Dr. Gary S. Selby is Professor of Ministerial Formation at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan, where he teaches courses in spiritual formation, preaching, leadership, and ministry. His research centers in early Christian rhetoric, the rhetoric of the civil rights movement, and Christian spirituality.

He is the author of Martin Luther King and the Rhetoric of Freedom (Baylor, 2008), Not With Wisdom of Words (Eerdmans, 2016) and Pursuing an Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith (IVP Academic, 2019). His forthcoming book, C. S. Lewis’s Everyday Mysticism: Spirituality for Everyday Life, will be published in 2026.

Before coming to Emmanuel in 2017, Dr. Selby served as the Carl P. Miller Chair of Communication at Pepperdine University and directed its Center for Faith and Learning. There, he helped launch a pastoral leadership program, a cross-cultural study abroad experience in East Africa, and the university’s Spiritual Life Committee.

Since joining Emmanuel, he has co-directed the Lilly Endowment-funded Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, leading to the development of a new hybrid MDiv and updates to the residential MDiv and DMin programs. He has co-written four successful Lilly grants totaling over $3 million and remains active in scholarship and service through roles with the Christian Scholars Conference and Stone-Campbell Journal, as well as through retreats and ministry consulting.

Dr. Selby’s favorite part of his work at Milligan is the students. He finds great meaning in watching their transformation from the time they arrive to when they graduate. He also deeply values the opportunity to work alongside colleagues who are not only co-laborers but also dear friends.

Education:
PhD, Public Communication, University of Maryland
ThM, Harding University Graduate School of Religion
Special Studies, New Testament and Philosophy of Religion, Wesley Theological Seminary
BA, Social Science, Harding University