NEW ORLEANS (BP)—New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary trustees elected James K. “Jamie” Dew Jr. as the school’s ninth president at a June 5 called meeting.
Dew comes to New Orleans from his position as vice president for undergraduate studies and distance learning at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C.
“I’m humbled to the core of my being,” Dew said in accepting the position as seminary president. “I’m going to give you everything I have. I believe we’re going to have a fantastic time as we go forward together.”
Search process
Frank Cox, chairman of the presidential search committee, said each of the four final candidates were excellent choices, but the committee became convinced that God was leading them to Dew.
“There are certain times in my life when I know that God showed up,” Cox said of the interview process that confirmed Dew as the nominee. “This was one of those times.”
The search committee announced May 20 its unanimous decision to nominate Dew to succeed Chancellor Chuck Kelley, who retires July 31.
New Orleans Seminary initiated an extensive presidential search process after Kelley’s October 2018 announcement that he planned to retire on July 31. Cox, chairman of the NOBTS trustee board at the time, selected a diverse committee to conduct the presidential search. Its 11 members included male, female, Asian, African American and Anglo members representing a wide range of backgrounds including educators, administrators, pastors, students and business leaders, seminary officials noted.
Dew pledges to “champion” the seminary
Dew presented his vision for the seminary, with the Great Commission as his focus in pledging his commitment to equipping students to follow Christ and go “to all nations” sharing the gospel and leading lives of service to others.
“I will give you everything that I am to champion New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary,” he said.
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Dew earned a Ph.D. in theological studies from Southeastern Seminary and a Ph.D. in philosophy conferred this summer from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral ministry from Southeastern Seminary and an undergraduate degree in biblical studies from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Ga.
Elected to Southeastern’s faculty in 2011, Dew was named dean of the College at Southeastern in 2013. His role was expanded in 2014 to his current vice presidential position, supervising the college, all aspects of distance learning, the prison programs and the writing center. Dew also teaches and mentors Southeastern’s undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in his role as associate professor of philosophy and the history of ideas.
Since 1996, Dew has engaged in a wide range of church ministries, including stints as youth minister, minister to adults, interim pastor and senior pastor. Dew served eight years as senior pastor of Stony Hill Baptist Church in Wake Forest, N.C., and currently serves as a care group leader, discipleship leader and AWANA leader at Open Door Church in Wake Forest.
Dew is the author of four books: Philosophy: A Christian Introduction, God and the Problem of Evil: Five Views, How Do We Know? An Introduction to Epistemology and God and Evil: The Case for God in a World Filled with Pain.
Married for 18 years, Dew and his wife Tara are the parents of two sets of twins—Natalie and Nathan, 11, and Samantha and Samuel, 8.
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