Mark Warrington (ThM, 2013) and Brady Blair (MABS, MACE, 2017) serve as the Director and Associate Director of the Baptist Student Ministry at The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, TX. BSM is a ministry of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). You can read about their work with college students at www.bsmatutdallas.org.
Q: “How do you teach truth and love well?”
Mark: “I would say one of the most effective ways that we teach truth and love well is through one-on-one discipleship. This is in addition to our large group teaching times and small group Bible studies on Wednesday nights during the semester.”
Brady: “Through our partnership with local Baptist churches, we host a Free Lunch each week for the students where we have discussion questions around tables that lead to spiritual/gospel conversations.”
Q: “What are some fond memories from your DTS days?”
Mark: “I remember meeting my Spiritual Formation group for the first time! Those guys became very dear to me as we grew together and encouraged each other along the way. My SF group leader, Jason, was a couple years ahead of me in the ThM program. He gave me a ton of advice and encouraged me to stick with it despite the long road ahead of me. The community that formed in my SF group, in Washington Hall, and in my classes truly made my time at DTS very sweet. It actually went by too fast! I look back fondly at how invested the professors were in our success. I remember Dr. Wallace gracefully going the extra mile with me when I was struggling a bit in my studies because I got married three weeks into my first semester of Greek! I remember Dr. Jay Smith encouraging me that having a foundation in Greek would be incredibly useful in my ministry. I remember grabbing cheesesteaks with Dr. Chisholm while we discussed the OT, listening to Dr. Svigel play his accordion and put theology to song, preaching a sermon at Dr. Kuruvilla’s house, and how awesome it was to take Trinitarianism with Dr. Horrell while my wife audited the class with me!”
Brady: “I have fond memories of living in Washington Hall for my three years. The community there was so fun, and I made several lifelong friends.”
Q: “What is the greatest contribution DTS has made to help prepare you to teach truth and love well?”
Mark: “Unequivocally, DTS gave me a solid foundation in studying and preaching the Word. It equipped me in theology, Biblical languages, Christian education, and in preaching, just to name a few areas. College students ask tough questions all the time and DTS equipped me with the tools necessary to help provide an informed response when possible and humility when not. I use the skills that DTS equipped me with on a daily basis and I could not imagine doing ministry without them. I thank God for bringing me to DTS and using it to prepare me for ministry!”
Brady: “On the college campus, having a firm conviction about the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture is really important. I am forever marked by ST101 with Dr. Horrell.”