The RICHARDSONS—DAVID, CONDY, and WYMAN—made history last Spring when they became the first trio of brothers each of whom has received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Beeson Divinity School.  This is certainly a record at Beeson and, as far as I know, is unmatched anywhere else in the country.  The Richardson brothers were brought up by godly parents in a wonderful Christian family.  They were also nurtured in the faith in a vibrant local congregation where they were encouraged by wise and loving pastors to respond to God’s call in their lives.  Following college and seminary and their first years in ministry, they decided one at a time to come to Beeson for their doctoral studies.  What led them to Beeson?  Humanly speaking, it was Dr. Calvin Miller, a longtime family friend and, at that time, a full-time member of the Beeson faculty.  (Calvin continues to teach in our D.Min. program and also serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence here at Beeson.)

Wyman was the first of the three to come to Beeson and, no doubt, his positive experience in the program was a good recommendation to David and Condy.  The opportunity to study with seasoned pastors and first-class scholars was challenging to each of them.  So was the in-depth peer experience of working together and developing friendships with other students from a wide range of ecclesial and denominational backgrounds.
 

And there is also the personal touch that goes beyond the seminar experience.  Wyman says that Dr. Tom Fuller has been both a mentor and friend.  “I think in many ways,” Wyman reflected, “that Dr. Tom Fuller’s friendship in ministry has had maybe the biggest impact on my life.  I have a great deal of respect for Tom.  I remember during a student retreat that he and I paddled around in a canoe and then listened together to Johnny Cash on the radio!”  Both David and Condy developed a close personal relationship with Dr. Mark Searby, who now directs our D.Min. program.  Mark and his wife, Linda, made long trips from Birmingham to South Carolina to visit with David and Condy in their ministry settings.  David remembers Dr. Searby’s words over lunch in his home, “David, we are for you.  We want you to succeed.”  Condy says that Mark Searby was “a tremendous encouragement, a kind man, and a very positive part of my Beeson experience.”

Well, where are they now?  Wyman serves as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dawson, GA, a position he has held since 2002.  His Doctor of Ministry project has been published as a book, Walking Together: A Congregational Reflection on Biblical Church Discipline.  Wyman is an astute thinker, a blogger of note, and has written for a number of ministry journals including Leadership, 9 Marks e-Journal, and Southwestern Journal of Theology.  Condy recently celebrated his seventh anniversary as the senior pastor of Hermitage Baptist Church in Camden, SC.  “God has breathed new life into this 89 year old mill village church in recent years,” Condy says, “and I could not be happier to be a part of what he is doing in Camden.”  David continues to focus on prayer in the local church, the theme of his D.Min. project.  In October 2009 he began a new ministry as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Sebring, Florida.  “It is a thrill for my family and me to move to the Sunshine State and begin a new chapter of our lives.  My focus is on building disciples of Jesus Christ here in Highlands County.”

While it is indubitably true that we are all saved by grace and not by genetics, it is also true that God is often pleased to work through godly families who are committed to him and to one another.  The Richardson brothers, and the parents who produced them, are a great example of this.  It has been a blessing for me and for all of us here at Beeson to get to know Wyman, David and Condy (or David, Condy, and Wyman, in order of age).  We are proud to have such fine Beeson alums serving faithfully in pastoral ministry in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.  Please remember each of them in your prayers, as I have done today.  If you would like to send them a note of encouragement, or learn more about their ministries, please find contact information for each of them below.