Daniel Akin, a prominent Southern Baptist Convention figure and president of the Wake Forest, North Carolina-based Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has announced his retirement.
In a statement posted to SEBTS’ website on Tuesday, the 68-year-old Akin announced his plan to retire at the end of 2025-2026 academic year. His official retirement date is set for July 31, 2026.
Akin, who has served as president of SEBTS for around 21 years, made his plans known at a campus chapel service during the Board of Trustees’ annual fall visit, according to SEBTS.
“Charlotte and I have prayed this matter through and talked with family and friends. We are convinced the time is right for us and the school,” Akin said, as quoted in the statement.
“We are at perfect peace in our decision. The college and seminary are healthy and thriving, and I believe the best days are ahead for this Great Commission juggernaut.”
Executive Vice President Ryan Hutchinson commented in the statement that he was “thankful for Dr. Akin’s leadership for the clarity of vision he established” while serving as the seminary’s president.
“Early in his leadership our mission statement was simplified. This not only provided a more accessible mission statement but also provided the foundation on which the concept of a Great Commission seminary has been built,” Hutchinson added.
“Since that time, Dr. Akin’s leadership has challenged us to stay focused on that goal and to keep growing towards its fulfillment.”
Akin was inaugurated as the sixth president of SEBTS on Oct. 27, 2004, at a ceremony held at the campus’ Binkley Chapel, succeeding outgoing President Paige Patterson.
“I pledge to build an institution that will continue to stand on the infallible and inerrant Word of God,” Akin said at his inauguration ceremony in 2004.
“Southeastern Seminary will continue to stand for personal evangelism, world missions and the exclusivity of the Gospel. We believe Heaven and Hell are real and the only difference is Jesus Christ.”
Akin would go on to become the longest-serving president of SEBTS since its founding in 1950, and is credited with leading the institution to have record enrollment and charitable giving.
According to his official biography, before becoming SEBTS president, Akin had been a theology professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, Kentucky, and The Criswell College of Dallas, Texas.
He also served in mission work in numerous countries beginning in the 1970s, including Australia, Thailand, Paraguay, India, Sudan, Liberia, South Korea and Mexico.
