Over the course of his 20 years as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), Danny Akin has cemented the school’s identity as a Great Commission seminary. Southeastern graduates are serving Jesus as pastors and missionaries in rural communities, major metropolitan areas and hard-to-reach places around the world. 

In conjunction with his 20th anniversary as Southeastern’s president, Akin was invited to deliver the convention sermon at this year’s annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. It’s fitting that his message will be part of a special Sending Celebration for missionaries from N.C. Baptist churches, a number of whom are Southeastern graduates. 

In advance of the annual meeting, Akin took time to answer some questions about his time at Southeastern, some highlights from his ministry, Baptist cooperation and more. Here are his responses.

You are the first Southeastern president to deliver the convention sermon at the N.C. Baptist annual meeting. What was your reaction when you received the invitation?  

To be honest, I had no idea that was the case. That makes the invitation even more of an honor. I love our state convention. I believe it’s the best. I hope the Lord will help me to encourage and challenge our churches to stay focused on the Great Commission until Christ returns. We must continue to go, baptize and teach all that our Lord commands.

During your tenure as Southeastern’s president, you’ve prioritized preparing students to go and take the gospel to the nations. It’s fitting that your sermon will be part of a special missionary Sending Celebration at the annual meeting. What do you plan to share in your message?

I am planning to preach from the book of Jude and emphasize what is in the beginning and end of the book. In the beginning, Jude challenges us to defend the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. He points out our greatest challenges are from within and not from without. Then, at the end of the book, Jude challenges us to save the lost. He is very precise and specific in that challenge as well as what is at stake.

When you address each year’s graduating class, you encourage them to get involved in Baptist life at the local, state and national levels. Why is this one of the final charges you give to students before they graduate?

Southern Baptists, like any good organization, should always be reforming. That is, we should be working continually to become more faithful to the gospel and to the Word of God. We are not perfect, and therefore, we are open to criticism. In fact, we should welcome constructive criticism and loving correction. However, you forfeit the right to criticize if you’re not participating. Naysayers from afar have little to no credibility with me.

Further, we need the new ideas and perspectives that younger brothers and sisters bring. They have energy that can be balanced, and should be balanced, by the wisdom that comes from the older brothers and sisters. Finally, Southern Baptists are famous for saying we can do more together than we could ever do apart. That is absolutely true, and we must never forget that. 

Students are heeding your advice and counsel because many Southeastern alums can be found in leadership roles in a variety of places across Baptist life. How does that make you feel?

It blesses and encourages me to see that. It means they’re taking seriously their responsibility to be faithful to the Great Commission. It means they take seriously their responsibility to make a difference in the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) family. Further, it gives evidence that they realize that they have a responsibility as well as a debt to pay. Southern Baptists have sacrificed in an incredible way to make it possible for our students to come here and receive a first-class education at an unbelievable cost. An attitude of gratitude always honors our Lord. 

One of those alums is Todd Unzicker, the current executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. What can you tell us about your relationship with Todd, how you’ve seen him grow and how he’s leading the work of the state convention?

I met Todd when he was a student at the Baptist College of Florida. We immediately hit it off and became friends. Plus, we are both big UGA football fans. He talked about his interest in coming to Southeastern, and I immediately passed his name along to J.D. Greear. I told him you will be foolish if you don’t snag this guy for your staff while he is here at SEBTS. I believe J.D. would say I was right. I love Todd and his wonderful wife, Ashley. Their love for the gospel and the local church is so evident. He is leading us in an incredible way to focus on the Great Commission and evangelism. I think we have the best state convention going, and much of that credit goes to Todd. 

Todd has focused N.C. Baptists as being a “movement of churches on mission together.” How does that complement Southeastern’s mission of being a Great Commission seminary? 

I think the answer to that is in both the biblical text of Matthew 28 and Todd’s challenge. A “movement of churches on mission together” is the natural fulfillment of the Great Commission. Churches on mission together to get the gospel across North Carolina and around the world is our particular way of fulfilling right here the final marching orders of King Jesus. I believe that’s one of the reasons there is such an incredibly healthy relationship between our state convention and Southeastern Seminary. We definitely are on the same team.

Earlier this year, you celebrated your 20th anniversary as Southeastern’s president.  What’s been some of the highlights or special memories of your tenure at the school?

One may sound rather perfunctory, but it is not. Years ago, our Cabinet came together and crafted the mission statement for Southeastern. That is, “Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.” Little did we know how that would chart the course for our school for the foreseeable future.

The Great Commission has become the umbrella under which we do everything that we do. I believe that keeps our focus and priorities in the right place. We want to fulfill the final words of our Lord Jesus before He ascended back into heaven. Those words were important to Him, and they should also be important to us. 

In addition to that, I have had great joy in seeing the incredible faculty that we have built here and the large number of students that we have sent across North America as church planters and to the nations as international missionaries.

I love our focus on expository preaching and the incredible preaching faculty that the Lord has brought. Add to that incredible departments in the area of biblical counseling, ethics, theology, history, philosophy, biblical studies, and the list goes on. God has blessed me with four sons. Three are graduates of Southeastern on multiple levels (from the college to the Ph.D.). If I could have my sons study anywhere, Southeastern is the place.

Years from now when people think of Danny Akin, what do you hope they remember about you?

I hope they remember that his goal in life was very simple: to always please the Lord Jesus in everything he did. I know I have failed Him many times, but my heart’s desire has always been to please Jesus. I wanted to please Him in my marriage, my family and in ministry. If people remember me for those things, I will die with a smile on my face.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Listen to an interview with Danny Akin on the N.C. Baptist podcast by clicking here or the link above. This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of the Biblical Recorder.)