Former SWBTS President Adam Greenway fired professors and then spent opulently on refurbishing his residence at SWBTS along with offering six-figure jobs to new hires.

Though details are not final, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) President Adam Greenway is set to be given a severance package in the low six-figure range plus six-months of benefits, according to multiple sources close to SWBTS.

Greenway was forced out at SWBTS following a disastrous three-and-a-half-year term as president marked by mass firings, opulent spending by Greenway, and allegations the Greenway Administration mishandled sex abuse cases.

That Greenway will be rewarded for these blunders with a six-figure severance package will rankle many Southern Baptists. No word on if Greenway will be forced to sign an NDA as his administration forced those he fired to do in exchange for a token severance package.

Also, Greenway’s exit involved the former SWBTS President landing an undefined role with the International Mission Board (IMB). Details of this new position remain sketchy. Clearly, the hiring is not for an existing position—otherwise, the numerous statements would include the job title. So far, one report from BP includes the detail that Greenway “will report to Zane Pratt, IMB vice president for Training.”

As David Bumgardner asked on Twitter, “So @BaptistPress reports that @AdamGreenway will be teaching/training missionaries at @IMB_SBC. What could Greenway possibly teach prospective IMB missionaries? How to misspend the funds of supporters and cover up abuse?”

Good question. There are other things Greenway could teach IMB—for example, how to fire 45 low-paid staff members and hire your friends into six-figure jobs. After all, hiring your friends and punishing your enemies seems to be business as usual for Southern Baptists.

A former SWBTS Philosophy Professor detailed some of the serious problems caused by Greenway over this very issue.

Dr. Travis Dickinson said, “By my count, within the first year of Greenway’s presidency 40 faculty members were cut in two rounds less than a year a part. His administration was still cutting as of this summer bringing the count up to 46. Many of these cuts made little sense and were devastating to these families and completely demoralizing to the rest of the faculty. We sat with families who wept as they wondered how they would navigate suddenly being unemployed a couple of months before the new academic year…He should have never been allowed to extend six figure offers to prospective faculty members, offers that were sometimes more than double the salary of current faculty members, all while the institution is facing financial difficulties.”

This places the blame squarely on trustees who too often in the SBC function as cheerleaders for entity heads and do not hold them accountable until a disaster unfolds. The Greenway disaster largely emerged from this type of reckless spending.

And there is more.

Dickinson mentions what was talked about for many years—Greenway’s opulent taste. Greenway ordered renovations to Paige Patterson’s former residence as SWBTS President and to the SWBTS Provost’s home. Both were expensive projects.

And all of the spending resulted in what source describe as a significant budget hole for SWBTS even as enrollment continues a precipitous decline. With worsening financial conditions, more belt tightening should be expected at SWBTS.