Dr. B. Gray Allison established global institution through conservative ‘Bible, missions and evangelism’ leadership
From Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary communications department
Dr. B. Gray Allison
MEMPHIS — Dr. B. Gray Allison, the founder of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, died on Feb. 12. He was 94.
Known as “Dr. Gray” by friends and associates, he served as Mid-America’s president from its inception in 1972 until 1997. After that time he continued to serve as professor and chair of the evangelism department.
“The Mid-America family mourns the passing of our founder whose passion for missions and evangelism touched the world,” said Mid-America President Dr. Michael Spradlin. “The Lord led Dr. B. Gray Allison to create an institution committed to teaching the Bible’s truthfulness and prioritizing practical missions and theology. These distinctives are as true of Mid-America today as they were in 1972,” he said.
Allison created the seminary to be a conservative alternative to liberal-leaning institutions. He required faculty and staff to be Bible-believing and fully committed to personal evangelism while championing biblical inerrancy. As a predominately donor-supported institution, the seminary was also created to provide students a fully accredited, high-quality, personal and practical education at an affordable cost.
The seminary, which started with four professors and 28 students in Olivet Baptist Church, Little Rock, AR, now has thousands of graduates serving on six continents. Its students have personally witnessed to more than 1.7 million people with more than 165,000 professions of faith since its beginning.
