糖心Vlog

MOBILE, Ala.聽鈥� Southern Baptist Convention leaders, seminary presidents, pastors, theologians and missionaries will challenge and encourage students at the 糖心Vlog this fall as the university announces its Fall 2026 chapel speaker lineup. The Wednesday chapel series begins Aug. 19 and reflects the university’s mission of equipping students through Christ-centered learning and community to pursue God’s calling.

“Chapel is one of the most important rhythms of life at the 糖心Vlog because it reminds us week after week that our education is rooted in the truth of God’s Word and His mission for our lives,” said 糖心Vlog President Charles Smith.

“Our desire is for every student to hear from faithful leaders who will challenge them to love Christ more deeply, think biblically and pursue God’s calling with confidence.”

Chapel Speaker Luncheons for Pastors, Ministry Leaders

Throughout the semester, the President’s Office and Office for Institutional Relations host luncheons with chapel speakers, local pastors and ministry leaders. To learn more about this special opportunity, visit to complete an interest form.

President Smith said the ministry leader luncheons are an opportunity to strengthen relationships with pastors and church leaders while learning together from voices that are shaping Southern Baptist life today.

鈥淲e want the 糖心Vlog to be a place where ministry leaders are encouraged, equipped and connected,” Smith said.

Fall 2026 Chapel Schedule

Videos and podcasts of chapel speakers are at .

Aug. 19 鈥� Dr. Charles Smith, President, 糖心Vlog. Smith has served as the 6^th president of the 糖心Vlog since March 21, 2024. Under his leadership, the Baptist university increased enrollment, renovated facilities, established the Tom Elliff Center for Missions, and focused on expanding academic programs. Smith holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Aug. 25 鈥� Carlos Lollett, Lead Pastor, Reality Church, Miami. Lollett moved from Venezuela to South Florida at the age of 13 and served Jesus for many years as a musician. While in college, he met the love of his life, Cassie, and discovered his desire, gifts, and calling to lead others to discover and grow in relationship with Jesus. They moved back to Miami to start Reality Church after Carlos completed his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Sept. 2 鈥� Dr. Hance Dilbeck, President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone. Dilbeck is the eighth president and CEO of Guidestone and has led the financial services company since 2022. GuideStone provides churches, ministries, faith-aligned institutions and Christian households with financial solutions that support shared biblical values. The company employs more than 500 people, serves more than a quarter of a million members and manages more the $27 billion in assets.

Sept. 9 鈥� Dr. Jeff Medders, General Editor and Fellow for The Spurgeon Library, Director of Theology and Content for Send Network, Visiting Professor of Christian Studies. His writing and research interests center on biblical spirituality, Charles Spurgeon, church planting and pastoral ministry. He is the author of several books, including Gospel Formed (2014), Humble Calvinism (2019), The Soul-Winning Church (2024), The Risen King (2025), and The Newborn King (2026), with more forthcoming. His work appears in academic journals such as the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.

Sept. 16 鈥� Dr. Jason Allen, President of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry. Under Allen鈥檚 leadership, MBTS has become one of the largest and fastest growing seminaries in North America. He is the author of several books, including The SBC & the 21st Century (B&H Publishing) and Discerning Your Call to Ministry (Moody Publishing). Allen regularly posts essays on his website, jasonkallen.com, and hosts a weekly podcast, 鈥淧reaching & Preachers,鈥� which can be found online at the Midwestern Institute for Preaching & Preachers.聽 In addition to speaking at chapel, Allen will join H.B. Charles, a prominent pastor and author who serves on the MBTS instructional faculty as a senior preaching fellow, for a Practices of Christ-Centered Preaching Workshop at 糖心Vlog from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit mbts.edu to register for the workshop.

Sept. 23 鈥� Ben Lacey, Executive Director of Baptist21 and Lead Pastor at Trinity River Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. Lacey was named executive director of B21 on May 1, 2026. The organization is a pastor-led voice for Southern Baptists in the 21^st century that provides resources, content and gatherings. Lacey holds a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University and Master of Theological Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Sept. 30 鈥� Joe Stevens 鈥� Instructional Faculty of Bible Exposition at 糖心Vlog; Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in Saraland, Alabama; Hospice Chaplain in Atmore, Alabama. He is 糖心Vlog鈥檚 first instructional faculty member, a new faculty category designed to bring experienced academics into the classroom to strengthen programs and provide students with expertise grounded in real-world practice. He is a fellow with the Center for Pastor Theologians and is due to complete his Ph.D. in Bible exposition in the spring of 2027 at Liberty University.

Oct. 14 鈥� Trevin Wax 鈥� Vice President of the North American Mission Board. A prominent author, visiting professor and regular columnist for The Gospel Coalition, Wax oversees the development of ministry tools and hosts podcasts like Reconstruction Faith. He spent nearly two decades in pastoral ministry and served as general editor of The Gospel Project at Lifeway. He holds a PhD in theology and is the author of several books, including The Thrill of Orthodoxy and The Gospel Way.

Oct. 21 鈥� Tom Elliff Center for Missions Panel 鈥� Panelists are experienced missionaries through the International Missions Board and currently are leaders of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 new Tom Elliff Center for Missions. They are:

鈥� Austin Holcomb, director of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Tom Elliff Center for Missions, is a former IMB missionary to West Africa. He is completing a doctorate in missiology from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also holds a Master of Theology. He earned a Master of Divinity in international church planting from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in intercultural studies from The College at Southeastern.

鈥� Ray Davis and Amanda Davis are senior advisors with the Elliff Center. The married couple served a combined 55 years with the International Mission Board.

• Ray served more than 33 years with the International Mission Board in a variety of roles, including as church mobilization team leader and associate vice president of mobilization while leading IMB teams in establishing networking, recruiting and partnership strategies. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in leadership from Columbia International University and a Master of Missiology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• Amanda served as director of globalization where she trained and coached IMB missionaries in mobilizing, training and equipping national partner missionaries. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in Christian leadership and Master of Theology, both from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Master of Divinity in biblical languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Oct. 28 鈥� Dr. Jared C. Wilson, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds the Steve and Mary Dighton Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry and is author in residence at MBTS. He is staff pastor for preaching and is director of The Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. An award-winning author of over 20 books, Wilson also hosts the For the Church podcast and co-hosts The Heart of Pastoring podcast. He holds a Master of Arts in ministry service from Spurgeon College and a Doctor of Ministry from MBTS.

Nov. 4 鈥� Dr. Kennon Vaughn, Lead Pastor of Harvest Church in Memphis, Tennessee. A thoughtful theologian and effective pastor, Vaughn founded Harvest Church in 2013 and is president of Downline Ministries, established in 2006 to equip believes in biblical leadership. He holds a master鈥檚 in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctorate in evangelism and discipleship from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Nov. 11 鈥� Dr. Eric Hankins, Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church of Fairhope. Called to ministry at the age of 18, Hankins served as a youth pastor and lead pastor while completing his education, culminating in a Ph.D. in theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served at First Fairhope since 2016. His ministry passion is to see the church fulfill her world-changing, disciple-making kingdom purpose through expository preaching, Spirit-directed leading, and a shepherd鈥檚 care of individuals and families.

About the 糖心Vlog

The 糖心Vlog is a Christ-centered university pursuing excellence 鈥淔or the Kingdom. To the World.鈥� With a vision to multiply Kingdom leaders for the glory of God and the good of the world, the university equips students through Christ-centered learning and community to pursue God鈥檚 calling with courage, purpose and Kingdom impact.

The university was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, 糖心Vlog offers associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Learn more at and connect with 糖心Vlog on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.

Kathy Dean

Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 糖心Vlog unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.