Who is Alan Branch?

             James Alan Branch is professor of Christian Ethics at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was born in Dallas, Georgia. At the age of 10, Alan accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior while attending Vacation Bible School. This decision to follow Christ would impact his life from here out.

             While attending a revival led by Perry Neal, Alan Branch accepted the call to ministry. His first staff position was interning for Pastor Harry Michael at Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Georgia. From September 1989 to May of 1991, Alan worked closely with the church in outreach and evangelism. That May he graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Science in Business.

               The most influential person in Alan’s growth as a Christian and his perspective on ministry was Harry Michael, and it was Alan’s honor to preach Harry’s funeral in December, 2019. Alan was also influenced by the personal investment of Dr. Tom Atwood, and the preaching ministries of both Adrian Rogers and evangelist Jess Henley. He dreamed of teaching and was encouraged to pursue a Ph.D. In 1993, Alan graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Seminary. In 2000, he completed his Ph.D in Theology with an emphasis in Ethics. During this time period, Alan was the senior pastor at Turner Memorial Baptist Church in North Carolina. In his eight years at the Turner Memorial, the church experienced healthy growth. They built an educational wing and started a second service.

               In 2001, Alan Branch was called to serve in Kansas City, Missouri. He was hired as the Vice President of Student Development and Professor of Christian Ethics at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. From July of 2001 to July of 2008, Alan was responsible for much of the seminary’s student recruiting. Midwestern grew from 259 FTE to 437 FTE during Alan’s service. In 2008 Alan resigned from his administrative responsibilities, with the intention to join the Army Reserves.

               Alan served in the Army Reserves from May 2009 to December 2013, during most of this time he was Chaplain of the 821st Transportation Battalion out of Topeka, Kansas. He was deployed to the Middle East in 2011 and 2012. Alan went on various missions with his soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. When he returned from deployment, Alan continued teaching at Midwestern and began writing his first book.

               Born This Way? was Alan Branch’s first published book. This book surveys scientific data on the origins of same sex attraction from a Christian perspective. Alan also has a number of articles published for the Biblical Illustrator, Midwestern Journal of Theology and a number of book reviews. All of his writing seeks to blend conviction with compassion.

Affirming God's Image: Addressing the Transgender Question with Science and Scripture is Alan Branch’s second book. In this book, Alan takes a fair, respectful, and factual tone in addressing the complex issue of transgender through a biblical lens.

               Serving as an interim pastor is another way in which Alan Branch has been called to serve. Alan has served as interim to 5 different churches across Kansas and Missouri. These churches range in attendance from 50 to 800.

               Currently, Alan Branch is teaching at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He enjoys running, watching college football and playing the guitar. He is married to a wonderful wife and has two children.