Russell Boatman
Biography
Academic Dean / Professor (1962-1981) — 19 years
Academic Dean Emeritus (part-time 1981-1992) – 11 years
Russell Boatman was born August 19, 1914, in Mountain Grove, MO. He was married to his wife Lutie for 62 years before she passed away in 1997.
Boatman ministered to churches in Oregon, Oklahoma, and Kansas. He then served as President of Minnesota Bible College from 1945 to 1962. In 1948 he joined Billy Graham and other Bible college presidents to form the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. Boatman then came to SLCC and served as Academic Dean for 16 years (1962-1978).
He served on the boards of numerous mission and service agencies. He spoke widely at churches and conventions and authored numerous magazine and journal articles. He wrote five books:
- What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989.
- What the Bible Says About the Church. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1985.
- What the Bible Says About the End Time. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1980.
- Beyond Death: What the Bible Says About the Hereafter. Florissant, MO: 1980.
- The Big Lie: A Compilation and Analysis of the Deviations of Doctrine and Perversion of Practice Arising Out of the Dogma of Original Sin. Minneapolis, MN: 1940.
Boatman held two baccalaureate and two master’s degrees, as a graduate of Northwest Christian College (Eugene, OR) and Phillips University (Enid, OK).
Russell Boatman loved the church, and “Church in the Scriptures” was one of the staple courses he taught at SLCC. This course was a foundational theology course for much of SLCC’s history. He also taught Pastoral Ethics, which was a predecessor to the course later titled, “Minister’s Life & Work.” And as one can see from his books, he also had great interest in pneumatology (the Holy Spirit) and eschatology (the end times).
Russell was known for his ability to memorize Scripture. In fact, he used to teach a course called “Scripture Memorization.” The Word of God was so deeply seated in his mind, that even when he got older and his mind began to betray him, he could still quote Scripture without missing a beat. He was an amazing man of God.
Upon his retirement, SLCC held the Boatman Leadership Seminar (BLS) in his honor for 29 years (1993-2021). The final BLS was held November 5, 2021 — 16 years to the day of his passing at age 91. At the final BLS, Boatman’s favorite hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was sung.