Dr. Kevin Bussey, a lecturer at Highlands College, is our newest doctoral recipient on staff! What makes Highlands College unique are faculty members like Dr. Bussey, who deliver engaging academic curriculum through innovative and relational methodologies. We interviewed Dr. Bussey to learn more about his background and impact at Highlands College.

Please give us a brief overview of your educational background.

1981 – BS Public Administration from Samford University
1988 – Master of Arts in Biblical in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
1995 – Masters of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
2020 – Certificate of Ministry from Highlands College
2020 – Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary

Why did you choose to teach at Highlands College?

I am passionate about training the next generation. Judges 2:10 NIV says, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” I do not want to see a generation that goes without knowing how to serve God.

Our family joined the Riverchase campus of Church of the Highlands in 2012, and in 2014 I kept seeing Highlands College. I asked my campus pastor, Keith Lindsey, about it, and when he heard my background, he encouraged me to get involved. I began teaching in June 2014. I loved it and discovered it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I heard a story from Andy Stanley, founder and senior pastor of North Point Church, about one of his professors, Dr. Howard Hendricks. Andy asked Dr. Hendricks why he didn’t have his own church so he could preach. Hendricks looked at Stanley and said, ‚ÄúGod has called me to train people like you.‚Äù I want to be the Howard Hendricks of Highlands College. I could care less if anyone outside of Highlands College ever knows who I am. I am proud when I see graduates I taught serving in their callings. That fuels me.

What classes do you teach?

Evangelism & Mission
Old Testament
New Testament
Jesus and the Gospels
Isaiah
Homiletics
Hermeneutic

How do those classes shape the future leaders of the church?

Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. Without it, the church will die. I believe teaching students to actively share their faith is vital in shaping future leaders in the church.

I love taking Highlands College students with me to the Birmingham Dream Center. Students serve on our door to Door team and receive real-world experience sharing the gospel. Students also get an inside look at ministry through my role as a corporate chaplain. I am on call 24/7, and during one class, I was paged by an employee. I asked the man if he could put the call on speaker for his class to learn how to pastor in that moment. After counseling the man for 30 minutes, he prayed to receive Christ with the class listening!

You recently received your Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary and did your doctoral project on the flipped classroom model. Can you share how and why you landed on this topic?

The post-millennial age, known as Generation Z or ‚ÄúGen Z,‚Äù includes those born between 1997 and 2013 is entering higher education. Every generation has its own personalities, traits, and characteristics, which means higher education must adapt to a new generation of students. What worked in the past does not necessarily translate into modern-day society. I noticed this new reality that colleges face, specifically in Christian higher education, and decided to look deeper. My observations of student engagement in Evangelism and Mission class led to my project on the flipped classroom model. Through a year’s worth of thought, research, and planning, I learned more about how a fresh approach to lecturing could revive a post-Christian society.