Dr. David Watson Appointed Next President
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The Asbury Theological Seminary Board of Trustees announced on March 22, 2025, the appointment of Dr. David F. Watson as the Seminary’s next president, effective July 1, 2025. Watson succeeds Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, who served as president for 15 successful years, and Dr. David J. Gyertson, who currently serves as interim president.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. David Watson as our new president,” said Mrs. Helen Rhea Stumbo, Chair of the Board of Trustees, “We are confident that the Lord brought him to us, and we look forward to working with him as the Seminary stands at the beginning of our second century.”
Dr. Watson comes to Asbury Seminary from faculty and administrative roles at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is currently serving as United’s Senior Vice President, as well as Professor of New Testament, Academic Dean, and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. David Watson said, “It is a great honor to have been selected as the next President of Asbury Theological Seminary. I give thanks to God for this opportunity, and I am grateful to the search committee and the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with this sacred responsibility. Asbury has long been a guiding light in the Wesleyan world. It embodies the best of theological education through its commitment to academic rigor, scriptural holiness, and communal formation. My wife, Harriet, and I look forward to getting to know the community and serving alongside the many faithful servants of Christ who are already engaged in this important work of theological education.”
During his years at United, his leadership has been instrumental in revitalizing the Seminary, strengthening its theological commitments, expanding its global reach, and increasing student enrollment. He demonstrated exceptional leadership in theological education, faculty development, strategic planning, and institutional growth. He has overseen the development of a new Master of Arts degree, the Hispanic Christian Academy, and early advancements in online theological education.
Dr. Watson has built meaningful partnerships across denominations and continents, working with Christian leaders in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. His passion for equipping Spirit-filled leaders extends beyond the classroom and into real-world ministry, where he has actively engaged in church renewal, mission work, and theological discourse on a global scale. His global perspective aligns with Asbury Seminary’s vision to serve the worldwide Church.
As a collaborative team builder, Dr. Watson has a proven track record of fostering a culture of excellence, humility, and innovation. He understands the significance of theological education in shaping the next generation of Christian leaders.
"Asbury has long been a guiding light in the Wesleyan world. It embodies the best of theological education through its commitment to academic rigor, scriptural holiness, and communal formation."
Dr. David Watson
Dr. Watson is very grateful to have been raised in a Christian home, including his extended family, so that faith was a common topic of conversation at family gatherings. According to Dr. Watson, he “learned the faith in the home.”
Dr. Watson earned his B.A. degree from Texas Tech University, his Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and his PhD, also from Southern Methodist University.
In seminary, Dr. Watson took an evangelism class from Asbury Seminary alumnus Billy Abraham (M.Div., 1973, Honorary Doctorate, 2008) and was immediately impressed with his intellect, deep faith, and sense of humor. He became a spiritual father and friend to Watson for many years. He credits Abraham with guiding him into the riches of the Christian tradition and helping him to understand them as means of grace. According to Watson, apart from his family, no one has formed his faith as much as Abraham did.
Dr. Watson’s faith has also been deepened by engaging Christian writers across the ages. He loves to read Augustine, believing “Confessions” to be one of the most beautiful pieces of Christian writing. The mysticism of Julian of Norwich made a big impression on him, as did the sermons of John Wesley. In terms of more contemporary writers and thinkers, Dr. Ellen Charry was his first theology teacher in seminary, with whom he was impressed by her faith and intellect. He has found the work of N.T. Wright helpful and cites “The Historical Christ and the Jesus of Faith” by C. Stephen Evans and the work of Tim Keller as helpful in working through some of the more challenging doctrines of the faith.
As much as these thinkers have influenced him, Dr. Watson holds that much of his formation has taken place in the worshiping life of the church. He attends chapel and Sunday worship every week, and the songs, prayers, creeds, sermons, and sacraments have profoundly shaped his faith. He strongly believes our faith isn’t simply a set of ideas but also an encounter with the living God, of which the primary locus is worship.
Dr. Watson was ordained in the United Methodist Church and served in the local church and on the staff of a United Methodist campus ministry before beginning his academic career. He now holds ordination as an elder in the Global Methodist Church. He served on the Global Methodist Church’s Transitional Leadership Council and as a delegate to its convening General Conference in 2024.
In other aspects of his professional life, Dr. Watson is Lead Editor of “Firebrand”, an online magazine “intended to promote theological reflection in various related traditions, including Methodist, Arminian, Holiness, Pentecostal, and others.” He also writes a Substack and serves as one of the hosts of the “Firebrand Podcast”.
Dr. Watson has been published extensively in Christian journals and magazines and has contributed numerous chapters in books and commentaries. His latest book is “Scripture and the Life of God: Why the Bible Matters Today More than Ever” (Seedbed, 2017).
David Watson and his wife, Harriet, have three children: Luke, Sean, and Ciara.
Presidential Q&A
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How do your background and experience prepare you to lead Asbury Seminary, a multi-denominational, evangelical seminary serving nearly 100 denominations, this season?+
I’ve been involved in seminary administration at United since 2007, and I’ve served as Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs since 2011. I’ve also served as a tenured member of the teaching faculty. These positions have given me experience working with students, faculty, staff, and other church leaders across a broad range of denominations, theological positions, and ethnicities. As a Wesleyan, an evangelical, and an elder in the Global Methodist Church, I share numerous commitments with people throughout the Asbury community. While there may be some differences, I have no doubt we can address these in a spirit of Christian love and charity.
My work has also allowed me to travel widely and experience faith in culturally diverse contexts. God has blessed me with the opportunity to worship with and work alongside Christians in places such as Vietnam, South Korea, Kenya, Cuba, and Brazil. I’ve learned a great deal from these experiences. They’ve shaped my understanding of the nature of the church, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the opportunities and challenges of cross-cultural cooperation in ministry.
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How do you see Asbury Seminary’s role in contributing to the future of theological education and preparing global leaders for ministry?+
Asbury is already a worldwide leader in theological education. I want to see that position of leadership flourish in the days ahead. The Wesleyan, evangelical vision of Christian faith for which Asbury has stood for over a century is one of great optimism—that all may be saved, and saved to the uttermost. The world needs to hear this. God has entrusted us to preach and live out this good news of love and grace, repentance and holiness. Asbury has long prepared leaders who do just that, and we are perfectly poised to raise up a new generation of leaders to continue in this work.
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What are some of the things that excite you most about joining the Asbury community?+
Honestly, I’m excited about the mission: “Asbury Theological Seminary is a community called to prepare theologically educated, sanctified, Spirit-filled men and women to evangelize and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world through the love of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God the Father.” That’s a mission I can support with great enthusiasm.
I’m also excited to work alongside a world-class faculty and a stellar group of staff who have been faithful stewards of Asbury’s mission. I look forward to getting to know them, learning from them, and supporting their work as we serve Christ and his church together.
And, of course, I’ll greatly enjoy getting to know our students and alumni. I want to hear about their ministries and the ways God is moving. I also want to learn about their experience of Asbury and how it’s contributed to their ministries.
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Who are the key spiritual mentors and role models who have shaped your faith journey and leadership philosophy?+
My parents raised me as a Christian, for which I will always be grateful. My extended family was Christian as well, and faith was a common topic of conversation at family gatherings. I learned the faith in the home.
When I went to seminary, I took an evangelism class from Billy Abraham, an Asbury alumnus, and was immediately impressed with his intellect, deep faith, and sense of humor. He became a spiritual father and friend over the years. Apart from my family, no one has formed my faith as much as Billy did. He was a giant and, like many others, I miss him dearly.
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Please share how you came to faith and your spiritual journey.+
I was immersed in God’s grace and initiated into the church through my baptism. As I said earlier, I was raised in a Christian home. The faith of my upbringing matured by fits and starts. There has never been a time when I didn’t believe in and love God, but there have been times when I’ve been more and less faithful. My final year of college, out of the blue I felt a call into ministry. I was not expecting this, and I didn’t know what it meant. Nevertheless, I thought the thing to do was to enroll in seminary. God used that decision to guide me toward a vocation of scholarship in service to the church. Over the years I’ve encountered God in powerful ways, and I have experienced his sanctifying grace ever more deeply. I’m still on that journey of one saved by grace through faith, growing in the knowledge and love of God day by day.
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How can the Asbury community pray for you as you step into this leadership role?+
Please pray that God will give me wisdom in the days ahead. Pray for my family as we make the move from Dayton to Wilmore. I have a disabled son named Sean for whom the move is going to be difficult, so I’d ask that you specifically lift him up. Finally, please pray that Asbury will continue to thrive in faithfulness.
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