by Dr. Elizabeth Clarke
Dr. Justin Langford has been named dean of the College of Missions and Ministries at Louisiana College. Langford has been a faculty member for eight years, most recently serving as interim dean.
Langford is a 2003 graduate of Louisiana College in sociology. He earned his Master of Divinity in biblical languages, Master of Theology and Ph.D. in New Testament from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, finishing in 2012.
He served churches while in seminary as both music minister and youth minister. In 2013, he returned to LC to teach in the then-called Division of Christian Studies.
“I am honored and grateful to Dr. Rick Brewer and Dr. Cheryl Clark for this wonderful opportunity to serve my alma mater,” Langford said. “I am eager to work with the excellent faculty we have in our area. I firmly believe that our role is to model servant leadership to our students. We hope and pray that, upon graduating, they will then enter our churches and mission fields equipped with the knowledge, experience, and servant mindset that is needed to impact our world for Christ.
President Rick Brewer said Langford has been an excellent faculty member during his time at LC’s helm.
“Justin is the epitome of a servant-leader,” Brewer said. “He is a strong Christian mentor to students, a hard-working team member, and has stepped into the interim dean’s role successfully. I have no doubt he will lead Mission and Ministries to have an even stronger presence on campus and in the community.”
Langford’s research interests include biblical intertextuality, 1 Peter, hermeneutics, and textual criticism. Over the past 8 years at LC, he has supervised a number of students who have worked directly with ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament for a worldwide effort among scholars and students. These academic projects resulted in an opportunity to research in Oxford, England in 2017.
In the classroom, he seeks to combine serious academic study of the Scriptures with practical instruction, applying biblical and theological concepts to personal and ecclesial contexts.
Langford finds great joy in his role at LC because of the opportunities to teach and mentor students. When he’s not in the classroom, he can often be seen on the campus’ disc golf course or enjoying coffee with students and colleagues.
“I am excited to see where the Lord will direct our department in the coming years,” Langford said. “We have seen steady growth over the last few years and are ready to meet new challenges head-on. In light of the recent articulation agreements with our Southern Baptist seminaries and new programs we’ve developed, it is an exciting time for students to come and be trained at Louisiana College.”
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