Meet Our Faculty
Dr. Steven F. Echols
President of Brewton-Parker College
Professor of Leadership
Division of Christian Studies and Humanities
Education
- PhD, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
- DMin, Samford University
- MA, Birmingham-Southern College
- MDiv, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
- BA, Mercer University
Biography
Dr. Echols became president of Brewton-Parker College in May of 2015. Before accepting his position, he served as president of Tennessee Temple University (TTU) in Chattanooga, TN. Prior to coming to TTU, he was a faculty member and dean at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While at NOBTS, Echols occupied the Nelson L. Price Chair of Leadership. He is married to the former Julie Marie Stipe, and they have two grown children, Jeremy and Joy, and two grandchildren, Emma and Levi.
Dr. Echols has served as a pastor and interim pastor for over 42 years. He has been the senior pastor at churches ranging from small student pastorates to as large as 3,300 members. He has also served as an interim pastor on ten occasions. Dr. Echols has published a number of articles, book chapters, and the book Catastrophic Crisis: Ministry Leadership in the Midst of Trial and Tragedy, which he co-authored with Allen England. He has been a frequent speaker on the subject of leadership at state and national level conferences as well as at local churches and associations.
Interesting Facts About Me
- I have enjoyed weight training since I was 12 years old.
- My wife and I love camping and hiking.
Research Interests
- The synergy and biblical basis for a theory
- Transformation
- Servant leadership
Professional Organizations/Memberships
- Association of Directors of Professional Doctoral Education
- Academy of Religious Leadership
Evangelical Theological Society
Favorite Classes Taught at BPC
- Courses in Leadership and Pastoral Ministry
Favorite Bible Verse
BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND JOURNALS:
“The Triumphant Entry” in The Holman Bible Dictionary Nashville: Broadman/Holman, 2004.
“Relationship with the Church Family: Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Maturity” in Interpersonal Relationship Skills for Ministers. New Orleans: Pelican Press, 2004.
“Building a Culture for Managing Church Conflict” in Interpersonal Relationship Skills for Ministers, Jeanine Bozeman and Argile Smith, eds. New Orleans: Pelican Press, 2004.
“Does Your Church Need a Staff Evaluation?” in Church Administration: A Journal for Effectiveness in Ministry, November 1991.
“The Role of the Business Meeting in a Healthy Change Process” in The Journal of Baptist Theology and Ministry, Spring 2004.
“Leadership Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary” in The Journal of Religious Leadership, Spring Fall 2005.
“The Opportunity for Developing Ministry Teams in Bivocational Ministry” in Pastors Today @ LifeWay.com newsletter, Nov. 13, 2007.
“Transformational/Servant Leadership: A Potential Synergism for an Inclusive Leadership Style.” in The Journal of Religious Leadership, Fall 2009 (Utilized as a required text by the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Spring Semester 2011.)
Catastrophic Crisis: Ministry Leadership in the Midst of Trial and Tragedy by Steve Echols and Allen England, Broadman/Holman, 2011.
“Team Building: The Importance of a Biblical Basis” in the Unlimited Partnership Leadership Manual, 2011.
“Facilitating Change through the Biblical Model of Transformational Servant Leadership” in the Unlimited Partnership Leadership Manual, 2011.
“Spiritual Leadership in Times of Crisis” in Pastors Today @ LifeWay.com newsletter, August 25, 2011.
“The Travon Martin Tragedy: The Leaders Restraint in a Twitter World,” in The Christian Post, 4-10-12
“When It Is Time to Leave” in The Christian Post, 9-21-12
“Tough-Minded Optimism” in The Christian Post 6-3-13
BOOK REVIEWS:
Book Review of The Leader’s Journey by Jim Herrington, R. Robert Creech, and Trisha Taylor for The Journal of Religious Leadership Fall 2003 and for the Baptist Journal of Theology and Ministry, Spring 2004.
Book Review of Leadership that Matters by Marshall Sashkin and Molly Sashkin in The Journal of Religious Leadership, Spring 2004.
Review of Risking Church by Jim Kallam, Jr., Pastors Today @ Lifeway.com, 2004.
Review of Shepherd Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders from Psalm 23 in Pastors Today @ Lifeway.com, 2004.
Review of The Kingdom Focused Leader by Michael Miller in Pastors Today @ Lifeway.com, 2004.
Review of Future Church: Ministry in a Post-Seeker Age by Jim L. Wilson in Pastors Today @ LifeWay.com newsletter, 2004.
“Review and Comparison of The Three Editions of the Leadership Handbook: A Survey of Theory and Research by Ralph Stogdill and Benard Bass” for The Journal of Religious Leadership, Spring/Fall 2005.
Review of The Good Book on Leadership by John Borek, Danny Lovett, and Elmer Towns in Pastors Today @ LifeWay.com newsletter, 2005.
Book Review of The Leader’s Journey by Jim Herrington, R. Robert Creech, and Trisha Taylor for The Journal of Religious Leadership, Spring 2007.
Book Review of Transforming Leadership: A New Vision for a Church in Mission by Norma Cook Everist and Craig L. Nessan for The Journal of Religious Leadership, Fall 2008.
ACADEMIC WRITINGS AND PRESENTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
“A Pilgrimage towards Transformational Leadership”, A Review of “Becoming a Leader of No Reputation” by R. Scott Rodin, published for the Academy of Religious Leadership, April 25-27, 2003, Minn. MN.
“Level Five Leadership and Selected Biblical Issues” published for ARL, April 30-May 2, 2004 at Pittsburgh, PA.
“The Role of Theological Identity in a Holistic Model of Leadership:” A Reaction to Mark Lau Branson’s Articles “Forming God’s People” and “Forming Church, Forming Mission” published for ARL, April 30-May 2, 2004, Pittsburg, PA.
Response to “Open Door Community Church Case Study” published for the Academy of Religious Leadership Conference, April 28-May 1, 2005.
“Power and the Change Agency Mission of the Church” published for the Academy of Religious Leadership Conference, April 27-29, 2007, Louisville, KY.
“The Flexibility of Jesus’ Leadership Style in Light of Emotional Intelligence Research” presented at Southwest Regional Meeting of ETS at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, March 11, 2005.
“Transformational/Servant Leadership: A Potential Synergism for an Inclusive Leadership Style” Featured Presenter (First Southern Baptist to be invited to be a featured presenter at the ARL) at the Academy of Religious Leadership meeting, April 18, 2009, Chicago, IL.
“The Reflection of the Nature of Jesus in the Biblical Models of Transformational and Servant Leadership Stances and the Resulting Efficacy for Producing an Inclusive Leadership Style” presented at the Southwest Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, February 26, 2010.
