Southern Methodist University has named Bryan P. Stone dean of its Perkins School of Theology, a flagship seminary for The United Methodist Church that also has a Baptist House of Studies.
Stone succeeds Craig Hill, who retired as dean two years ago. Stone becomes the 12th dean of the theology school, which was founded in 1911.
Stone is a 1992 SMU Ph.D. graduate in religious studies. He currently serves as associate dean for academic affairs and professor of evangelism at Boston University School of Theology.
A native of Austin, Texas, he earned the bachelor of arts degree in religion and philosophy from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., and the master of divinity degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.
While working on his Ph.D., he led a church and nonprofit in a low-income area of Fort Worth, Texas. Liberation Community provided adult education, employment assistance, legal aid, youth programs and a low-income home ownership program. He left the Liberation Community to teach at Azusa Pacific University, while also serving as director of the Bresee Institute for Urban Training in Los Angeles for five years before joining Boston University in 1988.
SMU leaders called Stone a “an innovative educator, researcher and bridge-builder.”
“Dr. Stone is a dynamic university leader who brings the skillset of active researcher, passionate educator and collaborative administrator to SMU and Perkins at a time of strategic importance for the school and for our university,” said Elizabeth G. Loboa, SMU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We look forward to his leadership contributions, informed by longstanding and extensive service at a R1 university located in a dynamic urban environment.”
At Boston University, he worked with administrators and faculty to develop three online/hybrid degree programs, including an online master of arts in religion and public leadership and a hybrid master of divinity.
He is the author of 10 books and more than 50 scholarly articles with research focused on evangelism, congregational development, Wesleyan theology, and theology and culture.
In addition to his academic work, he and his wife, Cheryl, have served 24 years as faculty-in-residence at an 1,800-resident freshmen residence hall.
Stone will begin his new role at SMU June 1. According to the latest available data from the Association of Theological Schools, Perkins School of Theology employs 27 full-time faculty and has a student headcount enrollment of 284 and an FTE enrollment of 145.
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