For those of you who haven’t already found out by one means or another, I recently accepted a position as Director of Assessment and Institutional Research at Oklahoma Baptist University. I have resigned my position as Coordinator for Institutional Research and Faculty Support at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and we are moving to Shawnee, Oklahoma in the near future.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It boasts the best campus of the six SBC seminaries and has the most thoroughly embedded fervor for carrying out the Great Commission. Even little things, like hangers on our lamp posts are a reminder that we should be people on the move, taking the gospel to all corners of the earth.

Additionally, there are a number of friends we will leave behind. Of course, since this is a community of transients, many of our friends have already left us behind or were leaving in the near future. That is one of the struggles in living and working in a community like this: we are all on the go.

Of course, leaving First Baptist Church of Durham is heartbreaking. If you ever make it to Durham, NC on a Sunday, you should visit. The preaching is phenomenal, the discipleship model strong, and the concern for reaching the nations is topnotch. We’ve only been there for two years, but I know at least one sermon podcast I’ll be listening to every week in Oklahoma.

This was a difficult decision to make. The opportunity at OBU is great, but we’ve invested the past seven years of our lives in Wake Forest. I will have to finish my dissertation remotely, without the comfort of the Duke, UNC, and NC State libraries nearby for emergency access to resources in environmental ethics. I enjoy working with the faculty and many of my friends at SEBTS. It would have been great to stay on.

However, positions at high quality institutions like OBU open rarely. This was an opportunity that we needed to take. There is a chance for me to use many of my administrative skills to assist OBU through their accreditation reaffirmation. When that is done, I should have the opportunity to teach some. So, off we go.

Because of this rapid transition, I hope that you’ll bear with the Spencer family as we pack up our accumulated possessions and trek off to a new city. Communication may be slow, but we haven’t forgotten.

We will appreciate prayer for endurance as we get through the marathon of moving. Also, for the house to sell quickly and for a good price. In addition, the kids are watching a whirlwind of packing, sorting, throwing out, and home repairs. It’s turbulent enough to move as a child, but we’re doing it in short order, which doesn’t make it any easier. We also want to find a church in Shawnee quickly where we can get involved in ministry, make new friends, and get into a groove as seamlessly as possible. Prayer for wisdom and opportunity there would also be appreciated.

Regarding the blog. Well, it will be intermittent. Something has to give, and the simplest thing to give up right now is blogging and posting links. I hope to pick it up once I get settled.

Thanks for reading and for your prayer.

Featured