Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School is pleased to announce Aaron Schnupp as the fall 2024 recipient of the James Earl Massey Student Preaching Award.

Schnupp, from Charleston, South Carolina, has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of South Carolina and will graduate in December with a Master of Divinity.

Schnupp was raised in a Christian home and was involved in collegiate ministry while in Columbia. One night during his freshman year, the Lord called him to ministry.

“It just made sense in the truest and deepest way,” Schnupp said.

While attending First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant in college, Schnupp heard about Beeson from his pastor, a Beeson alumnus. Beeson’s strong faculty and emphasis on history and doctrine drew him to Birmingham, he said. The community at Beeson has seen him through many life changes, including marriage to his wife, Emma, shortly after he began his studies, and the birth of his daughter, Lilias, this past August.

“Having a place in a community that cares deeply about the heart of its students, alongside really engaging academically has been important and valuable, and maybe even in some ways stabilizing through a variety of transition points,” Schnupp said.

Receiving the Massey Award serves as an encouragement to Schnupp as he prepares for full-time ministry.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to be the one asked to bring the Word and preach it in a place that’s had so many different servants of the Lord in it, and it’s an honor to be part of that crowd now,” Schnupp said.

Faculty members testified that Schnupp is “committed to embodying Gospel truth (and) devoted to thorough scholarship and loving sacrifice,” said Beeson Dean Douglas Sweeney. Another said he has “watched Aaron marry the ministry of music with the ministry of the Word and make the move from being a writer of songs to being a writer of songs and sermons.”

In his sermon, titled, “The Danger of Good Teaching,” Schnupp preached from 1 Corinthians 3, warning his fellow students to keep their focus on Christ, and to not be enamored with worldly glory.

“The church is about God’s glory, not yours,” Schnupp said. “As we teach in the church, where are we looking for our reward?

“When we focus on Christ, everything else falls into place,” Schnupp said.

Schnupp and Emma serve at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, where Schnupp has preached and served on the worship team.

“It’s been a lot of sweet people there that are going to make it hard for us to leave Birmingham,” Schnupp said.

Following graduation, the Schnupps will move back to Charleston, where he will serve as a curate at St. Michael’s Church beginning in January.