Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College, challenged students to examine themselves and their calling during his Convocation address Aug. 18.  

The Convocation service, held in Leavell Chapel, marked the official start of the 2026-27 academic year. Dew began the service by welcoming students and noting the significance of the moment.   

“The Bible says there is a time under the sun for everything, all kinds of different seasons and moments, and that is a good way to think about Convocation,” Dew said.  

“This is a special chapel service where we once again formally take up the preparation that God has called us to. 

“I trust that you’re here because God has called you to do something unique. You’re here to get an education not so that you can just get some job somewhere, but we are different in that God has seen fit to place a ministry calling on our lives. Our work and our lives are not focused on this Earth, but on a Kingdom to come one day. That’s what you are here to prepare for.” 

Preaching from 1 Corinthians 3:5-15, Dew outlined a couple of temptations for students as they enter a life of ministry.  

The first temptation is a sort of “clueless indifference” approach as one just floats through life without intentionality. The second temptation is an idolatrous approach dead-set on achieving specific things within life and ministry.  

Dew explained both of these approaches are faulty and then reminded students that the only foundation for ministry that will matter beyond this life is the work of Christ.  

“Each one of us is in fact building something with our lives,” Dew said. “My question for you to ponder is what are you building and why?  

“You’re here to prepare and train for ministry. I’m grateful for that. But at the outset of this year as we take this up together, may we tune our hearts towards the right kinds of things.”  

Dew then offered students a series of questions for self-examination. 

1. Is your ministry primarily driven by personality and ego or by the supremacy of Jesus Christ?
2. Will the work you’re doing today matter in eternity? 

In addition to Dew’s address, the service also included a welcome to new faculty and a celebration of faculty service anniversaries.    

Several faculty members signed the NOBTS Articles of Religious Belief and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 signifying their official appointment as a trustee-elected faculty member.    

The articles were written by the seminary’s founding faculty in 1917 to serve as a document outlining their theological beliefs before the penning of the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message.   

The signees were:  

• Eli Byrd, assistant professor of Christian ministry 

• Rebekah Callahan, assistant professor of counseling and ministry 

• Richard Gambill, assistant professor of expository preaching 

• Terry Iles, assistant professor of Old Testament and Hebrew 

• Michael Wang, assistant professor of discipleship 

• Alex Wendel, assistant professor of counseling 

Faculty members recognized for service anniversaries were:   

10 Years  

• Adam Hughes, associate professor of expository preaching and pastoral leadership 

• Beth Masters, associate professor of Christian ministry 

• David Odom, professor of student ministry 

• Brooke Osborn, associate professor of psychology and counseling 

15 Years   

• Jong Gil Lee, professor of expository preaching 

25 Years   

• Archie England, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew 

Dew closed his message by asking students one final question to answer for themselves as the semester begins. 

“The question that should ultimately guide us is what can I do that impacts eternity? How can I spend my life building God’s coming Kingdom?” 

The full Convocation service can be viewed on YouTube and Facebook.