Published on October 10, 2025 by Kameron Brown  
Scott Bush

Samford University has appointed Scott Bush ’91, MDiv ’95, DMin, as director of its Ministry Training Institute (MTI).

Currently serving as senior pastor of Southcrest Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama, Bush will lead the university’s initiative to provide affordable, accessible theological education for church leaders across the Southeast.

Bush’s appointment follows a season of record growth for the institute. This year, MTI’s Shelby/Helena extension site saw its highest enrollment to date, reflecting a growing demand for biblically grounded, practical ministry training.

Bush said his goal as director is to continue building on that momentum while strengthening the institute’s connection to local churches.

“From a practitioner's perspective, I love the way that MTI impacts ministry in the local church,” Bush said. “I’m still in the pulpit every week, walking with people through the same challenges our students are preparing to face. That keeps me grounded in the realities of ministry and helps me know what leaders truly need.”

As a senior pastor and educator, Bush brings more than three decades of ministry experience to the position. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Samford in 1991, a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School in 1995 and a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2007. Bush has pastored at Southcrest Baptist Church for twenty-six years and served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve for twenty-eight years, including as command chaplain for the Army Reserve element of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Korea.

He said that experience will inform how MTI develops leaders who can serve faithfully in churches of all sizes and contexts.

Founded in 1947, the MTI provides non-degree seeking students with practical theological education through more than 40 extension locations across Alabama, Alaska, Florida and Mississippi. Courses are designed for pastors, lay leaders and anyone seeking deeper biblical understanding.

“I want our students to see ministry, whether as a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, or a small group leader, as a calling,” Bush said. “Through MTI, we’re equipping leaders who can preach, teach and serve with both theological depth and practical wisdom.”

Bush’s vision for MTI includes expanding partnerships with local churches and associations, developing new hybrid and online course options, and enhancing the mentoring relationships that define the institute’s training model.

“We’re in a season where accessibility matters more than ever,” he said. “By leveraging technology and partnerships, we can take Samford’s mission even further into communities and churches that have never had access to this kind of training before.”

Bush said his hope is that MTI will continue to serve as “a bridge between the classroom and the church,” preparing leaders to meet the spiritual and practical needs of their communities.

“Samford has always been about forming leaders of competence and character,” he said. “MTI is one of the clearest expressions of that mission; it’s where faith and practice meet.”

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, 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 enrolls 6,324 students from 44 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 is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.