Paul Powell (minister)

Paul W. Powell (December 6, 1933 – December 28, 2016) was the retired Dean of Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor in 1956 and held a degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received honorary degrees from Baylor, East Texas Baptist University, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Campbell University and Dallas Baptist University.

The former president of the Robert M. Rogers Foundation of Dallas, Powell served on the foundation's board of directors. He retired in 1998 as president and chief executive officer of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and served in numerous offices with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, including a term as president from 1985 to 1987.

When Powell was president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, he challenged Paige Patterson to allow him to review the "Heresy File", to which Patterson referred constantly. Powell found a list of eight men in the "Heresy File". Three were retired, leaving only five active in their work. And Powell said, "I am not saying that there were five liberals in the Southern Baptist Convention, I am saying that they were on Patterson's Heresy File list. They have spent ten years getting information, and I am assuming Patterson gave me his best. All of the so-called liberals could fit into a Volkswagen!"

Powell served as pastor at baptist churches in Tyler, Belfalls, Troy, Taylor and San Marcos, all in Texas. He served 17 years as pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.

The author of 36 books, Powell received Baylor's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1988 and the Herbert H. Reynolds Award in 1999. In 1990 he was selected as Distinguished Alumnus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served on the boards of directors for Southside Bank and Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.

Powell and his wife, Cathy, a 1956 Baylor graduate, had three children: Kent, Mike, and Lori; and three grandchildren: Jordan, Katie, and Matthew. He died from complications of a stroke on December 28, 2016, at age 83.[1]