Dr. Carson Reed has been named director of the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry and vice president for church relations.

Founded in 2012 in honor of the late Dr. Charles Siburt, the institute seeks to build and strengthen collaborative relationships between the university and churches. Reed, also the director of ministry programs, said he is looking forward to expanding the institute.

“I feel very blessed to be invited into this role and see the growth and maturation of the Siburt Institute as a way for ACU to invest in and connect with congregations across the country,” Reed said. “I’m very excited to be in a position to see this growth take place.”

Dr. Royce Money, chancellor and former president of the university, initially invited Reed to consider the position several months ago. Money has served as the interim director of the Siburt Institute since its inception.

“(Dr. Reed) is absolutely the right man for the job,” Money said. “His extensive experience in church ministry and in higher education equips him well. The Siburt Institute is poised to do great things in the Kingdom under his leadership.”

Reed said the institute is expanding its leadership programs as Elderlink, a ministry that equips and connects church leaders, launches new seminars and forums in Lubbock, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta later in the academic year. These seminars will include special training for congregational leaders from churches across the country.

Reed has more than 30 years of ministry experience and teaches as an assistant professor of practical theology. He believes he can blend his teaching and university experience with his ministry experience to better connect churches with the university.

“What we want to do is continue to combine the resources of the university to help support, in a collaborative and encouraging way, the work and life of congregations across the country,” he said.