Longtime Southwestern Seminary prof Brister dies

FORT WORTH, Texas — C.W. Brister Jr., a pastoral ministry professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, from 1957 until his retirement in 2001, died Aug. 9 after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 82.

Brister was named distinguished professor emeritus of pastoral ministry at Southwestern after 45 years there. He wrote more than a dozen books, including “Pastoral Care in the Church,” which has been translated into several languages and used as a text at various schools throughout the world.

Before joining Southwestern’s faculty, Brister had served churches in Louisiana and Texas as pastor. During World War II, he was a warrant officer in the U.S. Maritime Service (now U.S. Coast Guard). A native of Pineville, La., he was a graduate of Louisiana College there. He subsequently received a master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Southwestern.