Southwest School of Bible Studies — Organization Profile
Southwest School of Bible Studies (SWSBS) is a two-year school in Austin, Texas, created to help Christians deepen their understanding of Scripture and prepare for service in the local church. The school traces its beginnings to 1978, when Norman Starling approached the elders of the Southwest Church of Christ with the idea of launching a Bible training school in Austin. Over time, what began as a one-year effort developed into a two-year program that operates across most of the year and is presented as tuition-free.
SWSBS centers its training around a comprehensive course of study through every book of the Bible, paired with related courses that support preaching, teaching, and ministry work. The school describes an educational approach structured toward New Testament Christianity, with a strong emphasis on preparing students for evangelism and for giving a thoughtful defense of the faith. In addition to Bible content, the school outlines a weekday class schedule framework and an overall program design intended to be both rigorous and spiritually formative.
The primary academic pathway is the Preaching & Ministry Program, which organizes coursework into four integrated divisions: Bible Exposition, Bible Studies, Bible Doctrine & Apologetics, and Bible Preaching. Course descriptions include topics such as hermeneutics, Greek, church and restoration history, archaeology and geography, organized doctrine and prophecy studies, and a preaching sequence aimed at equipping students to communicate biblical truth as gospel preachers and to do the work of an evangelist. This structure reflects SWSBS’s goal of pairing careful biblical study with ministry-ready training.
SWSBS also describes a Christian Women’s Study Program. While designed as an organized spiritual development program for the wives of Southwest students, it also encourages participation from women in the Southwest congregation and sister congregations in the area. The school frames this program as a setting for in-depth Bible instruction and relationship-building among women who want to grow in their understanding of Scripture and their ability to serve.
Beyond the two-year school program, SWSBS hosts the Southwest Servant’s Academy (S2A), a week-long academy designed for young Christians (ages 14–18) to grow in faith and in their ability to serve the church. S2A features courses taught by SWSBS faculty and Christian Women’s Studies instructors, and it aims to strengthen students as servants in the local congregation while increasing their regard for preaching and teaching as lifelong work. The school also highlights the broader reach of its alumni, noting graduates serving in many places and roles, including local ministry work, foreign teaching efforts, and support services such as media and publishing.
Key Links
- Website: https://www.swsbs.edu/
- Southwest History: https://www.swsbs.edu/southwest-history/
- Education Foundation: https://www.swsbs.edu/education-foundation/
- Preaching & Ministry Program: https://www.swsbs.edu/preaching-ministry-program/
- Christian Women’s Study Program: https://www.swsbs.edu/christian-womens-study-program/
- Course Descriptions: https://www.swsbs.edu/course-descriptions/
- Impact: https://www.swsbs.edu/impact/
- Apply Now: https://www.swsbs.edu/apply-now/
- Southwest Servant’s Academy (S2A): https://www.swsbs.edu/s2a/
- Donate: https://www.payerexpress.com/ebp/SWCOC
Contact Information
- Phone: 512-282-2486
- Mailing address: 8900 Manchaca Rd., Austin, TX 78748
Socials
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swsbs/
Leadership
- Trent Kennedy — Director
- Steven Lloyd — Associate Director
- Clay Bond — Finances and Faculty
- Matt Gibson — Faculty
- Mel Hutzler — Faculty
- Jim Lloyd — Faculty
- Carl McCann — Faculty
- Kari Lloyd — Registrar
- Karen Speir
