“This institution and the people of this institution have shaped me and my life more than I could possibly imagine,” Josh Powell said.

Powell, pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, reflected on his time at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A third generation pastor, Powell received his Master of Divinity from SBTS in 2003. He was elected President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 2020 and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for SBTS.

Powell acknowledges the remarkable achievement of Dr. Albert Mohler, who has served as the seminary’s president since 1993. “I know God gets all the glory, but in His good kindness, the vision of Dr. Mohler and Mrs. Mohler have led this institution to be what it is today,” Powell said.

From Student to Pastor

Powell enrolled at SBTS as a student in 2000 after being called to ministry around 1995. Early on in his calling, he felt overwhelmed with the weight of becoming a pastor and wondered how he could handle the responsibilities of preaching and leading a congregation. However, in almost 30 years of ministry, when faced with challenges, Powell has turned to the foundation laid during his time at SBTS, drawing strength from the teachings and insights he gained from his professors and peers.