When you come for a tour of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and are escorted around the campus, our student ambassadors will point out one of the unique honors our seminary enjoys – Southern Seminary is the only institution with a school named in honor of Billy Graham. In 1994, at President R. Albert Mohler, Jr.’s request, the renowned evangelist gave his name to the newly established The Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism, now The Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry, in a show of support for Dr. Mohler’s vision for the seminary. Speaking at the inauguration of Dr. Mohler as the 9th President of Southern Seminary, Billy Graham said of Dr. Mohler, “You have elected a man with a tremendous vision not only for the future of this theological seminary but for the future of evangelism and missions in the Southern Baptist Convention and around the world.”
The establishment of the Billy Graham School was a pivotal step Dr. Mohler took to bring the vision that Dr. Graham recognized and celebrated to reality as Southern Seminary now had a school focused on preparing gospel ministers to be faithful proclaimers of the gospel and could recruit faculty members who shared Dr. Mohler’s convictions, confessional identity, and vision for the direction of the seminary. Today, thirty years later, the founding vision for the Billy Graham School remains steadfast. Its mission is to “Equip God-called individuals for theologically grounded and skillfully practiced service in the local church as pastors, missionaries, evangelists, church planters, biblical counselors, worship leaders, and lay leaders.” Over the past three decades, this mission has been realized as thousands of students have been trained, educated, and equipped as graduates are serving faithfully with the missions organizations of the Southern Baptist Convention, leading flourishing counseling ministries, faithfully pastoring new and revitalized churches, leading the church in worship, and as trusted leaders in churches worldwide.
As we celebrate the Lord’s faithfulness through the Billy Graham School on its 30th Anniversary, we also rejoice in the faithfulness of our current students, who are preparing to follow in the footsteps of these inspiring graduates. This joy continues even to the present. On May 10, 154 graduates of the Billy Graham School had their degrees confirmed and pledged that “we are the next in line” as they go out as ministers of the gospel. As we commemorate three decades of the faithfulness of The Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry, we do so with eager anticipation for the future. We look forward to how the Lord will continue using the school and its graduates to spread the gospel and strengthen His church. With this hopeful outlook, we dedicate this issue of the Southern Seminary Magazine to celebrating The Billy Graham School.