Equipping Discipleship Leaders and Student Ministers - Dr. Blanton Feaster

Dr. Blanton Feaster’s Patriot roots run deep as traces of his education and the relationships he has built on the DBU campus are woven throughout his life. He currently serves as the Director of both the Master of Arts in Discipleship and Master of Arts in Student Ministry Programs in DBU’s Graduate School of Ministry. It is his desire to “help facilitate needs to strengthen ministries within the local church and in academia for Kingdom growth.”

Dr. Feaster first came to DBU as a freshman planning to obtain a degree in Finance. He later switched his major and began pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education. After changing his degree, he served in vocational ministry full-time for 18 years where he was on staff at five different Baptist churches in Texas in the areas of worship, education, and administration. 

Dr. Feaster furthered his education by attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Arts in Christian Education before continuing on to obtain his Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from DBU.

Prior to coming on as a full-time faculty member at DBU, Dr. Feaster taught in an adjunct position in the Graduate School of Ministry. For the last several years, he served as the Vice President for Executive Affairs at Jacksonville College in East Texas where he was able to utilize his passion for finance in addition to his love for higher education.

Within the classroom, Dr. Feaster’s goal and philosophy is to instruct in a way that bridges theory and practice to help facilitate learning experiences. He explains that the joy of teaching comes from making connections with students “as they engage in discussions with course content and practical experiences.”

Reflecting back on the past year during the pandemic, Dr. Feaster is certain the Lord has been at work. He has found the silver lining to a seemingly cloudy year, sharing that through the addition of online teaching he has strengthened his “virtual awareness behaviors to include added measures of written clarity and communication strategies outside of the traditional classroom.”

In addition to his full-time faculty and program-director positions, Dr. Feaster also serves on dissertation committees in the Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs. Dr. Feaster explains “presently, I see my role at DBU as an opportunity to encourage and equip students to fulfill their ministry calling in various contexts, actively seeking ways to minister to students so they may pursue their passions with confidence.” Because of this, Dr. Feaster is also excited to launch a new Master of Arts in Education Ministry Leadership degree beginning in the Fall of 2021, which will prepare “ministers to employ the latest educational philosophies, strategies, and methods in local church and para-church ministry environments.”

Dr. Feaster takes the University’s tagline very seriously. To the Feaster family, DBU truly is “home.” Dr. Feaster met his wife Jaime (Parrish) on campus while they were both undergraduate students. He proposed to Jaime in front of the Mahler Student Center water fountain where, in Dr. Feaster’s words, “thankfully, she said yes.” Together, the Feaster’s have one son, Parrish.

1 Timothy 1:5 says “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.” It is the diligent pursuit of this kind of love that drives Dr. Feaster to minister to DBU’s students with a genuine heart, aspiring for all he crosses paths with to know God and serve Him.