You’ve been involved in training for most of your career, but your pathway to Dallas Theological Seminary took a lot of twists and turns, right?

I was born in Lubbock, Texas, and then my family moved to a small town north of Fort Worth. I went to Texas Tech for pre-med, but it was during college that I became a believer. In my freshman year, a youth pastor talked with me about the choices I was making in life. When I opened up to him about how I’d messed up—not just my own life, but I also hurt the people around me—I started weeping. He shared the gospel with me, and for me in that moment, it was just the best news ever. I ended up graduating with a degree in Business Management, but that new life in faith led to a heart to reach the lost with the gospel. In college, my wife and I had learned about unreached people groups, the 10/40 window, and the need for Bible translation. So we decided we wanted to be church planters, and we started training with New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos360). In the third year of their four-year training program, they recruited us to fill roles as trainers and teachers at their Bible institute rather than go overseas.

We accepted that invitation to teach and train, because we had grown to love God’s Word, and we wanted to make sure missionaries knew the Word well. It was a big change of plans—we’d expected for years to go overseas—but it was also a huge privilege to teach the Word to people who were going to translate it and share it with unreached people. Early in my teaching career, I decided I wanted to learn the Biblical languages. I started with an intensive Hebrew course, and I loved it. I decided to keep going, and I ended up getting a Master of Theological Studies and Old Testament. I’ve always loved being a student.

How did you get involved with Logos?

When I started teaching full-time, I felt so strongly that what I most wanted to do was handle God’s Word well, being faithful with the courses God was giving me. I started teaching ecclesiology and then quickly added bibliology and hermeneutics. I very quickly felt I was in way over my head. I had an office full of books but not enough time in the day to feel adequately prepared.

About a year into this, I mentioned how I was feeling to a friend, and he said, “You need to get Logos!” He opened Logos on his computer and showed me all that it could do. Right away, I knew: I’ve got to have it. So I went out and bought the biggest Logos package available. It became a part of everyday life and ministry for me. I mean, it was really life-changing.

Fast-forward to 2014: we’d left New Tribes, moved to Houston, and I wasn’t sure how God wanted to use me next. And the thought went through my mind, What about that Bible software company? I went to the website, clicked on the “Careers” page, and there was a job posting in Houston. I sent in my resume, and I started working full-time for Logos in October 2014.

What is the connection between Dallas Theological Seminary and Logos?

Basically (and this is not all the details), in the 1980s, Bob Pritchett, the founder of Logos, developed a really basic KJV search software on floppy disks. Around the same time, the leadership at DTS started imagining a digital Bible study platform, and you can see how these two initiatives are going to come together. DTS created CDWord, a CD-ROM-based software leveraging a robust theological library. The software drew praise, but it was expensive—and ahead of the technology curve and the church’s awareness of it. In the early 1990s, DTS sold the software to Logos Research Systems. At Logos, that idea of combining powerful tools and a digital theological library continued to grow, and now Logos is the standard for Bible study software.

Then around 2013, DTS started a conversation about equipping all their students with Logos. Giving every student the same Logos package means professors can assume everyone has access to the same resources. And allowing students to keep Logos after graduation means they can truly be lifelong learners. In 2014, that partnership between Logos and DTS began, and every student since then has received Logos. DTS was one of the first seminaries to do this, and now Logos works with nearly 250 schools around the globe. Of those schools, DTS articulates the biggest vision, with its mission to equip lifelong learners, even beyond the years a student spends at the seminary.

How did you become the DTS rep for Logos?

At first, I was traveling almost constantly, speaking about Logos at conferences. And I was worn out. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. My heart was to teach people how to use Logos to get more out of God’s Word. After about two years of travel, I got a call from Logos inviting me to move to Dallas and help DTS be successful in their use of Logos. The administration at DTS had requested that Logos place a representative right on campus, in the same hallway with the faculty, so students could have support and get the most out of the software. All my experience had led me to this perfect opportunity, and when that call came, my wife and I were just rejoicing, it was so amazing. That was 2016, so I’ve been at DTS for eight years now.

What is your day-to-day activity like at DTS?

At the beginning of every semester, I meet with new students during orientation to spend a couple hours getting them ready to use Logos in their classes. And then I’m available for appointments anytime throughout the semester, whenever a question comes up. I also travel to the other campuses (Houston, Atlanta, Washington, DC) and other DTS locations, such as Northwest Arkansas and College Station. I also now manage a team of trainers who oversee other schools. All of that work takes me out on the road a lot, but I always want to be available to students, whether in person or by email.

Looking back, I can see God’s kindness and wisdom in my life. He has continually brought me into roles where I can use my gifts to accomplish my biggest passion: to equip people to handle his Word well and give them tools so they can do the same for others.

About the Contributors

Neil R. Coulter

Neil R. Coulter

Neil R. Coulter completed degrees in music performance and ethnomusicology from Wheaton College and Kent State University. He and his family lived in Papua New Guinea for twelve years, where Neil served as an ethnomusicology and arts consultant for Wycliffe Bible Translators. In 2015, he helped design and launch the PhD in World Arts at Dallas International University. He teaches doctoral courses in theory and ethnography at DIU’s Center for Excellence in World Arts. At DTS, he teaches about art, literature, film, and theology, and he is senior writer and editor of DTS Magazine. Neil is married to Joyce, and they have three sons.