The inauguration of Ronald W. Crawford as president of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond will take place at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at First Baptist Church, Richmond, and will be followed by a reception.

The event is open to the public. Attendees should RSVP by contacting Lori Strickland at lstrickland@btsr.edu by Oct. 1.

Crawford succeeds BTSR’s founding president, Tom Graves, who retired in 2007. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Crawford also holds master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of public administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

He has served as a pastor for 33 years, including for three congregations in Virginia, and most recently seven years at College Park Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla. Crawford has held a variety of leadership positions, including president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and member of the Coordinating Council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.