Who We Are

The Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great Commission Studies is the hub of missionary mobilization at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The CGCS exists to mobilize and equip students, faculty, and staff in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We accomplish this in the classroom, in our community, and among the nations in partnership with local churches, state conventions, NAMB, and the IMB.

What We Do

Mission Trips Events Academics

Meet the Team

Keelan Cook

Director of the CGCS

Walter Bowen

Associate Director of the CGCS

Kelly Garner

Office Manager and Assistant to the CGCS Director

Matt Rogers

CGCS Coordinator of North American Church Planting

Rick Fraley

IMB Liaison

Nancy Fraley

IMB Liaison

Timothy Waters

Administrative Assistant

Chloe Rutherford

Student Mobilizer

Lane Willis

Database Coordinator

Meridith Graves

Digital Communications Specialist

Keelan Cook

Director of the CGCS

Keelan Cook is the Director for the Center for Great Commission Studies. He also serves as instructor of North American missiology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Keelan’s areas of focus cover both North American and international missions. He has a passion for mobilizing the church to the nations, and a love for missions history. In previous years, he spent time as a church planter in West Africa with the IMB and doing ethnographic research in Washington, DC with NAMB.

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Walter Bowen

Associate Director of the CGCS

Walter Bowen serves as the Associate Director for the Center for Great Commission Studies. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Applied Theology: International Missiology with a focus on evangelism and discipleship among oral-preference learners. Previously, he was an associate pastor overseeing discipleship and missions for almost seven years. Over the past twenty years, he and his wife Purnima have served with the IMB in Africa and mobilized the church for diaspora work in the United States. They have been a part of church planting in North America, India, and Africa. They have a passion for the nations to know and glorify our Lord and to equip the saints for this work of ministry.

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Kelly Garner

Office Manager and Assistant to the CGCS Director

Kelly Garner serves as the Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the CGCS. She has served at Southeastern since 2011 and has been with the CGCS since 2016. Her primary focus is managing office personnel, finances, budgets, and travel logistics for short term mission trips.

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Matt Rogers

CGCS Coordinator of North American Church Planting

Dr. Matt Rogers serves as the Coordinator of North American Church Planting for the Center for Great Commission Studies. His focus is aiding students in understanding God’s heart for church planting in North America, equipping them to root their methodological approach in savvy missiology, and connecting them to people and places in need for healthy, reproducing churches.

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Rick Fraley

IMB Liaison

Rick Fraley is the IMB Liaison for the CGCS. Him and his wife have served over 17 years with the IMB in Asia. His focus is to be the pipeline liaison for the IMB and serve SEBTS students to answer the call to nations.

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Nancy Fraley

IMB Liaison

Nancy Fraley is the IMB Liaison for the CGCS. Her and her husband have served over 17 years with the IMB in Asia. Her focus is to be the pipeline liaison for the IMB and serve SEBTS students to answer the call to nations.

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Timothy Waters

Administrative Assistant

Timothy is the Administrative Assistant for the CGCS. He is a graduate of the College at Southeastern, and he is a student at SEBTS pursuing a MA in Intercultural Studies. His focus is to assist our Director and the CGCS as we accomplish the mission of equipping and mobilizing faculty and students for the Great Commission.

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Chloe Rutherford

Student Mobilizer

Chloe Rutherford serves as the Student Mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. She is a student of SEBTS pursuing a MA in Christian Education with Biblical Counseling degree. Her focus is to mobilize college students in taking the next step to go on mission with SEBTS and NAMB GenSend.

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Lane Willis

Database Coordinator

Lane is the Database Coordinator for the CGCS. He is a student of SEBTS pursuing a MDiv in Missiology. He collects and tracks all student and external data for the CGCS.

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Meridith Graves

Digital Communications Specialist

Meridith serves as the Digital Communications Specialist to the CGCS. She is a student of SEBTS pursuing a MDiv in Christian Ministry. Her focus is to be the voice of the CGCS through social media, the CGCS’s blog, and other digital platforms.

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