2022 News and Events

The Perkins School of Theology community will gather for an Advent Evening Prayer service on Thursday, December 1 at 6 p.m. in Perkins Chapel on the campus of Southern Methodist University.

Wesley Theological Seminary, in collaboration with SMU Perkins School of Theology, is developing new non-degree courses and certificates for pastors with the support of a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The Perkins School of Theology Alumni/ae Council has selected Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. (M.Div. ‘97; D.Min. ‘09) as the 2022 recipient of the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

The inaugural William J. Abraham Memorial Lecture will take place Monday, Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m. at Perkins Chapel, with Dr. Fred Aquino delivering the lecture.

The Lilly Endowment-funded initiative at Perkins School of Theology, “Testimony HQ,” has selected eight congregations for the second cohort of developing thriving congregations through the practice of testimony as community engagement.

Registration is now open for the 2023 Perkins School of Youth Ministry (PSYM), a four-day educational gathering for youth ministers taking place January 9-12, 2023.

Bishop Michael McKee will become dean of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology ad interim effective Jan. 1, 2023, following Dean Craig C. Hill’s planned retirement on Dec. 31, 2022.

Provost Elizabeth Loboa has announced that Bishop Michael McKee will serve as Dean of Perkins School of Theology ad interim beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

Perkins’ Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) is gearing up for a busy fall, with two on-campus recruiting events, featuring faculty members Roy Heller and Ted Campbell, as well as travel to a variety of off-campus gatherings.

Perkins School of Theology announced that Emilie Williams joins the Office of Enrollment Management as a Ministry Discernment Associate effective August 1, 2022.

Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University is pleased to announce that the Rev. Dr. Elias H. Lopez has joined the faculty and staff as Associate Director of the Intern Program.

Michael McKee, resident bishop of the Dallas Area of The United Methodist Church, has accepted an invitation to serve as Bishop in Residence at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, effective early 2023.

Craig C. Hill, dean of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, will retire as dean December 31, 2022 due to medical reasons. Hill, the Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean and Professor of New Testament, will remain a member of the Perkins faculty until December 31, 2023.

Applications from Baptist students are now being accepted for Fall 2022 for the Baugh Scholars Program, administered by the Perkins School of Theology Baptist House of Studies. Approximately 10 full scholarships – including tuition and fees – will be awarded to qualified applicants who meet the criteria.

Applications opened May 1 for congregations interested in joining the second cohort of Perkins School of Theology’s Testimony HQ grant-funded initiative. Ten churches will be selected for the second cohort, which launches January 1, 2023. Churches of any denomination within a 350-mile radius of Dallas, Texas, are eligible to apply.

Bridwell Library of SMU Libraries and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University announces French Maître d’art Didier Mutel to Speak at SMU April 7 and 8, 2022. The book artist, engraver and printer Didier Mutel, who has been making books and engraved prints since 1988, is also an instructor at the Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts, Besançon, France, where he is training the next generation of engravers and book artists.

Bridwell Library of SMU Libraries and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University announces a one-of-a-kind avant-garde festival of music, lectures, artists’ books, poetic performances, and exhibits related to John Cage and his musical world at Bridwell Library’s A Festival of Form: John Cage & the Infinite Human from Monday, March 7th through Wednesday, March 9th, 2022.

The Baptist House of Studies at the SMU Perkins School of Theology has been awarded a $2.7 million, three-year grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, a Texas-based philanthropy committed to supporting the work of faith-based, nonprofit organizations.

Perkins School of Theology will livestream five midday chapel worship services during the Spring 2022 semester, allowing more members of the Perkins community to join remotely via the YouTube Channel. The livestream series begins on January 19.

A column by Perkins Dean Craig C. Hill appeared in the Dec. 26 issue of the Dallas Morning News. Entitled, “Yes, it is possible to study theology without choosing an ideological side,” Hill described how Perkins remains one of the few places where students can learn from each other, even while disagreeing.