Leading Truett Seminary in Houston: An Interview with Steven E. Turley
Steven E. Turley, PhD, recently appointed as the director of Truett in Houston, began his career in pastoral ministry and later earned a PhD in history. His passion for both ministry and the academy led him to find an ideal position at Truett in Houston, where he can combine his pastoral and academic skills and gifts.
In a recent conversation, Dr. Turley shared insights into his background, work, and aspirations for the future of Truett in Houston.
Can you share your journey to becoming the director of Truett in Houston? What experiences and positions have shaped your career?
I have spent my professional life in a “tug of war” between my sense of pastoral calling and my love for the academy. I pastored for a few years right after seminary, then went back to school for my PhD. The whole time I was studying I was a lay leader in our church and with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus. The idea of combining pastoral ministry with a faithful presence at the university led me to join InterVarsity’s staff for the next ten years working with graduate students and professors. However, just as it didn’t feel right to leave ministry while earning my PhD, I still had the academic itch while working with InterVarsity. That itch led me to pursue teaching opportunities at various institutions around Houston, eventually leading me to teach at Truett in Houston. When I saw the director position listing back in January, for the first time in my career I saw a job description that fit, that called on me to use both my pastoral and academic gifts.
What inspired you to pursue a career in theological education?
Once I started seminary at Gordon-Conwell in 1996, I never wanted to leave. My faith has always had an intellectual (“Bible Nerd”) orientation, and seminary was my happy place for those four years. After I graduated, I just kept buying and reading the kinds of books you read in seminary, the more obscure the better! Again, this reflects the tug-of-war in my vocational callings over the years. When I was a pastor, I got restless for the opportunity to study beyond what sermon prep allowed. When I was a PhD student and beyond, I was always more interested in teaching, mentoring, and pastoring than in writing a book every few years. Theological education just seems the sweet spot for me, where I can use my pastoral and intellectual gifts for the benefit of the Church.
What are your main priorities for Truett in Houston in the coming years?
First, we have an incredible new facility at the Lanier Theological Library. A major priority is to integrate our students, faculty, and programming more closely into the overall Lanier programming. Here, there is a staff of research librarians eager to support and a tremendous theological library, so I am excited to help our students learn how to use these resources.
Second, as a commuter community, many of our students drive from over an hour away and try to take as many classes as possible with each trip. The call to slow down, to build community, and to pray for one another can be challenging in that context. I am eager to work with our Spiritual Formation staff in Waco and our instructors here in Houston to figure out the best ways to integrate these disciplines into our curriculum. In my own seminary experience, we had one semester of introduction to spiritual formation, and then we were pretty much on our own. I commuted 45 minutes from my apartment to the campus, so that meant I was basically on my own in this area. That’s why it’s important to me that our commuting students (i.e., all of them) have a real shot at building deep community with each other.
Finally, a top priority is simply to grow the campus. We need to support more students, and we need to provide more professors so that we can offer more courses that students need, when they need them. Fortunately, if I can get students to visit our beautiful campus; if I can get them to listen to why I’m all in on in-person coursework after more than a decade of teaching online; if I can get them to sample the rich discussions we have around the seminar tables, then we are going to grow this campus significantly. I’m excited for the challenge.
How do you ensure that the voices of students and faculty are heard and considered?
I see myself as a pastor of this wonderful group of teachers and learners, not just an administrator. A top priority this fall semester is to be present on campus, to check in on our professors, to pray for our students, to chat with them during coffee breaks, and to become for them a trusted resource to ensure the success of their training and ministry.
What steps is the campus taking to enhance the student experience both academically and socially?
The move to our permanent home at Lanier Theological Library last fall has already enhanced the student experience. Not only are the classrooms magnificent, but there is also lounge space in which students can be together between classes and over meals, and beautiful grounds that allow us to get out in nature a bit (at least in the winter).
My goal, as part of the “OneTruett” focus, is to do all I can to integrate our Houston students into the full resources of the Waco campus. I want to inform and remind them regularly of the academic counseling services, the spiritual and emotional well-being services, and the extensive programming of lectures and conferences available to them. Our inclusion in the larger Truett community and its integration into a RI university provides opportunities to students that are unmatched in Houston. My job is to make sure they know everything that’s available.
What are some of your interests or hobbies outside of your professional work?
With two teenagers at home, I’m not sure I have any hobbies! I am, however, an unrepentant baseball nerd, so I’m the official scorekeeper for my son’s club team. When I’m not watching high school games in person, I’m probably watching the Astros on TV.
Before kids, my wife and I invested deeply in learning to dance the Argentine Tango, even reaching a high enough level that our teacher put us in his performance group. One goal, as we approach the empty nest phase of our lives, is to return to this passion.
What advice would you give to students starting their theological education journey?
First, savor your study time. Even if you’re working a full-time ministry job, this is a rare opportunity in your life to read some of the greatest works of our tradition, to wrestle with their implications, to discuss them with students of different persuasions, and to do it all under the guidance of dedicated teachers and scholars. It is too easy just to put your head down and try to push through seminary as quickly as possible. I think that’s a missed opportunity. Savor your time in seminary and look at it like the beginning of a lifelong journey of growth and enrichment.
Second, take spiritual formation seriously. I’ll tell you frankly that my seminary experience was mostly intellectual. I did not take seriously enough the need for deep relationship with God while studying in that beautiful community, and I deeply regretted it once I entered full-time solo pastoral ministry. If you can’t find time to bask in God’s presence while you’re studying, you’re not going to do any better when you’re facing the daily pressures of pastoral ministry.
How can students, faculty, and alumni best support and engage with the campus?
It sounds like a “Sunday school” answer, but please pray for our students and professors. In the classroom, I’m always amazed at how hard our students are working, how thoughtful they are in their comments, and yet how burdened they are by the competing demands of school, ministry, and often family.
I also would encourage everyone to spread the word! I think we offer the best theological education south of Waco, but not enough churches and pastors know we’re here. A big part of my job is to build those Truett networks through our metro area, but I can’t do it alone. If you know someone in your church considering seminary, tell them about Truett in Houston. If you know someone in your church who is gifted for ministry but doesn’t know it yet, tell them about Truett in Houston. If you’re curious about seminary yourself, take some certificate courses, and then tell everyone about Truett in Houston.