Jan Daehnert is the director of ministry guidance and adjunct professor of biblical studies and ministry at Dallas Baptist University, where he has served since 2001. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on Christian education. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Background
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in San Antonio, where I graduated from Brackenridge High School in 1959. My mom and dad provided well for us, as we lived for a time in public housing—Victoria Courts. I grew up with two older brothers, Bob and Don.
How did you come to faith in Christ?
Calvary Baptist Church was my home and foundational church for more than 22 years. Robert McGinnis and Edward Garrett were my discipleship pastors through those years.
Our church moved once during that time to establish a church plant near Fort Sam Houston Military Base, where we reached out to lost soldiers and developed believers who went around the world to serve our Lord Jesus.
One Sunday morning, our Bible teacher Mrs. Anne Moses asked our Sunday school class of 9-year-olds to describe what was unusual about the painting behind her. It was an allegorical painting by English painter William Hunt in which Jesus stands knocking at a door (Revelation 3:20).
I could not see anything unusual, but Mrs. Moses said, “There is no handle on the outside. The handle is on the inside. The only way for the door to open is for someone on the inside to open the door. That door represents your heart. The only way for Jesus to come into our lives is for us to open the door from the inside. You have to invite Jesus into your heart.”
That was the day I invited Jesus into my 9-year-old heart. I am so grateful he entered and has been walking with me faithfully ever since. I have wandered off the path many times, but he always has been ready to continue the journey once my heart returned to him.
Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?
• Howard Payne University, Bachelor of Arts in religious studies. I met my precious wife Carol at Howard Payne and began my experience as a pastor of a small rural congregation in Coleman Baptist Association.
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Master of Divinity.
• Fuller Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministry with a focus on leadership development for congregations dealing with ministers’ health issues.
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I wanted resources to assist churches in the Baptist General Convention of Texas who were walking through issues related to conflict management. I taught seminars in local congregations while assisting them during interim periods when they were searching for a new pastor.
This ministry developed into a training process related to the Center for Congregational Health in North Carolina. I served on a faculty of five who had the responsibility of training more than 320 pastors to serve Texas Baptist churches during interim periods. This ministry is particularly helpful after the previous pastor has served more than 15 years.
What are some other places you have served?
I served as director of the Baptist Student Union at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, (1967–1970) as well as North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas.
I also served eight years on the BGCT division of campus ministry staff, 10 years as the human resource director, three years as director of bivocational ministries, and five years as associate and then director of the Minister/Church Relations Office.
I also have been the bivocational interim pastor in 49 Texas Baptist churches.
About education
Why do you feel called into education?
Mainly, because I have worked with congregations that struggled with educating or training their members to learn and develop as disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus issued a challenge to all believers (Matthew 28:18-20) to develop “disciples,” not just church members or committee members for the church.
It seems many congregations are satisfied with having members attend church services, give some money, do some kind of religious activity during the week and be done.
This means most of Christian education is not working, and I am about the business of addressing this topic by working and mentoring new, young ministers called to service in and through the local church.
I desperately want these new leaders to know Jesus and how to be “equippers” (Ephesians 4:11-12) of all church members—to know Christ and him crucified first. Then, I want future church leaders to know how to apply the principles in Acts 2 where the church gathered, worshipped, studied the word of God, met human and spiritual needs, and invited folks outside the community of faith to know this same Christ.
How did you become part of Dallas Baptist University?
I began teaching at DBU part time in 2001, just before I retired from 38 years of serving the Baptist General Convention of Texas. In 2013, DBU President Gary Cook asked if I would serve full time in the College of Christian Faith, where I was until May 2021, when I retired once more and now work part time as minister guidance director, along with teaching five classes a year.
What is your favorite aspect of education? Why?
My favorite part of being in education is the need to keep learning each and every day. There was a time I wished I could just “get it all together” and be a master of all insights and wisdom. Then, I decided to “grow up” and realize I never could have it all together, because the world is moving so fast, and culture adjusts in light years at times.
Being part of a faculty that demands the best means I need to read, worship, listen to the best professors and hear my students as they let me know where they need help and direction. As an 80-year-old guy, that is a stretch, particularly in the world of technology.
What one aspect of education gives you the greatest joy?
Watching my students be challenged, think critically, and grow spiritually—all of those bless me. Yet, the greatest joy is when I see the Lord bring young men and women together as they form a bond in self-discovery and mutual love and support.
Today is difficult for young Christian men and women to find each other in marriage, with little help from broken homes and from congregations who are just as bewildered as moms and dads to know what to do for wisdom and advice.
When brave couples endure and find each other, then marry and start a family, I am the happiest prof on campus. After all, next to deciding to follow Christ, I find this decision to be the most important students ever will make.
What one aspect of education would you like to change?
Reinforcing the family’s role in education. I would try to connect the role of parents and the family in preparing a student for public or private education, and to keep the responsibility on parents to take responsibility for a student’s development.
Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing education.
1. Access to changing technology.
2. Access to learning environments for poor or disadvantaged people.
3. The changing value systems of the modern family.
About Baptists
Why are you Baptist?
First, because the church that reached out to my family and me to lead us to Jesus was a Baptist church—Calvary Baptist Church in San Antonio.
Baptist is only one way of doing church, yet it still is the nearest thing to how church was done in the New Testament: local and self-directed community of faith based on the authority of Scripture, committed to soul competency, believes and practices the priesthood of believers—no one other than Christ is the ultimate authority—committed to personal evangelism and has a vision for reaching a lost world for Christ, believes in the lordship of Christ, and is committed to religious liberty.
I became so weary of the fight among Baptist churches in Texas for the last 30 years that I almost left Baptists for good. However, as I started training young ministers at Dallas Baptist University for service in congregations, I discovered a renewed sense of commitment to Baptists—Texas Baptists in particular—because of one specific book, Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God, by Greg Ogden.
The concept is based on Ephesians 4:11-12, where the Apostle Paul challenges all church leaders to equip all of us in the church to share in the ministry with each other, not leaving it up to trained and paid staff.
As a member of Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving, it is my responsibility to share my faith with lost people as much as it is a task for my pastor. One reason churches are not growing in America is we burn out our staff members over this issue.
What are the key issues facing Baptists—congregationally and denominationally?
Denominationally: Learning to trust each other again, learning how to disagree agreeably, and being focused on missions, especially to unreached people groups—the largest number of people full-time missionaries are not reaching.
Congregationally: Making Matthew 28:18-20 a reality by making kingdom disciples, not just church members. We are losing the battle in reaching the lost and developing believers by not making and developing disciples of and for Jesus Christ.
What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local?
Continue to create a spirit of trust with Southern Baptists of Texas. Our world is too lost to be divided over issues dealing with hurt pride and egos. I am grateful for those in both conventions who try to communicate and share a kingdom vision with each other, and who pray for each other instead of talking about each other in negative conversations.
About Jan
Of what church are you a member?
Carol and I have been members of at taught Sunday school at Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving since 1975. I have served on the missions committee, chair of the personnel committee, and assisted the current personnel committee to design a process for the church to accomplish while looking for a new pastor.
Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?
My college professor A.J. Quinn changed my life through mentoring. My home pastor Edward N. Garrett led me with kindness and support all the way through ordaining me to the pastoral ministry in 1962.
Dick Maples, a long-time pastor in Texas, guided me and believed in me more than any other person on this earth. I am grateful to God for Dr. Maples.
Wayne Davis, Gary Cook and Adam Wright serve as my constant mentors at Dallas Baptist University. I love these men, because they believe in me, trust me and pray for me.
What is the impact of education on your family?
It helped us to see the world with a kingdom perspective—a big lens.
What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?
Luke 15:1-32, because it is the gospel in a nutshell. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are portrayed throughout the chapter, and verse 20 is the only place in the entire Bible that depicts God our Father getting in a hurry and rushing toward us with loving, open arms when we start our journey back to him.
Who is your favorite person in the Bible, other than Jesus? Why?
Barnabas, the man of encouragement. I cannot do some things well, but I can encourage others and have spent my life as a networker and encourager.
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