Dr. Jerry Rushford, who has directed the annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures conference for 30 years, announced he will be stepping down at the event Friday.
“It has been the greatest chapter of my life,” Rushford said of directing the lectures.
Pepperdine University’s 69th Bible Lectures conference took place May 1-4. More than 5,000 people attended the Malibu event.
“Referring to Dr. Rushford as ‘director’ of this great forum is inadequate and woefully understates his role,” Pepperdine president Andrew K. Benton said. “Architect, composer and conductor, cheerleader, visionary, strategic planner and other more suitable descriptions come to mind.”
Mike Cope of Abilene, Texas will take over as director of the event.
Rushford will continue to work at Pepperdine as the new director of the Jerry Rushford Center for Research on Churches of Christ and the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. He began working at the university in 1978 as the pulpit minister for the University Church of Christ and a religion professor.