Andrew Walker installed as dean of SBTS School of Theology

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Monday, September 21, 2026

Prominent theologian Andrew Walker has been formally installed as the dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s School of Theology and is being praised as “the man who God has prepared for this role at this time.”

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky announced the formal installation of Andrew Walker as dean of its School of Theology in a ceremony Tuesday, according to a statement Wednesday. Walker assumed his new position on Aug. 1, succeeding Hershael York, who has taken a new position at the institution as the Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching.

“The most urgent ask of this office is to steward and fortify the theological inheritance of the school," Walker said last Tuesday, adding that he seeks to “amplify the work of its remarkable faculty, and to put before the Southern Baptist Convention the best-trained pastors and leaders that we can provide to it.”

Walker thanked Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler as well as “the administration and the trustees” for entrusting him with his new position. He highlighted his ties to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recalling how “When I first stepped foot on this campus in 2008, I came as a very eager student ready to learn and a wonderful faculty that sits here today ensured that I received the education that I needed.”

“I remember in my first semester, telling friends who are here today sitting right there that I hoped I might one day get to teach at Southern Seminary,” he added. “I never once envisioned getting a chance to lead what I believe truly is the premier theology faculty in all of evangelicalism.”

“This is a special day in the life of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College,” said Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler. “The role of serving as Dean of the School of Theology at this institution is of such stature that it’s a historic moment, and it needs to be marked with a certain formality.”

Mohler insists that Walker was divinely ordained.

“When the time came for Dr. York to retire from that role, the question was, who shall take his place? And it became apparent to me and others that the man who God had prepared for this role at this time is Dr. Andrew T. Walker," Mohler said. 

Walker received a Ph.D., Master of Divinity and Master of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from Southwest Baptist University.

Walker is also a professor of Christian ethics and public theology and leads the institution’s Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement.

Walker’s roles outside Southern Baptist Theological Seminary include serving as a fellow in Christian political thought at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, research fellow for the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and managing editor at WORLD Opinions.