Congratulations, David Watson!

David Watson speaking at the 2023 Spirit & Truth Conference in Dayton, OH.

The Firebrand team wishes to celebrate the announcement last week that David Watson, Lead Editor of Firebrand, will begin serving as president of Asbury Theological Seminary on July 1, 2025. We cannot think of anyone better prepared to lead the seminary in the days to come.

Watson currently serves as Academic Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, as well as Professor of New Testament, at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is an elder in the Global Methodist Church and the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including Scripture and the Life of God: Why The Bible Matters Today More Than Ever (Seedbed, 2017).

“David has been a faithful leader in the Methodist world for years,” said Suzanne Nicholson, Assistant Lead Editor of Firebrand and Professor of New Testament at Asbury University. “He cares deeply about the church and has worked diligently to promote a robustly orthodox, evangelical, and Wesleyan understanding of the Gospel.”

“David’s remarkable professional accomplishments are numerous and well-documented,” said Evan Dodge, member of the Firebrand lead editorial team and pastor of St. Paul’s UMC in Brick, NJ. “But David also has a tender pastor’s heart; he is a shepherd in the truest Biblical sense. His wisdom, compassion, and prayers have sustained me during some personal hardships. In his words and actions, he exemplifies Paul’s exhortation to consider the concerns of others over oneself (Phil 2:3).”

Matt Reynolds, Founder and President of Spirit & Truth, shared his gratitude for Watson’s impact on the Wesleyan world: “I am so personally grateful for the ministry of David Watson and celebrate this important announcement, which I believe will be a gift to the whole pan-Wesleyan church. Even though Firebrand is a ministry of Spirit & Truth, it simply would not exist without David’s vision and leadership. It was his keen awareness of the need for a publication like this, as well as his respect among Wesleyan scholars, that allowed Firebrand to become what it is today. As an ATS alumni and someone who spends my life working for renewal in the Wesleyan stream, I cannot convey strongly enough how excited I am to have a Spirit-filled leader of his caliber in this crucial role during such a pivotal time for Methodism.”

Ryan Danker, founding Director of the John Wesley Institute, commented: “David Watson is gifted in so many ways—and such a firm believer in the Scriptural Christianity that drove the Wesley brothers—he is exactly the person to lead Asbury Theological Seminary in this pivotal moment for the Wesleyan movement. His understanding of Scripture as a New Testament scholar, his wide-ranging experience as a careful administrator, and his ability to reach all of the various parts and streams of the pan-Wesleyan world will help propel the seminary to new heights. I’m excited to see how he will lead the students, staff, faculty, and administration in the coming years. In the end, though, all of us will be the beneficiaries of his work as more and more faithful students graduate as strong leaders equipped for the challenges and opportunities of ministry.”

Five years ago, Watson started Firebrand magazine as a means of promoting “theological reflection in various related traditions, including Methodist, Arminian, Holiness, Pentecostal, and others.” The core values of Firebrand include the authority of Scripture, the Nicene-Chalcedonian faith, the Wesleyan tradition, and the cultivation of intellectual virtue. To date, Watson has contributed 54 articles to Firebrand and has spent countless hours editing and providing other behind-the-scenes work for the magazine.