Published on June 20, 2017 by Kristen Padilla  
Ronald Sterling

Birmingham pastor Ronald Sterling will be joining Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School as part-time lecturer in pastoral studies and director of student services beginning in fall 2017.

In his new role as lecturer, Sterling will teach courses in spiritual formation and pastoral ministry. In his role with student services, Sterling will focus on racial reconciliation and student retention. An ordained minister and respected leader in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, he will help Beeson Divinity maintain and forge stronger ties with this important constituency as well as assist in recruiting prospective students.

“Dr. Sterling brings to his work in the classroom and in our community pastoral wisdom and experience as the minister of St. Paul AME Church in Birmingham,” said Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School dean. “As a respected leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Sterling will continue the good work of representing our school and building relationships pioneered by Dr. Patricia Outlaw.”

Outlaw, an ordained AME minister, retired from the Beeson Divinity faculty in 2015.

Sterling, who holds Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Beeson Divinity School, already is involved in mentoring Beeson students and taught a spiritual formation class this spring. He also will continue to serve as an AME pastor while serving in this new capacity.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunity to give back to the Beeson Divinity School community what so many poured out to me while I was a student,” Sterling said. “The experience I received as a student helped me to mature in my passions for ministry. As a part-time lecturer, it is my desire to teach others what the Lord has taught me in the areas of spiritual formation, the role as a pastor and spiritual leader in the church, healing and reconciliation within the body of Christ, and the importance of having faith in God, which all have God’s love as the foundation.”

Sterling is married to Kim, and they have three children and eight grandchildren.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.