Dr. Steve Ivy, Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Care, has announced his intentions to retire at the conclusion of the Spring 2024 semester.
Dr. Ivy has been a respected professor, pastoral educator, chaplain, counselor, pastor, and hospital administrator.
He received his Ph.D., Th.M., and M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kentucky) and his baccalaureate degree from Austin Peay State University (Tennessee).
Prior to joining the BSK faculty he served as Director of Community, Practice, and Member Development for the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education for two years. Previously he severed for 17 years as Senior Vice President for Values, Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Pastoral Services of Indiana University Health with administrative offices in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dr. Ivy has also served as pastoral educator, chaplain, and pastor at Parkland Hospital, Dallas, Texas, V.A. Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Highland Baptist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, and Huntington Woods Baptist Church in Wyoming, Michigan. He has been an active member of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE).
Dr. Ivy has served as affiliate/adjunct teaching faculty with six graduate schools of theology, including Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis, IN) and Perkins School of Theology (Dallas, TX). He has published over 30 articles and essays in various professional journals and books. He is the author of The Promise and Pain of Loneliness. He has also lectured in a wide variety of Christian congregations, medical settings, and clinical pastoral settings. Dr. Ivy is an ordained Baptist minister.
Dr. Ivy joined the BSK faculty in January 2020. He has taught courses in the pastoral care curriculum, supported students interested in enrolling in clinical pastoral education, and directed the seminary’s Contextual Ministry program from 2020-2023. He has provided excellent leadership on recent changes to the pastoral care curriculum and the Contextual Ministry program. He has also offered insight and wisdom to administrators and staff on numerous projects and initiatives, especially the Siloam Project.
BSK President David Cassidy writes, “Steve Ivy has expertly guided BSK’s pastoral care program across the last 4 ½ years. The quality of commitment, focus, and collaboration he has modeled has enriched the ministries of our students and our faculty. We celebrate the gift of his service even as we will miss his sharp insights and wisdom.” When invited to reflect on his time at BSK, Dr. Ivy writes,
“What is the primary memory I will take with me as I leave? Transition and change! I joined the BSK faculty in January 2020. Our transformational journey of the past four years has been challenging, to say the least. As I teach about transitional experiences, they are always for better or for worse. Ours have made us better. And my 4½ years with BSK have been transformational for me, which was wonderful given that I was even then at a life stage where transitional experiences are not always welcome. . . . I am a very different professor than I was in January 2020.”
Read Dr. Ivy’s full message here.
In the coming months, the BSK community will have opportunities to express our appreciation for Dr. Ivy and to celebrate his time at BSK.
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Steve Ivy on his retirement from Baptist Seminary of Kentucky.