LEXINGTON, KY — BSK Theological Seminary has named Dr. Carrol Wilson as Associate Director for Leadership Tenders with BSK’s Tending Initiative. In her new role, Wilson will help develop and support a network of Leadership Tenders who will walk alongside congregations as they identify and respond to challenges in their ministry contexts. She will also periodically teach courses at BSK.
Tending: A Ministry of Learning is a multi-year initiative designed to help congregations and ministry leaders navigate the challenges facing churches today. The initiative is made possible by a generous $7 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Pathways for Tomorrow initiative.
In her role with Tending, Wilson will help build, maintain, and train a network of Leadership Tenders who can help congregations find solutions to the issues they face. She will also support the development and use of the Tending Platform as a resource for congregations and help identify and share stories of local congregational life more broadly.
“We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Carrol Wilson as our Associate Director of Tending for Leadership Tenders,” said David Adams, Director of Tending and Programmatic Initiatives at BSK. “Carrol brings a wealth of experience through her work as Manager of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, where she supported a large network of chaplains and pastoral counselors. In her new role, she will be responsible for supporting Tending by helping us build, maintain, and train a network of Tenders who can help congregations find solutions for the issues they face, using our developing Tending Platform as a tool, and for helping us find the ‘stories’ of local congregational life, which we plan to share more broadly.”
Wilson joins BSK after more than a decade with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, where she currently serves as Manager of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries. She has served in that role since 2015, supporting a network of more than 1,200 endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. Her work has included recruiting and onboarding ministry applicants, facilitating affinity groups and cohort meetings, supporting vocational discernment, coordinating training and other events, and collaborating with theological schools.
Wilson also brings extensive theological education to her new role. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership and Community Witness and a Master of Divinity from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies with a minor in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. She is also a Certified Intentional Interim Minister and is pursuing certification as a life coach through Coach Approach Ministries.
“I was drawn to the Associate Program Director for Leadership Tenders role because it resonates with my vocational calling to walk alongside chaplains and pastoral counselors through CBF’s endorsement process,” Wilson said. “After years of building, guiding and supporting this network, stepping into this position feels like a natural, Spirit-led extension of that calling. I am deeply enthusiastic about joining the Tending team and contributing to a ministry that is making lifelong theological education more accessible, equitable, and transformative for congregations across diverse traditions.”
Wilson said the opportunity also represents a return to the beginnings of her ministry journey.
“More than anything, this opportunity brings me full circle — back to where my journey began in lay ministry within my local church, now equipped with years of experience and a deeper sense of calling to serve the broader body of Christ,” she said.
About Tending: A Ministry of Learning
Tending: A Ministry of Learning is a BSK Theological Seminary initiative that supports church leaders and congregations as they navigate changes and challenges in ministry. Made possible by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Pathways for Tomorrow initiative, Tending seeks to make lifelong theological education more accessible, equitable, and transformative for congregations across diverse traditions.
About BSK Theological Seminary
BSK Theological Seminary forms daring faith leaders for ministry in a changing world. Through theological education that is accessible, innovative, and grounded in the life of the church, BSK prepares students and serves congregations and communities across diverse contexts.
Contact:
Abby Sizemore
Email: abby.sizemore@bsk.edu
Phone: 859-788-3066
