Ken Durham, Baxter Chair of Preaching, Retires
June 2, 2020
The Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching at Lipscomb University, Dr. Ken Durham Jr., has announced his retirement at the end of the 2019 / 2020 school year.
Durham was appointed in January 2010 to the position after 35 years of full-time church ministry including the University Church of Christ on the campus of Pepperdine University, in Falls Church, Virginia, Springfield, Missouri, and Stamford, Connecticut, and also as a campus minister at the University of Texas and the University of Kentucky. In addition to preaching all over the country and guest preaching at more than 20 Nashville congregations, Durham is a successful author, columnist (“Good Humor”) and former co-host with Harold Hazlip of The Herald of Truth.
However, when asked about his greatest accomplishments throughout his career, he reflected on moments he had to teach and mentor students in Lipscomb’s undergraduate programs. “I’m deeply thankful to have had the opportunities to preach in exciting centers of life, culture, politics and business like NYC, LA and DC areas. But when Dr. Lowry called ten years ago, I knew God was opening a door for fresh and new challenges. I have loved getting to teach the things I had been doing; what it means to be a minister in a local church: everything from weddings, funerals to pastoral care. But what I loved most was teaching the freshman Bible classes, “The Story of Jesus” and “The Story of the Church.” I wanted my students to take a critical, serious look at Jesus and decide for themselves what they think after actually reading the Bible.”
After speaking with colleagues it’s clear that Durham practiced what he preached, so to speak.
Kate Watkins, Assistant Professor in the College of Bible said, “I’m going to miss his pastoral presence--he offered it to me and to students. And he didn’t have to think about it; it was the overflow of who he is.”
John Mark Hicks, Professor, recalled, “He was always taking students to lunch. He had one on one relationships with them. The way he lived his life with his students was impressive and powerful.”
Similarly John York, Professor, noted that Durham “has gone out of his way to mentor students since he’s been here. Both Ken and Nancy warmly receive guests--students, out of town visitors who need a place to stay. They are incredible role models on how to live generous lives.”
Perhaps it is how fully Ken Durham has experienced all the mountains and valleys of life that he is so easily an empathetic and compassionate pastor to others. “Failures are just as important to learning as successes. God can use us the way we are.” Durham said. He used his gift of pastoral care to enrich and encourage others every chance he got, whether it was joining a student on a bench to have a chat in the hall of the Ezell or leading the faculty/staff chapel.
Kate Watkins says one of his chapel talks was “a study of the prodigal son and the Rembrandt painting. One of the most fascinating stories I had heard.” In fact, this chapel talk has turned into Durham's next book. “I believe this is the story Jesus most wanted to tell. The Pharisees had distorted God into a distant taskmaster. Rembrandt captured the moment when the prodigal son is welcomed back as a fully loved and fully worthy son. He painted this image in the last year of his life--perhaps relating intimately to the prodigal son himself,” Durham said. The Embrace of Grace: Claiming the Parenthood of God is slated to be completed by the end of the year.
Lifelong Learning courses were another source of delight for Durham. He taught “The Life and Writings of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein” and even led a travel course to Ireland and England to explore the authors’ lives in the geographical, political and religious contexts.
At the time of Durham’s appointment, President Randy Lowry said, “Dr. Durham is among the last of those who were privileged to learn at the feet of Batsell Barrett Baxter, who trained preachers not only through study of the Bible but also by approaching preaching as a good communicator. He brings an extensive knowledge of the Bible and a gift for communicating that information to others. He will also play a significant role as he works with churches in the southeast and across the country as a liaison with Lipscomb and as a resource for them.” Those who know Ken Durham would agree he has lived up to each charge with which he was tasked ten years ago.
Dr. Leonard Allen, dean of the college, commented upon Durham’s retirement: “Ken has been a respected and valued member of our college for the past decade. He brought with him to Lipscomb 35 years of full-time preaching experience--a deep well out of which he has drawn and by which he has blessed and enriched us and our students. His warmth, friendship, and (always) cooperative spirit has meant a lot to us. Ken is one of the most thoughtful, well-read, and engaging preachers I know. And he brought those same qualities to his work in the classroom at Lipscomb.”
Humbly, Durham said, “I really have come full circle. I first stepped on campus when I was 18 in the Fall of 1966--green and stupid. Then I got to come back to Lipscomb and have 10 years at the end of my career to enjoy the closing of that circle. Who gets to say that? What a blessing! I am so grateful to have had these experiences.”
In his recent letter to the faculty and staff Durham was filled with gratitude: “My classes, my preaching and teaching invitations, my new pastoral opportunities, my interactions with you [the faculty] and our great students—these and so many other grace-gifts have been such a source of joy for me at this stage of life.”
To the CBM faculty: “There is no more important work than the work you do. I admire you greatly, and promise to be faithful in prayer for you as you navigate the challenges and uncertainties of the days to come.”
Ken Durham received his B.A. from Lipscomb, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. He has written or co-written four books, including Speaking From the Heart. He serves on the editorial board of 21st Century Christian, and writes a regular column entitled “Good Humor.” From 1987 to 1990 he served as co-host with Harold Hazelip of the “Herald of Truth” television program. He is married to Nancy Magnusson Durham, a professor of psychology who retired in January. He has two children, Jennifer and Gabriel, and a stepson, Cameron.
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