Midwestern Magazine - Issue 39

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C O N T EN T S

Midwestern Magazine Issue 39

AT A G L A N C E

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT Carlos Smith

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IN FOCUS The Journey Hanley Road

(St. Louis, Missouri)

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT Brandon Freeman

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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT Dr. John Mark Yeats

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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

Jason K. Allen

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BOOK REVIEW Letters to My Students

by Jason K. Allen (Drake Osborn)

FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 Theological Education in a New Decade

Jason G. Duesing

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RESOURCES FOR THE CHURCH A selection

Jordan Wilbanks

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

John Mark Yeats

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

ARTICLE

8 For the Church as

12 Introducing the

16 Caring for

Reflections on reasons for hope at the end of all things

Introducing a new platform for church-based theological education

a Means to the End at the End

20 The Next Ten Years:

The Context of Theology

For The Church Institute

Students in the 2020s

Shaping a new generation to intersect with culture to highlight the glory of Christ

24 For the Church and Global Theological Education Rodney A. Harrison

Owen Strachan View past issues of MIDWESTERN MAGAZINE at mbts.edu/magazine.

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FROM THE

President JASONKALLEN.COM

s we enter the year 2020, one can only imagine some of the different issues that will confront the church in this new decade. Some of these issues we will see coming in the distance and, thus, we will have adequate time to prepare biblical and wise responses. Others might blindside the church and force it to respond quicker.

However, in any and every circumstance that confronts the church in this new decade, we can be sure of two things: (1) Christ will continue to build and care for his church, and (2) we must continually prepare and arm ourselves for faithfulness in the midst of such uncertainty.

While we trust the former wholeheartedly, the latter is of urgent concern for Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College.

If you know anything about Midwestern Seminary, you know that our vision is full, yet simple: we exist For the Church. Our stewardship is rooted in the biblical convictions that Christ died for his church; he is the head of his church; he promised to build his church; he gifts followers to serve his church; he is

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ď‚™ JASONKEITHALLEN

ď…­ JASONKALLEN

calling out pastors, teachers, and evangelists to minister to his church; he issued his Great Commission to expand his church; and he shall one day return for his church.

This focus on Christ and his church has driven us for the past eight years and, Lord willing, it will continue to drive us in this new decade. In this issue of Midwestern Magazine, you will find articles from some of my colleagues addressing an array of topics, all related to the faithfulness of the church in this new decade. My hope is that this issue of the Midwestern Magazine will further equip you to be faithful in all that God has entrusted to you in the year 2020 and beyond.

Sincerely,

JASON K. ALLEN, PH.D. President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

ED I T O R’S N O T E ISSUE 39

ADMINISTRATION Jason K. Allen PRESIDENT

James J. Kragenbring VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Jason G. Duesing PROVOST

Charles W. Smith, Jr.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS

Samuel Bierig

DEAN OF SPURGEON COLLEGE

Thor Madsen

DEAN OF DOCTORAL STUDIES

AND ACADEMIC INITIATIVES

Rodney A. Harrison

DEAN OF ACADEMIC STRATEGY

AND INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

John Mark Yeats

DEAN OF STUDENTS AND

STUDENT SUCCESS

EDITORIAL Ronni Kurtz CHIEF EDITOR

Mike Brooks

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T. Patrick Hudson EDITOR

Dave Wright

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

ART Jason Muir

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Daniel Day Kaden Classen

PHOTOGRAPHERS

© 2020 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.

It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was seated at a circle table with seven other would-be seminarians in a room packed with potential students. We were all in attendance to consider Midwestern Seminary as our future place of education and were preparing to hear from the institution’s relatively new President, Dr. Jason Allen. It was the first time I heard Dr. Allen describe the institutional vision in a public manner, and while all of it was moving, one particular line was seared into my mind which has not let up its impression since.

Dr. Allen, articulating his understanding and vision of theological education, stated, “I’m not lying in bed at night wondering what a seminary is supposed to be or what we are supposed to do.” While it was a passing comment in a series of important clauses, it stuck with me. Here was a leader convinced of a plan and purpose for theological education. In a day when institutions are floundering in terms of their identity, this President seemed resolved—which grabbed my attention. I knew I had only a handful of years to prepare for a lifetime of ministry, and it became clearer that day that I did not want to spend them at an institution that didn’t know who they are or where they are going.

The purpose Dr. Allen proclaimed? Well, if you’re familiar with Midwestern Seminary, you already know; Dr. Allen stated emphatically and clearly that this institution existed for one reason—For the Church. Her degrees, professors, dollars, and curriculum were bent toward the local Church.

As we turn the page on a new decade and begin the next 10 years of theological education in Kansas City and beyond, it felt like the right time to remind our readers and friends that this vision is still the burning center of Midwestern Seminary. In this latest issue of the Midwestern Magazine, you will find a collection of essays from our faculty and staff describing different avenues of what it means to be For the Church in 2020 and beyond. As with past issues, you will also find a collection of spotlights showcasing current students, alumni, and local churches, along with recent news from around campus.

We pray this Spring 2020 issue of the Midwestern Magazine is edifying and serves as a reminder of the purpose and plan of Midwestern Seminary—to be For the Church.

For the glory of God and the good of his people,

5001 N. Oak Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64118 (816) 414-3700 Midwestern Seminary maintains professional and academic accreditation with two accrediting associations: The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC).

Ronni Kurtz Chief Editor, Midwestern Magazine Managing Editor, For The Church Assistant Director of Marketing

 RonniKurtz

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Theological Education in a New Decade Looking Back and Forward on the For the Church Vision

by J A S O N K . A L L E N

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

This past October 15th marked seven completed years as president of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. It has been astonishing to see all that God has done over this time period.

At the personal level, I’m astonished how quickly the years have passed. We arrived in Kansas City with five children, ages 9—4, in tow. Now, those same children are 16—11. For the Allen family, Kansas City has become our home, and the seminary our life’s calling.

God has blessed Midwestern Seminary beyond measure. In the fall of 2012, we set forth a clear vision—that Midwestern Seminary would exist For the Church. Our stated goal was simple—to be the premier institution in North America training pastors, missionaries, and ministers to serve the local church. Thus, For the Church was born. Over the past seven 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 for Midwestern Seminary.

We believe that Midwestern Seminary’s right to exist is directly linked to our faithfulness to the local church. Moreover, I believe that every parachurch 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.

However, there are many challenges to face in 2020. They are numerous, interconnected, and wreaking havoc on Christian institutions across America. Daily, Christian institutions are being challenged, threatened, and punished for holding to traditional, biblical understandings of human sexuality, gender, and marriage.

Though Christianity has taught—and Western Civilization has affirmed—these norms for millennia, many find these truth claims increasingly intolerable.

These challenges only increase our burden to exist For the Church. God has given Midwestern Seminary a good seven years, but what would it look like for God to give us a good seven decades? What does For the Church mean going forward? As an institution, how do we rightly steward our gains? How do we project forward and outward our mission and ministry? How does our commitment to be For the Church direct us into the future?

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“God has given Midwestern Seminary a good seven years, but what would it look like for God to give us a good seven decades?”

Consider with me these nine points: FIRST, FOR THE CHURCH IS AN A PRIORI COMMITMENT. We must relentlessly ask, in light of that, how do we most faithfully serve Southern Baptist churches? Each one of those words matter.

How do we—not just me—most faithfully serve Southern Baptist churches? Midwestern Seminary is a Southern Baptist institution, proudly and happily so. We are not committed to Southern Baptists just in some generic way, but rather specifically to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. A continual question must be, “What does faithfulness to Southern Baptist churches look like in our generation?” That question will not be answered merely by our convictions, but also by us sensing and responding to our church’s needs and concerns. That changes year-to-year, decade-to-decade, and a faithful seminary will be responsible to the needs and concerns of the churches that it serves.

SECOND, FOR THE CHURCH MUST CONTINUE TO MEAN, “FOR THE NATIONS.” If I could put one asterisk beside For the Church, it would be to underscore that we are For the Church—domestic and international. For the Church is a global vision. God is a global God doing a global work across the nations. We are a Great Commission people, and we should be intentional to talk about, strive for, teach for, and pray for the international church as well as the domestic church.

THIRD, GOING FORWARD, WE MUST GUARD OUR HEARTS. God can do more in 10 seconds than we can do laboring for 10,000 years. At the same time, Satan, through a few ill-advised moments, can bring great harm to all that we’ve striven for. We should press this further. I do not merely mean through great moral failures or great scandalous sins; I also mean

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through pride that can creep in as we celebrate God’s faithfulness.

FOURTH, WE MUST ASSUME NOTHING. We must assume nothing, first and foremost, confessionally. We must continue to articulate, to advocate, to speak, and to hold ourselves accountable to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the Danvers Statement, the Nashville Statement, and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. These are what the churches expect of us by way of our doctrinal beliefs, and we have to continue to state them again and again and again.

FIFTH, WE MUST NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF A KEYWORD—STEWARDSHIP. Everything I have previously addressed is a stewardship. The analogy I use is, “Leading a seminary in the 21st century is like sitting down to a game of chess where you are playing someone who has already been playing for many hours before you.” Certain pieces are on the board and certain pieces are not on the board. Certain pieces are arranged such that, if you had it do to over, you would put them elsewhere. In our generation, we have taken our place at the table, and we are playing the board to the best of our ability. One day we will get up from that chair and a new generation will sit down to lead and serve. Where are the pieces going to be located on the board when we leave it to them? What position are we going to leave this ministry and institution in?

SIXTH, WE MUST CONTINUE TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE. We cannot fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to who we were or where we were five years ago. It is appropriate to do that in order to celebrate God’s goodness, but it is not appropriate to do that if it leads to comfort or complacency. The issue is not the institution we once were; the issue is the seminary that we can

become. We must continue to prize excellence “Some of the best years of our lives were at and pursue it. Institutions do not drift into Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City.” greatness. Inertia has never taken anyone to the top of the mountain.

It has to be fought for, worked for, and sacrificed for daily. What is “Institutions do not drift into greatness. more, there is no final victory in Inertia has never taken anyone to the this great work. It is a pursuit we top of the mountain. It has to be fought must continue to give our best energies toward. for, worked for, and sacrificed for daily.”

SEVENTH, GOING FORWARD, OUR GREATEST CHALLENGES WILL BE EXTERNAL. I write this not to be a prophet but, in one sense, to speak prophetically. Over the past seven years, our greatest challenges have been about fixing things internally. As we look to the future, our greatest challenges are going to be external. We live in a world that is increasingly secular. We live in a world with accreditation agencies that cannot figure out what seminaries do. We live in a world marked by governmental intrusion, from administration to administration. We live in a world where there is so much in front of and around us that could disrupt our work.

EIGHTH, MIDWESTERN SEMINARY MUST INCREASINGLY TAKE ON A PROPHETIC MANTLE FOR THE CHURCH. God has given us a distilled vision, and such a perch from which to speak, that we must continue to challenge other institutions and the church at-large about what they are doing for the local church. For the Church is such an obvious calling that every seminary and parachurch ministry should embrace it. Unfortunately, few have it as clearly and as prominently prioritized as they should.

FINALLY, NINTH, WE DESIRE TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A SEMINARY COMMUNITY WHERE EACH MEMBER FLOURISHES. Our desire is that every member of our community—student, faculty, and staff— flourishes. Our goal is that every person finds on this campus a community in which they flourish personally as well as vocationally. As a whole, we want them to look back over their family lives and their personal lives and say,

CONCLUSION As Midwestern Seminary labors For the Church, we do so with the assurance that Christ is building his church, but we also do this with a sense of custodial stewardship. Christ is building his church through pastors, teachers, and evangelists, whom we train.

In the ever-changing world of theological education, Midwestern Seminary owns a never-changing mission, to exist For the Church. Our mission to exist for the church is interconnected with the church’s mission itself, the Great Commission.

Midwestern most effectively labors For the Church when it labors with the church, and we must serve with and for the church in our combined Great Commission efforts until the end of the age, when “The Kingdom of the world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

May we never cease to be thankful to God for the victories he has given us these past seven years.

May we never cease to serve in such a way that he is pleased to give us such victories going forward into this new decade.

DR. JASON K. ALLEN | President, Midwestern Seminary & Spurgeon College

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For the Church as a Means to the End at the End

by J A S O N G . D U E S I N G

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“I am glad that you are here with me,” said Frodo. “Here at the end of all things.”

I never expected to get a theology lesson from the concluding chapters of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but I did.

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? The knowledge that evil was ultimately defeated, though the world self-destructed around them, and hope in the truth for which they persevered. That and their remaining fellowship led them to express gladness and joy there “at the end of all things.” Of course, as the story goes, they fell asleep before they were swept up on eagles’ wings and awoke to find restored fellowship and the return of the King.

I never expected to see the connection between the joy found in fellowship giving hope at the end of the world—but there it was, even in The Lord of the Rings.

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In Tolkien’s story, there is great hope and joy for those of us laboring as Christians in a self-destructing world— and thankfully that is a mere reflection of the shining light of truth of these themes found in the Bible.

“As churches strive and seek to carry out their biblical mandate of fulfilling the Great Commission for the glory of God as their ultimate work, the seminary should serve and support them in this task.”

In 1 Peter 4:7, the apostle Peter explains that “the end of all things is at hand.” 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 on 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. What, then, is the source of our hope, and on what task are we to have our minds and hearts set?

Until the end, whether one eats, drinks, preaches, trains, waters, reaps, types, writes, shares, or disciples, he should be doing these things in fellowships of local churches as the biblically prescribed means for carrying out the Great Commission to the glory of God. Such it is, too, to a degree, with the work of seminaries like Midwestern. The focus of Midwestern Seminary should always be “For the Church,” not as the end goal, but as the biblical means to the end.

As churches strive and seek to carry out their biblical mandate of fulfilling the Great Commission for the glory of God as their ultimate work, the seminary should serve and support them in this task. As the seminary trains future leaders and helps churches think through a

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healthy understanding of church doctrine, the seminary does this as a means to the end of these churches’ larger work.

When Baptist theologian J.L. Dagg said, “Church order and the ceremonials of religion, are less important than a new heart,” he was right, but he also did not mean that recovering doctrines of the church has no value. Indeed, the establishment of healthy churches only serves to ensure the potential of the regeneration of many more new hearts around the globe.

In short, Midwestern’s desire to be “For the Church” is a desire to see churches strengthened and then to seek increased cooperative ministry with other churches for the sake of global evangelism, to see the knowledge of the glory of God among all peoples as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).

I did not expect to find a theology lesson when reading The Lord of the Rings, but I am glad I did.

For we are living at the end of all things (1 Peter 4:7) and yet have every reason for hopefulness and joy as we look forward to the return of the King. In the meantime, the Bible admonishes us to stay busy in the task of Great Commission gospel advancement for the glory of God, and the means by which this is to occur is through local churches.

Until that work is finished and we are all swept up on eagles’ wings, may Midwestern Seminary have a legacy of faithfulness “For the Church” as a means to the end at the end.

DR. JASON G. DUESING | Academic Provost and Associate Professor of Historical Theology, Midwestern Seminary

GOD CALLS. WE TRAIN. YOU GO. FUSION is a process that begins with an

intense year of life-on-life discipleship at Spurgeon College followed by a summer focused on making disciples. The program is offered in two varieties: Fusion International and Fusion North America. Both options provide new students with rigorous training and mentorship in preparation for their places of service.

SPURGEONCOLLEGE.COM/FUSION

STRENGTHENING

CHURCHES from the INSIDE OUT

by J O R D A N W I L B A N K S

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WE ARE NOTICING AN ONGOING TREND IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH PASTORS AND WE LOVE IT. In fact, if we didn’t notice, it would only prove we aren’t paying attention. The movement occurring is what we refer to as “church-based theological education.” To summarize, regular church members are seeking out educational opportunities—such as classes typically taken in seminaries—within their own churches.

It seems every other day I’m learning about another church that is interested in starting a training academy for developing their leaders or offering a slate of classes for their members. Many churches, or associations of churches, already have them. But in many instances, we are seeing regular members of churches that are ready to go deeper with their study in the Word. These are often not those who are considering seminary or becoming vocational pastors. We’re talking about “the rest of us,” the main substance of the church body.

So what should a seminary—Midwestern, for instance—think about this? Is this a threat to our existence or our business model? Should we be nervous? Far from it! This is music to our ears. We want to aid this movement in any way we can. For the past year and a half, our team at Midwestern has been listening, thinking, planning, and strategizing to implement a new layer of curriculum for churches to use in helping their regular members grow. As a result, the all-new For The Church Institute will be unveiled this fall in its first iteration as an online portal to be used on-site by local churches.

Would your church benefit from a 10-week New Testament Survey class? How about including video lectures from a world-renowned New Testament scholar like Andreas Köstenberger?

We’ve aimed to provide a curriculum consisting of “shell” versions of our core classes that are accessible for anyone, from pre-teens to greatgrandmothers. We want to remove the ivory tower image of the seminary in our interactions with churches. Midwestern is, of course, a premier academic institution, but our focus remains the local church.

We want our gifted, pastoral faculty sharing the depth of their research and knowledge not only with seminary students and future pastors, but also with everyone else. Yet we want to do so without taking the teaching function or responsibility away from the local pastor. As part of For The Church Institute classes, world-class professors will lecture by video for a portion of each week’s class with discussion guides being provided. Church pastors will remain in their proper position: teaching their churches from the authority of the Word of God. These video-based lectures are meant to complement and reinforce the teaching of the local pastor.

Beginning this fall, For The Church Institute will offer a set of classes for local churches to use in helping their members grow, including Church History I, Theology I, Survey of the Old Testament, and Survey of the New Testament.

Pastors don’t need to devote sermon preparation or ministry time to developing any curriculum.

Students won’t be expected to desire or pursue a degree in seminary, but we hope they’ll want to know God more deeply, study their Bibles well, and be more equipped for faithful ministry in their spheres of influence.

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A VISION FOR THE FUTURE It is safe to say that biblical literacy has been a desperate and humbling need within our churches. Many are taunted by the question “Did God actually say…?” because they do not actually know what God has said. An insufficient, small view of God allows for and perpetuates this tragedy within our churches.

The message of God’s gospel of Jesus Christ, which fills the pages of the Bible, is lost amidst trifling questions and man-centered cultural doctrines. Social media spats discolor our view of, well, everything.

Declared truth has become distasteful to many who have filled the seats of our church buildings. How much of this, we must ask, results from the perception of a disappointingly weak, small-minded god who is not to be trusted?

pastors who want to help church members listen to Sunday’s sermon, then open the Word in personal study, seeing the “God-ness” of God, in His all-sufficiency, His justice, His boundarybreaking love, and His direct assault on sin. We want to see these saints, with eyes trained for eternity, equipped for the work of the ministry— and not leaving all the ministry to those in pastoral ministry.

If the average believing church member is strengthened in his or her knowledge of Scripture and in his or her affection for Christ to any noticeable degree, the church will be stronger, both regionally and nationally. We trust in the power of Christ and the Spirit of God most of all to keep the church, and yet we are to work out our own salvation by cultivating our hearts toward trusting and abiding by His Word.

“IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT BIBLICAL LITERACY HAS BEEN A DESPERATE AND HUMBLING NEED WITHIN OUR CHURCHES.”

Thankfully, that god is not the God of the Bible.

The story of Scripture is one of fulfilled promises, of a Creator God who has proven time and time again that He is faithful. And He punctuated that for all time at the cross and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We need a church body filled with 15-year-olds who know that the Old and New Testaments are one story, revealing the Word made flesh. We need our oldest saints equipped and laser-focused for mission, that they might share the great story of Scripture with friends who fear the darkness on the nearing horizon.

We want to put instruments into the hands of pastors to help them shepherd the flock of God with His Word. The For The Church Institute has been created for this purpose. We hear from

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Our vision for the future is one in which each member of each Christian church is trained with sound doctrine to go and make disciples. The For The Church Institute is not a silver bullet or the ultimate answer to any church’s woes—again, that answer is Jesus Christ. Our mission is to help strengthen churches from the inside out so that each member sees the Bible as a single story about God sending Jesus, the Savior of the world, to reconcile sinners—us—to Him.

JORDAN WILBANKS | Director of Church Partnerships; Director of The Timothy Track, Midwestern Seminary

Learn more about FOR THE CHURCH INSTITUTE at ftcinstitute.com.

FTC Institute FAQs IS FTC INSTITUTE FOR ME? If diving deeper into understanding who God is or knowing the story of Scripture more sounds interesting, it’s safe to say you will find FTC Institute helpful. If you’re at the beginning of your faith journey, the Institute can help you make sense of what’s going on in the Bible. If you’re looking to lead in a church, or if you’ve never had any formal theological education for ministry leadership, this is a great place to start! In short, we believe this is a tool that will help everyday Christians be better equipped for ministry, and it will encourage them in their walk with God.

WHEN WILL FTC INSTITUTE BE AVAILABLE FOR MY CHURCH? FTC Institute will launch in the Fall of 2020. The first four classes will be available for use in your church at that time, and each class is ten weeks long— so you can start your planning now!

WHAT CLASSES WILL FTC INSTITUTE OFFER? We will be releasing four classes at the launch this fall: Church History I, Theology I, and surveys of the Old Testament and New Testament. In the next year or two, we’ll also be rolling out classes like Interpreting the Bible, Apologetics, Evangelism and Discipleship, Preaching and Teaching, and continuations of previous classes, such as Theology II and Church History II.

SHOULD I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THEOLOGY TO BENEFIT FROM A CLASS? All you need is an interest! If you are curious at all about the Bible, you can benefit from these classes.

Remember, this is in the context of a local church, where a pastor and other friends are there to help you if you need it. None of us have it all perfectly figured out, but we do have good reason to trust that the Bible is true. We can help each other understand what God has said in His Word and what He’s done in Christ for the Church.

IT SEEMS A SEMINARY PROFESSOR IS REPLACING ME AS THE PASTOR. IS THAT ACCURATE? Not at all! For each class session, the video with the professor is only intended to be a portion of your class, leaving time for the pastor to guide the discussion. We want to reinforce and complement the pastor’s teaching in his church under the authority of the Word, not replace it! This also benefits a pastor who doesn’t have the time to create a whole curriculum for classes like these.

Learn more.

FTCINSTITUTE.COM MBT S .EDU

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CA R I N G F O R

ST U D E N TS I N

T H E

2020S

by J O H N M A R K Y E A T S

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S

tudents haven’t changed much in the last 2,000 years. Making sure students are successful in reaching the finish line of graduation has long been the purview of faculty, parents and, of course, the students themselves.

But not all students take to their studies with the same level of diligence. Consider this letter from a worried father to his son in the 14th century: It is written, ‘He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is also a great waster’. I have recently discovered that you lived dissolutely and slothfully, preferring license to restraint and play to work and strumming a guitar while the others are at their studies, whence it happens that you have read one volume of law while you’re more industrious companions have read several.

Wherefore I have decided to extort you herewith to repent utterly of your dissolute and careless ways that you may no longer be called a waster and that your shame may be turned to good repute. 1 On some level, it’s humorous to see parents just as concerned 600-plus years ago as parents are today to see their student complete his or her training.

As a professor and a dean, every student who enters my classroom or office has a unique set of life circumstances, challenges, and motivations. The confluence of these aspects often frames the approach of each student toward his or her studies. No matter a student’s context, there are a few basic approaches to helping all students attain their goal of being a graduate from a school like Midwestern Seminary or Spurgeon College.

These approaches are the same in 2020 as they were in prior generations.

1

SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS ALWAYS THE PRIORITY The true goal of education is to produce change in the heart, mind, and life of the student. As Christians, we want to see the final outcome of that change rooted in a deep theology with intentional Christological contours.

Consequently, students at Midwestern and Spurgeon are immersed in classrooms that help integrate Christian faith and learning into every area of life. Whether studying economic principles or missions strategies, we want students to grow deeper in their walk with Christ.

Like prior generations, immersing students in the classic disciplines of fasting, praying, Bible reading, evangelism, and worship is the bedrock of healthy spiritual growth for individual students. For the community as a whole, chapel is a core component of building the spiritual lives of students on campus as communicators drive students deeper into the Word and into their callings. In every way, we aim to have students connect what they are learning in the classroom to who they are in Christ in order to activate their faith and put it on mission for the sake of a lost and hurting world.

PHYSICAL TRAINING HAS A SPECIFIC PLACE In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses a powerful illustration of physical training to talk about the process of discipleship. “I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I might not be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:27). This aspect of development and training in self-control and discipline as part of spiritual growth should not come as a surprise.

Charles Haskins, “The Life of Medieval Students as Illustrated by Their Letters, “in The American Historical Review, Vol 3, no.

2, (1898): 214.

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Current research trends in education point to the inextricable link between physical fitness and training and academic success. As we “discipline our bodies,” we strive for a balance of healthy eating, sleep, and physical activity. Often when I meet with students who are experiencing high loads of stress, these are some of the things I want to discover about their life patterns. As Generation Z is often considered the “most stressed” or “most anxious” generation, helping these students connect with a healthy balance in life helps them persist in the greater goal of growing in Christ.

INVESTMENT FROM BELIEVERS MAKES A DIFFERENCE No one makes it alone.

In one of the most endearing and moving traditions in the British Premier League, the fans of Liverpool FC join together, arm in arm, and sing at the top of their lungs, “You’ll never walk alone.”

This goose-bump inducing part of their club’s liturgy offers a poignant reminder of the power of community and the support of those around you, whether you mark a win or a loss (or even a draw).

Not surprisingly, students who don’t create a network of connectivity struggle in maintaining focus on their studies. One of the essential aspects of engaging students has always been connecting them to community on campus. In the 21st century, this increasingly means helping them disconnect from their digital universe and engage with peers and professors. Walking through buildings on our campus and seeing students praying together, studying the Word together, or serving together shows the empowering realities of Christian community.

each other, but it can’t end there. A community formed in the seminary or college bubble, while meaningful and often formative for a student, is limited in scope. This is why the place God designed for us to experience community—the local church—is even more essential.

At the end of the day, the best foundation for spiritual care in the life of the student is found in the local church. Through the clear preaching of the Word, paired with worship and service alongside individuals from the broader community, students establish healthy roots that enable their souls to be nourished. When the undergraduate misses home, families in the local church provide a surrogate location to decompress and enjoy home cooking. When the graduate student is stretched thin through the rigors of study and the stress of work, a small group provides support and grounding in ways that no classmate could ever provide. When a student feels isolated, serving the broader community through the local church brings concrete grounding to a student’s life like nothing else can.

This should not surprise us. God’s plan has always been the local church as the foundation for the support of every believer. Students are no different. They need their local church just like you and I do in order to flourish in life as they train and prepare to expand the work of the Kingdom on a global scale.

Students may not have changed much over the centuries, but the task of educating the next generation remains great. Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College are uniquely designed to shape a new generation of men and women to intersect with the culture to highlight the glorious riches of Christ.

THE LOCAL CHURCH PROVIDES THE BEST FOUNDATION FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Our Student Life team works tirelessly to help students connect in meaningful community with

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DR. JOHN MARK YEATS | Dean of Students and Student Success; Professor of Church History, Midwestern Seminary

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THE NEXT 2010

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CONTEXT of

THEOLOGY

by O W E N S T R A C H A N

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t’s hard today predicting what’s heading our way in the next 10 minutes, let alone the next 10 years. Many of us feel like we are on a speeding bullet train driving us deeper into a state of liquid modernity. Thankfully, we are not without help and solidity. Much as the earth may seem to shake beneath our feet on a daily basis, we stand on the solid rock of Christ. He holds us fast, and he will hold us fast until the end.

From this strong foundation, we are called to minister grace and truth. We need to shepherd pilgrims on their way to the New Jerusalem. How can we do this well in the next 10 years? In what follows, I suggest five matters of focus for those of us seeking to feed the sheep the truth of God. FIRST, EXPECT A LOT OF CHAOS. Many of us want ministry to be safe, secure, and quiet.

At some moments, it is; we’ve got our books, a hot cup of good coffee, and there’s snow on the windowsill. All is calm; all is cozy. But this is not the normal context for ministering theology.

Theology is not made for the retreat center; theology is made for the rough and tumble. Praise God this is so because we should expect a great deal of chaos in days to come. The fall of Adam fundamentally destabilized our world. In our time, our sociopolitical order seems to exist in a neverending state of crisis. No doubt much of this is manufactured so that we’ll turn on the TV or fire up social media; real life is actually a good deal more stable than online life.

Nonetheless, we do live in tumultuous times.

We shouldn’t spend much time wishing this away, right as it is to yearn for peace. Instead, we should lean into our setting. Embrace the chaos.

Instead of devoting your energy to the pursuit of calmness, bring calmness into your pursuits.

Know that Christ is walking beside you, leading you, guiding you home. This truth will help you be where are you are, and being where you are enables you not merely to survive but to minister grace and truth.

SECOND, EAGERLY RESPOND TO A REAL HUNGER FOR SOUND DOCTRINE. People are coming to us mangled and twisted by a secular and neo-pagan order. They have seen, at least some of them, that the world’s promises ring up bankrupt.

They don’t want soft words and easy pieties. They want the hard stuff. They want the truth. They want the solid rock to stand on. They know by the Spirit’s illuminating and converting work that they are not Christ, and they hunger for Christ.

In crassly economic terms, you could call this a “market opportunity.” In other words, the sheep are hungry. In some cases, they have been given a little appetizer and a cup of tea, and nothing more. In the next 10 years, we should eagerly give such people the whole counsel of God, taking them deep into the mind and will of the Almighty. Are there hard questions that arise in the study of God’s Word?

There are. Will people initially balk at some of the tougher parts of the providential plan of God over all things? They may. Do true believers nonetheless submit themselves to the all-wise truth of the divine?

Yes, they do. This is our task, then: not to tickle the ears of the sheep, but to feed them a full, delicious meal of godly instruction.

THIRD, EDUCATE MEN AND WOMEN IN BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. There is no area in Christian theology that people have less education in than the doctrine of mankind. Many people today, in sum, have basically no idea what it means to be human. We should expect that such confusion will only increase, not decrease, in days ahead.

Our culture says we are a clump of cells evolved from dust and gases; Scripture says every person is made in the image of God and, thus, a being made for God (Genesis 1). Our culture says our feelings determine our identity; Scripture teaches that God has already given us our identity as the creature made by—and distinct from—the Creator.

Our culture says manhood and womanhood are cultural constructs; Scripture says that God made

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us male and female from the beginning (Genesis 2). Our culture says our major problem is low self-esteem due to lack of affirmation; Scripture teaches that a real historical Adam fell from God when he followed his wife into rebellion against the divine (Genesis 3). Our culture says we can lean into our sexuality, embracing our inmost desires; Scripture teaches we must mortify the flesh, repent of ungodly desires, and pursue personal transformation in the Spirit’s power (Romans 6). People desperately need to know these truths or else they will not be able to make sense of their sinful condition and the salvific hope of Jesus Christ.

FOURTH, ENTRANCE PEOPLE WITH THE BEAUTY OF BIBLICAL SOTERIOLOGY. Our world perpetually tries to solve our problems without reference to Jesus Christ. This is what, in some sense, every ungodly philosophy and system offers: it offers us cleanness without the cross and salvation without the Savior. In the next 10 years, people will hear many variations on this theme.

They’ll hear that healthy living is what they need; that “manifesting” their goals will give them lasting happiness; that speaking their purpose into existence will lead to self-actualization; that “doing justice” will heal the world; and that doing what makes them feel good will meet their deepest desires. All these and every other nonbiblical gospel are lies.

What people actually need is not self-help, psychotherapeutic wish fulfillment. What people actually need is Christ crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the Father’s right hand. People need blood atonement for their sin so that they do not bear the Father’s wrath on the last day.

People need resurrection power over sin, Satan, death, and hell. People need the intercession and kingdom rule of the exalted Christ. It is no bad thing to try and improve your life in various ways, but only Christ saves, transforms, and ushers us into everlasting life. Expect that people will be tempted to buy into self-help salvation that lavishly affirms them but asks that they bear no cross. Be ready to give people something infinitely better: the enchanted truth of the warrior-king,

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Christ Jesus, who bought us back from the dead.

FIFTH, ELEVATE PEOPLES’ PERSPECTIVE THROUGH ESCHATOLOGICAL INSTRUCTION. We sometimes hear that Christians are “paranoid” about the end of the earth, but there is truly no paranoia like secular, Christless paranoia. Sadly, people all around us believe that various factors are hastening the end of the earth. They propose ever more drastic (and costly) solutions to this situation, often doing so at global conclaves that require the use of carbon-burning private jets. In the next 10 years, our cultural prophets will continue to be secular celebrities who simultaneously lecture the common man and fail to live by their own stringent code.

Pastor-theologians can give their people something so much better: they can point them to heaven.

This world is not everlasting. Jesus is going to remake the earth into the new heavens and new earth. We will dwell forever with the Lamb (Revelation 21-22). The tree of life is evergreen, and the healing of the nations comes from its branches.

People need to hear about eternal life, to yearn for it, and to care more about it than any earthly endeavor. In the same way, pastors need to preach about hell, for the truth of everlasting conscious judgment from God for sin is what wakes sinners like us up as the Spirit moves.

We do not need less eschatology in the next 10 years, in sum. We need much more. Of course, in confessing this, we don’t even know if we have the next 10 years! We don’t have a single day promised us. We do, however, have Christ, and no one and no world order can take him away from us.

Remembering this truth, and others like it, does much to shape our theology, our hope, and our very lives in these chaotic times.

DR. OWEN STRACHAN | Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Director of The Center For Public Theology, Director of The Residency Ph.D. Program; Midwestern Seminary

Earn Your Ph.D. for the Church ALL OF OUR PH.D. PROGRAMS, INCLUDING BIBLICAL STUDIES AND BIBLICAL THEOLOGY, ARE OFFERED IN RESIDENTIAL AND MODULAR FORMATS.

The Ph.D. program at Midwestern Seminary provides opportunities for advanced research and preparation in theology in an environment passionate about the local church. Choose from multiple emphases; GRE and MAT scores are not required; and with our modular program of study, you can remain in your current ministry setting.

Take the next step.

mbts.edu/phd

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F

OR HALF A CENTURY, a tapestry

emblazoned with that era’s seminary logo hung outside the old chapel that is now the Spurgeon Library. The words surrounding the logo proclaimed, “In the Heart of America, For the Hearts of the World.” Today, the aspirations of past generations are being realized through Midwestern Seminary’s thriving International Studies programs. Many may be surprised to learn that of Midwestern’s 4,000 students, 37% are non-Anglo, and 22% are pursuing a degree in a language other than English. At the doctoral level, 37% are reading, researching, and writing in a language other than English. Graduates of Midwestern’s international programs serve as pastors and missionaries in Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, Peru, Venezuela, Romania, and many other Asian, European, and South American nations.

M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., D.Ed.Min., and Ph.D. degrees. In addition to the Korean classes taught on the Kansas City campus, occasional classes are offered in cities with large Korean populations, such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seoul, South Korea.

Following a process that involved two years of prayer and planning, Midwestern launched the MTS degree in Mandarin in 2016. In May 2019, the program celebrated its first graduate, who is now continuing his studies in the new Mandarin language M.Div., launched under the leadership of Paul Liu, director of Mandarin Studies and associate professor of Ministry.

“Many may be surprised to learn that

The growth of these language of Midwestern’s 4,000 students, 37% programs mirrors the growth of Midwestern Seminary. In are non-Anglo, and 22% are pursuing a 2010, the seminary launched degree in a language other than English.” the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in Korean and Spanish.

Today, these two programs enroll over 300 students who serve as pastors, The early success and positive feedback from missionaries, and denominational leaders. the Asian and Spanish doctoral students was Students in these language programs serve in fullimpetus for Radu Gheorghita, professor of time ministry, while studying under Midwestern Biblical Studies, to request that the institution faculty and accomplished adjunct professors. explore making the D.Min. available for church Several adjunct professors from the programs’ leaders in his native Romania. After two years of earliest days now serve on Midwestern Seminary’s preliminary preparation, the Romanian D.Min. faculty, including Daniel Chong, Sing Jin Park, program was launched in October 2013. The Bobby Sena, Min Soo Sim, and Buck Sung. influence of the program is captured in these comments from graduates: The Asian Studies program is led by Dr. Park, dean of Asian Studies and associate professor We see the impact of this program on our of Biblical Studies. Under his leadership, the ministries, especially since it is designed to program has grown to 470 degree-seeking be For the Church: biblical, but applicational; students, plus a number of lay leaders pursuing rigorously academic, but indigenous. Praise certificate level studies. Today, Korean-speaking God for the vision behind it! students are enrolled in the MAMS, MTS, MACE, —Pastor Stefan Cornu (R.D.Min. 2018)

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Every course was practical and useful for ministry in the local church. I think this is one of the strongest points of this program.

In spite of sometimes feeling tired and overwhelmed by the requirements, looking back, I consider it a great blessing for me and for our church.

—Nicu Stremțan (R.D.Min. 2019) The academic environment and the wonderful friendships I developed with my cohort colleagues and professors had a great impact in my life and ministry.

—Pastor Adrian Bârzu (R.D.Min. 2018) The quality of the program and the affordable tuition persuaded me to register.

As our parishioners gladly testify, the program prepared me to be a better expositor of the Scriptures.

—Pastor Mircea Toma (R.D.Min. 2019) During a season when the Asian Studies programs were growing exponentially, the Spanish program, with one degree, the D.Min., was also growing, but at a slower pace. To serve the needs of the churches, additional programs were required. To meet those needs, the undergraduate level Certificate in Church Planting and graduate MTS in Pastoral Ministry launched in 2017. Under the guidance of Felix Cabrera, assistant professor of Pastoral Ministry, 29 Church Planting certificates and two MTS degrees were awarded at our December 2019 commencement. According to Cabrera, “What has made our Hispanic Program a blessing is that it is not only in the native language of our students, but it is contextualized. Many times, when a book or lecture is translated into another language, the idea or concept being taught or shared is lost. By having faculty who are Hispanic and employing instructors who serve in the Hispanic context, an unparalleled learning experience is available for the student.”

This year, the Spanish program will experience several enhancements, including the addition of

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Greek and Hebrew courses that will ultimately give Spanish speaking students access to the M.Div. degree. The new 33-hour Spanish Master of Arts in Ministry Service (MAMS) degree through Spurgeon College provides a gateway to graduate-level education for church leaders and bi-vocational pastors. At the doctoral level, a non-residential D.Min. program that is under development will provide access to students unable to travel to Kansas City.

In the past four years, our institutional commitment to international programs was threatened by tightening immigration laws and a strong U.S. dollar. Many international students found it impossible to obtain travel visas, while the strong dollar made the cost of traveling to Kansas City prohibitive for most pastors and church leaders. Under the leadership of seminary President Jason Allen, the institution took the bold step of requesting an exception to the Association of Theological School’s residency requirements for doctoral degrees. This exception, which was granted in February 2019, allows students to pursue their D.Min. and D.Ed.Min. degrees through online seminars or classes meeting occasionally in churches or other approved locations.

Another tool implemented by Dr. Allen is the “tuition offset” that adjusts instructional and student costs for international students. These measures are aligned with the institutional priority of providing accessible, affordable theological education.

Today, the institution’s language programs are supported by two deans, three directors, nine faculty, eight support staff, and over 40 adjunct professors. Although Midwestern’s international faculty may not be familiar names to church leaders in North America, their academic accomplishments are significant. Many earned degrees from prestigious institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, and Hebrew Union College.

Many of Midwestern’s international faculty are well known among the churches for their publications and are sought-after speakers.

What is next for International Studies?

On January 30, 2020, I transitioned from overseeing the doctoral programs of Midwestern—a position I enjoyed for 15 years—to dean of Academic Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness. In this new role, I will supervise all non-English language programs. I also serve on the Global Awareness and Engagement Work Group for the Association of Theological Schools. I can envision no greater privilege or more significant kingdom task than serving the church through Midwestern Seminary. To be involved with the International Studies program is to be involved in the Great Commission on a daily basis.

Additionally, under the leadership of Jordan Wilbanks, director of Church Partnerships, a Romanian Leadership Development program is starting in 2020. This spring, Dr. Sena and I will be visiting Puerto Rico and Mexico to explore expanded doctoral-level opportunities to serve seminary graduates in those countries. At the same time, Dr. Park and Dr. Liu are working on a proposal to offer the D.Min. degree in Mandarin, and in October, I will be joining Dr. Gheorghita and leaders in the Ukraine to explore the feasibility of a D.Min. program for Ukrainian leaders.

Although no one knows the future, as Christians, we know Who holds the future. We are excited to be joining God in His global assignment to make disciples of all nations.

Even beyond the classroom, Midwestern Seminary trains leaders for the Church with our family of podcasts.

FTC.co/podcast

credomag.com/podcast

jasonkallen.com/podcast

cpt.mbts.edu/podcast

cbs.mbts.edu/podcast

mbts.edu/churchhistorypodcast

DR. RODNEY A. HARRISON | Dean of Academic Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness; Midwestern Seminary

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

MEET CARLOS SMITH It was the third Ph.D. seminar in my doctoral journey, and I walked into the room greeted by boisterous laughter. The source of audible joy was a fellow student whom I had yet to meet. I found out, as we traversed the seminar in Christology and Anthropology, the student was fellow doctoral student, Carlos Smith. It took me, and the rest of the class, about 10 seconds to fall in love with Carlos’s joyful and loving personality. However, we all quickly became impressed with more than just his contagious joy when he began to describe and read his research. Working on the theological and ecclesial implications of mental disabilities, Carlos presented his plans for what is undeniably needed scholarship. We had the privilege to sit down with him for an interview for our Student Highlight.—Ronni Kurtz, Chief Editor

RONNI KURTZ Carlos, first of all, thanks for taking the time to participate in this Student Highlight. Let’s start with a bit of background: where are you in your studies at Midwestern, and where do you currently serve in ministry?

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CARLOS SMITH Ronni, thank you so much for the opportunity to share.

It’s a great honor. I am approaching the writing phase of my doctoral studies at MBTS. I only have Dissertation Seminar remaining and am currently working on theological German. I can see the light at the

end of the tunnel! I am excited to be so close to writing.

As far as ministry, I currently serve as the lead pastor of The Journey Hanley Road in University City, Mo. The Journey is a multisite congregation comprised of five

churches across the St. Louis metro area. My congregation is in the shadow of Washington University and is situated in one of the most diverse cross sections of St. Louis.

It’s a really cool place to serve!

RK As mentioned in the introduction, you are aiming your dissertation at dealing with matters of mental disability. How did this become a passion for you?

CS People with mental disabilities have always been a part of my life. I have a cousin, named Jason, who has cognitive disabilities and Cerebral Palsy. He is very dear to me. Also, during college, I worked for EasterSeals of Northeast Indiana as a residential trainer for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. I loved that job deeply because the goal was to serve individuals with disabilities by helping them integrate into their communities and to maximize their God-given potential. It was truly a joy!

While all of these connections to people with disabilities were impactful for me, my passion in this area emerged from my firstborn son, Carlton’s, Autism diagnosis. It rocked my world. I began to wrestle with questions of soteriology, ecclesiology, and discipleship.

A plethora of questions raced through my mind: “What does a credible profession of faith look like for a child with Autism?” “Will he ever be baptized?” “Will he ever be a member of a local church body?” “What will sanctification look like for him?” As I wrestled with these questions and searched for resources, I found there were

precious few. That is when I realized this was an area where deep and sustained theological reflection was needed within the church.

all of this comes out in preaching!

Now, in my preaching, I am able to make connections for the people of God to help them better understand and apply the whole counsel of God to their lives.

RK You’re a Ph.D. student, but you also serve as a lead pastor. How have your My Ph.D. studies have deepened Ph.D. studies aided you my well of understanding, in pastoral ministry? particularly in the areas of

biblical and systematic theology.

My Ph.D. studies have deepened my well of understanding, particularly in the RK Final question: this issue of areas of biblical and systematic the Midwestern Magazine is theology. The readings and about the vision of our institution seminars that I have had at to be For the Church. Why is that Midwestern have helped me see vision important to you? the themes and leitmotifs that link Scripture together into a cohesive CS The vision is the very reason whole. For example, the seminar I came to Midwestern. For me, it that you and I had together, set Midwestern apart from every Advanced Systematic Theology, other institution that I considered. focused on Anthropology and The reason this vision continues Christology. If you had pressed to resonate so deeply for me me in the past about a connection is because it is the vision that I between those two systematic believe that the Lord has given me categories, I would have had for my own life. I am committed something to say. However, to the local church. I have been through spending focused energy taught, shaped, and molded by on these categories and taking the local church, and as a pastor, time to read some of the greatest I believe the Lord has called me theologians on these topics, to dedicate my life to her health then attending a seminar led by and strength. So, when I found an theological heavyweights such institution that could intentionally as Matthew Barrett and Owen train me as a pastor/scholar for the Strachan, my understanding was Bride of Christ, I said, “Sign me sharpened immensely. What up!” I believe servants of the Lord were once small threads in my who have been called to give their mind became golden chains, lives for the church will continue to linking these categories together fill this school in droves because of throughout the Scriptures. And this vision.

CS

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IN FOCUS: THE JOURNEY | HANLEY ROAD

THE JOURNEY HANLEY ROAD LOCATION: St. Louis, Missouri

I

In every edition of the Midwestern Magazine, we seek to highlight faithful churches. For this issue, we are glad to highlight a church across the state—The Journey Hanley Road—pastored

by Midwestern Ph.D. student, Carlos Smith. With five locations across the St. Louis metro area, The Journey is a gospel-centered church whose vision reads, “We are a diverse community centered on Jesus Christ, seeking to wholly enjoy His grace, faithfully embody His love for one another, and boldly engage our culture with His truth, from our neighborhoods to the nations.”

RONNI KURTZ Tell us a bit of the story of The Journey Hanley Road. When did the church start, and how did you get there?

CARLOS SMITH Thanks for the opportunity to share about The Journey Hanley Road. The Journey is a multisite congregation comprised of five churches across the Metro St. Louis area, and it began about 18 years ago in the founder’s basement. The congregation that I lead is actually the original Journey location and was formed when

the newly planted Journey merged with Hanley Road Baptist Church. Hanley Road Baptist, under the leadership of Pastor Slade Johnson, had long been a beacon in the Clayton area. They saw the merger with The Journey as a way to continue the mission of the church to impact the Clayton area. Today, The Journey Hanley Road is located in University City, just a few minutes from Washington University. Another cool thing about Hanley Road is that we changed locations two years ago, moving further north in St. Louis in an effort to reach a more diverse demographic.

We were able to make this move by swapping buildings with a local synagogue. We actually still share space with the synagogue as they renovate our old building. This has led to some awesome fellowship and witnessing opportunities!

I came to The Journey Hanley Road just 18 months ago. Prior to serving at The Journey, I served at First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, Mo., as the associate pastor of Christian Life & Student Ministries. I actually got connected to The Journey by doing some teaching with Midwestern’s Three Fourteen Institute. Through that connection, I learned of the awesome work that the Lord was doing at Hanley Road and felt drawn to it.

RK Has there been anything in ministry that has surprised you since you became the lead pastor at Hanley Road?

CS One surprise for me in ministry has been the prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst Christians. My congregation is a

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middle class, well-educated group of people and yet, in spite of their relative stability, there seems to be a milieu of anxiety. In preaching, I regularly have to speak to the guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety with which our people wrestle. It can often be easier to preach to and about the behavioral and moral aspects of a person’s life, but I’ve learned to speak to the pervasive internal struggles that seem to have marked millennials in a unique way.

The church is located in my hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. What have you come to love about pastoring in St. Louis?

RK

CS St. Louis is a cool city! One of the things that I have come to love about serving in St. Louis is the relationships that exist among pastors, particularly SBC pastors. I have great relationships with many of the church planters in the area and enjoy the Plant Midwest events that bring together pastors and ministry leaders from around the area. Our association is strong and encourages partnership and collaboration across churches. This connectedness that we enjoy is important because, while St. Louis is a cool city with a good food, sports, and music scene, it is a hard place to do ministry. St. Louis struggles with deep racial issues, both personal and systemic, and it is also plagued with high crime and poverty rates as well. This means that many of our pastors are doing ministry in hard places. The relationships and support of other

pastors is absolutely critical to sustaining and encouraging the men serving God’s people in the trenches.

RK Many of our readers are those who are pursuing pastoral ministry, what advice would you give them as they spend their days preparing for ministry?

CS I would encourage students to give themselves wholly to their studies. Master Greek and Hebrew. Immerse yourself in the best theological thought that you can get your hands on. Soak up every word of the world-class professors that you have the opportunity to learn from. Don’t just study for the grade but study for mastery. God’s people desperately need men who have tough minds and tender hearts. But above all, I would encourage students to give themselves fully to the pursuit of Jesus Himself. Treasure Him above all else. Revel in your union with Christ. Love the Scriptures. Read your Bible, not just as a textbook, but as food for your soul. Pastoral ministry is hard, and what will carry you through is not knowing a subject matter but knowing the person of Jesus. Pastoral ministry will expose your idols, your weaknesses, and your deficiencies. What you need in those moments is the security that comes from knowing that you are fully accepted and loved by Jesus. Your identity and union with Christ are the anchors that you need to weather every storm of ministry.

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

MEET BRANDON FREEMAN M.DIV. | 2019

With each passing year, the number of faithful Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College graduates grows. Brandon Freeman is a great representative of the kind of student Midwestern hopes to graduate.

With a deep love for both biblical theology and pastoral ministry, Brandon embodies what it means to think and serve For the Church. Currently enrolled as a Ph.D. student and serving the institution as the executive assistant to the Vice President of Institutional Administration, Brandon is still using his time and talent for the good of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. We had the chance to sit down for an interview with Brandon for this issue’s alumni highlight.

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MBTS Brandon, you’re a bit unique for an alumni spotlight in that you are both an alumnus and a current student. Which program have you completed, and which are you currently pursuing?

BRANDON FREEMAN In May 2019, I graduated with the Master of Divinity degree and am now pursuing the Ph.D. I’m delighted to continue my education with friends and mentors at Midwestern Seminary.

MBTS Since graduating with your M.Div., you have pursued both pastoral ministry in addition to Ph.D. studies. How did your M.Div. prepare you for both of these endeavors?

BF My preparation was enhanced through the friendships I enjoyed. The residential M.Div. created a context with professors and peers that fostered conversations about all of life, including the Ph.D. and local church ministry.

That pool of conversation partners shaped my thinking about a wide range of subjects and gave me a model for who I want to be as a minister. Overall, residential theological education provided me with godly friends whom God has used to humble and edify me.

MBTS As a student interested in biblical theology, which courses or professors have been particularly beneficial to you?

BF

Three courses stand out to me as having the most direct effect on my appreciation for biblical theology. My independent study with Dr. Matthew Barrett on the doctrine of revelation solidified the possibility of biblical theology through the affirmation of Scripture’s inspiration, inerrancy, and clarity. Dr. Andreas Köstenberger’s class on the Gospels evidenced the fruit of the inductive hermeneutical method in rendering careful biblical-theological

insights. Finally, a Greek exegesis course on the book of Hebrews with Dr. Todd Chipman demonstrated the immense value of the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament for biblical theology.

“THE RESIDENTIAL M.DIV. CREATED A CONTEXT WITH PROFESSORS AND PEERS THAT FOSTERED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ALL OF LIFE, INCLUDING THE PH.D. AND LOCAL CHURCH MINISTRY.” MBTS You are on the other side of a theological Master’s degree, what advice would you have for those who are just beginning their graduate work?

BF Aim for habits of mind and heart that will advance you in personal devotion, exegetical precision, and soul care. Concentrate on the skills that will most dictate your ability to minister God’s Word. Take an exegesis course in Hebrew and Greek. Prioritize writing excellent papers. Read through the works of a respected theologian. Spend time with professors and peers whom you admire. Be a good church member. Bless your family through your education.

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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT

DEAN OF STUDENTS AND STUDENT SUCCESS

John Mark Yeats

The faculty of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College make it clear that not only are they For the Church, but they are for the students. Few members on campus do this as well as John Mark Yeats. He can often be found eating meals with students, running CrossFit workouts, or mentoring Ph.D. students somewhere on campus. Students learn quickly that our dean of Students provides a safe place full of wisdom. For this issue of the Midwestern Magazine, which seeks to examine the vision of being For the Church in the coming decade, Dr. Yeats is an ideal candidate for our faculty highlight.

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MBTS How long have you been at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College, and what role do you serve on campus?

JOHN MARK YEATS I serve as dean of Students and Student Success. I came to Midwestern in the fall of 2013, so this fall will mark my seventh anniversary.

MBTS When people spend time around you, it is clear that you truly care about students.

Why do you believe caring well for students has such an impact for the Kingdom of God?

human flaws, seemingly overwhelming circumstances, or even apparent success. Church History humbles us as we connect to the “great cloud of witnesses” who contended for the faith before us. It grounds us as we realize the power of the Word of God is transformative in every generation. It strengthens us as we observe those who endured difficult days so we can face our own uncertain times. It encourages us to share the gospel to the ends of the earth as we hear the voices of the past who did the same to the glory of God.

JMY One of my academic mentors, John Woodbridge, always encouraged me to think of students in My goal is to help each of these the same way a pastor thinks of his congregation—as a shepherd. students connect to the material and, These are men and women with unique gifts and skills who contain consequently, connect it to their life. potential for making unbelievable differences in the Kingdom of God, no matter the grade that appears in the book. My goal is to help each of these students connect to the maMBTS Finally, this issue of the Midwestern terial and, consequently, connect it to their life.

Magazine is about the vision, For the Church.

If we care in this way, it tends to inspire learning Why is this vision important to you as a staff further and helps the student think more deeply and faculty member? about his or her impact for the Kingdom.

JMY God’s plan is the church. In Ephesians 3:10, MBTS As you said, you don’t only serve in Paul reminds us that it is “through the church administration, but you also teach Church the manifold wisdom of God is made known.”

History, which is another passion of yours.

The very existence of the church boldly proWhy should incoming students consider diving claims the goodness of the gospel as we, the deep into Church History during their time in members of the body, pursue Christ together. I seminary or college? can think of no better reason for a seminary to exist beyond keeping the biblical moorings of JMY As believers, we have a rich heritage of the local church in view. This is a high calling for men and women who have journeyed before us to serve congregations in training and equipus in the faith. Through their lives, their voices ping the next generation of leaders God will use tell a story of the faithfulness of God despite to reach the world for Christ!

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What Jesus purch We’ve made it our

hased is precious. r purpose.

COME STUDY

for the Church

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Spring Academic Convocation at Midwestern Seminary addresses sufficiency of Scripture

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

In delivering the second installment of his “Truths Worth Contending For” series, President Jason Allen opened Midwestern Seminary’s spring semester with an Academic Convocation message addressing the sufficiency of Scripture. The service took place in the Daniel Lee Chapel on Jan. 21.

Additionally, newly-elected seminary faculty member, Jason DeRouchie, signed the institution’s Articles of Faith during the service.

Allen’s first message of the 10part “Truths Worth Contending For” series took place during the school’s December graduation service on Dec. 6, 2019, and focused on the inerrancy of God’s Word.

Now, in the series’ second message, Allen argued that believers should contend for the sufficiency of Scripture. Through an exposition of 2 Timothy 3:15-17, he fleshed out why sufficiency matters and outlined 10 application points about how Scripture is sufficient for believers.

Allen explained that if denying biblical inerrancy takes something out of students that nothing else can replace, then to deny sufficiency fails to put something in them.

Denying inerrancy removes one’s

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confidence in the Bible, he added.

Underemphasizing sufficiency fails to provide a fuller, more robust, more perennial confidence in the Bible.

One way that Satan can damage the church, Allen continued, is not necessarily by attacking the inerrancy of Scripture, rather it would be through the undermining of the sufficiency of Scripture.

“A subtle undermining of sufficiency questions the relevance of Scripture, the completeness of Scripture, the adequacy of Scripture, the power of Scripture,” Allen said. “This could wreak similar havoc and, indeed, does do similar damage in the body of Christ.” living and Christian ministry.

Allen defined “sufficiency” from Because it is inerrant—God’s Word 2 Timothy 3:17 saying “that the is profitable to us for teaching Word of God, the inspired, inerrant Christian doctrine, the truth of Word of God is given to us, and Scripture, how to live the Christian with it the man of God, the woman life, and what Christians are to of God, is adequate, equipped for every good work.”

“For us in this ministry moment and for The reason it every generation of Christian ministers, matters to believers, Allen conis it not good and fitting and right to, cluded, is that the again and again, reassert and reScriptures convey prioritize the sufficiency of Scripture?” all truths necessary for Christian - Jason Allen

believe. This is all wrapped up with a promise in verse 17, that believers are “equipped to do every good work” as a result of Scripture’s sufficiency.

“You see, brothers and sisters, an errant Bible is an insufficient one,” Allen said. “A Bible that is not without error is a Bible that is not sufficient for Christian ministry.”

In this passage, Paul is telling Timothy that regardless of the difficult circumstances he’s facing, Scripture is enough. Allen said the same is true for modern-day believers.

“For us in this ministry moment

and for every generation of Christian ministers, is it not good and fitting and right to, again and again, reassert and re-prioritize the sufficiency of Scripture? Our churches may need much, but what they need most of all is the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.

Our children may need much, but what they need most of all is the teaching of God’s Word. Our communities may need much, but what they need most of all is the preaching of God’s Word.”

Prior to Allen’s message, DeRouchie signed the institution’s

Articles of Faith, which consists of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and the Nashville Statement on biblical sexuality.

DeRouchie, who serves as research professor of Old Testament and biblical theology, was elected by the Board of Trustees in October 2019. As such, by signing the book, he promised to uphold Midwestern Seminary’s Articles of Faith.

To view Allen’s message in full, visit mbts.edu/sp20convocation. •

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Historian Thomas S. Kidd joins Midwestern Seminary faculty as distinguished visiting professor

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

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason Allen has announced that historian Thomas S. Kidd will join the MBTS faculty as distinguished visiting professor of church history.

Kidd will continue his role as distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. As such, he will serve the Midwestern Seminary community by commuting from Waco, Texas, to Kansas City, Mo., for doctoral seminars and to instruct graduate and doctoral students in the discipline of history

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both in classroom and in conference settings.

“I could not be more delighted to announce Dr. Tommy Kidd’s joining our faculty as a distinguished professor of church history,” Allen said.

“We, at Midwestern Seminary, have a longstanding relationship with Dr. Kidd, and we look forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead. I’m thankful for the partnership with Baylor University that though Dr. Kidd will remain in residence there, he’ll be on our campus multiple times a year,

leading doctoral seminars, teaching Master of Divinity intensives, and supervising doctoral students.

Students can come to Midwestern Seminary and anticipate to study with Dr. Tommy Kidd.

“Dr. Kidd is extensively published and widely respected throughout the Baptist and evangelical world—and beyond. Dr. Kidd stands out as one of our generation’s leading church historians.

What is more, he deeply resonates with Midwestern Seminary’s mission of existing for the church.

Adding Dr. Kidd to the ranks of our other church historians and historical theologians is a tremendous step forward in those disciplines, putting us as a theological institution in an enviable position. It’s also a significant step forward in our goal of assembling at Midwestern Seminary the premier faculty in the evangelical world.”

Allen added that Kidd’s joining the faculty here reflects “God’s blessing on Midwestern Seminary wherein in recent years He has been pleased to send us a new generation of accomplished scholars, dedicated churchmen and devoted Southern Baptists who are committed to Midwestern Seminary’s vision of existing for the Church.”

Kidd noted excitement about his new responsibilities, saying, “I am thrilled to join Midwestern Seminary in its work to glorify the Lord and serve the church by training up a new generation of pastors and Christian scholars.

Midwestern is one of the most exciting seminaries on the American church landscape today, and I am delighted and honored to contribute to the dynamic faculty that Midwestern is assembling.

“Additionally, I hope to bring students a strong sense for what the Lord has done in and through the church and for them to learn from

the great ‘cloud of witnesses’ that we encounter in church history.

Too often, American Christians act as if not much has happened in between the time of Christ and this Sunday’s church service. Our failure to search out the lessons of church history deprives us of a trove of wisdom for ministry.”

Kidd added that his hope for students taking his courses would be for them to realize Christians need not set aside their faith while they do serious, scholarly historical inquiry. Instead, they can serve the Kingdom with a deeper historical understanding of how the church came to be what it is today.

Kidd began his teaching career at Baylor in 2002 after completing a Ph.D. in history at the University of Notre Dame, where he worked with historian of religion George Marsden. He also earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at Clemson University in South Carolina.

“To have someone of the caliber of Thomas Kidd, both in heart and mind, join our faculty is a true blessing to the Midwestern Seminary community and especially our students,” said Provost Jason Duesing. “I can think of no one else currently writing and researching in American history that would be a better complement to our academic programs and our

“Too often, American Christians act as if not much has happened in between the time of Christ and this Sunday’s church service. Our failure to search out the lessons of church history deprives us of a trove of wisdom for ministry.”

- Thomas Kidd

vision of pursuing scholarship for the church than Dr. Kidd.”

In addition to his professorship in history, Kidd is the associate director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor, and he has authored numerous books including American History, vols. 1 and 2 (B&H Academic, 2019), Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2017), American Colonial History: Clashing Cultures and Faiths (Yale University Press, 2016), Baptists in America: A History (with Barry Hankins, Oxford University Press, 2015), George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2014), Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots (Basic Books, 2011), God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution (Basic Books, 2010), American Christians and Islam (Princeton University Press, 2008), and The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America (Yale University Press, 2007).

Kidd has written for media outlets including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, and he also blogs at “Evangelical History” at The Gospel Coalition website.

In the classroom, Kidd teaches courses on colonial America, the American Revolution, and American religious history.

He and his wife, Ruby, have two sons, Jonathan and Joshua.

The Kidds attend Highland Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, where Tommy teaches Sunday school.

To learn more about academics at Midwestern Seminary, visit mbts.edu/academics. •

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DeRouchie elected to Faculty

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

Based upon a recommendation from the Academic Committee, Jason DeRouchie was elected by the Trustees to Midwestern Seminary’s faculty as research professor of Old Testament and biblical theology.

“I cannot be more pleased to announce the election of Dr. Jason DeRouchie to the faculty of Midwestern Seminary,” President Jason Allen said. “As an established author and teacher, Dr. DeRouchie is widely respected as an accomplished Old Testament scholar; yet he’s young enough to be numbered among a rising generation of scholars here in Kansas City. By God’s grace, we hope Dr. DeRouchie will be used to serve the church and reach the nations for decades to come.”

Of being elected as Midwestern Seminary’s newest faculty member, DeRouchie said, “My heart beats ‘for the Church’ of Jesus, both near and

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far, and I’m thrilled to have joined Midwestern Seminary’s strong, God-dependent faculty in helping to mobilize biblically faithful, Christ-exalting, globally-minded Christian leaders who will seek the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ’s name among the nations.”

DeRouchie came to Midwestern Seminary in the summer of 2019 after serving at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis as professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology since 2009. Before his tenure at Bethlehem, he was an instructor of biblical Greek and Hebrew at Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, an associate pastor in a Southern Baptist church in Indiana, and assistant professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Northwestern College in Saint Paul, Minn.

A well-recognized author, |DeRouchie has published a number of

books, including How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology; For Our Good Always: Studies on the Message and Influence of Deuteronomy; What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible; A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew; A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew: Workbook; and A Call to Covenant Love: Text Grammar and Literary Structure in Deuteronomy 5–11. He also has several forthcoming books.

DeRouchie is a graduate of Taylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in biblical studies. He earned a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Old Testament Literature from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He has been married to Teresa since 1994, and they have six children, three of whom have been adopted from Ethiopia. •

Library Renovation

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

The lone remaining space in the heart of Midwestern Seminary’s campus to be renovated— since his arrival in 2012—is the campus library, said President Jason Allen. As such, beginning in November 2019, the facility began undergoing a significant overhaul.

Allen noted that in the digital age, and with access to books from other libraries, only about 15-percent of the Midwestern Seminary library’s hard-copy books are used regularly. As such, the square footage of the library will be reallocated for other use.

“We’ll have the books that are frequently used by students available within reach. The rest will be stored in another off-campus facility which can be accessed quickly and conveniently,” Allen explained.

This opens space for library staff offices, faculty offices, conference rooms, and significantly more study space for students.

Additionally, the building’s second floor will host more faculty office space and doctoral study carrels. Lastly, the third floor will subsequently be used to house Midwestern Seminary’s archives, which are currently housed in multiple places around campus.

“We want this remodeling project in our library to be one that is student-friendly,” Allen said. “Our goal is to make this space one that students are proud to use, func-

tional for their research and study needs, and a hub for individuals and groups alike to accomplish all of their academic goals in preparing for ministry.”

The estimated $3 million project is slated to be completed by the start of the 2020/21 academic year. It is being paid for through the seminary’s capital budget. •

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Midwestern Seminary hosts 9Marks Conference on The Gospel

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

Midwestern Seminary partnered with 9Marks to host “A Conference on The Gospel” on Feb. 4 in Kansas City, Mo., with sessions aimed at providing a biblical understanding of the gospel.

Keynote speakers Mark Dever, Zach Schlegel, Brian Davis, Bobby Scott, and Jeremy Treat brought lectures and messages revolving around how the gospel is essential for salvation, for reconciliation with God, and for the local church.

“We are grateful to partner with 9Marks to encourage pastors and ministry leaders from around the nation,” said President Jason Allen.

“Through such events, we also desire these pastors and ministry

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leaders to know that they can trust Midwestern Seminary to provide unparalleled theological education for not only themselves but for those called into the ministry from their churches.”

Mark Dever Dever, the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., led the conference’s first session asking three basic questions: What’s the gospel? What’s the church? and What are things we can do to keep the gospel central in our local church?

To begin, Dever warned

the audience to “Never assume that everyone knows and understands what the good news is.” He then defined the gospel, saying, “The good news is that God, through Christ, is reconciling sinners to himself so that all who have repented of their sins and trust in Christ alone for their salvation are forgiven for their sins. The punishments have fallen on Christ, our substitute, who was crucified, died, buried, was raised, ascended, and is returning.

“I took about 40 seconds say that to you,” he continued.

“So, there is no reason that you can’t, in your own fellowship of Christians, often

“Never assume that everyone knows and understands what the good news is.”

- Mark Dever remind each other of what the good news is. Make sure the good news is clear. There are many ways it can be said, but the news itself is wonderful.”

Dever also noted that the local church holds special responsibility for shaping and preserving the gospel. Once a church is established, then that body should be a “pillar and foundation of gospel truth.”

He concluded by offering 16 practical points of application for how pastors can be good stewards of the trust God has given the local church in preserving the gospel.

Zach Schlegel Schlegel, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Upper Marlboro, Md., brought a message about how words are vitally important for anyone who is communicating, but they’re even more essential for pastors. The reason pastors should feel the weightiness of their word selection is because carelessly preached words could wreck lives, or they could wreck churches.

Preaching from 2 Timothy 2:1426, Schlegel highlighted how the

apostle Paul taught Timothy to deal with false teachers in the church.

As such, an example is provided for how today’s pastors can protect their churches and protect the gospel as well. He did this by using three metaphors: the good worker, the clean vessel, and the Lord’s servant.

A “good worker,” a.k.a. the pastor, is to remind the church body of the gospel, lead them away from quarreling, handle God’s word rightly, and strive to be approved by God.

“Hold fast to God’s word. Preach God’s word. Stay away from the ear-tickling ideas of man that twist and ignore the words of God so you will be a vessel for honorable use.”

- Zach Schlegel

The pastor as a “clean vessel” is to distance himself from false teachers and false teaching.

“Pastor, settle in your mind right now about the sufficiency of God’s word for our task,” Schlegel said.

“Hold fast to God’s word. Preach God’s word. Stay away from the ear-tickling ideas of man that twist and ignore the words of God so you will be a vessel for honorable use.”

Finally, Schlegel encouraged attendees to be the “Lord’s servant”— accomplishing this task by being

kind, even amidst a heated confrontation, as it may lead to the other person’s repentance and salvation.

Bobby Scott The conference’s next message was delivered by Scott, pastor of Community of Faith Baptist Church in South Gate, Calif., who was tasked with encouraging attendees to be faithful witnesses for Christ and with showing them how they can train others to present the gospel message as clearly as possible.

Over the centuries, Scott explained, God has used ordinary people to proclaim his gospel message. Scott then walked the audience through specific examples of the Bible’s redemption story, particularly seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, and he keyed on the fact that today’s believers need to read the story, trust in the story, and refer to the story in order to tell others the story.

In concluding, Scott advised, “Go back and tell your people the gospel is a story, and they can tell the story.

It is a story about our King, who came to rescue us by dying in our place, conquering sin, death, Satan, and everything else. And he arose victorious to grant salvation to any and all who repent and believe. That’s the story.

“I tell people the story—and you know what happens—some will scoff, some will mock, and some will listen. Regardless of what happens, be faithful and tell the story.”

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Jeremy Treat Treat, pastor for preaching & vision at Reality Church of Los Angeles, brought the next message, sharing where the theme of the kingdom of God comes from, why it matters, and how it relates to the gospel.

Treat defined the kingdom of God as “God’s reign through God’s people over God’s place.” He added that there is significance in adding “of God,” because “if you talk about the kingdom as some kind of utopian paradise, but you don’t mention God, then you’ve completely missed it. No, the kingdom is a vision of the world reordered around God’s sovereign love. So, it’s about the reign of God, but God reigns through his people. And so, God reigns through his people over a place, the kingdom of God.” Showing how the kingdom of God ties in with the gospel, Treat said the kingdom shows us that the gospel applies to all of life. Additionally, we should make our faith public, as that’s how the gospel is spread.

Treat also noted that the kingdom shows the gospel is communal. Once

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we are saved individually, we are also saved into a body—the church.

He said, “The church fits within the broader vision of the kingdom of God. The church is the redeemed people of God gathered by the gospel and organized according to the Scriptures. The church is the instrument of the kingdom of God, so the world ought to be able to look in at the church and say, ‘Oh, that’s what it looks like living under the gracious reign of God.’”

Brian Davis In the conference’s final session, Davis, who is pastor of Risen Christ Fellowship in Philadelphia, preached from 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 and provided insight into the topic, the posture of gospel ministers.

The top priority in a pastor’s life is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With this priority in mind, the appropriate posture, Davis explained, is to minimize oneself and to magnify the Lord.

Speaking to a pastor’s humility, Davis referred to the apostle Paul,

who minimized himself in light of the real priority.

“Paul elaborated on this glorious gospel of Christ. He was compelled to humiliate himself by showing his own dishonor and weakness and unworthiness even to be a bearer of the message. So, he aimed at rightly prioritizing the message to rightly posture himself as a minister. The minister must know and show that he himself is empty. They must minimize themselves.”

Secondly, Davis shared that it is only by God’s grace that a pastor can minister the gospel. He explained from 2 Corinthians 4:7 that a pastor is like a clay vessel, which in ancient times was cheap and fragile, but it still showed light.

“Boy does that describe us. So, Paul is communicating that he’s of very little value, and he’s very fragile and weak. It would be the equivalent to us comparing ourselves to a paper product or to Styrofoam cups.

“The whole reason God chose you as an earthly pot is to show where all the power is, and it’s not in you. We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God.” To view all sessions of the “A Conference on The Gospel,” visit mbts.edu/9marks20.•

Learn more about 9MARKS at 9marks.org.

MBTS celebrates graduates; president launches “Truths Worth Contending For” series

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

In the same spirit and celebratory atmosphere of the Christmas season, the Midwestern Seminary community celebrated the culmination of its students’ hard work, dedication, and perseverance, as the school held its 66th commencement exercises on Dec. 6.

Additionally, President Jason Allen announced that the seminary will begin a series of messages—during graduation and convocation service addresses over the next couple of years—focusing on specific doctrinal topics of urgency and relevance.

Two hundred and five students were conferred 222 degrees and began their ministry service as the next generation of pastors, missionaries and ministry leaders. With the enrollment increases the school

has made, now surpassing 4,000 students, the number of graduates has also increased, up from the 169 students who graduated this time last year.

Midwestern Seminary also celebrated a noteworthy milestone during the commencement ceremony, as 29 Spanish-speaking church planters earned their Church Planting Certificates. Two of those graduates also received their Master’s in Theological Studies with an emphasis on Pastoral Ministry.

Felix Cabrera, assistant professor of pastoral ministry and Spanish church relations coordinator, helped pioneer the certificate program in 2017. “What happened today is epic and historic. The pilot program is no longer a pilot,” Cabrera shared.

“Ministerial experience combined with theological education is an ideal scenario for these pastors who serve in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Paraguay, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico.”

“We cannot be more pleased that these men have worked so hard and accomplished so much through our Spanish Language programs,” Allen said. “This is ‘for the Church’ in action, as they will now go and establish local churches and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Kicking off the 10-part graduation/convocation sermon series focusing on significant, urgent doctrinal issues—including topics such as the sufficiency of Scripture, the exclusivity of the gospel, and penal substitutionary atonement—

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“Our cultural moment demands a sure word, and the more countercultural our Christian witness is, Allen noted there’s no better place to begin than with biblical inerrancy.

As such, he preached a message from Jude entitled, “Truths Worth Contending For: Biblical Inerrancy.”

Allen acknowledged that commencement is an ideal setting to focus on the topic of inerrancy because it’s the “biggest, grandest stage that we have to offer, and our topic today, biblical inerrancy, merits such a stage.”

He added that, as Southern Baptists, there is never a wrong time to reassert, cling to, and contend for one of our central and foundational truths.

Allen defined biblical inerrancy as the belief that the Bible is without error. “It’s an argument for the truthfulness of God’s word. It is divinely inspired, comprehensively truthful and, thus, authoritative for life and doctrine. It is from this inerrant Word that we can know our inerrant savior, Jesus Christ.”

A primary focus in the book of Jude is for believers to “contend earnestly for the faith, which was once and for all entrusted to God’s people.” Allen explained that to “contend” here takes on an athletic or military sense, referring to a struggle or an intense effort. The concept is to fight for truth because it must be passed down and preserved for future generations.

“The responsibility is personal.

You’d contend for food for your children. You contend for the truth for the church, for the spiritual well-being of the saints…The truth is what Christians ought to contend for.”

Another topic addressed was the problems that could arise

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if Scripture the more pressure the church feels.” possessed flaws.

- Jason Allen He related the answer to a family’s genealotent belief of the confessing church gy saying, “Interesting thing about throughout its history.” those family trees, if you inaccuIn concluding his message, Allen rately confirm a relative who isn’t covered eight points as to why there a relative, then the next one in line must be an inerrant Bible including: isn’t accurate, and it sends you off the Bible’s self-attestation to its own on a tangent of people that none of truthfulness throughout Scripwhich are your ancestors. ture—thus, it’s worthy of our care “Error is kind of like that. If the and obedience; if we can’t trust the Bible is impure at its fountainhead, Bible at every point, we can’t trust if the Bible was errant as given by it at any point; Scripture’s authority God, then imagine the corruption is eroded if inerrancy is questioned; and inaccuracies that have accumua Bible that can’t be trusted gives lated along the way.” us a God who can’t be trusted; we Allen also countered those who need an inerrant Bible to know and suggest the term inerrancy should follow Christ accurately; the history be avoided because it requires careof theological and denominational ful definition. To that end, then, he decline reminds us of the centrality said we need to work to clarify and of inerrancy; and inerrancy underdefine the term as clearly as possible. girds evangelism and missions and “Let me remind us this mornthe exclusivity of Christ. ing, if you avoid a word because it On his eighth, and final point, needs careful definition, there will Allen asked, “Why do we need an be precious few theological words inerrant Scripture?” In answering, left that matter in theology or any he said, “Our cultural moment other discipline, inerrancy is an demands a sure word, and the essential word.” more counter-cultural our ChrisTurning to the question of tian witness is, the more pressure whether the word inerrancy the church feels. But inerrancy is a matters, Allen concluded that it simplifying truth. If you will decide absolutely does. that once and for all, and believe it “It’s not just an appropriate word, with all that you are, it will simplify it’s an essential one,” Allen said. a thousand other doctrinal and min“It’s an indispensable theological isterial conversations and topics that term because it is more difficult to you encounter along the way.” nuance away. Like other words that To view Allen’s commencement erstwhile did speak to the superioraddress, visit ity and truthfulness of the Bible— mbts.edu/fa19graduation. words like inspiration, infallibility, To learn more about Midwestand authority—the truthfulness of ern’s Spanish Language programs, Scripture indeed has been a consisvisit mbts.edu/espanol. •

Spurgeon College adds men’s/women’s soccer to intercollegiate sports

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

Less than six months after announcing its foray into intercollegiate athletics through a basketball program, Spurgeon College unveiled plans on Nov. 11 to field men’s and women’s soccer teams at the school.

With collegiate facilities now in place on campus and with the hiring of a head coach, the process of forming men’s and women’s soccer teams is fully underway.

In October of 2018, Midwestern Seminary’s trustees received plans from the administration to field sports teams at Spurgeon College through the NCCAA—beginning with basketball. This October, the school hired Matt Risher as head coach and informed the NCCAA of the school’s intent to field men’s and women’s soccer teams.

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of men’s and women’s soccer to the athletic program at Spurgeon College,” said President Jason Allen.

“I am also very pleased to introduce Matt Risher as the program’s head coach. After conducting a thorough search for the right man for this position, it was clear that Coach Risher possessed all the attributes we desired in leading these teams. He is a young man with great personal experience at the Division I college-level. He also possesses energy, knowledge of the game, and excellent leadership abilities. Most importantly, he seeks to lead a group of young men and women to become passionate and effective followers of Christ.

He sees soccer as an environment that’s conducive for discipleship.”

Risher has been a student at Midwestern Seminary for the past two years—graduating with a Master of Divinity degree and currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology.

However, prior to his time in Kanas City, he played college soccer at Marshall University in West Virginia and Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. During his college career, Risher scored nine goals and helped lead Coastal Carolina to two Big South Conference championships. In high school at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, N.C., he was a three-time all-state player, scoring more than 70 career goals.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named the head coach of the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

I am excited about the ability to impact Christ’s kingdom through the world’s most popular game,” Risher said. “My goal for the Knights is three-fold: Primarily, I am viewing this as a discipleship program. Soccer will be the instrument used to help mold and shape these young men and women into what God has called them to be in the future—namely faithful church members, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers.

“Secondly, we aim to be a competitive program. The difference between high school and college soccer is huge. I look forward to the challenge of having a team that

can successfully compete at this level.

Finally, we aim to advance the kingdom of God. Soccer can be used as a platform to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across the world.”

During its initial campaign, the two teams will play at the junior varsity level with a majority of the team’s competition being local and regional NAIA and Division II squads.

From a recruiting standpoint, Risher said the process is underway with several prospective players visiting campus in the days ahead. He added there’s a specific type of player that he’s interested in joining the team.

“I am looking for high character young men and women,” he said.

“We are trying to create a culture of excellence, and that will require people who come in ready to work.

My coaching style is one that attracts players who enjoy a possession style of soccer. We want highly-technical players who can play quickly and want to score goals.”

The Knights will begin play in the fall of 2020 with matches potentially being lined for a September start.

Matches will be played on Midwestern Seminary’s campus on the newly established pitch to the north of the Mathena Student Center. Risher hopes to have 12 matches for the inaugural first season. •

Learn more about the SPURGEON COLLEGE KNIGHTS MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAMS at spurgeoncollege.com/athletics.

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BRINGING THE WHOLE COUNSEL TO BEAR IN BIBLICAL COUNSELING Midwestern Seminary’s biblical counseling program offers undergraduate (B.A.), graduate (M.A.), and post-graduate (Ph.D. and D.Min.) biblical counseling degrees. These degrees are designed for significant training in the principles and methods of biblical counseling, preparing you for service in a local church, biblical counseling center, or wider ministry setting. Our goal is to equip ministers and laypersons to minister biblically within their local churches and communities, making the church the first place people go for help, rather than a last resort.

Take the next step.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS IN BRIEF

New and Upcoming Releases from the Midwestern Seminary Community

THE JESUS OF THE GOSPELS: AN INTRODUCTION

by Andreas J. Köstenberger (Kregel)

CANON, COVENANT AND CHRISTOLOGY: RETHINKING JESUS AND THE SCRIPTURES OF ISRAEL

Available Now

by Matthew Barrett (IVP)

The Jesus of the Gospels brings together the best elements of a survey of the Gospels and a commentary on the Gospels to help readers know Jesus and understand the Good News. Drawing on decades of experience teaching and writing on the Gospels, Andreas Köstenberger presents a holistic portrait of Jesus by leading readers through an in-depth study of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Available Now

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SATAN: EIGHT LIES ABOUT GOD THAT SOUND LIKE THE TRUTH

REENCHANTING HUMANITY: A THEOLOGY OF MANKIND

by Jared C. Wilson (Thomas Nelson)

Available Now

Available Now

Reenchanting Humanity is a work of systematic theology that focuses on the doctrine of humanity.

Engaging the major anthropological questions of the age, like transgenderism, homosexuality, technology, and more, Owen Strachan establishes a Christian anthropology rooted in biblical truth, in stark contrast to the popular opinions of the modern age.

Not every lie sounds untrue.

Some just sound right, and some are repeated so often that they virtually become “common knowledge.” This is what makes lies about God so dangerous. So we have to ask, “What might God’s enemy want us to believe to lead us astray?”

In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Matthew Barrett argues that Jesus and the apostles have just as convictional a doctrine of Scripture as Paul or Peter, but it will only be discovered if the Gospels are read within their own canonical horizon and covenantal context.

by Owen Strachan (Mentor)

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BOOK REVIEW

JASON K. ALLEN’S

Letters to My Students A Book Review by D R A K E O S B O R N

Living in Exam Week Recently I have taken on the joyfully indomitable task of regular, weekly preaching. This was not my decision or my goal. As a young pastor with little experience, I joined the staff at a young and growing church. I was eager to wait my turn. No one predicted that the resignation of the founding pastor would create a pulpit-sized hole that God would call a freshlygraduated seminarian to fill. But with a keen awareness that the work of preaching calls for readiness in every season, I considered myself prepared when the congregation called.

In many ways, I was, but I underestimated the work required. After graduation from seminary, it becomes easy for the young preacher to believe that a certain chapter of ministerial life has come to a close. “Study for four years, preach for 40”—and maybe go back for a terminal degree later. This is the mantra I led myself to believe. By God’s grace, my mantra could not sustain even a month of regular preaching. In my short time taking the pulpit, I’ve learned that to preach is to constantly mature, grow, work and, yes, to study.

There are no “easy” sermons. Already feeling the strain of my enrollment in the classroom of experience, I breathed a heavy “amen” when I received Jason Allen’s new book, Letters to My Students, Volume 1: On Preaching and read the confirmation of my experience: “To be a preacher is to live perpetually in final exam week” (74). In this short volume, I found a refreshing and personal teacher to help me prepare for my weekly exams.

Dr. Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is well known for his work in the field of preaching. Besides having plenty of experience on

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the ground in various preaching contexts, he hosts the weekly podcast “Preaching and Preachers” and regularly takes the time to lecture and teach the students in his care. Allen shows in his new work that he is further devoted to remembering those unmemorable servants of God: all the faithful shepherds filling the pulpit week after week.

Clarity and Precision Allen sets up his book in three sections: “Preparing to be a Preacher,” “Preparing Your Sermon,” and “Growing in Your Preaching.” With this kind of outline, Allen shows intentionality in reaching a wide audience.

This book could easily serve as a resource for the brand new preacher, the maturing preacher, and the seasoned preacher; yet the reason for this width does not lie in its expansiveness. The volume clocks in at less than 200 pages, hardly an exhaustive treatment on the topic of preaching. What the book lacks in scale, it more than makes up for in clarity and precision.

Allen knows he is not the first preacher to write to other preachers. Rather, he stands in a long line of faithful expositors and pulpiteers willing to provide example and advice. He admits his main influence is Charles Spurgeon, a man renowned for his tireless preaching. Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students serves as the namesake for Letters to My Students, and it shows. When Spurgeon sat down to confer his own wisdom, he didn’t do so with a comprehensive textbook, he did so in a set of practical lectures. Allen’s wisdom shines in the same way; his text is full of refreshing brevity, honed precision, and crystal clarity.

Reading Letters to My Students feels as if Allen is preaching through the text a sermon that he has carefully crafted. “Combat ambiguity at every point” (153) he counsels, and he practices what he preaches.

There are no rabbit trails, and the only time a parenthesis is used is to reference Scripture. Consider how many times in the book he utilizes a structure of clear points to get to his main idea: chapter one shows three marks of a call to ministry; chapter two lays out five aspects of a theology of preaching; chapter four gives five reasons for preaching with authority; chapter six, twelve reasons for expository preaching. I stopped counting after that. Suffice it to say that Allen is a preacher at heart. His polished structure gives his book vitality and preaches to the preacher the importance of delivering sermons that allow the orator to get out of the way and the Word of God to shine.

The author says it best: “When you preach, make sure Christ eclipses you” (52). Because of his commitment to clarity, Allen has crafted a book where Christ is clearly the main character.

Commitment to Practicality Letters to My Students also stands out as a worthwhile resource because of its commitment to practicality.

This letter is also a handbook. In reading, I found myself often storing away sentences, not for use in the theoretical hereafter, but for Sunday’s sermon just a few days away. Both the eager preacher and the weary preacher will find immediately practical reminders of the honor of preaching (“If God has called you to be His servant, don’t stoop to be a king of men,” [9]), the immutability of the Word of God (“Remember, a text cannot mean something now that it never meant” [67]), the aim of preaching (“Aim to inform the mind, impact the heart, and challenge the will” [85]), and the pastoral heart of preaching (“The preacher must always be exegeting his own congregation” [118]).

Allen’s book can be read in a few sittings, and yet it touches on helpfully pragmatic topics again and again: included are chapters on engaging cultural concerns from the pulpit, on public invitations, on what words to take out of your sermons, on Christocentric preaching, and on pastoral perseverance, just to name a few.

In the age of social media, brevity is not uncommon. But too often, fewer characters leads to more assumptions,

and conciseness breeds a desire to be cute instead of clear. Allen avoids these pitfalls by skillfully pairing brevity with clarity via a commitment to practicality over opinion. If you are looking for some theories of preaching, try another book. Letters to My Students is full of practical assertions, not abstract assumptions.

Focus on Gospel Proclamation What would clear and practical preaching be without a purposeful focus on clear and practical proclamation of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Allen’s book succeeds not simply because of his skill in preparation or application, but because it accomplishes it’s far greater purpose: to equip ministers of the gospel in order to preach the gospel. God is glorified when sinners are saved and sanctified as the word of his gospel is preached with conviction, authority, and passionate faithfulness in pulpits far and wide. “Ministry is gospel work… don’t embark on ministry without a love for the gospel and the Great Commission,” Allen counsels his students. “It’s the one passion every pastor must have” (164).

While preparing for ministry, I was privileged to have Dr. Allen as a professor of preaching. With the release of his new book, Letters To My Students, now all sorts of preachers can take part in the same experience.

I trust that they will benefit from Allen’s clarity and precision, commitment to practicality, and focus on gospel proclamation. Perhaps there are other books on preaching that will guide the minister of the gospel into deeper, more specific facets of gospel proclamation, but that is not the aim of Letters to My Students. The call of Paul to Timothy is simple: preach the Word. Letters to My Students takes this simple charge at face value. The aim of this book is to equip growing students of the Word with lessons aimed at faithfulness in preaching the Word. To that end, the book succeeds, and I commend it to gospel preachers of all kinds. •

DRAKE OSBORN serves as pastor of teaching and liturgy at Grace Church in Waco, Texas and is a recent graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He and his wife, Allie, have one son, Judah.

You can follow him on twitter @drakeharl.

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4 Perils of Platform

by J A R E D C . W I L S O N

“So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was wondrously helped until he became strong.”

–2 CHRONICLES 26:15B

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FOR THE CHURCH Rec en t a r t i c l e s

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In the age of millionaire YouTubers and Instagram “influencers,” it seems like everybody’s pursuing a platform of some kind. Some chase the spotlight unabashedly. Others have it cast upon them. But Andy Warhol’s speculation that in the future every person will be famous for 15 minutes did not seem to account for the ubiquity of fame in the 21st century. “Fifteen minutes is for chumps. Click on my Patreon and keep me going for fifteen months!”

Is the pursuit of platform always bad? No. But it frequently is, as any good or neutral thing can be when pursued out of the wrong motives. And even if pursued innocently, public platform— whether you’re an author, musician, speaker, or just a guy or gal growing your social media audience—comes with inherent dangers. Like money, platform can be spent wisely or poorly. Here are four temptations anyone seeking or using a public platform should be aware of: 1. PLATFORM AS HEAVEN When I was an aspiring author, I frequently thought of how great it was going to feel when I was finally published. I imagined the satisfaction it would give me, finally fulfilling my dream. I worked long and hard in my pursuit of a writing career, toiling away writing local magazine pieces for pennies (or for free), and tried for 10 years to get a book published. And then I finally did! And it was great. It really was. But it didn’t actually do for me what I thought it might do.

The truth is—whether in writing or ministry or anything else—when we put the weight of glory that only God can carry on anything other than him, the goods simply can’t be delivered. Whatever kind of platform you may be praying about or actively pursuing, please remind yourself constant-

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ly that even if you reach it, it will not deliver on the promise of solving your problems, healing your wounds, or completing your joy. Only God can do that. Don’t look at a public platform as “finally making it.”

The struggle to become and belong has nothing to do with public recognition or validation and everything to do with being reconciled to God and enjoying union with his Son. And on that note: 2. PLATFORM AS VALIDATION The problem with looking to anything external, whether granted or achieved, for our justification is that it can so easily be revoked or eroded. Platforms aren’t forever, so basing your sense of security or self-esteem in how successful you are is really just another form of legalism. You aren’t worth more or less based on your views, sales, or “clout.”

Neither does a rising trend in these areas mean you are doing something right. Any jerk or idiot can attract attention. To equate a growing audience with a virtuous platform is just one of the many ways the church today has imbibed the spirit of the age.

Your validation must come from God and his gospel. That way, when your platform is threatened by critics or simply the waning interest of your audience, your heart will be tuned to the validation that never wavers.

3. PLATFORM AS JUSTIFICATION Some see platform as a validation of their self-worth. That’s one way of looking at platform as justification.

The other kind results in even more abuse—the use of platform as an excuse for sin. It’s the “too big to fail” mentality, where one is so drunk on the power of his or her platform, they

insulate themselves from loving and prophetic voices who once held them accountable. This is the sin of every megachurch pastor who’s used the bigness of the church as his apologetic for aggressiveness and short-tempered leadership. It’s also the sin of every normative sized church pastor who’s used his position as a means of lording over his flock or fellow leaders.

In the last few years we’ve seen the exposure of numerous public Christian leaders who were allowed to continue in unrepentance for longer than they should have been simply because the ministries they led were growing and “successful.” Their underlings and audiences put up with a lot because the results seemed to be worth it. Some are still working in ministry, their indiscretions excused or covered up. But no amount of success or renown can absolve unrepentant sin.

Your platform is not more important than your integrity. Your public platform is no justification for your private transgressions.

4. PLATFORM AS CURRENCY This may be the most insidious for those who’ve already achieved some level of platform. It is the reason why back in my Christian bookstore days, the worst customers I encountered tended to be pastors. With platform can come a sense of entitlement. You get so accustomed to being listened to, to being followed or lauded, that it becomes your expectation. You “use it” in your daily life as if it has enriched you beyond the common folk.

When platform becomes your currency, you value the haves more than the have-nots. You listen only to those who have achieved some level of

success. You look down on those who haven’t. You begin to see people as either of value to your platform or not.

Can they contribute to the construction of the monument you’re building to yourself or can they not?

People who treat platform as currency treat people only on the basis of what they can provide, not on the basis of their needs. They are susceptible to jealousy or gossip or bitterness about successful people because they see them as threats to their own success.

If your platform is growing, mine must be decreasing. “Platform as currency” is a zero-sum game.

There are so many other spiritual dangers that face the one in the spotlight.

These are just four. But I’m convinced they are some of the reasons why James says not many people should be teachers (James 3:1). He mentions being judged more strictly, and I don’t think he necessarily means only by God. In any event, with greater responsibility comes stricter judgment. If the Lord is opening doors of public ministry or other means of wider audience to you, there is no sin in walking through them, but beware of what may be crouching just inside seeking your soul. •

JARED C. WILSON is author in residence at Midwestern Seminary, assistant professor of pastoral ministry at Spurgeon College, director of the Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church, host of the For The Church Podcast, and author of numerous books, including Gospel Wakefulness, The Pastor’s Justification, The Prodigal Church, The Imperfect Disciple, Supernatural Power for Everyday People, and The GospelDriven Church.

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Tolkien, Great Reversals, and Hobbit-like Humility

by J U S T I N J A C K S O N

Pride can creep into a pastor’s life just as easily as it can anyone else’s.

One moment, we have just preached a sermon calling people to humility, and the very next moment, we are fishing for people’s compliments toward our clever exposition. In the pulpit, we have implored people to not trust in their own accolades and accomplishments, but the very next day, we can be seen at a network get-together comparing our credentials and church sizes with other local pastors. Left without a challenger, pride makes us into self-exalters who forget that we are here to magnify God and not ourselves. Pride makes us into self-dependent Sauls, believing ourselves to be spiritually a full head-and-shoulders taller than those around us. It makes us into Pharisees, claiming perfect sight, while in reality we are blind and in need of Jesus opening our eyes just like everyone else. It makes us into Herods, who foolishly grasp onto our sense of self-importance and grandeur.

Though not a pastor, J.R.R. Tolkien can help pastors, like me, who are tempted often toward pride. Tolkien’s works are saturated with a subtle warning against self-exaltation. He creatively borrows from the biblical theme of a Great Reversal, in which the proud and lofty are brought low and the humble and needy are exalted. In Farmer Giles of Ham, for example, it is the pudgy, poor, uned-

ucated Farmer Giles who overcomes the dragon and is later crowned king; meanwhile the arrogant, noble-blooded, self-entitled king is sent home humiliated and poor.

The theme extends into Tolkien’s The Hobbit in which it is Bilbo Baggins, a fearful, unassuming Hobbit who does the most for the success of the Dwarves’ quest to the Lonely Mountain. The proud and self-sufficient Thorin Oakenshield ends up imprisoned and in need of rescue, not by his crew of mighty Dwarves, but by the Hobbit whom he so easily dismissed at the beginning of the epic. It is Bilbo who shows courage in facing the dragon. It is Bilbo’s love for his friends that leads him to take bold measures in an attempt to make peace between high-minded Elves and stubborn Dwarves. Though he was the smallest of the characters, by the end of the story, Bilbo proves to have the largest heart and firmest courage.

The Lord of the Rings expounds on the theme even further. Tolkien juxtaposes his righteous characters with their prideful alter-egos. Gandalf, the humble “grey pilgrim,” ultimately proves wiser than the self-exalting Saruman the White. Gandalf, according to Tolkien, “was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise… and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear.”1 Saruman, on the other hand,

1

J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Istari,” Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle Earth.

2

Aragorn describes Saruman this way in The Two Towers.

3

Tolkien, “The Palantíri,” Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle Earth.

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who was “as great as fame made him,” eventually loses his power and dies in humiliation by the hands of one named Wormtongue.2 The noble, but humble, King Theoden dies in honor fighting as an ally of Gondor’s true king and speaks of enjoying an after-life feast in the halls of his fathers. His foil, Denethor the Steward of Gondor, desperately clings to his own power and dies in disgrace in the tombs of his predecessors. In an essay about the Palantíri, Tolkien describes Denethor as a man who trusted in his own strength and was brought to despair at the thought of Sauron’s coming invasion.3 A comparison can also be made between Aragorn and the power-craving Sauron. Aragorn refuses the temptation of the ring, which offers unlimited power, knowing that it will lead only to death and destruction. It is this same ring that Sauron endlessly seeks but never grasps. By the end, it is the dirty and homeless “Strider” who is exalted to the heights of Minas Tirith, where he is given dominion over Middle Earth. In contrast, it is Sauron, the self-exalter, whose tall tower comes crashing down as his dominion is ended.

The exaltation of the Hobbits illustrates the theme of reversal most clearly. Throughout the epic of the ring, the Hobbits are constantly mocked and underestimated. They

are seen as weak and in need of protection. Ironically, in the end, these little Hobbits stand tallest in the kingdom. The last are made first as the entire kingdom of men and Elves kneel to them in honor. At the end of the journey, evil is not defeated by mighty armies or battle-proven champions like Boromir; neither is it defeated by the cunning of Elves like Elrond, whose wisdom proves to be helpless against Sauron.

Instead, the victory over evil belongs to humble Hobbits. When the dust of battle has settled, even their enemies are forced to confess to the halflings, “You have grown…Yes, you have grown very much.”4 Tolkien’s subtle theme of reversal corresponds with the reversal so often spoken of in Scripture. In the context of Jesus’ incarnation, Mary praises God who “has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:51-53). Christ came in complete humility taking on the form of a servant to die for the lowest of mankind. The result of his sacrificial, servant-like death is that he has been given a name above every name. He made himself the lowest, but it will be to him that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he alone 4

is Lord. He who was the Suffering Servant is crowned the eternal King.

All this goes to show that those who humble themselves will be exalted by God in the end.

God treasures humble-hearted servants. Therefore, pastor, be a Hobbit. Lower that high head; deflate that proud chest; silence arrogant proclamations of your own power and wisdom. Be weak and unassuming. Do not cling to a self-made throne of importance and Twitter followers. Do not hope in impressive armies of church members and tithers. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6). You may be mocked and thought of as little; but remember, in the end: humble Hobbits stand tallest in the kingdom of Christ. •

JUSTIN JACKSON serves as the lead pastor as Grace Church in Ovilla, Texas and as an adjunct professor of biblical studies at Southern Bible Institute and College. He has also served as a missionary in East Asia, where his tasks focused on local church planting and pastoral training. He holds a M.Div. and a D.Min from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife have three children (Timothy, Abigail, and Titus).

What Greta Thunberg Teaches Us About Teenagers

by M I C A H H AY E S

Our culture is conflicted over teenagers.

Some days they are kids, and other days they are young adults. Sometimes they need to be excused for their recklessness, and other times they need to be respected for their contribution to society.

An example of this conflict played out recently on social media over pop star Camila Cabello. As a 15-year-old, Cabello made several racially insensitive posts on a social media site. When the posts were recently uncovered, seven years later, the debate began. “She was a child. We can’t hold someone responsible for the dumb things they did in their teens,” some argued. While others countered, “The age of 15 is old enough to know better. She needs to be held accountable.”

We’ve seen many other examples of this same debate over the last several years.

Teenagers have sparked change through nationwide movements, most notably over gun violence. They have met with politicians, spoken out on national television, and influenced legislation.

While some dismissed them as ignorant kids, others lauded the leadership of the next generation.

But arguably no other young person has embodied this divide moreso than Greta Thunberg. Her name dominated the news cycle in 2019, with Time magazine naming her “Person of the Year.” The 16-year-old

Tolkien, The Return of the King, 996.

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garnered attention initially through her school strike for climate change in her home country of Sweden. Since then, she has become the global face of climate activism, with her efforts culminating in the world’s largest climate demonstration in history.

Thunberg’s rare passion for a complex issue brought her the world’s gaze.

And with that attention also came the world’s scrutiny and division.

Those who sided with her placed her on a pedestal and crowned her as the leader the world needs. Those who sided against her belittled her as ignorant, naive, and propped up.

Again, we see the conflict playing out.

Teenagers are world-changers when we agree with them and immature children when we don’t.

Regardless of the politics and opinions on climate change, one thing is undeniable: a 16-year-old girl is impacting the world. As a student pastor, that gets me excited because it confirms something I believe deeply: we often underestimate young people. We sell them short. We set the bar too low. We make excuses for them.

In the church, we say things like: “They aren’t ready for the ‘adult’ worship service yet. Their attention spans aren’t long enough. They will get bored. They need more fun and games. They don’t want to study the Bible. They can’t understand it.

That’s too deep for them to handle.

They are just kids.”

Greta Thunberg and other young leaders in the world today prove that teenagers are able. They are much more capable than we in the church often realize.

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Teenagers are capable of thinking and learning. In school, they learn foreign languages and complex mathematical equations. They can handle some theology. They are tasked with reading and analyzing Shakespeare. They can handle the Bible. They voluntarily spend hours each week practicing piano, soccer, and theater. They can handle the spiritual disciplines.

Teenagers are capable of leading. Every Friday night in the fall, local high school football games feature student leaders on display. From the field to the band to the cheerleaders to the student section, you plainly see young people influencing and leading others.

They have the ability to do the same thing in the local church. They can use that same leadership in their school for Christ and his mission. Like Greta demonstrates, young leadership and youthful charisma is contagious.

Teenagers are capable of challenging the status quo. For some reason, young people can upend traditions and social norms like no other group.

When young people join together with a unified passion, adults take notice.

They grab headlines and force change.

This unique ability to shake things up reminds me of the early church in the book of Acts. What if the unified passion our students held was a desire to see their classmates come to Jesus?

What if their rebellion and recklessness was harnessed for the kingdom of God? How might our local churches and communities be shaken up if teenagers were the ones to challenge the spiritual apathy of adults?

Teenagers are capable of impacting the world. Here is the bottom line: when young people are passionate, bold, and relentless, things change.

Teenagers today are more connected through technology, more aware of the world’s needs, and more concerned with injustice. These unique qualities give them the potential for a huge impact on the world.

This generation could fulfill the Great Commission. They could reach the remaining unreached people groups.

They could plant new churches in every city and revitalize the declining ones.

They could baptize and disciple more new believers than any other generation before them.

But here’s the question: Will we help get them there? Will we hold before them this God-glorifying, kingdom-expanding vision? Will we call them to the task they were created for?

Or will we underestimate them? Will we write them off as “big kids”?

If Greta Thunberg can impact the world through climate activism, then teenage followers of Jesus can impact the world through the gospel. •

MICAH HAYES is the minister to students at Blue Valley Baptist Church in Overland Park, Kansas. He received an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Overland Park with his wife, Amber, and daughter, Charlotte.

By Women, For Women: Jesus’ Genealogy in Matthew

by A L LY S O N T O D D

A lineage is a personal story. As a child, I wanted to learn everything about my heritage. What does my last name mean? Who are the people that share my DNA? As an adult, I started filling out my family tree and connecting with distant relatives online. It is a human desire to know where you come from.

None of us have a perfect family history, but we can look at a tree and see the detailed weaving of human life that eventually resulted in our existence, and we’re amazed.

Jesus’ lineage was more interesting than most. It is a complex weaving of dirty sinner’s lives that eventually resulted in a Holy Messiah. When you stop to consider all the suffering, rebellion, and ungodly behavior that produced God-in-flesh, you might have a few questions. Some of the most surprising grandparents listed in Matthew 1 are four women. In your average 1st-century genealogy, you would be hard-pressed to find a woman named. But then, in the 1st-century archives, we find the genealogy for the most important person to ever live. In it, Matthew adds the names of a few women to tell Jesus’ heritage story. Why? Matthew followed a common practice of the day and broke Jesus’ genealogy down into 14 generations between Abraham and David, and between David and Joseph, the husband of Mary.

To arrive at an even 14 generations, Matthew had to make some cuts (which was common as well). Why, then,

would Matthew remove significant generations, but place Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba on the list of Jesus’ Top 42 Family Members? It was not common to list women in genealogies at all— especially not these women. All of them have shameful stories.

Was Matthew simply ahead of his time, making sure to include “token” women along the way to show how “inclusive” and “woke” he is?

These were not token women. They were essential participants in the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and David. They were key players in the Kingdom.

To understand Matthew 1, we need to rewind to some earlier promises. First, God promised Abraham that many nations would be blessed through his lineage (Genesis 12). Second, God promised David that he would raise up a permanent King through his lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Matthew shows us at the beginning of his gospel that these lineage promises have been fulfilled.

Jesus is born, and he is both a blessing to the nations and the eternal King.

Matthew is telling us something unique through his recounting of the lineage.

He’s showing us who brought forth this King, and how God used both men and women to do so.

Tamar was supposed to give birth to a son who would continue the line of

Judah. She lost her husband, and then her relatives were called to fulfill this end. Yet they were selfish, evil, and did not do their part to continue this lineage. So she took matters into her own hands. Her method was unconventional and risky, but she valued the continuation of the line of Judah more than her relatives. Because of this, she contributed to the line of the future King of Israel and ensured that Judah bore a son (Genesis 38).

Rahab did not belong to the people of Israel. Her land was under siege by the Israelites, and she knew their God was with them. So she stood against the king of Jericho, recognized God as Yahweh, and became part of the line that brought forth the true King of Israel. Rahab was grafted into God’s kingdom by faith.

Though she did not belong, God continued the story that brought forth his Son through this prostitute-turned-faithful-member of God’s kingdom (Joshua 2, 6, Hebrews 11:31).

Ruth was not an Israelite by blood either. She was part of an enemy nation, but married into the Israelite nation.

Ruth takes Israel’s God for herself after her husband’s death, and along with her mother-in-law, she seeks to marry again.

She does this so a kinsman-redeemer could give her family protection and status once again. Ruth finds this man in Boaz, but the true redemption comes not at the altar, but when she gives birth to her son. It is this child that points to the promise of a child yet to come—a MBT S .EDU

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true Redeemer who will come from Ruth’s line (Ruth 4).

Bathsheba was the victim of a greedy king. David coerced her to please him, murdered her husband and, as a result of his sin, her baby died. The king took advantage of Bathsheba, shaming her and taking away her purity and her protection. Bathsheba’s sorrow in the loss of her firstborn is a tragic result of sin.

But God redeems her circumstances by giving her another son, and this son will continue the line of David that leads to the True King (2 Samuel 11-12).

This King does not take advantage of women but elevates them in his life and ministry. This King does not murder for his own gain but is murdered for ours.

This King dies, but unlike Bathsheba’s firstborn, he is raised and redeems all the injustices done to women and men alike.

And how did he do this? He started by being born to a woman. Mary, a virgin pregnant with God’s Son at risk of

divorce from her husband and lowly in status, gives birth to Jesus. He is the one who saw the sorrows of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, and redeems their sin-covered lives.

The genealogy of Jesus should be a place of correction for all who believe (or are tempted to believe) that women should sit on the sidelines for God’s redemptive work. It was God’s plan from the beginning that women would be key players in his family tree. He was not afraid of what their messy stories would do to His. Rather, God made his promise to bring the Savior through the lines of Abraham and David. He used these women to contribute to the fulfillment of his promise.

Jesus came to earth by each of these women, for each of these women. If you are a woman who feels unloved, dismissed, or less-valuable than men, look to the Savior. Think much on his heritage and much on how he loved

you. Remember that Jesus is for you— he died so that you might live. • NOTES: I’m grateful to Andrew Forester

for his notes on this subject and for his encouragement to write this piece. Additionally, much of the research in this article can be found here: https://thebibleproject. com/blog/jesus-genealogies/.

ALLYSON TODD is an associate editor and intern for women’s initiatives at For The Church. She holds an undergrad degree from Midwestern College, a dual major in Christian Ministry (missions emphasis) and Humanities. Todd is currently pursuing a Master’s of Divinity at Midwestern Seminary, where she works full time as the assistant director of events for Student Life, and is a member of Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Her ultimate desire is to continue learning more about the Word of God and equipping women to make disciples.

3 Words of Counsel I’ve Received from Seasoned Leaders

by T Y L E R G R E E N E

In just a couple of months, I will round out my eighth year in full-time ministry. You might say that I’m slowly getting the hang of it. And when I say I’m getting the hang of it, I mean that I’m realizing just how much I have to learn, and how much I need God’s grace to learn it. You also might say that I’m a slow learner.

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Yet the funny thing is, I first came into full-time ministry with the impression that a lot of the pastors and leaders I had known throughout my life were doing things all wrong. Secretly, I presumed that I was going to do things the right way: “Move over, guys—let me show you how it’s done!” Hello, misguided, youthful arrogance!

The longer I serve the local church, though, the more I have come to treasure the wisdom of seasoned leaders whom I have had the privilege of knowing. Learning from these spiritual giants has been incredibly valuable for me. As a result, I have found myself applying the counsel I received from them—counsel that I dismissed at first,

or didn’t yet understand as best. So allow me to share what was passed on to me—wisdom that could only be gained from years spent in the trenches of ministry.

“People are not your source; God is your source.” When my dad first began to sense that he was called to pastoral ministry, my grandfather—who is now deceased, but was a pastor himself for many years—took Dad to lunch to help him process things. As Dad recounts it, my grandfather looked across the table at his then 13-year-old son and said, “Just remember: people are not your source; God is your source.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my dad repeat that story and those words.

Unfortunately, when you’re young and your parents tell you the same stories over and over, you foolishly write it off: “Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard that one before, Dad.” But now that I’m eight years deep into full-time ministry, I’m glad my dad told me that story so many times. When I’m tempted to place impossible-to-bear burdens on others, I can hear those words in the back of my mind, reminding me that people make really lousy saviors. When my heart gets realigned with that reality, I can simply enjoy the people I lead for who they are in Christ, instead of using them to assuage my fears and insecurities. A leader who holds fast to the True Source of life is utterly free to love others well.

“Always lead from overflow.” A few years ago, my wife’s grandfather retired from full-time pastoral ministry. Shortly before he retired, I asked him what advice he would give to a young guy aspiring to leadership in the church.

Without any hesitation, he spoke four simple words to me: “Always lead from overflow.” In response, I initially

thought, “Yeah, okay, that seems like pretty good advice.” But over the years, I’ve come to value it as life-or-death advice. For me, learning to lead from overflow has been the difference between joyfully persevering in ministry and being crushed by its inherent anxieties and pressures. Spiritual leaders ought to be worshiping God regularly in secret long before they ever step out to lead in public. Faithful ministry stems from the reality that God is powerfully at work in the ruthlessly prayerful, Bible-devouring lives we lead behind closed doors. If that isn’t true of us, we have nothing to offer. If you don’t believe me, Jesus puts it quite convincingly: “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5).

“Your biggest challenge will be learning to lead from your character, not your ability.” This was one of the first things my pastor told me when I came on staff at the church where I serve today. I’ll admit, when he said it, I had no idea what he was talking about. But as the years have passed, I’ve come to realize how profound it is.

Too often, churches assume that those with the most natural charisma and talent are the ones who are best suited to lead. So we make the mistake of putting them up front without giving any real consideration to the patterns of their lives. Before long, though, we’re shocked when they collapse in a fit of moral failure. But the truth is, without godly character, a person’s charisma and talent are liabilities, not assets. For better or worse, a leader’s trajectory in life and ministry will be determined by the quality of his heart. Sadly, poor character is only fortified as a leader places more and more confidence in his own ability. Yet, on the other hand, natural ability and Christlike character, when combined, can create the

competency required to lead effectively at a high level.

So there you have it—priceless words of counsel from seasoned leaders that have made all the difference in my life and ministry. I keep coming back to their wisdom to fan into flame the gift of God that is in me (2 Tim. 1:6).

And every time I do, I become more and more grateful to God that less experienced church leaders like me are standing upon the shoulders of giants such as these. •

TYLER GREENE serves as the associate pastor of Worship Ministries at LifePoint Church in Ozark, Missouri. He resides near Ozark with his wife, Erin, and their three children.

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