T. Vaughn Walker, senior professor of Black church studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, died on January 26. He was 68 years old.
Dr. Walker also served as supervisor of the Black church leadership doctor of ministry program and the doctor of education ministries program at the seminary. He was the first tenured African American faculty member in the 150-year history of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was also the first African American to reach the rank of full professor.
In addition to his academic duties, since 1984, Dr. Walker was the senior pastor of the First Gethsemane Baptist Church in Louisville. His book Spiritual Pastoral Leadership will soon be published.
A native of Heathsville, Virginia, Dr. Walker was a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia, where he played football and baseball. He held a master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, a master of divinity degree in Christian education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Oregon State University.
