Midwestern Magazine - Issue 35

M I D W E S T E R N B A P T I S T T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A RY A N D C O L L E G E

L O O K I N G B A C K AT F I V E Y E A R S O F H I S T O R I C G R O W T H ,

LOOKING FORWARD TO A PROMISING FUTURE

ISSUE 35

A FIVE-YEAR APPRAISAL | THE PASTORATE IS FOR THEOLOGIANS | HOW TO CHOOSE A SEMINARY

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C O N T EN T S

Midwestern Magazine Issue 35

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REFLECTIONS ON THE FUTURE Charles Smith EQUIPPING STUDENTS FOR THE GOOD LIFE

Chad Meeks

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT William Griffin

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT Dr. John Mark Clifton

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IN FOCUS Cornerstone Church (Ames, Iowa)

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AROUND CAMPUS A review of news and events

at Midwestern Seminary

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BOOKS IN BRIEF Recently published books by

Midwestern faculty and staff

FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 For the Church: A Five-Year Appraisal

Todd Chipman

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RESOURCES FOR THE CHURCH A selection

of articles from the For The Church resources site at ftc.co

Owen Strachan

E S S AY

EXCERPT

Q U O TA B L E

10 5 Words of

14 The Pastorate is

18 Reflections on

Here are some basic steps toward maximizing your theological training in seminary.

The biblical model is to train men to meet a standard higher than they think they can reach.

16 The Promise of

20 Questions for

24 How to Choose a

Matthew Barrett

Jason Duesing

David McAlpin

Advice for Young Seminarians

Theological Education

for Theologians

Those With Questions

Midwestern’s Last Five Years

Influential pastors and leaders comment on the historic success of President Allen and Midwestern Seminary.

Seminary

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Dear Friends, This academic year has been one of reflection for me and Midwestern Seminary. October 2017 marked my five-year anniversary as Midwestern Seminary’s president as well as the institution’s reinvisioned purpose of existing For the Church.

Doubtless, we have much from the previous five years for which to thank God. We’ve seen enrollment nearly triple; strengthened our administration, faculty, and staff; built a solid and sustainable business model; completed the Daniel Lee chapel, added the Spurgeon Library and a major renovation of our administrative wing; and we’re currently building the Mathena Student Center and remodeling our Trustee Building.

Most significantly, we’ve seen a renewed sense of unity, purpose, cheerfulness, and mission across our campus and beyond. At Midwestern Seminary we know why we exist, who we serve, and the true metrics by which our success is measured—faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ, his Great Commission, his Word, and his church.

God has given Midwestern Seminary a strong five years, but we’re praying he will give us a strong five decades. Thus, we’ve been asking ourselves, how do we best ensure a seminary that stands strong, ready to serve the churches as we move deeper into the 21st century? Consider four pillars which will help ensure Midwestern Seminary’s ongoing health: For Midwestern Seminary, the first pillar is our vision to be for the church. We must demonstrate a relentess commitment to be for the church. This isn’t my vision for Midwestern Seminary; it’s the vision for Midwestern Seminary. Our vision is a perennial one, which guides us into the future.

Second, for the Church must continue to mean “For the Nations.” Our vision is a global one. We are for the church domestic, but also the church international. God is doing a global work, which we aim to be an essential part of.

Third, Midwestern Seminary must maintain its confessional commitments. As a Southern Baptist institution, we proudly hold to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, and Danver’s Statement

on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood as guiding documents. Every Midwestern Seminary professor teaches in accordance with, and not contrary to, these confessional statements.

Fourth, Midwestern Seminary must continue to strengthen its business model. God has given us many financial gains these past few years. We now own a robust business model, a growing endowment, and a strengthening financial outlook.

Looking forward, we are committed to stewarding these gains so we might most effectively equip ministers for the church.

In summary, over the past five years God has given us unprecendent gains. We’re thankful to him and committed to preserving and projecting forward the strength he’s given us.

Thus, as you read through this magazine, you’ll find many pieces revolving around the theme, “For the Church.”

May you be encouraged by the many gains God has given us. And, may it remind you anew to pray for and support Midwestern Seminary and the students we train.

Sincerely,

Jason K. Allen, Ph.D. President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

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Readers can visit DR. JASON K. ALLEN’S BLOG at jasonkallen.com.

ED I T O R’S N O T E ISSUE 35

ADMINISTRATION Jason K. Allen PRESIDENT

James K. Kragenbring VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Jason G. Duesing PROVOST

Charles W. Smith, Jr.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR

Miraculous. This is a word people keep using to describe the tremendous resurgence of Midwestern Seminary and College over the last five years.

And while we are reluctant to embrace such a superlative about the historic achievements and record enrollment growth since Dr. Jason Allen assumed the presidency, we certainly do want to acknowledge God’s providential hand in all that has transpired. To call the progress at this institution over the last five years “miraculous” is simply to say that all the glory for the growth goes to God.

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS

My colleagues and I are praising God for an abundance of things these days.

EDITORIAL Jared C. Wilson CHIEF EDITOR

ART Jason Muir, Liz Cotija LAYOUT & DESIGN

Liz Cotija

PHOTOGRAPHER

Special thanks to: PAT HUDSON

© 2018 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.

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We’re thankful for the leadership and gifting he’s given Dr. Allen, a glimpse into which you can find in this edition of the Midwestern Magazine in his “Five-Year Appraisal” of the For The Church vision.

Charles Smith, Vice President for Institutional Relations at Midwestern, offers in turn some “Reflections on the Future,” enhancing this issue’s two-way focus: looking back and looking forward. In regard to the former (“looking back”), we highlight some reflections from key denominational leaders on the seminary’s growth and Dr. Allen’s leadership. And as it pertains to the latter (“looking forward”), we are featuring key articles from Midwestern faculty members like Dr. Matthew Barrett, Dr. Owen Strachan, and Dr. Todd Chipman that present insights into our educational vision For The Church.

All of the features in this Spring 2018 edition, in fact, are oriented around a joyful appraisal of where God has brought Midwestern Seminary and College thus far and a hopeful anticipation of where he might take us next.

From the student and alumni highlights to the selection of resources from our For The Church website (ftc.co), we are taking a soberminded but celebratory timeout for reflection and expectation. May the pages ahead stir your heart and mind and prompt you to join us in thanking God for five years of historic growth and anticipating a promising future.

For the glory of Christ and, thus, For the Church,

Jared C. Wilson Chief Editor, Midwestern Magazine Managing Editor, For The Church

@JAREDCWILSON

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I PRA

by JASON K. ALLEN

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

At Midwestern Seminary, we are beginning a new tradition: the faculty lecture.

Formal academic presentations have a rich history in theological education and a rich history within the Southern Baptist Convention. After all, it was a faculty lecture that birthed Southern Baptist theological education in the first place.

The newly minted professor, James P. Boyce, delivered his inaugural faculty address entitled, “Three Changes in Theological Institutions” at Furman University in 1856. Many Southern Baptist leaders, including Basil Manly Sr., Basil Manly Jr., Jesse Mercer, W.B. Johnson, and R.B.C. Howell had advocated for a theological institution in the South. It was Boyce whom God raised up as the ultimate catalyst, founding Southern Baptists’ first seminary in 1859.

During his two-hour address, Boyce argued for three changes in theological education in order to produce an abundant ministry, a learned ministry, and an orthodox ministry. To achieve these ends, he argued a new seminary should make available programs of study to every student regardless of their previous level of education or even if they had no education at all. He also contended that the seminary should facilitate and promote the highest level of academic achievement. Then, to attain orthodoxy, every professor must subscribe to a confessional statement.

In short order, Boyce’s dream would be realized through the founding of the SBC’s mother seminary in 1859. But, he not only founded our mother seminary, he set the course for theological

education within the SBC. So much of what is right about our six seminaries, over 150 years later, can go back to that founding address—“Three Changes in Theological Institutions.”

More than a century later, and closer to home, Ralph Elliott stood before his Midwestern Seminary colleagues on September 8, 1960, and delivered his inaugural academic address. In a matter of months, he would publish The Message of Genesis and in so doing plunge both the institution and the denomination into a season of great upheaval and controversy.

Yet, one did not have to wait until The Message of Genesis was published to sense what was to come.

All you had to do was hear his address. You could clearly sense his appreciation for Julius Wellhausen, Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr and others, as well as his desire to build an Old Testament department free from doctrinal fundamentalism and biblical literalism. The storm which would come to be known as the Elliott Controversy appeared in seed form that day for all who had ears to hear.

Now at Midwestern Seminary, we celebrate an important occasion, not as auspicious as Boyce’s proved to be, and not as catastrophic (I trust) as Elliott’s, but significant none-the-less. In concert with my fifth anniversary as president of Midwestern Seminary, we are initiating a new tradition, the faculty address. In so doing, we are restating, reviewing, and reasserting our vision For the Church.

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On this campus five years ago, we set out on a new institutional course. Our stated goal was simple—to be the premier institution in North America training pastors, missionaries, and ministers to serve the local church. For the Church was born.

FOR THE CHURCH AT PRESENT We believe For the Church is a biblical mandate. We find our charter in the church’s charter in Matthew 16, where Jesus promised to build his church. We see that theme picked up and reiterated throughout the New Testament in places like Ephesians 4, where Christ promises to gift his church with pastors, ministers, and evangelists. We witness the theme in the book of Acts where we see the church birthed, growing, and metastasizing throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond.

We move to the Epistles, and what do we see? We see letters to churches about how the church is to be governed, how the church is to function, what the church is to teach, and what Christians are to believe. Then, we come to the end of the Book, and what do we see? We see the book of Revelation— seven letters written to seven real churches—and we take in this great picture of Christ coming back ultimately and triumphantly for his church to rule and reign throughout the cosmos.

We argue and believe that Midwestern Seminary’s right to exist, therefore, is directly tethered to our faithfulness to the local church. Moreover, I believe that any para-church organization or ministry should be evaluated primarily based upon its faithfulness to serve, support, and strengthen the local church. Christ has promised to build his church, not his seminary. But as we are faithful to his church, doubtlessly He will build this seminary.

For the Church is also a denominational expectation.

In 1957, the SBC founded Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, its sixth and youngest seminary.

Some were arguing for Chicago, others Jacksonville, still others Denver. Kansas City won out for three reasons. First, in Kansas City the seminary was positioned to penetrate the West and the North, which remains to this day needy for the gospel.

Second, burgeoning enrollments at both Southern

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Seminary and Southwestern Seminary compelled the convention to say, “We need a seminary in Kansas City to alleviate the enrollment burden on those two schools.” Third, we were founded to serve the underserved churches in this region so they might have a sufficiently equipped clergy. In other words, there is a denominational expectation, explicitly set forth both in our founding documents and in our formal ministry assignment from the SBC, to serve the churches of the convention, especially the churches in our region.

For the Church is also an historical imperative. Every time a seminary or divinity school has drifted from the church, disaster has always followed. One must simply read books like Glenn Miller’s Piety Profession or James Burtchaell’s The Dying of the Light to see the drift and what follows. Whether it is correlation or causation someone else can determine, the facts are clear: When colleges, seminaries, or divinity schools wake up one day and are no longer under the oversight of a local church, disaster follows.

“We argue and believe that Midwestern Seminary’s right to exist, therefore, is directly tethered to our faithfulness to the local church.”

There is a symbiotic relationship between the church and the seminary; they are to serve, strengthen, and support one another. It is the great, tragic irony that so many seminaries and Christian colleges, founded by churches to serve and support them, end up being the poisonous well that undermines those very churches.

As we contemplate the state of Midwestern’s vision For the Church at present, we feel an urgency. Our denomination, and the broader Evangelical world, is in the middle of a massive generational transition. A generation of ministers is retiring. The churches are asking, “From whence will a new generation come?”

“Thus, our mandate remains clear, and we remain For the Church at present because of the work we’ve seen this vision compel over the last five years.”

Midwestern Seminary must be ready to respond to that question every year going forward by supplying a new generation of pastors, missionaries, and ministers to serve our churches. Failure to do so will stymie the churches in our region.

Thus, our mandate remains clear, and we remain For the Church at present because of the work we’ve seen this vision compel over the last five years.

THE FOR THE CHURCH TRACK RECORD This is why we exist; what we exist for; how we orient ourselves and our institutional goals; how we think of ourselves and project ourselves; and how we make institutional decisions.

Most especially, For the Church is seen through the faculty and the curriculum – who teaches, how we teach, and what we teach. How we teach is incredibly important. A seminary, in its final analysis, is not defined by the buildings it does or does not have, or the president it does or does not have. It is defined by the students it does or does not have, and the men and women it does or does not have teaching them. It makes all the difference to have professors who teach with that vision on the forefront of their minds.

Thus, church history is not just about memorizing names and dates, it is about seeing, knowing, and reveling in God’s faithfulness to his church for 2,000 years. Theology is not about deciphering how many angels can dance on the head of a needle, it is about equipping the people of God for faithful doctrine in the church. Missions is not merely about deploying missionaries, it is about understanding that missionaries are sent to reach the lost for Christ and to see them brought into healthy churches so that the church domestic is indeed the church global.

Apologetics is not about merely crafting arguments, it is about equipping our people to be able to answer

the questions so that the church might rightly defend the faith.

Moreover, biblical studies – Old Testament and New Testament – is not merely about seeing who can memorize the most vocabulary. It is about equipping our students in the Scriptures so that the people of God may be similarly equipped. Therefore, in every class, the professors must be able to draw a line from their subject matter to the local church.

For the Church is seen in the hires we make. We ask ourselves, colloquially, when we consider hiring someone, are they “For the Churchy”? Do they want to serve the church? Do they see their primary calling as training pastors and ministers for the local church? If their first commitment is to the broader academy, then they are not going to be a good fit at Midwestern Seminary.

This vision touches on the campus culture we seek to foster. From the events we hold to the guests we host, everything we do we want to filter through the question: does it enable us to better serve the church? For Midwestern seminary, this is the ultimate question.

Therefore, we reflect, under this vision, what has God accomplished these past five years?

First, For the Church has taken root. Over the past five years, God has chosen to bless our work in material and immaterial ways. For the Church has taken root and that is no small achievement. It has gone from being my vision to being our vision to being the vision.

This is no small achievement because many seminaries have no idea why they exist. I do not mean that as a statement of condescension, I mean that as a statement of fact. Many seminaries cobble together as many classes as they can, kind of like a shopping

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400 miles, 800 miles, or across the ocean to come to a new place of service. That is a considerable upheaval and no one, in his or her right mind, would do that casually. God has given us such men and women, servants of extreme gifting who serve with a pronounced sense of calling. I am extremely grateful for all of my colleagues at Midwestern Seminary, both those who preceded me and those who have come in more recent years, who are cheerfully laboring For the Church. mall, and try to get enough people coming through the doors so that they can pay their bills. When that happens, the mission is diluted. So much so that the ministry and the emphases of the seminary quickly transitions to be focused on nothing.

At Midwestern Seminary, we sought to work backward and say, “We are going to build an institution devoted to the local church, and then we will figure out who will come around that vision.”

God has blessed us by sending more students than we ever imagined. In fact, over the past several years we’ve been recognized by the Association of Theological Schools as one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America.

When ATS was putting the story together, they called me to inquire of our growth. My interviewer had no idea what we were doing and not much of an idea about theological education proper. She asked me about our growth and said, “What have you done? Have you expanded your advertising?

Have you expanded your admissions office?” All her questions were programmatic. I said, “Ma’am, we have sought to bring excellence to every area of the campus, but to understand our growth you have to understand that it is not about new programs or new hires, rather our vision. We exist for the local church and the vision is resonating broadly within our constituency, the Southern Baptist Convention.” So, God has blessed, and For the Church has taken root.

Second, God has given us a collection of faculty and staff who share our vision. God is calling extremely gifted and faithful people to come here. It is often underestimated how massive it is when a person who has four or five young kids uproots and moves

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Third, God has given us a student body who is choosing Midwestern because of the vision. When enrollment is talked about, it primarily has to do with numbers. But if mere numbers are the focus, the bigger issue is overlooked. The issue in seminary is not how many students you have, it is the quality of students you have. What are they coming to do?

How clear is God’s calling on their life? Why are they coming to be trained?

What is more encouraging than going from a seminary of a little over 1,000 to now more than 3,000 students is that the quality of our students seems to be getting better and better and better. In fact, one simple metric I have in the back of my mind informally as I walk around and meet students is the thought, “Okay, in five years will this guy be pastoring a church?” I love to be able to think, “Yeah, I can see it. I can see him planting a church, or I can see him going to the mission field, or I can see him doing consequential things for the church.”

Fourth, as already referenced, God has given us a surging enrollment. When I came to Midwestern in 2012, I dreamt of an enrollment of 2,000 students. If I’m honest, I did not think we could necessarily get there. There was nothing empirical that suggested we could, given where higher education and seminaries were trending. The 2,000 number was, frankly, in my mind a goal that if we hit I thought we could have a sustainable business model. This was the ideal student population I hoped to have to be able to support the staff and faculty. God has done so much more than that. He’s done more than any of us could have thought or asked.

Fifth, God has given Midwestern a robust and

sustainable business model. This should not be taken lightly. If an administration spends all its time doing crisis fundraising, which is a losing proposition, they are unable to do the things that matter most – investing in the team and, thus, investing in the students. Additionally, it matters because we want to keep tuition low for students, to care for faculty and staff, and to be able to recruit and retain the best faculty and staff. All of these things take financial resources.

Sixth, over the past five years, God has given us a convention of churches who look to us with growing confidence. In a recent video, I was proud to see multiple men talking about how churches are looking to our seminary with confidence. They are proud of who we are, and they are proud of what we are producing. The day that the denomination loses confidence in its seminary, is the day that seminary begins to go out of business.

Finally, God has given us a renewed spirit on our campus. It is one of unity, purpose, cheerfulness, camaraderie, and mission. This, indeed, is a joy-filled place to serve. Like our other blessings, we do not take this for granted.

I am reminded of the great line from Winston Churchill in the aftermath of the miracle at Dunkirk where he famously declared, “Wars are not won by evacuations.” Similarly, great institutions are not built by living in the past. We forget the past to our own peril, but we live in the past to our own regret.

God has given Midwestern a good five years, but we are trusting God to give Midwestern a good five decades (and more).

Since day one, we’ve been training leaders for the church.

The future of the church starts today. We want to see our city, our state, our nation, and the world reached for Jesus Christ. As we look around our city and our country, the need for gospel-saturated and theologically sound pastors and leaders is clear. Standing in the midst of America’s Heartland, we believe Midwestern Seminary and College will play a crucial role in the future of the Church.

The Legacy Fund helps us overcome the everyday challenges standing between our students and a lifetime of service to the church.

Will you stand with us?

MBTS.EDU/LEGACY

For the Church. This is the vision that called me to this place, and it is the vision that has radiated through this campus and reverberated across our great denomination. It is the vision that we, with appropriate institutional self-confidence, are projecting to all who have ears to hear. May we never cease to be thankful to God for the victories he has given us these past five years. May we never cease to serve in such a way that he is pleased to give us such victories going forward.

Jason Allen | President, MBTS; Transitional Pastor, First Baptist Jackson, MS

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5 WORDS OF ADVICE FOR YOUNG SEMINARIANS

by T O D D C H I P M A N

For many pastors, time spent in formal seminary training is one of the most joyful seasons of life. Most seminary students are in their twenties or early thirties, learning not only of God’s word but also how to walk by faith in all spheres of life.

Toward that end I offer here six steps for maximizing the seminary experience:

1. Be Ready to Repent.

Seminary brings fleshly thinking and habits to the surface. If it is the case that the word exposes sin, the more time we are around the word, the more we are exposed. And this is good news! Can you imagine how fleshly our churches would be if we did not have seminaries as spheres of learning where we might discover and deal with fleshly patterns of thought? Since the word is central to all courses at Midwestern Seminary, it follows that a school like ours is a place where students and faculty alike are confronted about all sorts of fleshly living. It may be that seminary uniquely exposes areas of prideful

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comparison and competition. When students receive graded papers, they are tempted to ask how fellow students scored; when grading a Hebrew grammar quiz in class, students are tempted to score themselves as highly as possible; when sharing about the number of evangelistic encounters they have had, seminarians want to be sure that their efforts do not go unnoticed. When faculty get noticed for this or that speaking event or publication, they are tempted to use their platform for self-glory or academic posturing. So, the Spirit confronts these fleshly patterns of thought and empowers the seminary community to repent and walk in the humble power of the gospel.

2. Prepare for financial struggles—and miraculous provision.

The records of heaven are filled with accounts of God’s faithfulness to young men and women, sometimes with children tagging along, who step out in faith to attend seminary. Most seminary students begin the journey with little cash to spare, initially seeking God to provide a job. And He does.

I meet student after student who note how God provides flexible work through which they can both make it to class and make ends meet. During the seminary years most students run into a financial bind—or two. And this is part of God’s curriculum for pastors: in leading a church post-seminary, men of God will need to personally know of God’s faithfulness if they are going to lead the flock to walk by faith. Upon graduation seminary students,

often with tears, detail how God provided through extra work, an anonymous gift, the kindness of their local church, or a generous family member. God has yet to be unfaithful to meet the needs of the church, or her leaders in training.

3. Take advantage of various learning platforms seminaries provide.

Midwestern prioritizes residential education, and we want students to personally learn from the faculty.

There is no substitute for life on life learning from men and women who serve also as mentors. Paul’s command that Timothy teach to faithful men what he had heard Paul teach (2 Tim 2:2) has in view face to face human relationships. But online education at Midwestern, and many seminaries, provides students opportunities for excellent education in

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“Knowledge of Scripture in the original languages provides the highest degree of doctrinal clarity—and opens windows for addressing all sorts of issues in view at major conferences.”

a more flexible schedule. At Midwestern, several online classes exactly reflect residential classes: same syllabus, same instructor. Even the most sought after residential teachers also teach online. This ensures that students have the same core learning activities whether at 5001 N. Oak Trafficway or in New Jersey.

And our faculty teaching online call all of their students at least once per course. Since a physical classroom environment provides effective educational opportunities, young seminarians should enroll in residential classes with their favorite professors and courses of special interest. Nevertheless, it would be unwise to not take advantage of online course offerings, even if these would comprise the bulk of a seminarian’s curriculum.

4. Prioritize studying the biblical languages.

Many of the course subjects offered by seminaries surface also in the breakout sessions of major conferences like Together 4 the Gospel, The Gospel Coalition, or Midwestern’s own For the Church Conference. But I have yet to attend such a conference where breakout sessions included analysis of the seven Hebrew verb stems or the points of commonality and distinction in certain Greek prepositions. Knowledge of Scripture in the original languages provides the highest degree of doctrinal clarity—and opens windows for addressing all sorts of issues in view at major conferences.

Since seminaries are the central institutions for researching and teaching the biblical languages, young seminarians do well to get from a seminary what can be acquired most easily at a seminary, i.e., Greek and Hebrew grammar and exegesis classes.

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5. See the local church as a classroom, too.

If the hallways and classrooms at Midwestern could speak, they would speak of students conversing about the happenings of their local church.

Midwestern Seminary’s “For the Church” mission compels students to both teach in and learn from a local church to which they belong as a member.

So, the experiences students enjoy in a local church are not just sterile performances; students contribute to the family of God as gifted brothers and sisters. Within the local body, seminary students may participate in a scaffolding of opportunities for leading, teaching, and serving in all sorts of capacities: some students are able to complete an internship program that provides a high degree of structured experience; others no less faithfully take advantage of various opportunities the local church might provide them.

Whatever level of service a seminary student is able to complete, they find that local church participation coheres seminary coursework with the Great Commission.

“The experiences students enjoy in a local church are not just sterile performances; students contribute to the family of God as gifted brothers and sisters.”

Above all, Enjoy!

Todd Chipman | Asst. Prof. of Biblical Studies, MBTS; Teaching Pastor, The Master’s Community Church

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The pastorate is an office that comes with high expectations.

This is a biblical model: to train men by challenging them to meet a standard higher than they think they can reach.

confidence in the Word of God among some.

Thankfully, the centrality of Scripture in the life of the local church was revived in the “Conservative Resurgence” of the 1980s. But we have work to do in our time. We have recovered the doctrine of inerrancy; now we must recover a doctrine of the pastorate. The Conservative Resurgence returned to the formal authority of Scripture; now we must believe once more in the functional authority of Scripture. The solution to the fear and shame we may naturally feel is found in remembering what God has given us.

The scriptural perspective on pastoral preparation is less like that of a sports league that grants everyone a trophy and more like a Navy SEAL program. Granted, there’s no all-night sitting in water and no push-up requirements that leave your arms like jelly, but the point stands: God fundamentally challenges the future shepherds of “The solution to the fear and shame his church. Like the young athlete discovering his abilities in the heat we may naturally feel is found in of the moment, we want young men remembering what God has given us.” to want the ball, to hunger to enter a pulpit and proclaim the mysteries of God. The God who is a consuming fire wants preachers who burn with passion for him.

Thankfully, God has not left us alone. He has given us a system of mentoring such that men like Paul The young preacher will no doubt feel such passion lift the flagging hands of young men like Timothy. in his veins. But we are complex creatures, and Our need to challenge young men to assume a undoubtedly “fear” (2 Tim. 1:7) and shame will higher call in no way removes our need to love and conspire to quiet the young preacher, even as strengthen our disciples when they struggle. We see Timothy faced these demons. We certainly find the apostle carrying out just this kind of work with ourselves in a day when many pastors feel fear.

Timothy. He reminds his charge that God has given They feel defeated. The culture has secularized, and us a spirit of “power and love and self-control” (2 evangelical pastors are not the leading invitee to the Tim. 1:7). It is this kind of mentality that Scripture cultural dinner party. Pastors represent an older, births in us. Not a play-it-safe mentality, but a hierarchical era, when people believed in authority. disciplined, risk-it-all approach. The work of Christ But confidence in authority—at least religious in us creates strong character. It makes us strong authority—is at an all-time low in America. When over sin, loving instead of angry, and disciplined confidence in the authority of God dips, the glory of instead of dissolute. The character that God forges the pastorate dims. internally is the same character that can take the heat externally. The pastor-theologian has spiritual As a result, ministry is seen as just one of many ambition and strong, godly character. The mark of “helping professions.” This is precisely what a pastor, even a young one, is that of godliness, and happened in the early 20th century. Interest in a willingness to put everything on the line in order theology waned, business culture boomed, and to give Christ the glory he deserves. pastors were forced to adapt to an urbanizing America to draw a crowd. This shift from This article is adapted from Owen Strachan’s chapter theological ministry to “practical ministry” had “Pastor as Theologian” in the book Portraits of a Pastor huge effects among Baptists, including a loss of edited by Jason K. Allen.

Owen Strachan | Assoc. Prof. of Christian Theology, MBTS; Director of the Center for Public Theology

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the

promise of

theological education

by M A T T H E W B A R R E T T

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One of my core convictions as it pertains to theological education is that students don’t just study different subjects, as if they’re conducting research in a science lab, but instead are asking: How does what I’m studying make a difference for us as Christians? How do we live out these theological benefits?

My hope is that every one of my students will either be a pastor-theologian, or if they are not technically a pastor, then whatever their ministry may be, that they will approach it in an explicitly theological way. In doing so, theology students will be getting the most out of their education. But what does this look like? And what is the promise of theological education for those who pursue it in such a way?

In the classes I teach, where we are covering the Trinity, the atonement, the doctrine of sin, and so on, I don’t want students to learn those doctrines merely for head knowledge, as important as that is.

I want them to be able to connect the dots between those doctrines and the Christian life.

So, for example, how does an orthodox, biblical understanding of the Trinity shape the way we worship God and pray to God? It drastically changes how we relate to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How does our understanding of the cross of Christ as an atonement impact our assurance that we are Christians? It does in a significant way. Whether or not Christ actually paid the price for our sin has everything to do with whether or not we can be confident that we truly are one of God’s children.

So in my classes, we really spend time not only

Matthew Barrett | Assoc. Prof. of Christian Theology, MBTS

fleshing out the theology, but showing how it relates to godliness, the Christian life, the church and practical ministry. The classroom can be the place of both robust theological study and serious devotional application. It especially can be so when the campus context for these classes is one where the heart is cherished as much as the mind.

While many schools have severed the academy from the local church, Midwestern refuses to embrace such a dichotomy but instead seeks to embody the biblical marriage between doctrine and doxology. Schools tend to fault to one of two extremes: seminary becomes entirely academic (in the worst sense of that word), robbing students of their souls in the process, or seminary is gutted of theological backbone and domesticated into mere pragmatics. In contrast, Midwestern is very clear that it exists for the church, and serious academic study for that cause is absolutely essential.

In a day when the standards of theological education are so often watered down, Midwestern Seminary’s dedication to provide robust, rigorous theological training to future pastors is refreshing and inspiring. And in a day when it seems one must forfeit happiness to become a serious academic, Midwestern Seminary’s dedication to fostering a culture that feels like family is doubly so! Students and faculty alike give the undeniable impression each day of delighting to pursue God together on this campus. Midwestern is, in a hundred different ways, a fun campus on which to “do theology.”

Alongside all this fun, however, is a standard of theological education that is exactly what it should be: rigorous, ensuring that students walk away ready to take on the pastoral and theological challenges of ministry and academy alike. At many schools you will walk away theologically light, wishing the training dug deeper. At others, you may leave intellectually improved but affectionately deficient. In pursuing a vision For the Church, with all that vision implies, Midwestern is well-aimed to fulfill the promise of theological education: producing theologians whose hearts are tuned to their primary Subject.

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Reflection Midweste Last 5 Yea

“The past five years at Midwestern Seminary began with a new vision from Dr. Jason Allen on being For The Church.”

DAVID DOCKERY President, Trinity International University

“Jason Allen had a very clear sense, from the beginning, of the direction God would have Midwestern go.”

RUSSELL MOORE

“God is blessing Midwestern by drawing students from all over the world to dive into the word and get strong foundations for ministry in the 21st century.”

President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

DAVID PLATT President, IMB; Pastor-Teacher, McLean Bible Church

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“MBTS is focused like a laser on training pastors and ministry workers.

There is a marvelous synergy here.”

OWEN STRACHAN Associate Professor of Christian Theology, MBTS; Director of The Center for Public Theology

ns on ern’s ars

“The singular and robust commitment of existing For The Church has transformed the culture of the seminary.”

W

e reached out to numerous friends and influencers for reflections on Jason Allen’s first five years as President of Midwestern Seminary and College and on the historic growth the institution has experienced in the same time. Here are some of their more quotable quotes.

“It’s as if the seminary has experienced a new birth.”

HAROLD MATHENA Seminary Supporter & Evangelist

STEVE DIGHTON Pastor Emeritus, Lenexa Baptist Church

“Jason Allen has led in such a way to put Midwestern on the front ranks of theological seminaries across the country. That’s an incredible achievement.”

“Midwestern really is there For the Church.

I can’t tell you what that means to me as a local church pastor.”

RONNIE FLOYD Senior Pastor, Cross Church

ALBERT MOHLER President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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QUESTIONS QUESTIONS for those with

SHEPHERDING COLLEGE STUDENTS CALLED TO MINISTRY

by JASON DUESING

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

(Mark 8:27-30 ESV)

When I was both a college student and a new Christian, I had many questions about life and the prospects of ministry service. My college pastor was kind enough to help and guide me not by merely answering all my questions, but by asking me more questions in return.

Much like the Lord Jesus did with his disciples on the way to the villages, I have found that for those thinking about a call to vocational gospel ministry, one of the best helps we can provide is to shepherd them not only by listening and answering, but also by asking them more questions to ensure they are thinking through some things that haven’t yet occurred to them.

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As I have talked with students over the years, here are three questions I have found helpful to ask them and then also to help them find answers.

There are many more questions than these to ask and answer, but these are a good place to start.

1. WHY ARE YOU THINKING OF PURSUING VOCATIONAL GOSPEL MINISTRY IN THESE DAYS? “I am glad that you are here with me,” said Frodo.

“Here at the end of all things, Sam.” – J. R. R. Tolkien “The end of all things is at hand.”

– 1 Peter 4:7 I never saw the connection between the joy found in fellowship and having hope at the end of the world—I never saw the right connection between ecclesiology and eschatology—but there it was even in The Lord of the Rings.

The hero and his faithful companion, comprising the remnant of a Fellowship that set out on a journey to destroy evil and see the return of their King, lay exhausted and helpless surrounded by an erupting mountain of volcanic proportions with no cause for hope of rescue.

Yet in that moment they had the peace and security that only victorious soldiers must know when they, though dying, have saved countrymen or even countries. What was their source of hope?

Knowledge that evil was ultimately defeated though the world self-destructed around them and hope in the truth for which they persevered.

That and remaining fellowship led them to express gladness and joy there ‘at the end of all things.’

Tolkien’s story is a helpful window through which to see there is great hope and joy for those of us laboring as Christians in the fellowships that are local churches in a self-destructing world—and thankfully that is a mere glimpse of the shining light of truth of these themes found in the Bible.

In 1 Peter 4:7 the Apostle Peter explains that “the end of all things is at hand” and by that he means that he

and his readers were living in the last days before the return of Jesus. Since that time until our very own, humanity has been living at the verge of the end of the world, but that is not a cause for despair or handwringing. Peter’s point was focused rather on how one is to live at the end of all things, and he spends the next few verses underscoring this for believers.

Peter explains that while a Christian should have his eyes fixed and his hope set on the soon and certain return of Jesus, he should be using his spiritual gifts, whether they be serving or speaking, all for the glory of God (1 Pet 4:7-11).

This end, then, is the source of hope that those considering vocational ministry should consider and pursue. In these days and until the end, whether one eats, drinks, preaches, trains, waters, reaps, types, writes, shares or disciples, he should be doing these things, through the fellowship of local churches, as the biblically prescribed means for carrying out the Great Commission to the Glory of God. 2. DO YOU FIRST NEED FORMAL THEOLOGICAL TRAINING? In 1939, C. S. Lewis delivered an address entitled “Learning in War-Time” to encourage those to persevere in their studies at the advent of World War II. Reading through his comments, I am struck by the relevance his words have for those called to ministry but are currently considering whether they need to prepare by gaining formal theological education.

The men and women thinking of seminary, too, will pursue studies during an ongoing war—a spiritual war—and often the call of the front lines of full time ministry service in contrast to the present “semesterly” demands strains one to question if more school really is the right next step.

For these questions C. S. Lewis can help.

At the end of his message, Lewis gave what he called “mental exercises” that served as helpful defenses for the student in his day to resist the enemy of excitement that war-time brought to those still in educational preparation. He said:

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[T]he tendency to think and feel about the war when we had intended to think about our work.

The best defense is a recognition that in this, as in everything else, the war has not really raised up a new enemy but only aggravated an old one.

There are always plenty of rivals to our work.

We are always falling in love or quarreling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work.

Just as for some in Lewis’s day who had eventually to abandon or postpone their studies in order to serve their country in war, there are some today who do, in fact, need to slow down their theological studies for a key ministry opportunity. However, this is not the norm and in my experience observing students rarely is this the wise course, and even rarer still does the student who suspends their studies altogether ever complete their degree. The excitement about future ministry will always be there. Better to prepare now so that when in ministry the excitement fades, one has learned well how to persevere.

3. WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A SEMINARY? After walking through the more formative questions above, thinking practically about where to study is vital. Instead of telling a student where he or she should study, first I offer four more questions to ask those who are asking about seminaries:

What do they believe?

The six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention are confessional institutions bound by the mandate of the churches that each and every faculty member agree with, teach, and support the Convention’s confession of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Churches in the Baptist Tradition have used confessions throughout their

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history not to replace or supersede the Bible in terms of authority, but rather as documents that summarize the minimum of what those churches believe the Bible teaches in order to partner together for the sake of gospel ministry and for the shared advancement of the Great Commission. In short, confessions of faith are tools to “define” and ‘defend” what Baptist churches believe and serve as life-giving, Bible-centered guardrails for the training and instruction of these seminaries. Rather than offer an anchorless or aimless education in the name of academic freedom, confessionally bound schools actually provide more freedom to think through timeless questions and the questions of the day, while at the same time providing answers to those questions.

“In short, confessions of faith are tools to ‘define’ and ‘defend’ what Baptist churches believe and serve as life-giving, Bible-centered guardrails for the training and instruction of these seminaries.”

With whom will you study?

J.I. Packer begins Knowing God with an illustration of two ways people express interest in the study of theology by “by picturing persons sitting on the high front balcony of a Spanish house watching travelers go by on the road below. The ‘balconeers’ can overhear the travelers’ talk and chat with them; they may comment critically on the way the travelers walk; or they may discuss questions about the road, how it can exist at all or lead anywhere, what might be seen from different points along it, and so forth; but they are onlookers, and their problems are theoretical only. The travelers, by contrast, face problems which, though they have their theoretical angle, are essentially practical—problems of the ‘which-way-to-go’ and ‘how-to-make-it’ type,

problems which call not merely for comprehension but for decision and action too.” Packer then says, “Now this is a book for travelers.”

When one is considering a seminary, he or she should look for a school that has heart for training travelers. In much of what is classified as theological education in this country, the SBC’s six seminaries and several evangelical sister institutions stand apart in this regard, for many other schools are content to sit in ivory towers and spectate. The task of theology for these schools is to observe, comment, criticize, but not actually implement or trust. Further, and equally important, is finding a school where the faculty are also non-spectators. These are not mere theorists, but also practitioners—professors who are engaged in applying theology and the study of the Bible to life and ministry just as much as they are teaching and writing theology.

“When it comes to the theological degree with long standing proven effectiveness, the Master of Divinity continues to represent the mainstay for equipping those with a solid theological foundation for a lifetime of ministry.”

What degree programs do they offer and encourage?

When it comes to the theological degree with long standing proven effectiveness, the Master of Divinity continues to represent the mainstay for equipping those with a solid theological foundation for a lifetime of ministry. Other masters degrees are helpful for more specialized avenues of service, but the MDiv still is the best degree available for those called to vocational gospel ministry.

Likewise, I remain convinced that seminaries serve churches best when students can aim to complete a rigorous professional masters degree that focuses on the high quality biblical and theological core of what a student needs to prepare for pastoral ministry in three years. Since avenues for further specialized study beyond this foundational degree exist in the form of MDiv concentrations, the ThM degree, and doctoral degrees, a three year MDiv is ideally designed as the healthiest MDiv to prepare men and women to serve the churches.

What will it cost?

While finances should not serve as the first and driving factor for one’s decision for choosing

Jason Duesing | Provost; Assoc. Prof. of Historical Theology, MBTS

a seminary, it should be a contributing factor.

Incurring student loan debt for seminary puts the future graduate in a challenging place in terms of vocational options and hinders their ability to serve in places of greatest need.

The six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention are unique in that, due to almost a century of sacrificial gifts by churches of all sizes to a centralized Cooperative Program, these schools are able to offer a significant scholarship to students from Southern Baptist churches. This same Cooperative Program continues to fund many of these students who go on to serve on the mission fields of every continent on the globe. This partnership with the churches from the start of their seminary training is a remarkable relationship that has strengthened the seminaries, the students, and the churches now for several generations.

I remain convinced that one of the best things we can do when talking to college students exploring a call to vocational gospel ministry is not merely to answer their questions, but rather first to shepherd them by asking them questions.

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by DAVID McALPIN

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If you’ve sensed God’s call on your life to Christian ministry, then one of the most crucial decisions you’ll need to make is where – not if – you’ll receive training for ministry.

Maybe you’re nearing the end of your undergraduate work and are considering graduate work at a seminary. Or perhaps you’re one of those guys who jumped into the workforce right after high school and started a family, but now you’ve experienced a call to ministry and you know a college degree is what you need to serve God and His church. Whatever your situation, your first step needs to be to commit the next season of your life to getting theologically equipped to do ministry effectively and long-term.

But where will you go to receive that training?

Years ago, as a young pastor in Memphis, Tennessee, I was facing a crucial life decision.

I’ll never forget the advice given me by Adrian Rogers, then pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church: “David, when you’re trying to discern God’s will, the first thing to do is to gather all the facts.

Once you’ve done that – learned all you can about all the issues involved in the decision – God’s will is usually as clear as the nose on your face.” Over the years I’ve repeatedly observed the wisdom and accuracy of that principle.

I saw this principle at work when our son, Stephen, had to choose which seminary he would attend.

He diligently studied all his options, received wise counsel from godly men he trusted, and prayed. Then he pared down his list to three

schools, still praying, but it seemed that no answer was forthcoming. So he decided to visit each of the three campuses, where he met professors, administrators and students. He got the “feel” of each school and of the city where it was located.

Most importantly, he asked key questions, which gave him a very clear sense of which seminary God was leading him to attend.

The choice of a seminary or Bible college is an important one, not to be taken lightly, as most people know. What they’re not sure of, however, is what they need to know – what areas to investigate and discover about different seminaries – as they approach this choice.

Over the years I’ve talked to scores of men and women about this choice. In my opinion, here are the ten most crucial areas you need to check out and evaluate before deciding which school to attend: 1. Ministry Opportunities Will opportunities be available for you to pastor or serve on a church staff in the area? Larger metropolitan areas provide more ministry opportunities than smaller towns. Also, you’ll want to take into consideration how many other Christian colleges and seminaries are in the area. It’s possible for the “ministry job market” to become saturated with so many students that finding a position may be all but impossible.

2. Instructional Excellence Whatever seminary you choose, you’re trusting that their faculty will have the knowledge, teaching acumen, academic credentials, and motivational skills to equip you for effective ministry for the rest of your life. That’s a weighty responsibility for them. But you’re the one who has to make the call whether or not a school’s faculty can meet your expectations. So ask yourself:

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“Whatever seminary you choose, you’re trusting that their faculty will have the knowledge, teaching acumen, academic credentials, and motivational skills to equip you for effective ministry for the rest of your life.”

When you sat in on some classes, did you get the feeling you could really learn from these professors if you were their student?

Do all the faculty members have their degrees from the same one or two schools, or have they earned their doctorates from a broad range of evangelical schools? The latter ensures a breadth and depth of respected scholarship not possible with the former.

Maybe you’ve identified a specific area of interest – biblical languages, for example – in which you’d like to focus. If so, then find out all you can about the professors who teach in that discipline. Meet with them during a campus visit; ask some questions and then sit back and listen. Do these professors strike you as scholars under whose tutelage you would thrive and grow?

3. Denominational Affiliation Here’s an important issue you need to think through, if you haven’t already. Do you sense God leading you to do ministry within, or identified with, a specific denomination? If the answer is no, then my simple advice is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide your choice of seminaries based on the other nine concerns I’ll identify.

But if the answer is yes, then you need to find out what your denomination expects of its ministers regarding theological education. Some denominations require their ministers to attend one of their “approved” seminaries in order to be ordained. If so, then your choice of seminaries

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might be easier than you anticipated, albeit quite limited. Other denominations – Southern Baptists, for example – do not require seminary of their ministers. Yet those who sense a call to ministry are strongly encouraged to seek theological training from a seminary sponsored by the denomination, thus ensuring doctrinal soundness as well as an understanding on the part of its graduates of how the denomination works.

4. Well-Respected Accreditation Almost every college and seminary will tell you they are accredited. And maybe they are. But the question to ask is whether the agency providing their accreditation is one of the few that’s legitimate, highly respected, and who can ensure that your years of study are not wasted. Here’s a list of the top regional accrediting agencies whose names you need to look for: • • • • • • •

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools New England Association of Schools and Colleges Northwest Accreditation Commission Higher Learning Commission

The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) is another respected agency that accredits graduate level schools only – seminaries, for example.

Choosing a school with legitimate accreditation credentials means your credits transfer, and your degree will be accepted by another school if you ever want to continue your education.

5. Economic Feasibility Simply put, can you afford a degree from this school? Make sure you factor in: Tuition: by far the largest cost you’ll be looking at, and one which varies significantly, depending on the school. For example, Southern Baptist churches underwrite theological education for its ministers to the tune of around $10,000 annually per student, drastically reducing tuition costs.

Additional fees: technology fees, registration fees,

etc. These can add up quickly; some schools “fee you” to death, almost equaling tuition costs.

The cost of living in the geographical region where the school is located, unless you’re doing an online degree. Factor in rent, which is usually cheaper if campus housing is available.

What types of jobs will be available? Ask for a list of local employers who like to hire students from each school.

Pay as you go, if at all possible. But if you know you’re going to have to borrow money for your education, do it as cheaply as possible. Some schools offer federal student aid – Pell Grants for college students (money you don’t have to pay back), as well as low-interest student loans, which you will have to repay once you’ve left school. Find out what your options are.

entered seminary with a strong, vibrant faith, but by the time they left, their confidence in God’s Word was badly shaken by liberal teaching. Believe me – those stories are true; I’ve witnessed them.

But seminary should be a place where professors committed to theological orthodoxy challenge students to mine the truths of God’s Word, thus equipping students to defend the Bible’s utter reliability. Here’s the question to pose, “Does every faculty member affirm the doctrine of biblical inerrancy?” Unless you get a firm and unqualified, “Yes,” look for another school.

“Getting all the information you can is vital, but you need to immerse this decision in prayer. Ask God to give you a sense of peace regarding your choice.”

6. Sense of God’s Approval Getting all the information you can is vital, but you need to immerse this decision in prayer. Ask God to give you a sense of peace regarding your choice.

I personally visited five seminaries when I was trying to decide where to go to earn a Master of Divinity degree. As I walked across the campus of one of those schools during my visit, I felt a strong conviction, which I believed was from the Holy Spirit, that this was the school God had prepared and chosen for me. Over the next three years there were many times I wanted to go home or transfer to another school. But the memory of that moment when God gave me a sense of His approval about coming to that particular school kept me there.

I received a great education, and God worked mightily in my life during those years. It was exactly the crucible He had chosen in which to refine and strengthen my faith in Him. 7. Theological Soundness Maybe you’ve heard stories of individuals who

8. Educational Fit Do the degrees offered by the school fit what you need? Study the academic catalog carefully; it’s the final authority regarding degrees offered, courses required for each, etc. Do they offer only on-campus courses, or some online courses as well, or some online degrees? Generally speaking, having some flexibility in how coursework can be “delivered” (on-campus, online, etc.) is good.

If you’ll be seeking a fairly specialized degree for a specific profession – counseling, for example – make sure the degree you’ll be earning will give you the credentials you’re going to need.

Bottom line: Find the school that fits you and offers the degree you want.

9. Recommendations of Trusted Mentors Listening to people who are older, wiser, or who’ve traveled the path you’re about to take is incredibly astute. Listen to Proverbs 1:5, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who

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understands obtain guidance.”

Let me strongly urge you to ask for advice from three sources. First, ask your pastor which schools he might recommend that you consider. Second, get input from your parents, if they’re still in the picture. (Even though I was 22 years old, I asked my parents for their advice regarding seminary. It ended up being invaluable, because they noticed things I had totally missed.) Third, reach out to any friends who are currently in seminary or who recently graduated, and ask for their thoughts on which schools you should look at, as well as which ones to avoid.

10. Needs of Your Family Simply put, will getting an education at this school be good or bad for your family? For example: Will this be a safe place for your family to live?

Check crime statistics for the neighborhood.

Is on-campus housing available? Usually it’s a bit more affordable to live on campus than in the surrounding neighborhood, plus you and your spouse will build friendships with other students living in campus housing. It’s amazing how close you get to other families when you watch each other’s kids, cook out together in the evening, or just hang out together.

If anyone in your family has special medical needs, will you be in a city with adequate medical care?

How far will you be from extended family? While it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you, it’s not a bad thing to have some relatives nearby.

Let me close by saying a word about the wonderful institution where I teach. God has granted me the incredible privilege of serving on the faculty at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Kansas City, Missouri. Every one of our professors enthusiastically embraces the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and has committed to teach within the theological boundaries of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the doctrinal confession of faith adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention. Our seminary is fully owned by and accountable to the local churches of that great denomination. Historically, Southern Baptists have strongly believed that their ministers should be theologically educated. Thus, their congregations give sacrificially to support Midwestern and the other five SBC seminaries, enabling us to keep tuition rates remarkably low.

Are the schools your kids will attend places where they’ll get a good education and be safe?

The next few years of your life will be crucial.

You’re about to make one of the biggest decisions of your life. Let me strongly encourage you to add Midwestern to your list of campuses to visit as you pray through which theological institution you’ll entrust with your preparation for Christian ministry.

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David McAlpin | Assoc. Prof. of Biblical Interpretation, MBTS

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PODCASTS

from M I D W E S T E R N S E M I N A R Y

A PODCAST HOSTED BY MIDWESTERN SEMINARY PRESIDENT

JASON K. ALLEN JASONKALLEN.COM/PODCAST

the city of god with owen strachan A PODCAST FROM THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC THEOLOGY

with JARED C. WILSON

CPT.MBTS.EDU/PODCAST

A RESOURCE for the Church HOSTED BY JARED WILSON FTC.CO/PODCAST

SUBCRIBE NOW I T UNE S | ANDR OID | R S S

REFLECTIONS ON TH E

F U T U RE

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD AT M I D W E S T E R N S E M I N A R Y

by CHARLES SMITH

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Milestones often slow us down and remind us to consider all that lies behind and before us.

The Fall of 2017 had that effect on me as my wife and I celebrated my fifth year on Midwestern’s leadership team. As I looked back, we were again reminded that God has been incredibly gracious to this institution. By virtually every discernible metric, Midwestern is healthier than it has ever been and, Lord willing, will continue to prosper. As I look forward, I remember the sacred stewardship we bear and am drawn to pray for our students, our staff, our ministry partners, and our future.

My prayers center on five realities before us: 1. FORMAL THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION REMAINS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF OUR ECCLESIOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM. We live in an age where higher education is often considered an unnecessary relic of a bygone era. This, after all, is the era of Shark Tank and Kickstarter; the age of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps with little help from anyone, especially a textbook. Huffington Post’s business writer Michael Price writes: Spending 4+ years pursuing a college education in this day and age when the world is changing at the speed of light is not only silly, it’s absolute insanity. In this day and age, employers care about value. They want to know what value you will bring to them.

They’re not concerned with your fancy MBA or private school education.

While I disagree with Mr. Price’s conclusion, he is right about one thing: the world around us is rapidly changing. However, the solution is not to pursue less training, but more. The world needs pastors who deeply understand the fundamentals of the faith and are equipped to think biblically

about the changing world around them. The world needs pastors able to stand in pulpits, sit in hospital rooms, and walk with couples as they seek to live out their faith in an increasingly hostile and complex world. As the world shifts around us, the Church needs men equipped to drop an anchor into God’s word. Faithful seminaries like Midwestern are preparing future leaders to do just that.

2. THE WORLD DESPERATELY NEEDS GODLY PASTORS. We live and minister amongst a generation that has learned to be suspicious of leaders, especially those claiming to have a corner on the truth. And for good reason: we have watched as one leader after the next collapsed under the weight of moral failure. Even seemingly wholesome icons like Bill Cosby have been exposed as frauds. Sadly, the Church has not been immune to these tragedies.

Given recent ministerial scandals, the average pastor climbs the pulpit on Sunday morning with a deficit of trust and credibility, especially among the unchurched. The world desperately needs faithful leaders that steadily live the gospel out before a watching world.

In this world of “fake news” and scandal, people are searching for something real and true. Thanks be to God, that is exactly what we have. As we look to the future we must remember Matthew 7:16 (“You will know them by their fruits”) also implies “The world will know us by our fruit.” We are called to live lives that authenticate the gospel message. Oh, that God would give us the grace we need to stand among the cultural rubble and faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

3. THE WORLD DESPERATELY NEEDS BOLD PASTORS. Most of the modern world is ministering in a strange age. In one sense, we are not experiencing the grave physical and political persecution that many of our brothers and sisters are in other parts of the world. Indeed, here in the United States, the stock market is booming, religious liberties are upheld, and the gospel is preached freely. And yet, in another sense, we are currently experiencing

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a powerful form of persecution that, if we are not careful, will quietly silence a generation of ministers. Turn on any cable television show or newscast and within minutes you will hear someone mock Christianity. Those sincerely holding to Christian faith will be called bigots, homophobes, misogynists, and more. With every insult, the boldness of many Christians wanes.

This isn’t the first time the Church has experienced this form of persecution. The Apostle Peter reminded the early church that they would be ridiculed for their faith. He said unbelievers would “think it strange when we do not join them in the same flood of debauchery” and in time will “mock” us (1 Peter 4:3). A familiar children’s rhyme suggests, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the truth is, words can hurt us. After all, who wants to be thought of as strange, odd, or weird? Quite the opposite, we all have a powerful hunger for community, belonging, acceptance, and approval.

Indeed, persecution brings pain, but far worse, it often brings silence with it. If we are not careful, our longing to be accepted by men will slowly muffle our witness for Christ. As believers, we must remember that we do belong. We have been made eternal sons and daughters of God through the blood of Christ. We have an everlasting community. We have a family and a last name that cannot be taken from us. This truth frees us to share the gospel no matter the cost. As I look toward the next five years at Midwestern, I am praying that God gives our students the courage to be strange for the sake of the gospel.

4. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A PASTOR. When my wife Ashley and I moved to Kansas City, we did our best to find a house close to campus.

We both wanted to invest in the lives of students and finding a home near the seminary was a great way to do that. Five years later we have hosted countless students in our home, hearing their faith stories, praying for their classes, and doing our best to encourage them along their way. I often ask these students, “What has been the most powerful lesson you have learned so far in seminary?” More

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fascinating than the lessons are the many places they are learned. Students are being profoundly shaped in their churches, in the classroom, in chapel, in hallway conversations, during coffee with fellow classmates and faculty members, and in informal settings like our kitchen. As I reflect back on all these conversations I’m reminded why residential education remains Midwestern’s preferred method of ministry training. God is using this sacred context in Kansas City—and others like it—to prepare thousands of future ministry leaders.

5. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT. As I write this article over 3,200 future ministry leaders are preparing for ministry at Midwestern.

In fact, Midwestern has grown to be one of the largest seminaries in the world. And we are not alone. Midwestern is one of many faithful seminaries that is growing as God calls men and women from all corners of the globe to prepare to take his “If we are not careful, our gospel to the nations.

In the coming months, longing to be accepted several hundred new students will arrive here by men will slowly muffle in Kansas City to begin our witness for Christ.” their formal theological training. They will enjoy classes, make friends, attend chapel, grab coffee with faculty, and serve one of the many churches in our region. Would you pray for them as they prepare to enter this season? Pray that God would begin preparing their hearts for a lifetime of ministry. Pray that God would give them friends and mentors to strengthen them during this crucial time. Above all, pray that Jesus would stay at the very center of their affections and that their desire to share him would only deepen in the months ahead.

As you pray, would you remember Midwestern as it plows into the next five years of ministry? Pray for our faculty, administration, and staff as we seek to equip the next generation of leaders for the church.

Pray that God would continue to give us a passion for His glory, a love for His servants, and a drive to serve His church.

Charles Smith | Vice President for Institutional Relations, MBTS

by CHAD MEEKS

I have never been a full-time professor.

My teaching career is an amalgamation of adjuncting in six different institutions of higher education (both confessional and secular).

At times, adjuncts seem like the ugly stepsister no one wants to acknowledge. Adjuncts rarely have office space or any say in department meetings.

In many institutions, they do not get the privilege of selecting their own texts. And with many online adjunct opporutnities, professors do not even get to decide course content.

Adjuncts, however, do get one important opportunity proportionate to tenured professors: the chance to have an impact on students’ lives.

The classroom is no different for an adjunct than it is for a full professor: one still teaches. Students still attend his or her class. One still gets the privilege of standing before a classroom full of wide-eyed, malleable college students who know little to nothing regarding the subject. In fact, as far as most students know, adjunct instructors are just as versed and competent to teach the course as any tenured professor.

The appeal of an adjunct position may not carry the cachet of a full professorship, but that really doesn’t negate the professor’s responsibilities of promulgating knowledge and the value therein. There is an abundance of platitudes and banners about making an impact on a student’s life, but the platitudes fall short in describing how such an impact is made.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, Bëor, the leader of the first men, guides humanity westward to a hopeful and better (yet somewhat uncertain) future.

In defense of the journey, Bëor says, “A darkness lies behind us and we have turned our backs on it, and we do not desire to return thither even in thought. Westward our hearts have been turned, and we believe that there we shall find Light.”1 It seems to me that professors subsume Bëor’s mantle: We guide students toward the light (i.e., knowledge).2 This responsibility is not only to disseminate information, but also to show how this information is valuable for a better life. Professors are not mere purveyors of knowledge; we are also practitioners of enlightenment.

And neither the process of dissemination, nor the truths of its application

are hindered by one’s academic or vocational status.

Every semester (in my lecture courses in philosophy), I begin the class by stating: “I’m a bit idealistic! I think the information I give in this course is not only relevant, but also beneficial for your lives. In fact, we are discussing no small matter; we are discussing how to live the good life.” With this statement, my students realize I am not teaching for a paycheck, and I’m not using the opportunity as a mere means for my own end.3 Granted, adjunct work is part-time work, but that doesn’t diminish the role. And it certainly doesn’t void the excellence for which all professors strive. It might not pay the bills like full-time work, but the role itself is no less vital in the classroom. Adjuncts, just as with full professors, are ambassadors of truth in a world saturated by misinformation.

This article originally appeared in the Didaktikos Journal of Theological Education (January 2018) and is reprinted here with permission. See DidaktikosJournal.com.

(1) Tolkien, The Silmarillion (New York: Ballantine, 1977), 169.

(2) To be clear, I am not taking a gnostic position.

(3) Perhaps at this point, one may claim, “Well, such an idealized pursuit is quixotic and far-fetched for some subjects!” If the above statement is not true for all classes and subjects, then why offer the course in a place of higher education?

Chad Meeks | Adjunct Professor of Christian Ethics and Introduction to Philosophy, MBTS

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

MEET

WILLIAM GRIFFIN From I.T. to M.Div. Interview by Jared C. Wilson

A driven leader with a quiet, reflective demeanor, M.Div. student William Griffin has distinguished himself at Midwestern Seminary and College as a key contributor to campus culture and student life. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Griffin received his undergrad degree from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Information Science before deciding to pursue theological education.

We recently sat down with him to ask about his formation and experience at the school.

JARED

What drew you to Midwestern Seminary?

WILLIAM

I originally moved to Kansas City to pursue an IT career at the Cerner Corporation.

While working, I continued to mature in faith and committed myself to serving the local church.

Over the years, my pastor noticed my developing spiritual growth, gifts, and character, so he met with me to discuss the call to ministry. I had already felt God pressing me in this direction.

I read Discerning Your Call to Ministry by Midwestern President Jason Allen, and the appendix

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on the topic of seminary especially caught my attention. After doing some research on my educational options, I sought the Lord in prayer and fasting. By the grace of God, I applied to Midwestern and was accepted. I resigned my full-time job, and I became a full-time student.

JCW You are an integral part of the Student Leadership here and have served as Vice President of the program. What’s that experience been like?

WG For me, participating in Student Leadership is like being a part of a family of servant leaders who are all dedicated to the advancement of God’s kingdom through spirited campus life and events. I participate because I have a gift for service and I enjoy being involved on campus.

The student stipend is helpful, but the biggest reason why I participate is the opportunity to form genuine relationships with others. We do a lot in Student Leadership. We host awesome events and conferences, recruit new students, and work

through a leadership book study each semester.

Through Student Leadership I have learned, for instance, that I love the experience of Christian conferences and would be interested in organizing and serving at more in the future.

JCW How are your studies shaping you devotionally and spiritually?

WG Excellent question! When I study History of Christianity, I praise God for Jesus’ salvific imprint on history, the activity of the Holy Spirit, and the advancement of the Church. I approach Old and New Testament Survey as devotion and a way to worship God for his complete and sufficient Scriptures. When I serve in church through the Timothy Track internship program, I learn applied Christian ethics and church administration. So, I let my studies be acts of worship and vice versa: I see worship experiences as educational experiences. My studies at Midwestern have definitely deepened my personal relationship with my heavenly Father.

What has been the most surprising part of your seminary experience?

JCW

WG The most surprising part of my seminary experience was getting admitted! My father is not a pastor, and I did not grow up in a Christian home.

I did not go to a Bible college, and I am the first

in my immediate family to pursue a graduate degree. I came to faith in the latter half of my undergrad years, and I did not even know what a seminary was until last year! The Lord is full of love and full of surprises. It is only by His grace that I am even able to experience seminary.

Also, being from the ethnically diverse city of Baltimore has made my experience a little more challenging where race is concerned. Currently, I am one of a few black students on campus and the only person of color in many student leadership organizations that I am involved in. Aside from the difficultly of graduate studies, I bear the additional load of cultural challenges non-white students often feel in predominantly white environments. Despite these challenges, I praise God for my Timothy Track brothers, Student Life family, Midwestern leadership, and classmates who increasingly find ways to celebrate racial diversity.

JCW

What are your plans for after graduation?

WG Because I am open to wherever God may direct me, I have not solidified any plans yet. I could see myself continuing my education in a doctoral program or pursuing vocational ministry after seminary. Regardless, I am confident that my time spent at Midwestern will prepare me for that next stage in life whatever and wherever it may be.

For me, participating in Student Leadership is like being a part of a family of servant leaders who are all dedicated to the advancement of God’s kingdom through spirited campus life and events.

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

DR. JOHN MARK CLIFTON For this edition’s alumni focus, we visited with Dr. John Mark Clifton, who is the senior director of Replanting at the North American Mission Board, a position he entered after numerous years of pastoral ministry in the local church. Dr. Clifton attended Midwestern 1980-1985, graduating with the Master of Divinity degree. We asked him about his NAMB role and the prospect of replanting and revitalization in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Why is revitalization and replanting so important? Why not just plant new churches?

M.DIV. | 1985

serve the community. Often these once nearly vacant buildings can also be used as incubators for the launching of new churches throughout a city. Southern Baptists plant 1,200 new churches each year. But we also realize the closure of 900 churches each year. That leaves a net gain of 300 churches each year. This is not enough to keep up with the population growth. We need to replant dying churches and to plant new ones.

Replanting and revitalization is paramount because the glory of God is paramount. There’s nothing about a dying church that brings glory to God. There’s nothing about a dying church that proclaims our God is great and his gospel is powerful. When that dying church was planted those that planted it raised the banner of God’s glory in that “Replanting and revitalization is paramount because the glory place. Striking those of God is paramount. There’s nothing about a dying church colors is a serious decision. We also rethat brings glory to God. There’s nothing about a dying church plant for the benefit of that proclaims our God is great and his gospel is powerful.” those who are in dying churches. If they are truly regenerate, then it is our desire that they find joy and meaning in What would you say is the number one probtheir lives as they become disciples of Jesus. lem churches in need of revitalization face?

Replanting and revitalizing is also a living sermon of how God can and does redeem us in even the most desperate situations if we seek him and trust him alone. Most dying churches have a building. Most of those buildings are located within neighborhoods. By reclaiming dying churches we can use those buildings to bless and

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The number one problem faced by churches in need of a revitalization is that they have embraced a false god. Satan has conducted a scheming and devious transaction with these saints. He has led them to exchange their worship, love, affection, faith, joy and hope in Jesus for a false sense of purpose and meaning that is found in nostal-

gia and control. Among other things, an idol is something we run to for purpose and meaning.

Many people in the church find their purpose and meaning in the building, pews, or the structure of the worship service, or the actual classroom in which they meet or simply the fact that in a fast-changing world there’s one place they can go to every week where everything seems to stay the same. Even the silk flowers never change. But it’s a false idol. And you know it’s a false idol if you’re afraid of losing it.

The greatest need in revitalization is for people to once again love Jesus above all else and love what he loves. And in doing that they will ask the right question. The wrong question is what do I want to do with this church? The right question is what does Jesus want me to do with his church?

How would you say your seminary education has helped you in your current role?

My years at Midwestern Seminary were very formative in helping me develop a deep and abiding love for the local church—even the local church with all of its problems, challenges, and difficulties. The faculty and staff during my seminary years influenced me greatly to love and serve the local church and to find great value in it because Jesus loves the local church.

to interact with older people in your community.

Learning how geriatrics make decisions can be very helpful in a revitalization process. Spending time working with senior adults is a great way to determine if God is calling you to revitalize the church. In all likelihood you will be spending a lot of your time in those early revitalization stages with senior adults. In addition, it is imperative that a revitalizing pastor be an evangelizing pastor and a disciple-making pastor. Your role in revitalization will including leading in evangelism and discipleship-making in your church. In our work with replanting and revitalizing pastors across North America, we have discovered four imperatives that we see God using in the lives of revitalizing and replanting pastors. These imperatives are: 1.

A passionate commitment to and reliance upon prayer.

2.

A pattern of being a disciple and a disciple-maker.

3.

A commitment to the gospel that expresses itself in a lifestyle of evangelism.

4.

A commitment to biblical, Christ-centered preaching.

What advice would you give current seminarians interested in the work of revitalization or replanting?

Perhaps nothing explains better what it takes to replant a dying church than this description from 9Marks: “The replanting revitalizing pastor must preach, pray, love, and stay.”

I advise students who want to learn about revitalization to involve themselves in a church while they are in seminary that is itself in the revitalization process. We are fortunate in the greater Kansas City area to have many pastors who are working to revitalize their local church. I can think of no better way to help discern God’s call for you to revitalize a church than to walk alongside a revitalizing pastor on a day-to-day basis. I would also encourage you to find ways

The revitalization process that God may call you to will likely be a lengthy process. If you’re not willing to stay at the very least for five years, don’t even go. It may require you to change your definition of success. No longer will the definition of your success simply be larger numbers in gathered worship. But it must be a pattern of making disciples who make disciples that result in the community be noticeably better for God’s glory and your joy.

Learn more about THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD at namb.net.

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IN FOCUS: ANTIOCH BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH

CORNERSTONE CHURCH LOCATION: Ames, Iowa

Treating College Campuses Like the Mission Field

M

idwestern Seminary has been proud to partner with numerous churches in order to bring robust theological education into their local ministry context. One of our happiest partnerships has been with Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa, a large and growing congregation actively reaching an expanding number of college campuses in the Midwest and fervently committed to training the next generation of ministers on their local church campus. We recently sat down with Dr. Jeff Dodge, teaching pastor at Cornerstone, to find out more about his church’s heart for theological education and their frontline stance in reaching college students with the gospel of Jesus.

outreach program of a traditional Southern Baptist church in Ames reaching the students of Iowa State University. By God’s grace, it began to flourish in a big way! After a while, actually, it became the proverbial “tail wagging the dog,” as university students responded to the gospel in droves. Because the college ministry had outgrown the sponsoring church, the church decided to commission the staff of The Salt Company to found a new church, one that would focus on reaching the university. Cornerstone Church was founded then, with 24 community members and about 200 university students.

Cornerstone’s mission to reach and shape college campuses is becoming more and more known. The church’s beginnings are a large part of that, I assume.

Our beginnings were pretty humble. The new church met in a middle school auditorium in Ames and The Salt Company, which we continued, met in the back of a local auto parts warehouse across from campus. We were young, inexperienced, exhausted. But God just kept drawing unbelievers to Christ and so we had to keep making room for them. It took an enormous amount of faith and sacrifice on the few community members to carry the weight of the church plant (university students don’t pay the bills!). The vast majority of our people were first-generation believers (from both the community and the university). We always felt like we were running ahead of a massive avalanche, frantically trying to stay ahead.

We weren’t being innovative because it was cool - we were

Definitely. We began as a college ministry ourselves. In 1994, The Salt Company was an

Jeff Dodge, Teaching Pastor & CST Director, Cornerstone Church

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What were those early days like?

Helping people know and obey Jesus.

Photos courtesy of Cornerstone Church

simply trying to figure out how to shepherd this big new family that kept growing.

Midwestern Seminary was a crucial piece in that crazy dream coming true.

And to this date, has grown to what?

This term we have over 50 students taking a CST course, including a group of 10 full-time ministry residents. Our residents earn their Master’s in Theology over a two-year period while being developed as leaders. Most of them will join a

Today, Cornerstone Church’s weekly attendance averages 2,600, and The Salt Company college ministry’s weekly attendance averages 1,400.

Tell me about the Cornerstone School of Theology.

Cornerstone School of Theology (CST) was birthed out of a desire to train the burgeoning number of young leaders that continued to emerge from The Salt Company. We wanted leaders who were deeply anchored theologically along with intentional leadership development. We didn’t want to send our folks away for training—we knew there had to be a way to continue their development right here.

Learn more about CORNERSTONE CHURCH at cornerstonelife.com.

church-planting team to go to the next university community that we have targeted through The Salt Network (in cooperation with the North American Mission Board).

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AROUND CAMPUS

Midwestern Seminary celebrates December graduation

by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

Awash in the decorum and spirit of the Christmas season, the Midwestern Seminary community celebrated the culmination of its students’ hard work, dedication, and perseverance, as the school held its 62nd commencement exercises on Dec. 9.

President Jason Allen delivered the keynote address and 135 students were conferred degrees as the next generation of pastors, missionaries and ministry leaders were ushered into Kingdom service.

Allen challenged graduates predominantly from Romans 1:16-17 to never take the gospel for granted.

After all, he said, the gospel had been the focus of their studies for an extended period of time, and they would now go forth and employ it into their various ministry contexts.

From the passage, Allen brought three exhortations to graduates: to speak the gospel boldly, to expect the gospel to work powerfully, and to embrace the gospel personally.

In verse 16, the apostle Paul states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…” Allen noted that ultimately Paul is saying, “I feel no shame through my public affiliation with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

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Allen noted that for all of the faithfulness Paul put into proclaiming the gospel, it netted him beatings, imprisonment, being mocked and laughed at, and eventual execution. Yet, through it all, Paul remained faithful and ambitious – desiring to give both Greeks and barbarians the things he’s gained from his trust in the gospel.

“He is the recipient of the abundant grace of God, the abundant mercies of Christ,” Allen said.

“It has changed his life. He has experienced forgiveness, liberation from the bondage of sin. Thus, he is eager to go about preaching and speaking the gospel. Nay, more than eager, he is indebted to his lost neighbors to do just that.”

Allen urged graduates to never

forget the grace God has imparted to us in proclaiming the gospel to others.

Secondly, Allen expressed that as gospel ministers, we must expect the gospel to work powerfully.

Verse 16 goes on to say, “It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

He noted that the culture we live in desperately needs to hear the message of the gospel. “Whether you grew up in the buckle of the “Bible Belt” or whether you are speaking of places on the globe that have no access to the gospel, these peoples need the message of Christ for salvation…There is salvation for everyone, for everyone, who believes…”

Allen added that the gospel changes people in three essential

ways – they are saved from the penalty of their sin; they are saved from the power of sin; and they are saved from the pain and guilt of sin.

“I say to you, if you are in Christ you have been made free and you are free indeed. I say to you that if you are not in Christ, so good is our Savior that he comes to you and frees you—not only from the penalty of such sins, but as you believe in him, from the pain of that sin as well.”

Allen’s final point to the audience was to embrace the gospel personally, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed.

He explained that a person must have a completely righteous life to gain heaven, and it is obvious that we cannot obtain this perfection on our own. However, Allen noted that the best news about one having faith in Christ is that when one accepts the gift of salvation that God

so freely gives, it imputes to that person the righteousness of Christ.

Each person, however, must accept the gospel personally. No one else can do this for them.

“We preach that message and, as we do brothers and sisters, we preach good news!” Concluding, Allen called upon all in the audience to accept this message personally.”•

“Maybe today is the day that God has found you. Maybe he has you here not to celebrate someone walking across the stage, but to celebrate something much greater – you giving your life to Jesus Christ.” ~ Jason K. Allen

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AROUND CAMPUS

Former Midwestern President Dies at 89

by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

Milton Ferguson, 89, the second president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Dec. 21 in Kansas City, Mo., after a brief battle with cancer.

Ferguson’s tenure as president at Midwestern Seminary began in February 1973, and he served the seminary community in this role before retiring in 1995 at the age of 67.

“Serving as Midwestern Seminary’s president for 23 years, Dr. Ferguson led the institution through a season of great denominational and institutional transition,” said Jason K. Allen, Midwestern Seminary’s fifth president. “He did so faithfully and graciously, seeking to honor the Lord in both word and deed.

“I join the broader Midwestern Seminary community in mourning Dr. Ferguson’s death, thanking the Lord for his life and ministry, and in praying for his remaining family, especially his daughters Julia and Jane

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Anne,” Allen added.

Under Dr. Ferguson’s leadership, Allen said the seminary crossed many milestones including a growing enrollment, expansions in campus housing, and leading the seminary to greater financial health.

Some of the specific milestones taking place at Midwestern Seminary under Ferguson’s guidance included: The graduation of 2,858 students during his tenure; conferring degrees upon the first Doctor of Ministry graduates at Midwestern Seminary in 1974; renovating and expanding the faculty-classroom building in 1976; constructing the campus Child Development Center (which now serves as the Department of Worship Ministries Building) in 1979-80; opening the first off-campus extension center in Wichita, Kan., in 1979; initiating the institution’s church music program in 1983; and establishing the “Midwestern Leadership Series” and

“C.W. Scudder Lectures” in 1993-94.

In addition to his service as a professor and seminary president, Ferguson served the Southern Baptist Convention as a researcher for the SBC Committee’s National Student Life Survey, on various SBC and state convention assignments, and by conducting lay renewal retreats, curriculum writing and preaching and teaching in denominational contexts.

Prior to his tenure as president of Midwestern Seminary, Ferguson taught for 17 years as instructor of Theology as well as associate professor and full professor of Christian Philosophy at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He also served as pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in Hebron, Texas, from 1951-54, as associate pastor at Crown Heights Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, and in numerous interim pastorates in Oklahoma and Texas.

A native of Harrah, Okla., Fergu-

son was born to Robert Homer and Martha Floyd Ferguson on May 8, 1928. He accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized at age 8, and he was ordained into Christian ministry in December 1938 at Harrah Baptist Church. Ferguson was also a military veteran, serving as Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army of Occupation in the Pacific Theater (Korea) from 1946-49.

Ferguson earned a Doctor of Theology degree in 1956, and a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1954 from Southwestern Seminary, as well as Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklaho-

ma Baptist University in 1951.

In the years following his presidency at Midwestern Seminary, Ferguson taught at Southern Baptist institutions in Kenya, Singapore, and served at the American Church in Belgium. He regularly preached and advised churches and then moved to The Baptist Home in Chillicothe, MO in 2013.

“Over the past five years, Dr. Ferguson constantly encouraged and supported me,” Allen said. “He was a kind, gracious man. He loved Midwestern Seminary, was proud of

his service here, and always spoke warmly of the growth and health of the seminary.

“In Dr. Ferguson’s final days, we enjoyed two extended visits. In those conversations, he spoke passionately of his faith in Christ, his belief in the Bible, and his readiness to meet the Lord.”

Ferguson is survived by his daughters, Julia and Jane Anne, as well as their families. He was preceded in death by his wife, Bettie, and his daughter, Jo Catherine. •

Update on Enrollment, Midwestern Campus Renovations

by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

During his President’s Report at the Fall 2017 meeting of Midwestern Seminary and College’s trustees, Jason Allen announced to the board that in five years, the institution’s enrollment has risen to more than 3,000 students.

The 2010-11 total student enrollment stood at 1,107. As of fall 2017 that number totaled 3,035.

“We continue to give God all the glory for the great work he is doing at Midwestern Seminary,” he said. “We do not take for granted one of these

students that God has provided for us to steward and the local churches have sent for us to train in becoming the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders for the church.”

Allen further announced that progress on the Mathena Student Center is on schedule and on budget.

Construction is expected to be complete by June 1, 2018.

In meeting business, the Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee brought forth a recommendation,

which the full board unanimously approved, to move forward with plans to renovate the Trustee Classroom building and old student center. ` Plans include consolidating faculty offices to one central location, as well as to consolidate all of the student services components into one convenient location for student access. Such areas include the financial services office, admissions, information technology, registrar’s office, housing office, and church partnership office. •

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AROUND CAMPUS

Midwestern Journal of Theology emphasizes “The Reformation and Later Controversies” in latest edition

by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

Midwestern Seminary released its Fall 2017 issue of the Midwestern Journal of Theology, entitled “The Reformation and Later Controversies,” on Nov. 30, featuring works by several of the school’s faculty and doctoral students. The fall edition addresses topics such as the definition of Sola Scriptura, Spurgeon’s endorsement of using lament psalms in public worship, and a debate on the atonement from 1987 between Paige Patterson and Fisher Humphreys.

President Jason Allen said of the Journal’s recently-released edition, “This publication of the Midwestern Journal of Theology is fitting in light of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. In it, our readers will be introduced to the scholarship of Matthew Barrett, one of our newest colleagues and faculty members, as

well as one of our longtime faculty members, Thomas Johnston, and our Provost, Jason Duesing.

Midwestern Seminary’s Journal editor, Michael McMullen—who also serves as Midwestern Seminary’s professor of Church History—noted that this issue of MJT seeks to highlight various aspects of the Reformation as well as some later controversies.

The MJT’s selections begin with Barrett’s theological commentary on the question, “What is Sola Scriptura,” which is also the article’s title. In the piece, Barrett explores the meaning of the Reformation-era staple as well as the fact that it is as relevant today as it was in the 16th century.

This essay is followed by an article from guest writer, Octavio Javier Esqueda, who is professor of Christian higher education in the

doctoral programs at the Talbot School of Theology. Entitled, “The Reformation in Light of a Christian Formation Perspective,” this article delves into six positive and six negative legacies from the Reformation that have impacted the perspective and practice of Christian formation.

Next in the Journal is Johnston’s article, “The Protestant Reformation and the Marriage of Clergy.”

Within the text, the Midwestern Seminary professor of evangelism posits that after the Protestant break from the Catholic Church, the marriage of clergy members served as a practical outworking and symbol of justification by faith, as opposed to justification by works. Additionally, he claims it was an honorable estate to do so.

Barrett, who is Midwestern Seminary’s associate professor

“Each of these men is uniquely talented and skilled for training the next generation of pastors and ministry leaders for service in the local church. They possess a tremendous heart for ministry and their students, but they also are among the brightest minds in theological education today. In these journal articles, I believe our readers will note the deep level of quality instruction our students receive as they study for ministry at Midwestern Seminary. I am grateful to God for these men.”

- Michael McMullen

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of Christian Theology, followed Johnston with a work entitled, “Balancing Sola Scriptura and Catholic Trinitarianism: John Calvin, Nicene Complexity, and the Necessary Tension of Dogmatics.” In the article, Barrett “pokes at the tension between Calvin’s affirmation of Sola Scriptura and his contested Trinitarianism” to answer the larger question: “How do we balance Sola Scriptura with catholicity?”

Additionally, Duesing contributed the article, “Humphreys/Patterson – 1987: A Southern Baptist Debate on the Atonement.” In the article, he examines on the debate’s 30th anniversary an analysis of the significance of the event for both the SBC in 1987 and for evangelicals inside and outside of the SBC in the present day.

Other essays in the fall edition

include: “‘Co-Equal, Co-Essential, Co-Eternal’: Introducing Anne Dutton and her Reflections on the Trinity” by Michael A. G. Haykin, professor of church history and biblical spirituality at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky.; and “’Consolation for the Despairing:’ C.H. Spurgeon’s Endorsement of Lament Psalms in Public Worship” by guest writer Alan J. Thompson, lecturer in New Testament and Biblical Theology at Sydney Missionary & Bible College, Sydney, Australia.

In addition to the scholarly articles, readers will find several relevant and thought-provoking book reviews, many of which were written by Midwestern Seminary doctoral students as well.

Guests may view the issue in its entirety for free on the seminary’s website, www.mbts.edu/journal. •

“This issue of MJT marks another quality edition by editor Michael McMullen and, thanks to the free digital publication option, is one that many will read.

It has been a joy to watch the MJT rise a desired venue for scholars to publish their research, and look forward to future issues in the months ahead.”

- Jason Duesing

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GO DEEPER WITH MIDWESTERN DOCTORAL

MIDWESTERN SEMINARY’S DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO EQUIP AND TRAIN LEADERS FOR THE CHURCH. All of Midwestern Seminary’s doctoral degrees are perfect for students seeking a high level of professional and academic competence. Whether you’re pursuing your Ph.D, D.Min, D.Coun, D.Ed.Min, or Th.M, we offer multiple concentrations. And because all of our doctoral programs are modular, you don’t even have to leave your current context to prepare for greater ministry impact.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS IN BRIEF New and Upcoming Releases from the Midwestern Seminary Community

BEING A CHRISTIAN: HOW JESUS REDEEMS ALL OF LIFE

THE LOST SERMONS OF C.H. SPURGEON, VOLUME 3

by Jason K. Allen (B&H)

by Christian T. George (B&H Academic)

Available Now

June 2018

The new book from Midwestern Seminary President Allen is a simple, yet profound primer on the experience of the Christian life and how the gospel’s implications reach far beyond the believer’s initial conversion.

The third of a planned nine-volume series which features the landmark discoveries and research of George, curator of Midwestern’s renowned Spurgeon Library. Written for pastors, scholars, and students alike, The Lost Sermons will add approximately 10% more material to Spurgeon’s body of literature and will constitute the first critical edition of any of Spurgeon’s works.

40 QUESTIONS ABOUT SALVATION

by Matthew Barrett (Kregel Academic) May 2018 This newest contribution to Kregel’s “40 Questions and Answers” series continues the tradition of excellent research presented in accessible language and clear writing. Barrett explores one of Christianity’s most disputed doctrines, covering the most common and difficult questions such as election, the order of salvation, and perseverance of the faith.

MERE HOPE: LIFE IN AN AGE OF CYNICISM

A BIBLICAL ANSWER FOR RACIAL UNITY

by Jason G. Duesing (B&H Publishing

Various (Kress)

June 2018

Available Now

How are Christians to live in such difficult times? The spirit of the age is cynicism. Rather than reflecting resigned despair or distracted indifference, author Jason Duesing argues, our lives ought to be shaped by the gospel of Jesus—a gospel of hope.

This compilation of essays on the biblical treatment of race and racial unity features contributions from Midwestern faculty members Owen Strachan and Christian George, as well as Midwestern Spurgeon preaching fellow H.B. Charles, Jr.

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CAMPUS LIFE

9MARKS CONFERENCE

FALL FESTIVAL

FOR THE CHURCH | AMES M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

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MIDWESTERN BOWL

REFORMATION HYMN SING For MORE CAMPUS EVENTS AND PHOTOS visit our events page at mbts.edu/events.

READY18 YOUTH CONFERENCE > Nearly 1,200 students aged 12-19 attended January 2018’s second annual READY Conference at Midwestern College and Seminary. Aimed at equipping the younger generation with a foundation in Christian distinctives and apologetics, keynote speakers included local pastor Brian Key, and Midwestern’s own John Mark Yeats, Owen Strachan, and Jared Wilson. The conference also included a concert by Christian hip-hop artist Tedashii.

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Preparing Your Soul for Seminary

by S A M B I E R I G

GOSPEL-CENTERED RESOURCES

FOR THE CHURCH Recent artic le s

I understand that many seminaries post a pre-reading list to provide incoming students with a theological framework, an “on-ramp” of sorts, as they plunge headlong into the rigors of the cerebral side of ministerial training.

Although I am in hearty favor of this practice and commend it, this post is taken up with a list that should operate more as a means of preparation for the pre-seminarian’s soul.

My aim is to compile a small compendium of voices, saints of old and new, who will both challenge and grace you with the things necessary for “survival and thrival” in seminary: THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN

BY JOHN OWEN

M O R E R E S O U R C E S AVA I L A B L E AT F T C . C O

I can say along with J. I. Packer that this little book has had more consequence in my Christian life than any other single book outside the Bible. Something about Owen is stunningly contemporary. He has a way of getting inside your head as he walks you down the well-trod hallways of your temptations.

He explains to you how and why at the end of these hallways you often turn the doorknob that opens up the vast rooms of your sin.

Owen, dear brother or sister, will teach you how to repent. He will break you down, tell you what’s what, and then show you how to starve out your sin and come out into the light of community within your local church. I get almost emotional when I consider just how God has done something, something amazing for me, through this little book. He opened up vistas of the Christian life that I never even knew were in existence. Owen will teach you to repent, and in exchange for your sin, he’ll

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show you how to put on Christ.

Seminarians are inherently beset with what I call “seminary sins.” Seminary is a strange beast, and although inherently good, many seminarians become filled with all manner of jealousy, covetousness, and envy during this season. You will be tempted to try to measure up and compare yourself.

You will be tempted to feel as though you are ill equipped for the task or even downright stupid. You’ll look at Joe Schmoe seminarian with his vast learning and 5 ½ kids and wonder, “God, why haven’t you gifted me that way? How does he do it?”

Seminarian, God’s grace is sufficient for you! You haven’t been called to seminary rock stardom but rather ministerial faithfulness.

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

BY JONATHAN LEEMAN Of first importance upon arrival at seminary is that you settle into a local church. Hurry up, brother or sister, and don’t drag your feet here. That would be a strange species of laziness, I guess. Darkness of soul looms on the other side of relational disconnectedness with the local church. You may be in this place for anywhere from three to six years. You need to get enmeshed into the warp and woof of the relational community in a local church as fast as possible. Allow the tentacles of that church to reach to every far crack and crevice in your heart and life. Do a little podcast and internet research before you arrive. Distill the possibilities down to three or at most four churches and then try to make your decision within two to three months after arrival.

Enough of my thoughts. Jonathan Leeman will serve you greatly in this little volume. It’s only some 100+ pages. Leeman is an exceptional writer, too, so he’ll carry you along briskly to his conclusions. I dare say you will be utterly convinced by his argumentation. Future seminarian, you are preparing for ministry within the local church, don’t dare neglect your local church while in seminary.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE BY DONALD WHITNEY Dr. Whitney will give you an armory of spiritual disciplines to accompany you for safe arrival on the other side of your seminary season. Whitney’s vision of Christian discipline is infused with the power of the gospel, working its way through the saving power of the Spirit of God. There is a certain gravity in seminary that pulls the student, often unhelpfully, toward an over-romanticizing of Christian scholarship.

At the end of your life/ministry, you’ll wish that you had pursued God, not academia. It’s through pursuing God that academia is converted into something life giving and useful.

That’s not to say they are mutually exclusive at all—I work at a seminary!

What I mean is that people, especially those to whom you minister, should sense the savor of Christ on you, not the flavor of academic articles. Dr. Whitney wants to be a vehicle of your salvation from stale Christianity during seminary. He wants to teach you how to pray, fast, steward your non-renewable time, and not waste your money. Listen to him. You’ll be the better for it.

LIVING THE CROSS-CENTERED LIFE BY C. J. MAHANEY When you consider the boldness, knowledge, wisdom, strength, and focus of Paul, it’s hard to imagine that you are cut from the same ministerial cloth as he—but you are! He was in no less need of saving than you. The subject of the gospel, if I can venture to use such a smallish term as subject, is the beginning and end of your ministry.

Maybe more apropos to you personally is that the gospel will be the galvanizing reality of your life as you minister.

C. J. Mahaney wants you to dwell where the cries of Calvary can always be heard. This little book, if you let it, will give you a beautiful gospel framework from which to envision your whole life.

Meditate on the gospel with C. J. You’ll need a stout dosage of what the gospel says about you, to you, and for you.

As you begin to memorize Greek verbs and their case endings—luow, lueis, luei, luomen, luete, luousi, again, luow, lueis, luei, luomen, luete, luousi—remember the cross, brother/sister seminarian. The cross isn’t mediated through Greek but rather through the love of Christ. Now, now, now—that’s not an invitation to ignore the life of the mind, rather, it’s an imperative to ground your pursuit of the life of the mind in what the good news of the cross and resurrection of Christ say about you. Then, and only then, you can use that reality to work your tail off on those Greek endings, playa!

WHEN PEOPLE ARE BIG AND GOD IS SMALL BY ED WELCH The most important thing that Welch has to say is that what God thinks about

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you is eternally, vastly, and insurmountably more important than what your peers think about you. If you consider the mental and spiritual fortitude it took for Martin Luther to stand on Sola Scriptura against the Romish church, you will get a sense of what Welch is aiming at. Luther had to have turned his back on every valued relationship in order to stand contra mundum.

Your ministry will be burned as mere straw and stubble in the holy presence of God if you prize man’s approval over God’s! The Christian life just won’t endure such a thing. You will not have the courage to be fired over things that are worth being fired over if you value your image more than the glory of Christ. You will not have the courage to offend the people you care for and that care for you if you look to others for validation. The doctrines of sin and salvation say that ministry will always be set on a collision course with confrontations and impasses, forcing the minister to choose between God-fearing and man-pleasing.

Welch wants to power up your courage to live in faithfulness, not fear of man.

You will be met with strong doctrine that has now fallen to you to protect.

Fear God, not man, dear seminarian.

Let Welch slay the man-pleaser in you.

Let him diagnose your sickness of “fear of man,” operate on you, and then sew you up with the stitches of the all-consuming reality of the fear of God. A METHOD OF PRAYER

BY MATTHEW HENRY Seminarian, you will be greatly tempted to neglect a life of prayer during seminary. Don’t fall into this snare. As far as having a continual, daily, enduring

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effect in my life, Matthew Henry’s sits just behind John Owen. I am so thankful for this dead brother! Read slowly through this book. Meditate on it. Its not one to read cover to cover, rather let Henry slowly shape your prayer life as you incorporate his way into your daily prayer. Use his categories and Scripture references. The man can flat out pray, and he wants to teach you how to do so also. You’re going to endure many trials and travails in your seminary season. Let Henry guide you into forming a strong link of prayer between you and your Heavenly Father. …AND TO READ AFTER YOUR ARRIVAL Similar to Owen, Tim Keller will help you hack down your functional idols in his little book, Counterfeit Gods. This is a watershed book if you are not accustomed to seeing life through the lens of idolatry. Ministry idolatry is a real thing that holds great sway.

In Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue, Andreas Kostenberger will give you a vision for the excellence one should use in footnotes, the writing craft, thinking, honesty, etc. He will challenge you to grow into the virtue and gift of academic theological pursuit.

In The Pastor’s Justification, Jared C. Wilson comes alongside the would-be or current pastor and disabuses him of those pesky, mythic visions of pastoral grandeur. Jared smells like his sheep in the best of ways. There’s no “holy distance” from the flock with Jared. He has that shepherdly dirt and grit under his nails from spending hours sheering his sheep and filing their hooves. I have spoken with many young pastors

whose entire vision of the pastorate was shaped by this book. Read and apply.

Lastly, Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey will help you locate your particular ambitions on the grid of personal holiness as your ambitions either work against or for the glory of God. He helps you answer the question: Is this ambition or pattern something I should kill or cultivate? That’s how he serves you in this little book. •

SAM BIERIG serves as the Dean of Midwestern College. Sam pastored in Arkansas for six years and now serves as an elder at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Ouachita Baptist University and received his Masters of Divinity from Southern Seminary. Sam is married to Mallory and they have one daughter, Abby Mae, and a son on the way. You can follow him on Twitter @ecclesiologian.

A Grace-Defined Future

by A D A M M C C L E N D O N

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.”

- Isaiah 54:1–4 Isaiah is a book filled with amazing promises of God and pictures of his future redemptive work through Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God (Is. 53:1-6). In this particular passage, God speaks to his people and acknowledges the difficulties they have experienced.

Interestingly, though, these difficulties are the direct result of their rebellion and the subsequent judgment of God! Rebellion brought severe consequences leaving them in desperate need of God. Their enemies routed their cities, plundered their wealth, destroyed their defenses, and swept away their wise men. The end result is that they are left without any option of self-rescue. So, at

the end of their rope in utter desperation with no hope, God breaks through the darkness and despair with a promise.

by the promises of God and not their past. Such a future is exponentially greater than the pain of their past.

“Get ready!” he declares. “I’m going to do something. Don’t miss me. You are at the point where you cannot do anything for yourself, you have no hope of a future on your own, so I’m going to give you a future in me that will be unmistakably grace.”

So, the people of God do not have to carry around their pain.

What God does in this amazing promise in the midst of their judgment is remind them of two critical lessons that are still applicable to his children today: 1. Our future is not defined by our past, but by the gracious promises of God. 2. This glorious future will overshadow our painful past.

God has a plan to increase and prosper his children. While the fullness of that plan will not be experienced until Jesus returns and establishes the fullness of his Kingdom, God in his grace often allows some of the blessings of our promised future to splash over the rim of the present so that we get a glimpse of what is to come. These glimpses do not disarm the danger of this present age, but should help reorient our eyes on our gracious King and his coming Kingdom.

God’s people are not defined by their performance.

God’s people are not defined by their good choices.

God’s people are not defined by their bad choices.

God’s people are not defined by the choices of others.

God’s people are defined by the promises of God inherited through faith in Jesus Christ the Son. Our future is secured by faith in the promises of God, who out of love sent his Son to bear the weight of failure so that we could have a glorious future. •

ADAM MCCLENDON is a regular contributor to For The Church. He is director of the D.Min. program at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and founder and director of New Line Ministries. He is also the author of Paul’s Spirituality in Galatians.

The future for God’s children is defined

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7 Dangers for Seminary Students

by D AY T O N H A R T M A N

I love seminary students. I love the fact that those who populate these institutions will be sent out all over the world to serve as pastors, planters, missionaries, teachers, scholars, and more. Yet, many students find themselves “flaming out” during their time in seminary. I remember some of my classmates crashing and burning emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Now, as a former seminary student and current pastor and professor, I think I can see some of the biggest dangers for seminary students. These are not the only dangers, but some of the most common I’ve seen.

1. SCRIPTURE BECOMES A TEXTBOOK TO TEACH FROM RATHER THAN THE WORD OF GOD Because you spend so much time in seminary studying the intricacies of the biblical text, there is a tendency to mentally move toward viewing the content of Scripture as something you master for a grade rather than something to be mastered by for increasing Christlikeness.

You must make a conscious decision, and a daily purpose, to remain “under” the Word so that you do not elevate yourself “over” the Word.

2. EXAMINING EVERY SERMON AS A CASE STUDY TO BE CRITIQUED RATHER THAN BEING CONFRONTED, CONFORMED, AND ENCOURAGED BY THE PREACHING OF THE WORD When I was in seminary, church life was difficult. Why? I became so arrogant with what I thought I “knew” that I couldn’t just sit under the preaching of

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the Word. I examined everything the pastor said and criticized it for content, flow, and precision. I thought I was being spiritually discerning. I wasn’t. Instead, I was arrogant and unteachable. Now, well into pastoral ministry, I think that many of the sermons I criticized the most were actually good sermons. Once you leave the classroom and enter the pulpit, you realize that they are two different animals. If you become so sure of your grasp of how a sermon should be preached that you can no longer sit under someone else’s preaching, you need to repent and consider dropping out of seminary life for a while. You are in sin. Period.

3. THINKING THAT BEING A SEMINARY STUDENT MAKES YOU A SPECIAL CLASS OF CHRISTIAN This is a subtle sin, but it is a real and destructive sin. There is an urge to feel attending seminary validates one’s faith and spiritual growth. False! This is a form of works-based righteousness. You feel that God must view you as more worthy of His love and sacrifice because you are now one of the select few who attend and participate in seminary life. Dear seminarian, examine your heart and kill this sin before it shipwrecks your faith.

Too many young believers attend seminary, seeking validation. If that is your goal, you are on an endless journey. Stop.

Rest in grace.

4. SUBSTITUTING THE SEMINARY FOR DEVOTION TO THE LOCAL CHURCH It continues to boggle my mind. Every year, I learn of seminary students who

used their pastor’s endorsement to get into seminary and then they drop out of church life! Truth: your professors are not elders. Okay, some are likely elders in a local church, but the seminary is not the church. It is a tool of the church to prepare students for ministry. But it is not the church. If you go to seminary and abandon devotion to a local church, you are definitely falling into danger #3 and you are in both rebellion and spiritual danger. There are 59 “one another” commands in the New Testament (come on seminarian, you should know this --- and yes, these commands apply to you) and you cannot keep any of them without devotion to other believers in a local church. If you are not devoted to a local church, you shouldn’t be in seminary. (Oh, and while I’m at it -- using your pastor for a reference only to drop out of the church . . . that’s a form of intentional deception. You know he wouldn’t endorse you going to seminary if he could foresee that you would drop out of church life.)

5. WASTING THE GOOD GIFT OF AN EDUCATION BY BEING LAZY For the record, if you are lazy, you are biblically unqualified to serve as a pastor.

So, why are you in seminary again?

Students who attend seminary and produce poor grades, due to a lack of effort, are demonstrating themselves to be unqualified for ministry. When I see students with a strong mind producing poorly and failing to meet deadlines, my stomach turns. Why? Because it means that some desperate church will likely hire this man who has poor character to shepherd the souls of that church body.

A pastor of poor character will destroy a church. Some students struggle academically. I get it! Some of the best pastors I know struggled in seminary. Their struggle was due to a lack of academic ability, not because of laziness. I think, all churches should require recent seminary graduates to disclose their GPA and to provide letters from seminary professors as to whether or not the student worked hard in their courses. Laziness is a severe character flaw. This can change. Don’t be lazy.

6. ASSUMING THAT THE SEMINARY MAKES YOU QUALIFIED TO BE A PASTOR The seminary exists to prepare you for ministry. It does not determine your qualification for ministry. We have so corporatized the pastorate that it resembles secular vocations. In secular vocations, you become educationally qualified for a position and you are hired.

The local church should not function this way. Scripturally, local church elders determine (after a long period of examination) whether or not a man’s aspiration to the office of elder (pastor) is legitimate. This has to be a lengthy process because the biblical qualifications listed in Titus and I Timothy have nothing to do with oratory skill. They have everything to do with character. All Scripture demands for a pastor’s skills is that he can teach Scripture. It doesn’t dictate how well he can teach, only that he is understandable. However, examining a man’s character takes months and years. The seminary does not take the place of biblical examination for eldership qualifications. The seminary equips

men to be pastors if the local church (after following a biblical examination process) affirms their aspiration to serve the Body of Christ as a pastor.

7. IGNORING DANGERS 1-6. •

DAYTON HARTMAN, is the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and serves as an adjunct professor for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dayton has earned a M.A. from Liberty University and a Ph.D in Church and Dogma History from North-West University (Potchefstroom, South Africa). His newest book, Church History for Modern Ministry (Lexham), is forthcoming. Dayton blogs at DaytonHartman.com and lives in Rocky Mount with his wife, Rebekah, and their two sons, Jude and Gavin.

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Dear Future Pastor

by J O S H H E D G E R

Dear pastor-in-training, You will not be a perfect pastor and your church will not be a perfect church. You will need to learn to give grace and to lose your pride.

1. GIVE GRACE TO YOUR CURRENT CHURCH AND YOUR FUTURE CHURCH. Your current church will never be perfect and the church that you will pastor will not be perfect either. Guys who are training to pastor often find themselves frustrated with their current church and think that when they pastor they’ll be able to fix all of their frustrations.

When you are the pastor of a church, your systems will still need work, your administration will still have holes, your liturgy will not be perfect, your discipleship will still leave people falling through cracks, and your ecclesiology will still need shaping.

Yes, your current church is not perfect, but guess what? -- your future church won’t be perfect either, no matter how hard you work at it. Learn to give grace to your current church and lose your pride that whispers a word of discontentment to your heart, “Just wait until I’m the pastor and I don’t have to deal with this poorly-run organization of messed up people. My church will be

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better than this.” Your future church will need grace as well. So learn to give grace to the church today.

2. GIVE GRACE TO YOUR CURRENT PASTOR AND TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU ARE THE PASTOR. Your current pastor will never be perfect and when you are a pastor, you will not be perfect either. Guys who are training to be pastors often find themselves frustrated with their pastor because they believe they wouldn’t make the same mistake, have the same struggles, or make the same decisions.

When you are a pastor, you will not be perfect. You will have too little time to meet with everyone who needs you.

You will make decisions that aren’t the best. You will preach sermons that aren’t homeruns. You will respond in frustration. You will lead poorly and you will feel like you are a failure.

Yes, your current pastor is not perfect, but guess what? -- you won’t be perfect when you are a pastor either. Give grace to your current pastor and lose your pride that whispers a word of self-righteous discord to your heart, “I can’t believe he did that. Just wait until I’m the pastor, I won’t make that mistake.” You will need grace from others and from yourself when you are a pastor, so learn to give grace to your pastor now. In so

doing, learn to give grace to yourself when you become a pastor, or else you will find yourself in a constant struggle with self-righteousness, perfectionism, and failure as a pastor. •

JOSH HEDGER, a regular contributor to For The Church, is a pastor at Emmaus Church (www.emmauskc.com) in the Kansas City metro. He is married to Tish, and they have a son and a daughter.

DON’T REPEAT YOURSELF APPLY FOR ADVANCED STANDING AT MIDWESTERN SEMINARY AND REDUCE YOUR DEGREE TIME BY 25%.

Master’s level applicants with undergrad courses in Bible or Theology can apply for Advanced Standing at Midwestern to avoid replicating courses already successfully completed. If you received a B or higher in undergraduate courses required for your graduate degree, you could have your required credit hours reduced by up to 25%. Why repeat yourself? Maximize your studies by leveraging course completion toward your master’s degree today. Some restrictions apply.

Take the next step.

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Serious Calling.

Serious Training.

TAKE GOD’S UNCHANGING WORD INTO A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. Midwestern Seminary’s flagship degree is our primary track for ministry preparation. At 81 hours, the M.Div. offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering all you need for a lifetime of fruitful ministry. We are developing a new culture of discipleship devoted to the local church and committed to taking God’s unchanging Word into a rapidly changing world.

Join the movement.

AFFORDABLE

One of the most competitive tuition rates in the country, starting at just $250 per credit hour.

FLEXIBLE

Study on campus here in Kansas City or online wherever you are.

PRACTICAL

Choose from 13 different concentrations, all streamlined to 90 hours or less.

UNDERGRADUATE

GRADUATE

DOCTORAL

ONLINE

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