DR. BRAD WAGGONER

Education

• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Fort Worth, Texas Doctor of Philosophy December, 1991

• Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Deerfield, Illinois Master of Arts June, 1988

• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Fort Worth, Texas Master of Arts December, 1981

• Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas Bachelor of Science May, 1979

Current Ministry and Employment

• Vice President of LifeWay Research and Ministry Development, LifeWay Christian Resources, February 2007 – present. Duties include leading LifeWay Research, LifeWay Missions, and the E.C. Dargan Research Library. Other duties include serving as LifeWay's theologian in residence and academic liaison.

Previous Ministry and Employment

• Director of LifeWay Research, LifeWay Christian Resources, July 2006 – February 2007. Duties included the identification of research projects, the oversight of research methodology, the dissemination of research findings, the management of the LifeWay Research website, managing the LifeWay Research budget and staff, directing collaborative research with other SBC agencies, serving as a representative for Dr. Thom Rainer and LifeWay in various contexts, and being available for various training and equipping opportunities.

Academic Ministry

• Dean of the School of Leadership & Church Ministry, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, February 2001- June 2006. Duties included the hiring and supervising of faculty and staff; overseeing the curriculum of a Master of Arts degree (M.A.), a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.), a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree (D.Ed.Min.), a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.), a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.); coordination of student recruitment; overseeing student advisement; developing and managing the annual budget; leading all networking relationships within the Southern Baptist Convention on behalf of the School of Leadership & Church Ministry; participating in and coordinating faculty and doctoral research and academic publication; report twice a year to the Board of Trustees; and administrate the school in accordance with all accreditation standards.

• Professor of Leadership & Church Ministry, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, April 2001 - June 2006. Duties included the development and teaching of several master’s and doctoral level classes related to the disciplines of leadership, administration, discipleship, evangelism, spiritual formation and church ministry; grading and evaluating student performance; and meeting with students to assist them with personal and professional development.

• Associate Professor of Leadership and Christian Education, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, June 1999 - March 2001. Duties the same as described above. • Adjunct Instructor of Discipleship & Evangelism, Hardin Simmons University, January 1982 - May 1999. Duties the same as described above.

• Guest Instructor of Discipleship & Evangelism, Wayland Baptist University, August 1982.

• Guest Instructor of Discipleship & Evangelism, East Texas Baptist University, January, 1983

• Teaching Assistant to Dr. Robert Coleman, Professor of Evangelism & Missions, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, September 1984 – June 1986.

Ministry Experience

• Associate Pastor, Cedar Creek Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, November 1999 - December 2004. Duties included serving as a co-pastor with specific responsibilities in the areas of teaching and preaching, staff development and supervision and providing of administrative oversight of ministry programs such as Sunday school, discipleship training, evangelistic outreach, new member training and assimilation, lay development, prayer ministry and men’s ministry. (This was a part-time staff position while serving at Southern Seminary.)

• Executive Pastor, Far Hills Baptist Church, Dayton, Ohio, May 1991-May 1999. Duties included teaching and preaching, overseeing all of the ministerial and support staff, directing and supervising the majority of the ministry programs such as Sunday school, discipleship training, evangelistic outreach, visitation, small groups, support groups, prayer ministry, new member training and assimilation, new believer training, lay development and mobilization, men’s ministry, and women’s ministry. In addition to these administrative and leadership functions, other duties included pastoral care responsibilities such as counseling, hospital visitation, weddings and funerals. (During the first few years at Far Hills the title for this position was Associate Pastor of Discipleship & Evangelism.)

• Minister of Education and College Pastor - Elmcrest Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas, June 1982 - August of 1984 and July 1986 – May 1999. Duties initially included the oversight of the college and career singles ministry; functioning as the Sunday school master teacher; supervisor of all of the ministry programs such as evangelistic outreach, small group Bible studies, discipleship training, fellowship events, training retreats, and mentoring of key leaders. Eventually, the career singles ministry was shifted to another staff person and the role of minister of education was added. This role involved providing oversight to all adult Sunday school classes including the recruitment and training of teachers and outreach leaders, supervision of the curriculum, director of the overall adult Sunday school ministry.

• Associate Staff for International Evangelism Association, Fort Worth, Texas and Director of the West Texas Ranch for Christ Training Center, June 1979 – December 1981. Duties included the development of various discipleship training materials for use in local church ministry, the coordinating of discipleship training events, the directing of the summer training program for college and seminary students at the West Texas Ranch for Christ, and director of retreats and conferences.

• Summer Youth Director, First Baptist Church, Nolan, Texas, 1979. (This was a part-time position while serving as the director of the West Texas Ranch for Christ.)

• President, The Baptist Student Union, Kansas State University, 1978-1979.

Consultation & Research

• Senior Consultant, The Rainer Group. This role involved providing strategic consultation for local churches related to overall church health, growth and effectiveness.

• Consultant, The Lawless Group. This role involved providing strategic consultation for local churches related to overall church health, growth and effectiveness.

• Worked in conjunction with the International Mission Board in the development of scientific, empirically based instrument designed to measure the discipleship effectiveness of local churches overseas and in North America. The instrument is called The Discipleship Inventory and has been used extensively by the IMB and is included in Master Life.

• Academic Research. Directed doctoral dissertation research at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and served as the supervisor of several dissertations. Some of these dissertations have been presented in various academic conferences and have resulted in various papers, articles and one book.

Writing & Publishing

• The Discipleship Inventory, a survey instrument used to measure the discipleship effectiveness of local church ministry. (Included in Master Life by LifeWay Christian Resources.)

• The Discipleship Training Manual, contributing author, published by The International Evangelism Association, Salado, Texas.

• Call to Joy, contributing author, published by Billie Hanks, Jr. and The International Evangelism Association, Salado, Texas.

• Call to Growth, contributing author, published by Billie Hanks, Jr. and The International Evangelism Association, Salado, Texas.

• Curriculum designer of the International Evangelism Association College and Seminary Discipleship Training Program.

• What Does It Mean to be Filled With the Spirit? The Student, April 1993, The Sunday School Board, Nashville, TN.

• The Call To Leadership. 2001. The Southern Seminary Magazine (The Tye) 69 (3):8-9

• Baptism. In An Exposition from the Faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminar on The Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Bryan Cribb, ed., 23-25. Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

• The Great Commission and Leadership. 2005. In The Challenge of the Great Commission: Essays on God’s Mandate for the Local Church. Chuck Lawless and Thom S. Rainer, eds. Louisville, KY: Pinnacle Press.

• Author of several book reviews

Personal Information

• Born June 20, 1957

• Grew up on a cattle ranch in Wyoming

• Saved at age seven in 1964

• Baptized at age 9 in 1966 at Bethel Baptist Church, Torrington, Wyoming

• Married Patti J. Thompson, Overland Park, KS, August 10, 1980

• Licensed and Ordained, 1984, Elmcrest Baptist Church, Abilene, TX

• Two children: Brandt Joseph (23), a seminary student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Blake Justin (21), a senior at Union University, Jackson, TN