide a model for diversity with students representing most every ethnic background, numerous children of missionaries who grew up in another culture, and a fair number of professors who studied overseas or immigrated from another country.

For Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson it’s a dream come true, having achieved a personal goal of recruiting an international faculty to teach an increasingly multiethnic campus.

“The presence of a large number of students from just about every conceivable ethnic background and the stellar achievement of men and women of these various backgrounds makes it incumbent on a seminary like ours, training for ministry in every part of the earth, to have a representative faculty that can speak to every circumstance possible,” Patterson told the TEXAN.

Twenty percent of Southwestern’s faculty comes from non-Caucasian groups or nationalities other than the United States. “The fellowship and the interchange of cross-cultural spiritual challenge have created the closest we can get to heaven on earth in a faculty,” Southwestern’s president added.

Current faculty include an African American, an Arab, an Australian, two Chinese, two Germans, a Jewish Christian, six Hispanics, seven Koreans, a Moldavian, an American Indian and a Zimbabwean.

“I am very grateful for these men and women and the insights that they bring,” Patterson stated. “The Lord has graciously provided that which we asked of him.”

Not counting international students, enrollment in master’s degree programs at the six Southern Baptist seminaries last year attracted 512 Hispanics, 382 Asians, 219 African Americans, and 23 Native Americans, with the remaining 78 percent composed of Caucasians. All six of the seminaries offered a report earlier this year to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention on recent efforts to involve ethnic churches and ethnic church leaders in SBC life.

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary has the most diverse ethnic and racial mix in their student body, according to their report to the Executive Committee, with 36.3 percent described as Caucasian, 21.4 percent as Hispanic, 19.4 percent as African American, 12.6 percent as Asian American and 2 percent as Native American, and the remaining portion coming from internationals or students whose race or ethnicity was not identified.

Based in Mill Valley, Calif., the seminary has developed significant relationships with ethnic church leaders throughout the western U.S., including them often as chapel speakers and adjunct professors.
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., featured an African American church emphasis in chapel last September, followed by a pastor luncheon. The school’s evangelism teams also work with several local area ethnic congregations, according to the report provided to the Executive Committee.

Nearly 200 students from South Korea and the U.S. are pursuing either the D.Min. or D.Ed.Min degrees, which are both offered in Korean. The school also offers a Korean master of arts degree entirely online with 33 students enrolled.

“Because of the strong relationship that’s been built between Midwestern and the Korean pastoral community in recent years, we anticipated continued enrollment growth,” stated Rodney Harrison, MBTS director of doctoral studies. “Korean pastors are being trained in their heart language which, in turn, enables them to minister more effectively.”

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary offers academic programs at various levels for Koreans, Hispanics, Haitians and African Americans. Undergraduate, graduate, and D.Min. degrees are offered in the Korean language in New Orleans and at the Atlanta extension center, as well as online classes and an online biblical studies certificate in Korean.

For African Americans the school offers the African American Church Planting certificate through the Florida Baptist Convention. For Hispanics, a bachelor of arts degree is offered through the Miami extension. NOBTS also offers the equivalent of the master of arts in Christian education, in worship, and in marriage and family counseling for trainers of house church leaders, through the Western Cuba Theological Seminary.

Church leadership certificates are offered to Haitians in Haiti and Florida and to African Americans at church locations spread across Louisiana and Georgia. Additional certificate-level instruction has been offered in Portuguese, Cambodian and Vietnamese.

New Orleans Baptist Seminary also hosted the national African American Pastors’ Conference in recent years and provided help in the form of computer equipment and adjunct teachers to a local National Baptist school.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “proactively seeks to hire faculty and administrative staff from diverse ethnic backgrounds,” according to the school’s report, and encourages applicants from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

Instruction and/or graduate supervision is offered in Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean to non-English speaking students.

Another way in which the seminary strives to encourage ethnic participation in the SBC is by suggesting the names of ethnic church leaders to the SBC Committee on Nominations for service on Southern Seminary’s board of trustees “when appropriate and as solicited.”

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary reported on efforts to increase the participation of ethnic church and church leaders in the life of the seminary. “While major percentage gains have not been seen, SEBTS is seeing growth in the ethnic student population,” the report noted.

Based in Wake Forest, N.C., the school has increased the number of ethnic speakers on the chapel schedule and is looking for ethnic churches to participate in the Great Commission Equipping Network that provides a church-based internship training program, as well as seeking qualified ethnic professors for faculty positions.

Southeastern conducts an annual picnic event that is attended by multiple ethnic churches and organizations, providing students an opportunity to learn about and participate in the ministries of these churches and organizations throughout their time in seminary. Ethnic church leaders have been featured in chapel, as well as a panel discussion titled “Skin Deep: A Discussion of Faith and Race in the Church.”