President Emir Caner

We at SBC Today would like to congratulate Dr. Emir Caner for his recent move to his new position as President of Truett-McConnell College. May the Lord continue to use Dr. Caner in ways that will strengthen and expand His Kingdom. Below is a news release from the college.

Dr. Emir Caner Called As President

In a meeting held on August 8, 2008, the Board of Trustees of Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, voted to call Dr. Emir Caner as the eighth president of the college.

Born and reared a Sunni Muslim, Caner converted to Christianity in 1982 and was subsequently disowned by his family. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from The Criswell College in Dallas, TX; his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC; and his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas at Arlington.

He served previously in faculty and administrative positions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and in 2005 became the founding Dean of the College at Southwestern, a division of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. He was named to Who’s Who Among American Teachers and Educators in the 2006-2007 edition.

A highly respected scholar, the 37-year-old Caner has authored or contributed to 16 books, including Unveiling Islam, which won the Gold Medallion Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and More Than a Prophet, a finalist for Book of the Year in Evangelism by Outreach magazine. In total, his books have sold more than 300,000 copies and been translated into eight languages.

Caner becomes the first former Muslim to be elected as president of a Southern Baptist college or university. His brother, Ergun, was the first former Muslim to be elected president of a seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA.

According to Terrell J. Williams, chairman of the Truett-McConnell Board of Trustees: “It’s a great day in the life of Truett-McConnell College and Georgia Baptists! The TMC Board of Trustees is extremely excited about the future of our school under the leadership of Dr. Emir Caner. We proudly welcome Dr. Caner and his family and look forward to working with him in the fall semester.” Rev. Bucky Kennedy, current president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, comments: “Dr. Emir Caner will bring to Truett-McConnell a level of Christian education that will raise the bar academically but also manifest itself in the life of the students.”

Dr. J. Robert White, Executive Director/CEO of the Georgia Baptist Convention, writes: “Dr. Caner is a scholar, a professor, a writer, a preacher and an experienced administrator-a powerful combination of gifts. At the same time, he has a vibrant personality and is easy to know. He has a contagious warmth, is enjoyable to be with and is an excellent conversationalist.” And in the words of Dr. Mike Simoneaux, who has served Truett-McConnell as its interim president for the past year: “God’s leading is evident in the calling of Dr. Emir Caner as the new president of Truett-McConnell College. I sincerely believe that Dr. Caner’s presidency will be characterized by unprecedented expansion of our student body, by strengthening our readiness to serve the Lord through Christian education, and by rapid growth of our financial resources.”

Caner is married to the former Hana Titerova, daughter of the General Secretary of the Czech Baptist Union. They have three children: John Mark (5), Daniela (3), and Anna (1).

Caner is expected to begin his duties at Truett-McConnell College at the beginning of the fall semester.