Over 960 alumni and other guests gathered at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s
annual Alumni and Friends Luncheon at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, IN.
The luncheon was a time of joyful fellowship and celebration of the Lord’s faithfulness to
Southern Seminary, experiencing record summer enrollment, and had 581 students representing
28 countries graduate from Southern Seminary and Boyce College last month.
President R. Albert Mohler, Jr. presented this year’s Alumnus of the Year Award to Dondi E.
Costin, a two-time graduate of Southern Seminary and the recently elected president of Liberty
University in Lynchburg, VA. Mohler said, “I had the opportunity to speak in chapel
convocation at Liberty just a over a month ago as an incredible experience, and I saw firsthand
Dr. Costi’s leadership there, and I just drew encouragement from every aspect of my visit… Dr.
Costi was made for this leadership.”
President Mohler honored outgoing Trustee Chairman and Southern Alumnus Joshua W. Powell,
Pastor of Taylors Baptist Church in Taylors, SC.
During his update to the alumni, Mohler highlighted that this upcoming year will mark the
thirtieth anniversary of establishing the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and
Ministry. Reflecting on Billy Graham’s personal investment in Southern Seminary, Mohler said,
“Dr. Graham spoke to me, and he said, I think your opportunity is the opportunity to save this
school. I don’t think there’ll be another opportunity. He told me he had two of my associates
whose sons had gone to Southern Seminary and became theologically confused in a way Dr.
Graham clearly understood, which was a great tragedy. And he said, ‘It’s your job to fix it.’ And
then what came naturally to me was, I need your help.” Billy Graham proceeded to help by
endorsing Mohler as the right candidate to lead Southern Seminary, speaking at Mohler’s
inauguration, and giving his name to the formation of a new graduate school at Southern
Seminary, The Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry. Graham’s support
and the formation of the Billy Graham School were critical to recovering confessional integrity
at Southern Seminary.
Mohler concluded his remarks with strong reassurance, “I’m able to tell you financially, by God’s
grace, by the generosity of Southern Baptist, and the generosity of friends and the strength of the
program, we’re strong. In terms of academic reputation, the institution is strong. In terms of our
fulfillment of the mission that Southern Baptists have given to us by God’s grace, strong.”
Mohler continued, “The proof of that is not primarily on the campus. The proof of that is on the
mission field. The proof of that is in young church plants all over the United States. The proof of
that is in pulpits across this land in various areas of ministry and mission where our students are
leading and with the college students in so many different arenas of the life.”