College of Christian Studies Archives - 91��

Created in God’s Image: Book’s Purpose is to Raise Awareness of Persons with Disabilities

Ed Welch — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:43:05 +0000

While we’re all created in God’s image, there’s a large population of individuals who are not fully recognized—something an AU professor hopes to raise awareness for.��

Dr. Laurie Thompson, who is a senior academic success advisor for the 91�� Enrollment Management Office and an adjunct professor in the 91�� College of Christian Studies, has published a book titled Disability-Inclusivity: Creating Awareness to Change the Current Trajectory.����

This book draws from Dr. Thompson’s own experience of being disabled as a result of being hit by a drunk driver at age 14, in addition to her years of ministry and academic pursuits to bring awareness to the need for pastors and Christian leaders to better respond to the needs of individuals who are living with disabilities of various kinds.��

“Drawing on her own experience as well as biblical insights and survey results, Laurie Thompson has demonstrated that the disabled are too often overlooked by the church. She effectively makes the case that if we are to be faithful to scripture, the church must be more effective and inclusive in ministering to those who have disabilities. This is a book that church leaders should read,” said Dr. Michael Duduit, dean of the 91�� College of Christian Studies. “Laurie is a dedicated believer who has carried her own experience with disability into the classroom. We are so glad that she is willing to use her own physical challenge as a foundation for ministry. She is a real asset to AU.”��

Dr. Thompson teaches the course “A Theology of Pain, Suffering, and Disability,” as well as an introductory Bible course for the 91�� College of Christian Studies. Upon approval from Dr. Duduit, she began working with Dr. Nathan Cox, associate provost, to develop the theology and disability course and include it in the Gold Core Curriculum, AU’s general education program. “A Theology of Pain, Suffering, and Disability” is an Interdisciplinary Connections course that’s available to all undergraduate majors and is designed to foster the critical thinking skills needed for students to make meaningful connections between different disciplines or societal issues. Developing these skills is integral to 91��’s pillar of .

“Learning about any given topic doesn’t take place in a silo,” says Dr. Cox. “Complex problems and solutions are almost always influenced by factors from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The Connections courses stretch our students to find and explore the meaning of these connections.”��

Dr. Cox is grateful to Dr. Thompson for developing and offering this class.��

“Her passion for this topic inspires her students, helps them to consider how their Christian faith informs their understanding of human suffering, and ask them to inspect how society views and serves, or, in some cases, fails to serve and include the disabled community. This all happens through the very personal lens of Dr. Thompson’s own lived experience,” he said. “This course helps to remind us that our neighbors are not just those who live near us, who might look or think like us, or have similar abilities and life experiences. In the eyes of God, we are all neighbors. It is all too easy for folks to forget that the disabled community is an important and very large part of our much wider shared community.”��

“When I start the first week of class,” Dr. Thompson said, “I will tell students that the most important thing for us as believers is to know who we are in the eyes of God, and who is God? Who does God say that He is? Also, who does God say that we are? When we have that foundation, the way that we see other people is transformed.”��

Entering her doctoral research, Dr. Thompson prayed for God’s direction.��

“As much as I had wanted to stay away from being seen as disabled, I just felt God was calling me to be an advocate for those with disabilities, because a lot of people with disabilities are not speaking out for themselves,” she said.��

Dr. Thompson’s book deals with disabilities defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—physical, intellectual, emotional and mental. She shared current statistics stating that those with disabilities are the largest minority in the world.��

“That is a huge population in our country. It hurts my heart that this is a group of people I’m a part of that is not active in the church,” she said. “I really started praying over that. If I can be someone who can contribute something to change the current statistics and the current trajectory, then I want to do that because I’ve lived as a person with a disability. I know what it’s like to be stared at. I know what it’s like to be told that you can’t do something. I know what it’s like to not be invited to a woman’s retreat because it’s a beach house that only has stairs. I know how to navigate life through that lens.”��

When she set out on her research, Dr. Thompson interviewed Southern Baptist pastors from across South Carolina.��

“In my research with pastors, they were not aware that people with disabilities are the largest minority in the world,” she said. “It’s not that people are being intentionally exclusive; I think that it’s more they just are not aware that there are so many people with disabilities and the fact that they’re not being included in church, and so I just feel called to create as much awareness as I can in a way that’s loving, in a way that’s biblical and in a way that can change the current statistics.”��

Dr. Thompson hopes that insights from her research that are found in her book will be seen as a valuable resource, especially for pastors and Christian leaders in all occupations.��

“One of the themes throughout my book is the imago Dei principle that is taught in scripture starting in Genesis 1:27 that all of us are created in the image of God,” she said. “I think that if we learn to see other people through that biblical lens, then it changes how we treat them and it changes how we interact with them, because we don’t see them as less than, but we see them as vessels of God himself created in His image, just like everyone else.”��

Dr. Thompson is grateful to 91�� for giving her the opportunity to raise awareness of disabilities through her doctoral work, her course and her book.��

“I am so proud to work at 91��, and I know that AU is doing its best to be very diverse,” she said. “Diversity is not just about race. It’s about cultures… Employing me and giving me the opportunities to teach as someone with a disability, I think that’s important because there are so many Christian universities that are not operating with a biblical approach to diversity. I’m thankful to have that opportunity.”��

Dr. Thompson also hopes to develop classes for pastors and Christian leaders in all occupations on disability-inclusivity.��

Disability-Inclusivity: Creating Awareness to Change the Current Trajectory is available on in hard copy or as an eBook.��

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York to Deliver Clamp Preaching Lectures at AU

Ed Welch — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:29:47 +0000

The 2024 theme of the lectures will be “Preaching and Discipleship.”

The lectures—sponsored by the university’s Clamp Divinity School—will be presented in the theater of the university’s G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center on Monday, October 7 at 7 p.m. and on Tuesday, October 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. York will also preach in campus worship Wednesday morning at 10:10 a.m.

York has served as the Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching at the Louisville seminary since 1999 and as Dean of the School of Theology since 2018. He recently stepped down as senior pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky. He is author of four books and hosts the popular Pastor Well podcast.

“Dr. York is an outstanding preacher and teacher of preaching, and we are excited to have him invest in the lives of our students and area pastors,” says Clamp Divinity School Dean Michael Duduit. “He has been a part of our work with the National Conference on Preaching on several occasions, and we look forward to hosting him on our campus for the first time.”

The Clamp Preaching Lectures have become a leading event in the field and have featured a number of the nation’s best-known preachers and teachers, including Haddon Robinson, Rick Warren, Ralph Douglas West, Charlie Dates, Bryan Chapell and others.

The lectures are free and open to the public. More information is available at .

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National Preaching Conference Set for Chicago May 14-16

Ed Welch — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:44:38 +0000

Using the theme “Crafting Compelling Preaching,” the conference features several theme-related talks, inspiring sermons and a series of practical preaching-related workshops.��

Among the featured speakers are Charlie Dates, pastor of Salem Baptist Church and Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago; Hershael York, professor of preaching at Southern Seminary in Louisville; Ralph Douglas West, pastor of The Church Without Walls in Houston; Bryan Chapell, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America and former President of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis; and Angulus Wilson, chaplain of Wheaton College. A complete list of speakers is available at www.ncpnow.com.��

The National Conference on Preaching has been held annually since 1989 and regularly draws hundreds of pastors and church leaders representing many denominations and locations across the United States.��

“This annual event is a strategic gathering point for pastors and others who are serious about strengthening their proclamation of God’s Word,” explains Michael Duduit, executive editor of Preaching magazine. “Participants benefit from the insights of some of America’s finest preachers and teachers of preaching and enjoy engaging with other church leaders.”��

The annual conference is sponsored by Preaching magazine () and Clamp Divinity School of 91�� in Anderson, SC. Past conferences have been held in cities across the U.S., including Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, Nashville, Dallas and Washington DC.��

Full information and registration is available at the conference website at .��

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Armstrong to Lead Clamp Preaching Center

Ed Welch — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:41:02 +0000

The Center is funded through the Compelling Preaching initiative of the Lilly Endowment and is headquartered within the University’s Clamp Divinity School.

Armstrong will lead The Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence in strengthening preaching in local churches through a variety of emphases, including developing effective educational curriculum and creating training cohorts for young pastors, with a special emphasis on African American pastors, who represent more than 50 percent of Clamp Divinity School’s enrollment.

The new Executive Director has a strong record of effective leadership, serving as a pastor of several churches in the Dallas metroplex as well as in Louisville. He has led Proclaiming the Word Ministries for nearly 30 years, and for several years served as director of the E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference, one of the nation’s premier events for African American pastors and preachers. Before transitioning into full-time ministry Armstrong served as a senior engineer.

Armstrong is a graduate of the University of Kansas and received his Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is currently in the PhD in Preaching program with Clamp Divinity School and did previous doctoral study at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

“We are excited to have someone with Leroy Armstrong’s pastoral and leadership experience leading this important new initiative,” said Michael Duduit, Dean of Clamp Divinity School. “Our goal is to ultimately impact thousands of churches through helping pastors more effectively proclaim God’s Word through preaching.”

Clamp Divinity School was established in 2009 as part of 91�� and now offers a variety of masters and doctoral programs for theological and ministry training.

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Five Siblings Are All 91�� Students

Ed Welch — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 18:21:35 +0000

Most folks are familiar with the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses,” but here’s a story about a family whom you might say raised the bar just a bit. It’s not about status; it’s more about the special bond this close-knit family has with one another.

Brenda Jones, who is an Anderson native, got married and moved with her husband David to the Columbia, South Carolina area.

Then Brenda experienced something that experts say happens to about one mother in a thousand. Her first children were triplets—Allison, Emily and Jessica. Two years later, she had twins—Stephanie and Davidson.

Homeschooled at their home in Lexington, South Carolina, the Jones siblings grew up developing strong bonds with each other—living, learning, worshiping and playing together, riding bicycles up and down the street and around their cul-de-sac, exploring a pond behind the house, playing games or singing together.��

“It seems like we did everything together, and part of it was because we were so close in age,” Emily said. “We pretty much did everything together, whether that was sports, sleepovers or things like that.”

When the triplets were ready for college, the transition from a homeschool environment to 91�� just felt right.

Each of the Jones siblings chose a different academic path at 91��. Emily is a Worship Leadership major, Jessica is a Graphic Design major and Allison is a double major in Biblical Studies and Creative Writing and also an honors student. Stephanie is a Human Development and Family Studies major and Davidson is a Biology major.

Allison remembers visiting her grandparents—Brenda’s parents—who live in the Anderson area, and how they would encourage their grandkids, “Whenever y’all get ready to come to college you can come here and be right down the road.”��

“Emily, Jessica and I have always joked about coming to college together,” Allison said. “Being triplets, we thought it would be cool if we could stay together, but we also didn’t really expect it to happen. After the tour, all three of us loved it.”��

Allison came to 91�� originally as an education major, but she sensed the Lord’s leading into Biblical Studies. Outside of her classes, she works with children’s ministry at Mosaic Church and runs the sound board and PowerPoint in services. After she graduates in May, she plans to stay at Anderson and work on her Master of Divinity and continue doing part-time ministry at Mosaic and possibly do some part time teaching.

When Emily was considering college degree programs that would help her fulfill her calling into music ministry, she was pleasantly surprised at the Worship Leadership degree program 91�� offered. As part of her program, she’s part of one of the worship bands that lead musical worship at 91��’s chapels and a BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) band. Emily also feels blessed that she’s had internships at Hope Fellowship, NewSpring and Brookwood churches, and works backstage or running sound for events in Henderson Auditorium.

“I’ve been to NewSpring and Hope Fellowship the most often and I love the people and the teaching,” Emily said.

Jessica enjoys doing graphic design and also photography.��

“I think over the semesters I’ve grown connecting with my professors and classmates. The graphic design professors put time into you and we’re a small enough cohort in graphic design for my grade level that they’re able to meet with each of us to make sure we’re understanding the materials,” Jessica said.��

When they reached college age, Stephanie and Davidson came to Anderson as well.

Stephanie recalls, “I came to Anderson to visit my siblings and I really enjoyed the campus. When I came to AU, I really just felt peace about it, and I was trying to not follow in my siblings’ footsteps because I like being my own person.”��

When she’s not in class, Stephanie is involved in BCM or cheering on the Trojan athletic teams as a cheerleader. She also works with her sister Allison in the campus post office.

Davidson has a fascination with animals and nature and enjoys studying ecology. He likes to hike whenever he gets the chance and loves that the mountains are just a short drive away from the 91�� campus.

“I’ll go up there and get some solitude. Honestly, I find it a good way, especially when I’m by myself in nature, just to find a way to connect with the Holy Spirit and meditate. I would love to go into animal science and do kind of a wildlife biology type of aspect, just study animals out in the wild,” he said. “I used to go camping a good bit with my dad—that’s a lot of fond memories I had growing up.”

Brenda recently returned to the Anderson area and now enjoys being close to her children and other family members. When she’s not connecting with family, Brenda works from her home managing rental properties. She also attends Capstone Church with some of the children.

“Right before the twins started their senior year of high school, that was when David passed away, so I ended up coming up here a good bit with the twins to be closer to my parents, just be closer to the girls to try to help all the kids process through all of this,” Brenda said. “I love to go over to campus and get lunch with the kids or get a cup of coffee. I go there weekly and pray, just walk around the campus and pray over different buildings or whatever the Lord lays on my heart to pray for at the time. I love to go to the chapel services.”��

“I think it’s been really good both for her and for us,” Emily said. “We are thankful that she’s close by and that she’s close to family too, because I think she’d worry about us and we would worry about her being so far away. I think we’re all really thankful that we’re here together.”

“We’re able to meet together, even if it’s just once a week and just hang out. I think that’s something really that not a lot of families get to do, so I’ve been really thankful for that,” Jessica said.

Brenda says of her husband David, “He was a great dad and he would be so proud of how the kids have handled all the changes. Losing him so early was/is very hard, but God has truly walked with us through it all and led us to where we are now.”

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McKnight Named to Head Great Commission Center

Ed Welch — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:38:07 +0000

Youth Ministry and Missions professor Tim McKnight has been named director of 91��’s Great Commission Center, according to Provost Ryan Neal.

The Great Commission Center is designed to establish strategic church planting and missions partnerships which enable students at AU’s College of Christian Studies and Clamp Divinity School opportunities for missional and church planting internships with global partners.��

McKnight, who recently celebrated 10 years as a professor at 91��, has been serving as director of the Global Center for Youth Ministry. That center will become part of the Great Commission Center and will continue to focus on coordinating youth ministry partnerships with global partners, allowing youth ministry majors experiences in global youth ministry while equipping youth ministry workers in the country of our global partners.��

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$1.1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish the Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence.

91�� — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 15:31:42 +0000

The program, which is based in the 91�� College of Christian Studies and Clamp Divinity School, is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative.

The aim of the initiative is to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully.

The Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence will facilitate several key initiatives, including creation of an enhanced preaching curriculum for both new and veteran pastors, ongoing mentoring and coaching programs and development of training resources specifically designed for pastors in African American churches. The Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence will include the recently launched Center for the Study of African American Preaching.

“We are thankful for this unique opportunity provided by the Lilly Endowment which will make a difference in the work of countless pastors,” 91�� President Evans Whitaker said. “The Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence will be a further expression of 91��’s commitment to serve the local church and those who minister there.”

Clamp Divinity School’s founding dean, Dr. Michael Duduit, believes this Center will be a valuable addition to the School’s existing resources for pastors, which include publishing Preaching magazine, sponsoring the annual National Conference on Preaching and offering academic curriculum, including a Ph.D. program in preaching. In addition to creating the Clamp Center for Preaching Excellence, 91�� is assisting Wheaton College in carrying out its project funded by Lilly Endowment, which includes hosting the 2024 National Conference on Preaching on the campus of Wheaton College in suburban Chicago.

91�� is one of 81 organizations receiving grants through this competitive round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in the Black Church and in Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.

“Throughout history, preachers often have needed to adapt their preaching practices to engage new generations of hearers more effectively,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that the organizations receiving grants in this initiative will help pastors and others in ministry engage in the kinds of preaching needed today to ensure that the gospel message is heard and accessible for all audiences.”

Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.  

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

About 91��

91�� is a “more selective,” comprehensive Christian university offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus and online. 91�� is among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Regional Universities South,” and is on the publication’s “Most Innovative,” and “Best Online Programs” lists. Anderson is a “Best College” among institutions of higher learning in the southeast by The Princeton Review; a four-time Apple Distinguished School; and on the honor roll of the prestigious Great Colleges to Work For program.

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‘Preaching as Leadership’ is Theme for Evangelical Homiletics Society Conference October 12-14

91�� — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:21:21 +0000

“Preaching as Leadership” is the theme for the 2023 Evangelical Homiletics Society (EHS) Conference October 12-14 at 91��.

Plenary speakers are Dr. Kyle Small, professor of leadership and director of the 91�� Center for Leadership and Organizations; and Dr. Pamela Larde, associate professor of leadership at 91�� and director of education at Institute of Coaching (McLean/Harvard Medical School).

Dr. Small has served as a pastor, professor, academic administrator and a professional coach. His life as a leader and a teacher finds resonance as he explores the alignment between mission and practice for both organizations and individuals. He has a passion to discover the world through theologically shaped social research. His research has focused on leadership, organizations, human formation and action research.

Dr. Larde is the founder of both the Academy of Creative Coaching and Tandem Light Press. She has served as a professor, coach, award-winning author and business owner. She has a passion for engaging in the work of advancing the reach and commitment of the coaching profession to serve and build up heart-centered leaders around the world while being intentional about integrating values of belonging, human dignity, justice and care for the whole person into every fiber of her work.

In addition to the plenary sessions, there will also be a panel discussion, a presentation of papers, an awards banquet, a celebration luncheon and worship services.

A detailed conference schedule, travel and lodging information and an online registration link are available . Online streaming of plenary sessions is also available. 91�� students and faculty can attend the conference for free, but will still need to register.

Many 91�� faculty members have served in EHS leadership roles over the years, including Dr. Kris Barnett, current president and Drs. Chris Rappazini and Michael Duduit as past presidents; also Clamp Divinity School professor Dr. Dante Wright has served on the EHS board.

According to Dr. Barnett, who serves as current EHS president and is associate dean as well as a professor at 91��’s Clamp Divinity School, the conference is hosted each year at a seminary or a university with an embedded seminary. For instance, conferences have been hosted by Moody Bible Institute, Truett Seminary, Southeastern Seminary and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.

Attending the conference are people who teach preaching in an academic setting, but also Ph.D. students, D.Min. students and pastors who are serious about the academics of preaching, according to Dr. Rappazini, who is site host for this year’s conference and serves as a professor of leadership in the 91�� Center of Leadership and Organizations.

Drs. Barnett and Rappazini are excited about the direction EHS is taking, drawing in conference attendees not only from across the United States but also from Canada, England and as far away as Australia.

“We had a pretty interesting piece that developed because of the world homiletics emphasis last year,” Dr. Barnett said. “We had a professor from Kenya who was one of our plenary speakers. One of the things he was working on was developing the African Homiletics Society, and so we now have a partnership, an affiliate member we are related to, and that’s been a great experience for me.”

EHS was established more than 25 years ago by Dr. Scott Gibson, who taught homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; and Dr. Keith Willhite, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary. Drs. Gibson and Wilhite desired an academic society for the exchange of ideas related to instruction of biblical preaching. In addition, there was a need for increased competence for teachers of preaching; integration of the fields of communication, biblical studies, and theology; and scholarly contributions to the field of homiletics.

EHS Membership Benefits include connection and networking with others who teach preaching, including senior professors; opportunities to interact with publishers; scholarly and practical enrichment; spiritual encouragement; improved teaching; and a complimentary subscription to Preaching Magazine.

EHS holds annual meetings that include worship and preaching, presentation of academic papers, interaction with colleagues and publishers, professional dialogue, fellowship and a portion of free time for local sightseeing. The Society also offers access to papers presented at the annual meeting.

Further information about the Evangelical Homiletics Society is available on their .

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AU Student-Alumna Serve Growing Atlanta Church

91�� — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:18:10 +0000

Rev. Maurice Huggins, better known to his congregation as Pastor Mo, feels blessed to be in the doctoral program at the Clamp Divinity School of the 91�� College of Christian Studies as he shepherds , a diverse and growing congregation in the Atlanta area. Mountain West Church is currently up to three services on a typical Sunday.

“We like to say we’re a place that looks like hope and feels like home, and that we’re a church that looks like heaven,” Huggins said. “Every tribe, every nation and tongue gather here where we lay down our preferences and gather around the gospel of Jesus… The coolest part is to just see people who are bank presidents and other individuals who don’t know where their next meal is coming from worshiping together. Immigrants as well as citizens worshiping—just the beauty of that. We’re solidly biblical and centered around the gospel and we help to inspire hope in life through the life of Jesus Christ.”

According to Huggins, Mountain West is in a prime location for reaching out to the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“We’ve got a vision called Hope 2030… God has called us to make a local imprint and a global impact,” Huggins said. “I don’t think it’s an accident that we are placed 25 minutes from the busiest airport in the world. We can get anywhere in the world from Atlanta, Georgia. We’re going to launch a Hope Center to be our local missions initiative. We have expanded our mission footprint already but we’re going to expand it even further and we’ll have a presence on six out of seven continents. Right now we’re on two and we’re going to expand that to six.”

Born to Jamaican parents and himself a third generation pastor, Huggins initially didn’t feel a calling into ministry. He interned at a law firm in high school and enrolled in college as a political science major with a goal of law school, but during his junior year, God used a Bible class to communicate His calling.

“I felt I was called to this and one way or another I was going to do it,” Huggins said.

When Huggins was seeking a doctoral program, he found that at the 91�� College of Christian Studies was exactly what he needed. He’s experienced colleges that run the gamut from liberal to ultraconservative, and was refreshed by what he found at Anderson.

“I describe Anderson as biblical. The lens is not filtered through a man-made structure before it’s given to you. Anderson and Clamp are just solidly biblical and focused on showing what the Bible says before you get to your own proclivities and preferences,” Huggins said.

The day-to-day of pastoral ministry can be challenging—all the more reason Huggins appreciates his faculty as he works on his doctoral program at Anderson.

“I’ve been introduced to people doing what I’m doing in the field right now and not just those who are theoretical but putting it into practice… I have put into practice what I’ve been learning. I had a class that taught on planning your preaching for a year. If I had never had that class, I don’t know how I would survive the first year here,” Huggins said. “We grew by 700 people in the first year, and so not having preparation I would have been overwhelmed but to have that all ready and know what I’m doing, I learned that in a class at Anderson.”

Joining Mountain West’s staff as Communications Director was Angelina Chisholm, who graduated from 91�� a couple of years ago after studying Communication and Worship Leadership. Huggins met Chisholm when she was leading worship for 91��’s Clamp Divinity school at the 2021 National Conference on Preaching in Nashville. He invited Chisholm to visit his church, which at the time was at Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Georgia.

“It’s a pretty cool story, that two AU students meet at an AU sponsored event and then begin serving in a growing, multi-ethnic church together,” said Dr. Kris Barnett of Clamp Divinity School, who supervises Huggins’ doctoral program and has also spoken at Mountain West.

Chisholm recalls a text she got after returning to Anderson for fall after the conference.

“I got a text from Dr. Chuck Fuller of Clamp Divinity School. He was one of my professors and it turns out that he was also one of Pastor Mo’s professors. Chuck texted me and said, ‘Hey, there’s someone from the National Conference on Preaching who remembers you and wants to talk to you’ and it was Mo. At that point he had come to Mountain West… I didn’t think I made that big of an impression. He didn’t even know what I majored in and when I told him I was double majoring in Communications and Music Worship he was like, ‘that’s perfect. We’re looking for someone for communication.’”

Since joining the staff of Mountain West, Chisholm has seen how God uses skills she learned studying Communications and also Worship Leadership at 91��. She initially chose to major only in Worship Leadership. Later, seeking out additional programs of study, she decided to also major in Communication.

“I chose communications, and I really didn’t think much of it, but the more I did it the more I liked it, and then the more I was talking to people at Anderson, professors and administrators about my majors, they were saying, those two actually go so well together—worship leadership and communications—because when you work in ministry, you end up doing a lot more than you thought. So it became clear to me that communications could be useful in ministry as well. But I always felt like, well, I’m just supposed to do worship, because I’ve always done worship, and I’ve always loved music,” Chisholm said. “I think that the Lord calls people to ministry, not skill sets. You can be really good at something, and you might feel the Lord call you into ministry, and then when you get there, He has you doing something completely different.

In addition to leading Mountain West’s communications team, Chisholm also leads musical worship in services.

Information about the 91�� College of Christian Studies and Clamp Divinity School can be found online here. Information about the South Carolina School of the Arts at 91�� can be found online here.

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New Faculty Join the 91�� College of Christian Studies

91�� — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 20:16:51 +0000

The 91�� College of Christian Studies announced the addition of two new faculty members, Dr. Toney C. Parks and Dr. Luke Stamps.

Dr. Toney C. Parks will be joining AU’s Clamp Divinity School as an assistant professor of pastoral ministry. He has been pastor of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina since 1991, and has served a number of years as assistant professor of biblical counseling and practical theology at Erskine Theological Seminary. Parks serves as president of the South Carolina Congress of Christian Education and moderator of the Enoree River Baptist Association, and has been a chaplain for the Greenville City Police Department.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Parks is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Erskine Seminary, and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is a state and national instructor on the subject of Church Leadership, Administration and Policy for the Baptist Education and Missionary Convention of S.C. as well as the National Baptist Convention of America, USA.

Dr. Luke Stamps is returning to 91�� as professor of Christian studies after a year serving as chair of the Herschel H. Hobbs School of Theology and Ministry, Dickinson Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, and director of the Master of Arts program at Oklahoma Baptist University. Stamps, who originally joined the AU faculty in 2017, is a graduate of Auburn University and earned his masters and Ph.D. in systematic theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Widely known for his theological scholarship, Stamps is an executive director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, a fellow for the Research Institute of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and a senior fellow for the Center for Ancient Christian Studies. He is author or co-author of a number of books and articles.

“We are excited to have these two outstanding professors and ministry leaders join our faculty this fall,” says Michael Duduit, dean of AU’s College of Christian Studies and Clamp Divinity School. “They will be a tremendous asset to 91��, both in the classroom and in their scholarly work.”

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