The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary announced R. Craig Parker as its vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Southern Seminary Foundation, Oct. 17, effective immediately.
“Craig is a man of remarkable gifts, long standing Southern Baptist experience, valuable experience in the local church and a demonstrated expertise in building a ministry,” said R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary. “To know him and his wife, Selwyn, is to know a dedicated Christian couple whose commitment to Christ, to the church, and to Southern Seminary is tangible and powerful.”
Parker takes the place of Jason K. Allen, who left Southern to assume the presidency of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Oct. 15.
Southern’s Office of Institutional Advancement and the Southern Seminary Foundation lead fundraising efforts of the seminary, from major building projects to raising money for the school’s annual fund, which defrays tuition costs for master’s degree students.
Prior to accepting this position, Parker served the seminary as vice president of business services. And before arriving at Southern, Parker held administrative roles in Tennessee churches, including 15 years as church administrator at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova — the church once pastored by Adrian Rogers and a significant church in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also a former trustee for Guidestone Financial Resources.
Parker has been married for 35 years to Selwyn, with whom he has two adult children, Leah and Matt. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and a master’s from Murray State University in Murray, Ky.
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