Investigation Finds Former Seminary President Adam Greenway Spent $1.5M of School Funds on Personal Expenses
Expenditures include $11K on an espresso machine, $60K on Christmas decorations, and an extravagant home makeover.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday revealed the results of a task force investigation assessing financial expenditures made during former president Adam Greenway’s time at the school.
The task force said Greenway used school funds in a way that “did not reflect proper stewardship of seminary resources” and “occurred without deference to financial controls and seminary financial policies.”
Some of the most noteworthy spending occurred from 2019 to 2022 on Greenway’s home. More than $1.5 million of school funds was spent on renovations, furnishings, and other home-related expenses, including almost $60,000 in Christmas decorations, $25,000 for artwork and over $11,000 for an espresso machine. More than $180,000 was spent on optional HVAC despite the house being renovated prior to Greenway’s arrival.
Greenway also spent over half a million dollars between the summer of 2021 and the first few months of 2022 to renovate and furnish the presidential office.
Greenway charged multiple expenses to the seminary that the task force deemed “improper expenses.” These included almost $10,000 on first class airfare for the Greenway family and a friend to fly to last year’s Southern Baptist Convention in California, $4,850 to frame personal diplomas, and $920 to obtain a University of Florida Gator head.
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The revelations add to a string of scandals related to the school over the past few years. In 2018, then-president Paige Patterson was sued and fired for his alleged mishandling of sex abuse cases. The subsequent tenure of President Adam Greenway ended with his resignation after less than four years at the school in light of declining revenue and enrollment. SWBTS then announced layoffs in November to head off a financial situation that “could quickly escalate to a crisis.”
Greenway spent school funds on the tail end of a 20-year span where SWBTS saw its expenses exceed revenue by more than $140 million. Still, both the board and task force offer financial hope moving forward as they are “committed to every appropriate measure that will ensure proper stewardship of seminary resources in a manner that is consistent with the mission of Southwestern Seminary.”
Main photo: Adam Greenway / RNS photo by Butch Dill
