On May 10, 2024, I had the privilege of attending and reading Scripture for the 232nd commencement ceremony of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. This graduating class was one of the largest in the school’s history with 396 students receiving degrees. God blessed the day with beautiful weather and a large crowd of family and friends celebrating together as these graduating seminarians crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. Much prayer, hard work and probably a few tears went into their accomplishments, but they are finished and we rejoiced with them. One of those graduating was my oldest daughter, Khera, and it was a true joy to see her finish this season of ministry training in her life.
I love attending these gatherings as they are a source of encouragement for all Southern Baptists and a time of hopeful celebration as we think of what God may do through the lives of these graduates. Here are five encouraging thoughts I took away from the graduation service:
1. We are in good shape. By “we” I mean the members of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. If these graduates—and the hundreds like them from our five other seminaries—are any indication of our future, then we are in good shape. These are bright, talented and gifted men and women who have answered God’s call and surrendered their life to knowing Christ and making him known through the ministry assignment God gives them. The great news for Southern Baptists is that by God’s grace we have nearly 24,000 of them at some stage in their ministry training.
2. Dr. Mohler preaches the gospel. I have attended many graduation services at Southern Seminary and one thing is constant: Dr. Mohler will preach the gospel to those in attendance and invite them to repent and place their faith in Christ. It is one of my favorite things about the commencement services at Southern Seminary. There were undoubtedly lost people among the crowd of more than 2,000 people and they were able to hear the name of Jesus lifted high and His gospel proclaimed with a personal invitation to come to Him by faith.
3. We are diverse. The diversity of Southern Baptists is on full display at these graduation services. Dr. Ayman Ibrahim led in a prayer for the nations as part of the service. In his prayer he listed 26 nationalities represented through this graduating class. Combine this with the other SBC schools and we see the glory of the gospel reaching “all tribes and people and languages.” Not only are Southern Baptists going into all the world with the gospel, but the world is coming to Southern Baptist seminaries to be trained for gospel-advancing ministry.
4. We are theologically sound. The presidents and faculty of our Southern Baptist seminaries all affirm the Baptist Faith and Message as well as their own Abstract of Principles. Our schools are known for biblical fidelity and missional faithfulness. The students who are trained under this faculty of gifted leaders are afforded the benefit of learning from professors who love God’s word and are convinced that “it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error, for its matter” (BF&M – The Scriptures).
5. These are our graduates. By “our graduates” I mean yours. If your church is a Cooperative Program giving church, then you have helped these men and women get through school. You have paid their professors. You have helped with the upkeep of their buildings. And you have helped with their tuition. This means that their fruit is your fruit. The men and women and boys and girls that they lead to Jesus and disciple to follow Him is fruit credited to your account (Philippians 4:14-17).
Thank you for investing in this graduating class, the 232nd, of gospel-focused leaders ready to take their next step in Great Commission ministry. What an incredible time to be alive and what a great time to be Southern Baptists!
Dr. Todd Gray 