Derek Hatch, Ph.D.
Derek Hatch, Ph.D.
Derek C. Hatch, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, Christian Studies
Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Email: dhatch@hputx.edu
Dr. Derek Hatch came to Howard Payne University after finishing a Ph.D. in theology at the University of Dayton in Ohio. His research interests focus on twentieth-century theology and philosophy as well as liturgical theology, theological aesthetics, and theological ethics. Aside from authoring numerous articles and book chapters, Dr. Hatch has published Thinking with the Church: Toward a Renewal of Baptist Theology (Cascade, 2017) and is co-editor of Gathering Together: Baptists at Work in Worship (Pickwick, 2013) and Weaving the American Catholic Tapestry: Essays in Honor of William L. Portier (Pickwick, 2017). Prior to coming to Howard Payne in 2011, he taught as an instructor at the University of Dayton as well as at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Raised in Texas, Dr. Hatch also graduated with honors from East Texas Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in behavioral science and later earned a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in theology from the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, the Baptist History and Heritage Society, and the Society of Christian Ethics.
Active in Baptist church life, Dr. Hatch has previously served in several churches as a youth minister and assistant pastor. He continues to serve local churches by participating in panel discussions, and he has worked in a lay capacity as member of committees involved missions, worship planning, and pastoral leadership in churches in Texas and Ohio. Dr. Hatch is also an endorser of the Ekklesia Project, a network of pastors, scholars and lay leaders whose goal is to serve the church by embracing the call to radical discipleship within the corporate body of Christ. Moreover, he currently serves on the Commission on Doctrine and Christian Unity within the Baptist World Alliance.
Dr. Hatch lives in Brownwood with Sarah, his wife of fifteen years who is a local Baptist minister, and their four children: Philip, Simon, Joseph, and Rebekah. Aside from work, Dr. Hatch enjoys reading with his children, traveling, taking in a good work of fiction, and watching sports (especially Houston Astros baseball games).
Courses Taught
Introduction to Old Testament
Introduction to New Testament
Introduction to Theological Reflection
Christian Ethics
Christian Doctrines
Theology & Culture
World Religions
Life and Teachings of Jesus
Special Topics in Theology
Theological Foundations (graduate leveling)
Global Theologies (MA)
Christian Ethics (MA)
Theology of Church and Its Mission (MA)