BWA and Baylor University Launch New Academic Partnership and Select Director for Global Baptist Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(TORONTO, Canada – July 6, 2026) The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA, are launching a new academic partnership designed to equip Baptist leaders for global service in a rapidly changing world. This new BWA Program – announced during the 2025 Baptist World Congress in Brisbane, Australia – will deepen Baptist identity, strengthen leadership development, advance education, and cultivate global collaboration across the worldwide Baptist family. It is the first BWA Program at any Baptist university or seminary.  

The program represents a significant investment in the future of Baptist leadership. While Baptist universities and seminaries have long prepared leaders within national and regional contexts, this new partnership is uniquely designed to develop educational pathways, foster research, and strengthen relationships as a BWA movement across 138 countries and territories. 

Beginning August 1, veteran Baptist educator and leader Dr. Stephen M. Stookey will serve as the inaugural BWA Program Director housed at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Regarding this transformational initiative and Dr. Stookey’s appointment, Truett Seminary Dean Dr. Todd D. Still remarked,  

“Last year, an educational partnership between Baylor University, a BWA Member Partner, and the BWA was announced and celebrated. Since then, we have been planning, preparing, and praying for the launch of the BWA Program at Baylor’s Truett Seminary. Chief among our priorities has been to identify an individual who can thoughtfully, skillfully, collaboratively, and faithfully lead this expansive educational enterprise. We believe that the LORD led us to Dr. Stephen M. Stookey and are deeply grateful that Stephen has agreed to accept this mantle of leadership. It is difficult for me to imagine a person better suited for this strategic position, made possible through the generosity of Susan and Lee Bush, both of whom are Baylor graduates and members of First Baptist Church, Athens, Texas.”

During its initial years, the program will focus on three strategic priorities.

• First, it will develop non-graduate certificates and micro graduate degrees. As the program grows, master’s and doctoral degrees may be added. Today it is estimated that 90 percent of pastors worldwide have received little or no formal theological education. This program seeks to address that gap. 
• Second, the program will establish a new BWA Global Baptist Education Network that will aim to connect more than 100 Baptist universities, seminaries, and educational institutions worldwide. The network will strengthen relationships, encourage collaboration, promote shared learning, and advance Christ-centered leadership development across the global Baptist family. 
• Third, the program will promote research, scholarship, and practical resources that deepen Baptist identity, strengthen historic Baptist convictions, and equip leaders to participate with more impact as they pursue God’s holistic mission around the world. 

Concerning this historic development, BWA General Secretary and CEO Rev. Dr. Elijah M. Brown said: 

“Baylor University and Truett Seminary are recognized worldwide for excellence in Christian higher education, theological formation, and church leadership. Dr. Stookey brings more than 30 years of distinguished educational leadership together with more than 25 years of faithful service and engagement within the Baptist World Alliance. His appointment reflects a commitment to invest in the next generation of Baptist leaders. Education remains one of the most urgent needs facing communities around the world. This new appointment is more than the launch of a new academic program. It is an invitation for BWA Baptists to learn, serve, and collaborate in educating and equipping leaders who will impact the world for Christ.”

Stookey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Baylor University and both the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Since 2023, he has served as the Director of Theological Education and Institutional Engagement at the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which is also a BWA Member Partner. His previous leadership includes serving as Dean of the School of Christian Studies at Wayland University, along with teaching, fellowship, and educational consultancy roles in Cuba, Sierra Leone, and the United States.  

For more than 20 years, Stookey has been active in the BWA after attending the 18th Baptist World Congress in Melbourne, Australia. He has been a member of the BWA Academic and Theological Education Workshop, Commission on Baptist Heritage and Identity, Commission on Healthy Churches, Commission on Religious Freedom, and Commission on Theological Education. He is currently the Vice Chair of the BWA Resolutions Committee.  

Reflecting on his inaugural appointment, Stookey noted:  

“This innovative, collaborative partnership represents a unique opportunity to advance learning opportunities, support research, promote leadership development, and encourage practical engagement with the global Baptist family to impact the world for Christ. I am deeply grateful to both Baylor University and BWA leadership for their trust and confidence in me and am looking forward to the shared, sacred work of preparing those whom God gifts for and calls to gospel ministry through the BWA Program.”