One on One with Dann Austin

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
After graduating from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, I was an Education Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 28 years. During that time, the focus of my ministry was on equipping people to serve in the church, building environments in which they could minister, and developing ministry teams for growth and impact. The Lord was very gracious in developing a ministry there that reached around the world as well as into diverse cultures in Grand Rapids.

How long have you been the Baptist Bible Seminary Chaplain?
I’ve been the Chaplain since 1999.

What are your duties as Chaplain?
My main responsibilities involve helping the students in affirming God’s call on their lives, seeking to help them grow in their walk with the Lord, and strengthening their families.

How has being Chaplain been a blessing?
It’s a blessing to be a part of a seminary faculty that values the ministry impact I have. Watching students grow and change gives me hope that they will be able to lead others to do the same. The growth is in a number of areas including character issues, cognitive understanding, and ministry skills.

The blessing is to be able to be involved in the personal lives of men who are now serving around the globe. These are men that I would have never known, and they write back with statements like this one from a prison chaplain: “Imagine a guy from Ohio State being trained by a guy from Michigan and being paid by the State of Florida to train small group leaders in prison.”

How has being Chaplain been difficult?
By nature, students graduate and leave without you seeing the impact of their ministry. In the local church, you see people grow and develop and go from being a neophyte to a reproducer of reproducers.

What advice or encouragement has helped you in
your ministry as Chaplain?
I am encouraged by the Seminary faculty members who, while having a passion for their discipline, have an equal passion that the hearts of the seminary students would be fervent. When men are fatigued, distracted by the cares of this world, or compromised by character issues, not only do they struggle in their courses, but they also really struggle in their preparation for effective dynamic ministry.

What advice would you give to a new Chaplain?
Be careful to not let other ministry opportunities in the institution (such as teaching) invade your time and crowd out your purpose in being the chaplain. I would also recommend you to cultivate relationships with the faculty so you can partner and effectively minister together.

You can email Dr. Austin at daustin@bbc.edu.

return to the Summer 2007 Paraklesis