Imagine this: you are the senior pastor of a large church and on your days off, you go teach courses at local seminaries and nurture the growth and education of future church leaders. This is not hard to imagine for Dr. Ron Lyles, who has done just this for the past 40 years. “I did the Ph.D. research degree in order to teach at the college level,” says Dr. Ron Lyles. “While I have had several opportunities to serve in full time positions as a professor, God still calls me to the pastoral position which I love. Thankfully, God has provided opportunities for me to pursue both callings and to serve as a practitioner-scholar.”
The son of a pastor, Dr. Lyles was called to ministry at an early age. “I made the decision to trust in Jesus when I was six years old during a revival service. My parents helped me with basic understanding, and my dad baptized me,” he says. “I made my decision to respond to God’s call upon my life to serve in ministry at a church camp when I was twelve.” At the age of 20, Dr. Lyles answered the call to lead a church and began pastoring at Brookston Baptist Church. He currently serves at South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena where he has been the pastor for over 35 years.
To gain the knowledge and tools necessary to lead his congregation and students, Dr. Lyles avidly pursued his education. “I hold a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Religion from Dallas Baptist University and the Master of Divinity and Ph.D. (major in Old Testament, minor in Preaching and Biblical Archaeology) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,” Dr. Lyles shares. “I have written Sunday School curriculum materials for more than 30 years for the Sunday School Board (Lifeway) and presently for BaptistWay Press. I enjoy writing on this popular level to help people understand the original context and relevance of the Old Testament as part of our inspired Scripture.”
In addition to preaching and writing, Dr. Lyles has also taught at a number of seminaries. He taught at Southwestern Seminary, Houston Baptist University, B. H. Carroll Theological Institute, the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Logsdon extension at SCS. Here at SCS, he teaches all of the Old Testament courses and the Communication in Ministry courses. He brings with him an incredible level of experience both as an educator and a pastor. “I love seeing the staff at SCS prepare people for ministry who are serving God in significant ways,” he says.
In his free time, you can find Dr. Lyles reading and relaxing around his pool or helping his wife spoil their 9 grandchildren.