Nationally-known minister, Ken Durham, appointed to fill Baxter Chair of Preaching
Kim Chaudoin |
Longtime minister and professor Dr. Ken Durham has been appointed to fill the Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching at Lipscomb University, president L. Randolph Lowry announced today.
Durham is the preaching minister of University Church of Christ on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. He will join Lipscomb’s College of Bible & Ministry faculty and serve churches through preaching, mentoring and other outreach programs geared toward churches and ministers. He is the third appointee to the Baxter Chair and succeeds Prentice Meador Jr., who died in November.
“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,” said Lowry. “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.”
“Ken Durham is a wonderful link between the legacy of training preachers at Lipscomb, embodied by Batsell Barrett Baxter, and Lipscomb's efforts to prepare ministers for the challenges of the 21st century. As one who studied under brother Baxter, Ken manifests the same qualities of humility, scholarship, and excellence as a communicator,” said Terry Briley, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Bible and Ministry.
“Ken learned his early lessons well, but he has kept abreast of new developments in both scholarship and culture, allowing him to continue to connect the gospel to the lives of his hearers. We are excited to welcome Ken to the Bible faculty at Lipscomb so that our students can benefit from his knowledge, his experience, and his character.”
Durham will relocate to Nashville to join the Lipscomb faculty in January. The Baxter Chair of Preaching was established by Nashville's Hillsboro Church of Christ in 1982 to ensure that Dr. Baxter's consuming desire to spread the good news of Jesus Christ would continue. Dr. Baxter was minister at Hillsboro from 1957 until his retirement in 1980 and chair of the Lipscomb Bible department from 1956 until his death in 1982. During his preaching career, Baxter was widely known for his television and radio ministries with the Herald of Truth, where he worked with Lipscomb University President emeritus Harold Hazelip.
Durham said he is honored to fill the chair.
“This is a homecoming of sorts for me, returning after so many years of ministry to the place that first inspired and trained me to become a minister of Jesus’ gospel. It is most gratifying and humbling to be asked to fill the Baxter Chair of Preaching. Professor Baxter was my first homiletics professor and a superb role model for me and so many preachers of my generation, and it’s an added honor for me to follow in the chair my dear friend Prentice Meador.”
He has written or co-written four books, including Speaking From the Heart. He writes a regular column for the 21st Century Christian entitled “Good Humor.” He has also served as a minister in Falls Church, VA, in Springfield, MO, and in Stamford, CT, and as a campus minister at the University of Texas and the University of Kentucky.
Durham will officially begin his post at Lipscomb on Jan. 1, 2010.