Dr. Ray Umphrey

Adjunct Professor
Ray Umphrey

Dr. Ray Umphrey has a ministry background spanning two decades across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. He and his wife, Katrina, have been married for 18 years and have served side-by-side in ministry.

Ray has served as a professor, pastor, and denominational leader. Presently, he serves as pastor at Briggs Road Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, and has served as President of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio from 2021 to 2023. Ray's ministry extends beyond local contexts as he collaborates with ministry partnerships, equipping pastors and leaders both locally and internationally.

Ray's academic interest lies in understanding and communicating the meaning of biblical texts through the lenses of discourse analysis and original language study. His doctoral dissertation is a discourse analysis of the Sermon on the Mount. Ray is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and regularly presents at academic conferences.

Outside of academia and ministry, Ray enjoys embarking on travel adventures alongside his wife, watching the latest Star Wars content, listening to and playing bluegrass music, and supporting the Tennessee Volunteers. 

PhD, Christian Preaching, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022
MDiv, Christian Ministry, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017
MA, Christian Studies, University of the Cumberlands, 2014
BA, Pastoral Ministries, Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, 2012

Biblical Studies, Koine Greek, Homiletics, Pastoral Ministry

  • “Astonished at His Discourse: A Brief Discourse Analysis of the Sermon on the Mount.” Presented at the Evangelical Theological Society Midwest Regional Meeting 2023.
  • “The Cohesive Rhetoric of Jesus: The Role of Matthew 6:19-7:11 in the Sermon on the Mount.” PhD Dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022. 
  • Book Review: A Manual for Preaching: The Journey from Text to Sermon, by Abraham Kuruvilla, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 24.3 (Fall 2020), 165-167. 
  • “When Sermons Won’t Structure Themselves: Three Case Studies in Sermon Structure from Matthew’s Gospel.” presented at the Evangelical Homiletics Society Annual Meeting 2020.
  • “The Nazarene and Tatooine: The Christ Child and the Skywalker Twins as Chosen Children Protected in Obscurity.” presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Midwest Regional Conference 2020. 

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