Published on June 28, 2023 by Dakota Rice  
Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, D.Min. ’98, will assume a new position in July at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. Stetzer has spent the last eight years at Wheaton College as a dean and professor, but he says he is excited about the new challenges this position will hold.

“The big thing is that Talbot has 700 graduate seminary students, so it’s a larger program,” shared Stetzer. “It’ll be a new experience for me to step into that broader leadership role. It’s also an outward facing role where I’ll do a lot of speaking and writing, so one challenge will be balancing all of that.”

Stetzer has had an incredibly full career. After graduating with his Doctor of Ministry from Beeson, he continued his education further, obtaining a Ph.D. from Southern Seminary. He has served as a pastor and professor, as well as serving in leadership roles for both the North American Mission Board and Lifeway Research.

In addition to those roles, he hosts The Stetzer ChurchLeaders podcast, authored best-selling books (Transformational Church, Planting Missional Churches and more) and contributes for Outreach Magazine. A career of this caliber is soaked in grace and lessons from the Lord, especially lessons on working in multi-denominational contexts.

“When it comes to denominations, don’t let our denomination be a prison. Make it a home,” shared Stetzer. “The body of Christ is big and beautiful. I’ve spoken at the national meetings of probably 60 different denominations. I get excited about working with other denominational churches, much like Timothy George taught me.”

Timothy George, Th.D., was the founding dean of Beeson until 2019 and currently holds the title of distinguished professor. Stetzer credits George as his reason for attending Beeson and why he considers himself an “evangelical ecumenist” today.

Though the Doctor of Ministry degree was not a fully residential program, Stetzer was fully immersed, nonetheless. Now that the new Ph.D. program is nearing its inaugural semester, Stetzer has advice for prospective students, both graduate and post-graduate.

“Seize the opportunity for ongoing education in a world that’s so confused. Things that I deal with day-to-day now are not even topics that were discussed when I was in seminary. I think going back and reengaging is a really powerful thing for people to do,” said Stetzer.

Beeson has been proud to produce alumni that go on to serve fruitful ministry careers like Stetzer. Learn more about how a degree from Beeson Divinity School can prepare you for whatever calling God has for you.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.