Pam Durso new associate director - Baptist History and Heritage Society

Baptist History and Heritage, Wntr, 2003

Upon the recommendation of the executive director, on November 18, 2002, the BH&HS Board of Directors unanimously and enthusiastically employed Dr. Pamela R. Durso as associate director effective June 15, 2003.

Durso has served as assistant professor of church history and Baptist heritage at Campbell University Divinity School since 1999. Durso earned the B.A. (1983) and Ph.D. (1992) at Baylor University and the M.Div. (1987) at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At Baylor, she was named Outstanding Senior Woman in Religion; church history was the major field of her doctoral program. Her dissertation was titled "`The Power of Woman': Sarah Moore Grimke, Abolitionist and Feminist of the 1830s." Mercer University will publish her forthcoming book on Grimke.

At Campbell University, Durso has taught the following courses: Church History I, New Testament Era to 1500; Church History Survey II, 1500-Present; American Christianity; Baptist History and Heritage; Women in Christian History; History of Christian Missions; Denominational Heritage; Missions Practicum; Worship and Spiritual Formation; Leadership and Missions Practicum; and Senior Synthesis.

Durso wrote in her application for the position: "I believe my gifts in the areas of administration and organization would be an asset to the Society. I enjoy planning and implementing programs. Writing is also a great love of mine."

Regarding organization and administration, she has served at Campbell on ten university and divinity school committees. Regarding writings, she has contributed to Baptist History and Heritage, the Journal of Church and State, the Baptist Studies Bulletin (an E-magazine produced by the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University), and EthicsDaily.com (an E-magazine produced by the Baptist Center for Ethics). She recently wrote the pamphlet "Myth: Baptists Have Always Been Racist" for the forthcoming pamphlet series titled "Baptist Myths" (to be published by the Baptist History and Heritage Society, the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer, and the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society).

Durso has presented papers at meetings of the Baptist History and Heritage Society; North Carolina Baptist Historical Society; Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, American Christianity Section; and a Joint Ethics Colloquium sponsored by Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary.

She has led many conferences on Baptist heritage and principles in North Carolina Baptist churches, the Pastor's School of Campbell University, the North Carolina WMU Missions Extravaganza at Ridgecrest; served on a panel on "Theological Education in North Carolina" at a North Carolina Cooperative Baptist Fellowship meeting; and served as a guest preacher in many North Carolina churches.

Currently a member of the Angier Baptist Church in Angier, North Carolina, other church memberships for the past ten years include Forest Hills Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2000-2002; First Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma, 1993-94, 1995-99; and Lakeview Baptist Church, Waco, Texas, 1994-95.

"Pam Durso will bring to the society a superb level of academic and practical competence, an intense passion for the discipline of Baptist history, a strong commitment to freedom-based Baptist principles, and a wonderful ability to communicate the Baptist story," says Charles Deweese, BH&HS executive director.

Jim Taulman, scheduled to retire on December 31, 2002, has graciously agreed to continue serving in a part-time capacity until June 15. Past that, he will continue to do contract work for the BH&HS.