FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, has named a new director and associate director of communications.
Gregory Tomlin, 32, has been named director of communications, while Brent Thompson, 40, has been named associate director of communications.
Tomlin received a master of arts in theology degree from the Texas seminary in 1998 and a Ph.D. in church history and theology in 2003. He has been serving as the seminary’s associate director of communications since 2001.
A native of North Little Rock, Ark., Tomlin is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who worked as a corporate writer before coming to Southwestern in 1995.
Tomlin is a frequent contributor of news stories and culture commentaries to Baptist Press. His editorial columns also appear frequently in newspapers. “Many ministers are called to preach in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, but the Lord has called me to preach in print in 750 words or less,” Tomlin said. “I enjoy engaging and confronting culture.”
Jack Terry, vice president of institutional advancement at Southwestern Seminary, said Tomlin is “no stranger to public relations at Southwestern.”
“Greg has a strong historical background in Southern Baptist life, coupled with a scholarly background in church history, the major field of his doctorate. He has a keen sense of history and the progress of Baptists both past and present. Greg brings to the task the unique ability to write forcefully and accurately and to represent what Southwestern Seminary has done and will be doing in the future,” Terry said.
Tomlin also serves as an adjunct professor of church history. He and his wife, Cynthia, have three daughters, Libby, Caroline and Leah. The Tomlins are members of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Thompson, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, practiced law in Alaska and Texas for eight years prior to entering the master of divinity program at Southwestern in 2000.
He previously worked at Wayland Baptist University’s Alaska Center, where he taught U.S. government, and, in Fort Worth, he supervised safety compliance for United Parcel Service’s hub.
In Alaska, Thompson helped develop labor law when he argued before the Alaska Supreme Court in the case of the Anchorage Police Department Employee’s Association v. Feichtinger.
Tomlin said that Thompson’s legal background would aid him as he fulfills the responsibilities of associate director. “In our search for a news director, we pursued someone who would zealously represent the interests of the seminary. We found that person in Brent Thompson. His knowledge of the law, his ability as a writer and his skills in advocacy communication will be indispensable in the future.”
Thompson will oversee the publication of Southwestern News, the seminary’s alumni relations magazine. He and his wife, Paula, have three sons, Sam, Ray and Quinn. They also are members of Travis Avenue Baptist Church.
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