the midwestern - spring/summer 2011

MidwesternTheSpring/Summer 2011Spring/Summer 2011

MidwesternThe

Historic day: Steeplehoisted atop chapel page 11

Historic day: Steeplehoisted atop chapel page 11

Newsmagazine for Alumni and Friends of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College, SBC

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CONTENTS The Midwestern

Spring/Summer 2011

CHAPEL UPDATES10

11

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ALUMNI28

PROFILES30

31

The Midwestern Spring/Summer 2011

Newsmagazine for Alumni and Friends of

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

PRESIDENT:

EDITOR:

ASSOCIATE

EDITORS &

PHOTOGRAPHY:

DESIGNER:

PUBLISHER:

The Midwestern is published quar-

terly and is distributed free for

alumni and friends of MBTS by the

Office of Institutional Advance-

ment, 5001 N. Oak Trafficway,

Kansas City, MO 64118. Postage

paid in Kansas City, Mo.

The Midwestern

816.414.3700, ext. 709 (Ph)

816.414.3797 (Fax)

www.mbts.edu

[email protected]

The Midwestern highlights the

Seminary’s mission: Midwestern

Baptist Theological Seminary

serves the church by biblically edu-

cating God-called men and women

to be and make disciples of Jesus

Christ. MBTS is affiliated with the

Southern Baptist Convention.

Send address changes to:

Institutional Advancement

5001 N. Oak Trafficway

Kansas City, MO 64118

FEATURES3

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16

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MW NEWS4

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Seminary celebrates

president’s 10th anniversary,

hosts trustee meeting

Prominent apologist

challenges students to

evangelize Muslims

Ph.D. program offers

‘phenomenal’ opportunity

MBC-Online to launch

undergrad courses

this summer

Institutional Advancement:

Onward and upward

METs team with local

churches to minister in

community

President’s Editorial

Debate asks, “Which Way

America: The Bible or Qur’an?”

Women talk service, then

serve at Hester Conference

Earley urges workshop

attendees to pray

Land examines the “Christian’s

obituary” during celebratory

chapel service

Attendees learn to maximize

their ministries at Spurgeon

Pastors’ Conference

Builders for Christ

volunteers return to

campus

Midwestern sets steeple

on new chapel complex

Chapel Progress

Pictures

Keeping in Touch

Faculty Profile:

Dr. Alan Tomlinson

Student Profile:

Micah Cooksey

R. Philip Roberts

T. Patrick Hudson

D.J. Castilleja

Austin Mayfield

Jenny Buehler

The Covington Group

2 The Midwestern Spring/Summer 2011

Many, many thanks go out toeveryone who made therecognition of our tenth

anniversary at Midwestern so special.Dr. David McAlpin led the way in theevents of the week and I thank him – sortof. Much of the material from the roastwas, of course, somewhat apocryphal –I might add.

It’s been the greatest blessing of our(Anja’s and my) pilgrimage together toserve as President of MidwesternSeminary. We thank the Lord forshedding His blessings on us in this greatassignment! All of the joys, adventuresand blessings of the last decade are due toHis good hand upon MBTS. For onething, as I look out the window of myoffice I can see the magnificent newchapel with its beautiful steeple andcross – thinking that just a year ago noneof this existed. But the material side ofthe blessings are not comparable to thejoys of changed lives for the cause ofChrist.

This dynamic was driven home to mea few weeks ago when a prospectivestudent and his wife were in my office.They had traveled half-way acrossAmerica to visit MBTS with the hope ofcoming here in the fall as new students. Iasked them why they would come so farto visit, consider and enroll as studentshere. He responded that his brother washere and was in his second degreeprogram. “I have seen the great change inmy brother’s life,” he said. I replied,“Well, I suppose he has grown in hisknowledge of Scripture and theology.”“Yes,” my new friend commented, “But

it’s more than that – I have seen hisspiritual growth, and I am impressed thatMidwestern will encourage me in mywalk with God!”

That is the bottom line – “Being andmaking multiplying disciples for JesusChrist!” We as a seminary are called ofthe Lord to equip and encourage calledministers of His to reach the worldthrough His life-changing Gospel.

Two concluding thoughts. Keeppraying for us as we move towardcompleting the chapel. Six hundred andmore volunteers are coming this summer.All we need are the materials to helpthem finish the job! We are anticipating agreat finish to the project. Your help andfaithfulness will see that it is done!

Lastly, and most importantly – thankyou Anja – my sweetheart and lifecompanion for the last thirty years plus ofa wonderful Christian marriage together.(See the enclosed piece following onMBTS’s first lady). Without herencouragement at my side, being anextraordinary Christian wife and mother,I would never be able to do half of whatGod has called us to do at MBTS. TheScripture asks the question, “Who canfind a wife of noble character? For hervalue is far more than rubies. The heart ofher husband has confidence in her”(Proverbs 31:10-11). To these words I saya hearty amen! I know – I found one!

Sincerely yours and His,

PRESIDENT’S EDITORIAL

R. Philip RobertsPresident

Thank you!

Spring/Summer 2011 The Midwestern 3


As part of a three-day celebration of Dr. and Mrs. PhilRoberts’ 10 years of service to the Seminary, on April18, family, friends, trustees and Seminary faculty and

staff shared in an evening of humor and good-natured ribbingat the president’s expense during the “Roasting Dr. Phil” event.

“Up to this point, every one of these who will get up here tospeak tonight has been my friend,” Roberts joked at the outset ofthe evening. “We’ll have to see how those relationships standafter all is said and done. I take no responsibility for what willbe said here tonight. Part of it will be apocryphal and will needto be filtered through my clear and accurate historicalrecollection of all events as they might be told.”

What followed were a series of jabs at some of Roberts’favorite sports teams, humorous childhood stories, recollectionsof Roberts’ life and ministry by his brother-in-law, and even a taleor two of the Baptist leader’s dating life. Mixed in with thejesting were serious moments of gratitude and thanks for thework the president has done during his 10-year tenure.

Among those making presentations were Dr. Pat Taylor,president of Southwestern Baptist University, Wayne Lee, MBTSBoard of Trustees chairman, Dr. Dan Stowe, MBTS trustee andchildhood friend of Roberts, Dr. Lynn Craft, Roberts’ brother-in-law, and Dr. Richard Land, president of The Ethics andReligious Liberty Commission.

During the evening, two special gifts were presented toRoberts: a set of four tickets to the Ohio State-Michiganfootball game this fall and a presidential portrait by artistMitsuno Reedy. Lee teased that with the president being away

from the Seminary so often on business trips, this portraitcould be hung in a prominent place so students wouldremember what he looks like.

Other events which commemorated the president’s serviceto Midwestern included special tributes from leaders throughoutthe Southern Baptist Convention during the April 19 and 20chapel services, the presentation of several gifts including aportrait of Dr. and Mrs. Roberts that was painted by Reedy and acampus-wide barbeque lunch in the first family’s honor.

Trustees’ meeting enhances Seminary staff, programsIn line with the upbeat mood of the campus during the

week of commemorating the Roberts’ tenure, the raising of thechapel complex’s steeple and the celebration of Christ’sResurrection, the Board of Trustees’ meeting on April 18 sawthe approval of several measures to enhance the Seminary.

During the portion of the meeting reserved for thepresident’s comments, Roberts opened with words of praise forthe board, saying, “It’s been 10 full years since Anja and Iarrived, and it’s gone by very quickly. We thank the Lord forHis blessings upon this institution and for your support. Wecouldn’t be doing anything we are doing now and couldn’t haveany kind of ministry without your support.”

The president went on to describe the true reason for themission of Midwestern Seminary. “It’s not about books, budgetsand buildings. It’s about mission and purpose. All thosethings are just tools that God uses to accomplish the ultimatepurpose of impacting our world for Jesus Christ,” he said.

The remainder of Roberts’ presentation involved updateson the school’s record enrollment and credit hours taken, anupdate on Midwestern Baptist College’s FUSION program andthe impact that program makes around the globe, informationon the Seminary’s outreach to inmates at the LeavenworthFederal Penitentiary, and details on the Ph.D. program.

“We desire to have the best scholarship, combined with aclear mission, here in the heart of America – up north in theMidwest – making a difference for the cause of Jesus Christ andfor His Gospel,” Roberts concluded.

In other activity during the meeting, the Board’s AcademicCommittee made moves to enhance Midwestern’s leadershipteam and faculty by unanimously electing Dr. Jerry Sutton asthe school’s vice president of Academic Development and deanof the faculty. “I’m just thrilled to be a part of the Midwesternfamily,” Sutton said. “My wife, Fern, and I are looking forwardto serving the Lord here and pouring our lives into the students,faculty and staff to make a difference in the Kingdom of God.”

Further faculty moves included the re-election of Drs. JimAnderson and Ben Awbrey to five-year contracts. Thecommittee also recommended that a petition be made to theHigher Learning Commission for investigating the possibilityof expanded online offerings at the undergraduate-level for

by T. Patrick Hudson

Dr. and Mrs. Roberts pose next to the presidential portrait

given as part of the celebration of the president’s 10 yearsof service to Midwestern Seminary. Mitsuno Reedy was

the artist commissioned to paint the portrait.


Growing up in a family of six in Skarysko-Kamienna,Poland, Anja Roberts said she would have neverimagined one day becoming a seminary president’s

wife in the American Midwest. She was raised in a Christianfamily, but due to her father’s work schedule and the 150 milesbetween her home and the nearest Baptist church, she didn’tactually attend a church service until she was 24 years old.

Her childhood memories of worshipping God consist ofher family’s listening to Russian-language radio broadcastsfrom a station in Monte Carlo. Her father would also read theBible, present devotionals and pray with the family. Aftergraduating from college, Anja was invited to Warsaw by thepastor of the Baptist church there, and she became heavilyinvolved in the youth ministry. She said it was through thisinvolvement that, at 21, she believed in and accepted JesusChrist as her Lord and Savior.

Approximately 8 years later, she would meet andeventually marry a Baptist pastor named Phil Roberts, andtogether they would have a daughter, Naomi, and a son, Mark.Their early ministry life would take them to pastoratesthroughout Europe, to professorships at SBC seminaries and topositions within the North American Mission Board.

In 2000, Anja learned that Phil was nominated to bepresident of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She

admitted that she was initially quite nervous about the callingthe Lord had placed upon her as the president’s wife.

“I knew there would be a great deal of involvement in thepublic life,” Anja said. “I really prefer to be in the backgroundinstead of in the public eye, so I was hesitant at first. As Iprayed more and more, the Lord put me at ease. I felt that Iwould do the things I could do to the best of my ability butthat I’d do them in the background as much as possible.”

The Seminary’s first lady said that over their 10 years oncampus the focus of her ministry has been primarily to supportthe president in all the things he does. “Whatever the positionrequires of Phil, he often asks me to help him out, and I totallysupport him in any way I can,” Anja noted. She added thatthroughout her time at MBTS she’s truly enjoyed becominginvolved in the many different ladies’ ministries and events oncampus, and in particular the relationships she’s developedthrough those activities.

Anja, in speaking of the legacy that she hopes to leave asthe president’s wife, said, “I would like for people to say thatI’ve been a blessing to the school, to the Lord’s ministry and tothe people. I also hope that I’ve used my time wisely and that,as a family, we’ve accomplished a lot for the Lord’s Kingdomwhile we’ve been here.”

In addition to celebrating 10 years of service atMidwestern, the Roberts will celebrate 31 years of marriageand ministry together on June 29.

MIDWESTERN NEWS

Midwestern Baptist College, SBC.Officer elections were also held, resulting in Wayne Lee’s

being re-elected chairman. Wendell Hudson was named first vice-chairman, Jeff Dial was elected second vice-chairman, Judy Crainwas re-elected as secretary/treasurer and James Freeman wasannounced as the Executive Committee’s member-at-large.

Additionally, the Institutional Advancement Committeeannounced a strong push in fundraising for the chapel, statingthat the past year was the first in which more than $1 millionwas raised for the school. Committee member Richard Baker

said there is still a ways to go to finish fundraising for thechapel project and encouraged anyone interested in giving afinancial gift to the Seminary to contact the InstitutionalAdvancement office at (816) 414-3717.

“The events of the past few days have been a blessing to Anjaand me,” Roberts said. “We’re extremely grateful to the Lord forHis goodness to us. We’re also thankful to have such lovingfamily and friends and such a talented team of faculty and staff towork with, both now and over my tenure here. We’re excited tosee what God has in store for us in the days to come.” MW

Anja Roberts addresses guests at the chapel complex ground-breaking ceremony on March 3, 2010, as her husband, MBTSPresident Phil Roberts, looks on.

Anja Roberts, second from right, fellowships with campusladies on a carriage ride as part of the 2007 CarolyneHester Ladies’ Conference.


Continuing its tradition of hosting world-class speakersfrom across the globe, Midwestern Baptist TheologicalSeminary hosted a debate on March 17 between

Christian apologist Jay Smith and Kahlil Meek, a spokesman forIslam.

In light of the fact that both the Christian faith and Islamclaim uniqueness as the final revelation of God’s truth, thedebate focused on answering the question: into which textshould Americans place their trust for personal religious valuesand moral choices in the 21st century? To reflect this question,the debate was entitled, “Which Way America: The Bible or theQur’an?”

Smith, a scholar of Islamic apologetics and polemics,kicked-off the debate by sharing with the audience some of themost significant social and cultural differences between the Bibleand the Qur’an. Important distinctions that Smith explainedconcerning the two texts dealt with American ideals such as therole of church and state, taxation without representation, libertyand equality, freedom of speech, abolition of slavery, andwomen’s rights and equality. In referring to freedom of speech,Smith said, “Anybody can criticize our Lord Jesus Christ, andthey have the freedom to do that. However, look at the Qur’anand you will see that this is not permitted… those who criticizethe prophet [Muhammad] are put to death.”

Meek, who converted to Islam during college, spent themajority of his 20-minute initial presentation sharing about thebasics of Islam and speaking about the religion’s view of God,

salvation and Christianity. “When you get to the core of it, we have the same ethics, the

same morality,” Meek said. In retort to Smith’s claims about theQur’an, he commented about how to attain a better context ofwhat Islam’s holy book says. “I want to challenge students to

Debate asks, “Which Way America:

The Bible or Qur’an?”

Kahlil Meek emphasizes a pro-Islam point directly toJay Smith during the debate on March 17.

by D.J. Castilleja

open up the Qur’an and read it. Highlight what you disagreewith and come talk to me or any Muslim about it. Then makeyour decision about what it says.”

One of the more personal moments of the two-hour eventoccurred during the question and answer session when Smithwas asked by an audience member if his life had ever beenthreatened because of his beliefs. “I get a lot of death threats,”Smith responded. “But I don’t worry about it because we have abig God. My God is going to protect me, and I’m still here. Ihave been doing this for 25 years.”

Smith, who can be found on many Sundays speaking outpublicly against Islam and sharing the claims of Jesus Christ at“Speaker’s Corner” in London’s Hyde Park, continued, “I love itbecause I feel like I am right back in the first century… I don’tmind death threats because I am following in the footsteps ofPaul. I am doing the same thing Paul did. He was in the firstcentury, and I am in the 21st century. I wish there werehundreds of more Pauls.”

Smith’s evangelistic tone was evident throughout the debateas he continuously returned his focus back to the Bible andmissed no opportunity to proclaim the greatness of Scriptureand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Isn’t it great that we speak intruth, and if we speak in truth, we shouldn’t be ashamed. If weshouldn’t be ashamed, we should have a passion for the truth,”Smith said. “We don’t have to be scared of polemics orapologetics to Muslims.”

Dr. R. Philip Roberts, MBTS president and moderator of thedebate, said he was pleased with Jay Smith’s evangelistic spiritduring the dialogue. “We wanted this time to be not just anacademic event but a spiritual and evangelistic event. It wasevident how much Jay loves Jesus and desires for others to knowand love Him too.”

After the debate’s conclusion, Midwestern’s students and

faculty spent time sharing their faith and interacting with acontingent of Muslims from countries such as Bangladesh, India,Syria, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. In total, the MidwesternEvangelism Team gave away 23 Jesus videos, three Somali Bibles,25 Arabic Bibles, three Arabic/English Bibles and 25 EnglishBibles to guests of the event.

This June will mark the fifth time Smith has come to theSeminary to share his expertise and instruction in the area ofapologetics to Muslims. Last summer, Smith joined withMidwestern as an adjunct professor to teach Islamicapologetics. Having grown up in India as the son ofmissionaries, the scholar has taught and made presentationsabout Islam in a variety of countries including Brazil, SouthAfrica, Russia, Korea, Italy and the United Kingdom. Smith hasalso participated in more than 40 debates against high-levelMuslim leaders, but he said this was his second in the UnitedStates in the last 10 years.

“I want students to see how easy it is to engage Muslimswith the Gospel,” Smith said. “We as Christians need to get overthis fear of defending our faith against Islam.”

Meek is a Texas native and was raised in Dallas as aSouthern Baptist. The proponent of Islam attended theUniversity of North Texas in Denton. Expecting to become aBaptist minister, he converted to Islam after studyingcomparative religion in preparation for attending seminary.During his career, he’s owned and operated freight logisticscompanies and is currently the president, CEO and co-founderof the Muslim Legal Fund of America.

In speaking of the need for communications betweenChristians and Muslims, Meek said, “This dialogue needs to betaking place every day, everywhere, with all Americans andMuslims.”

Dr. Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College and formervice president for Academic Development at Midwestern, was oncampus for the debate and as a keynote speaker for theEvangelistic Ministries to New Religions (EMNR) 2011 NationalConference. “Islam is on the move and surging in many regions,and our students need to be able to engage with Muslims,”Johnson said. “Students need to hear first-hand from a Muslim –not second-hand from some book – what they are going to say,how they are going to respond. I think tonight was a goodmodel for dialoguing with and engaging Muslims.”

“The Christian faith has a monopoly on the truth, and if weare well informed and committed to the Lord and yield to theHoly Spirit, the Lord can use us to communicate the truth ofChrist,” Roberts said. “We want people to realize for the centuryahead, whether it’s over the Internet, in a public forum or in adebate setting, there’s always an opportunity to share theGospel. Let’s make use of it and do our best to impact thenations for Christ.”

In addition to the debate, on Friday and Saturday during theEMNR Conference, students and visitors participated in a seriesof plenary and breakout sessions led by experts in fields such asMormonism, liberal Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and a numberof other topics. MW


FEATURE STORY


by Katie Brosseau

Girl-talk and story swaps were not in short supply aswomen gathered at Midwestern Baptist TheologicalSeminary for the annual Carolyne Hester Conference

on April 8. The event is named after the influential wife of aformer Seminary vice president, and this year’s theme, “AServant’s Heart,” focused on wives’ becoming support systemsand helpmates for husbands in church leadership roles.

The festivities began at Midwestern’s chapel with smells ofbarbeque and lemonade wafting through the air, as 80 womenfilled the auditorium with chitchat in eagerness to hear wisdomfrom the event’s speakers. Women filled their plates and caughtup on the latest news in each other’s lives.

Soon the crowd quieted as Jagee Melton, a singer-songwriterand mother of four led the group in a time of worship. As aminister’s wife from Arlington, Texas, Melton added somesouthern charm to the evening with tales of God’s sense of humorin calling her to a life of ministry.

Melton also shared testimonies about some dark anddesperate times, recalling how, after her dad was fatally woundedin a car accident, she felt unable to express her tremendoussadness because of the pedestal she had created for herself as aminister’s wife.

“During that time, things became very dark… and I wasembarrassed by the emotions that were taking place,” Meltonsaid. “But God said, ‘I’m not afraid of your emotions, I gave themto you.’ God gave me permission to be real.”

Even though Barbara Walters wasn’t present, a self-proclaimed “Real View” panel comprised of four tell-allconference speakers then took the stage. Willa Ruth Garlow,Diana Moody, Dr. Jeanne Burns and Linda Brewer – all ministers’wives – comprised the candid panel. Dr. Morlee Maynard, MBTSassistant professor of Christian education, facilitated thediscussion of topics, which ranged from servanthood to theresponsibilities of ministers’ wives.

Hilarity ensued as the been-there-done-that group sharedhow they overcame the stereotypes and struggles often associatedwith the “perfect” minister’s wife. The panel first addressed themakeup of a servant’s heart, particularly for women in ministry

and for the wives of husbands serving in a church. “Being aminister’s wife is not really a choice we make,” Brewer said. “It’swho we ought to be. As ministers’ wives, we better have it:humility, self-denial, putting yourself aside.”

The panel was quick to point out that despite needing aservant’s heart in ministry, saying “no” sometimes is an essentialcomponent of maintaining a healthy balance for an individualand her family.

“How can you teach your children to love the Lord whenyou’re so wrapped up in church?” Burns asked. “Your firstministry is to your family. That is the first institution Godcreated.”

Singer-songwriterJagee Melton leadsHester Conferenceattendees in worshipduring the first nightof the event.


FEATURE STORY

The evening concluded with seminary professors’ wivesleading topical discussions at each table. The women had in-depth talks about overloading themselves with ministerial work.“How many places are you jumping into?” asked Beth Sowers, adoctoral student at the seminary. “If your heart isn’t in (eachministry), you’re not even being a servant.”

The panel recommenced on Saturday morning after thewives of Midwestern’s professors served brunch. Women settledin with their coffee and Bibles as the Real View answered thequestions posed the previous night by audience members. Wordsof caution and support were offered for many women who soughtcouncil and wisdom for their roles in church.

For Ashley White, the wife of a seminary student, theconference provided a refreshing time of fellowship andenlightenment. “It’s encouraging to be with a group of womengoing through the same things,” White said. “The panel remindedme that our ministry is not about me, but about God using mygifts for His work.”

Following the conference’s theme of servanthood, thewomen dedicated the rest of Saturday to the Patricia’s Project –an organization, founded by Glenda Wylie and her daughter, thatsews together washable feminine products for women in Africa.The Koehn-Myers Center was filled with scissors, sewingmachines and donated fabric for the project.

Small clusters of women gathered around various tables,each purposed for different stages of the creation process. Somewomen traced patterns on towels and then sent them to the nextstation to be cut. Then being paired with fastening layers, theitems were sent to the sewing machines. A few rapid stitches laterand the hygiene products were complete and ready to be sent toan African woman in need.

According to Patrica’s Project leaders, a young adolescent ora woman in Africa who does not have adequate care in this area isoften confined to her bed for a week. As a result, many girls miss

so much school that they are forced to drop out. Mothers ofyoung children are unable to complete necessary household andcommunity obligations, putting the burden on friends or otherfamily members.

Despite having a way to get the hygiene kits into Africa fordistribution, Wylie said she balked when the people whooriginally committed to bringing the packages with them told herthey wouldn’t allow Gospel tracts in the kits.

Through a series of God-orchestrated events, Wylie met BethCecil, a nurse practitioner headed on a short-term mission trip toUganda. Cecil and her husband immediately agreed to bring thepackages.

Cecil said the reaction of the Ugandan women to a PatriciaProject kit is life changing. “They were in tears. They jumped upand down, screaming, saying ‘Praise God, praise God!’” she said.Cecil’s excitement for the service project spread throughout theconference’s makeshift workshop as women spent a few hoursputting their skills together for those in need.

According to Wylie, the participants of the 2011 HesterConference formed the largest group to work on the Patricia’sProject at one time. At the end of the day, the vision of theconference coordinator, Leslie Umstattd, seemed to have becomea reality. “I just want women to leave this conference changed andrefreshed,” Umstattd said. “That’s what is really exhilarating tome.” MW

“Being a minister’s wife is not really a choice we make,” Brewer

said. “It’s who we ought to be. As ministers’ wives, we better have

it: humility, self-denial, putting yourself aside.”

“Being a minister’s wife is not really a choice we make,” Brewer

said. “It’s who we ought to be. As ministers’ wives, we better have

it: humility, self-denial, putting yourself aside.”

Dr. Jeanne Burns, Willa Ruth Garlow, Linda Brewer, Diana Moody andDr. Morlee Maynard share lessons learned as ministers and ministers’wives at the MBTS 2011 Carolyne Hester Conference on April 8.

Andrea Jones, Jessica Snead and Dianna Moody work together on thePatricia’s Project service element of the conference.


CHAPEL UPDATE

Last summer, more than 1,000 volunteers from theconstruction missionary group Builders for Christ joinedhands with Midwestern Seminary and general

contractor J.E. Dunn to complete approximately 75 percent of thelargest building project in the school’s history. This summer, BFCgroups are coming back to campus with the goal of finishingwhat they started.

“It’s really exciting to see how far the construction has comealong on this building,” said Earl Rhyne, BFC Team B leader.“We’re excited to be coming to Kansas City this summer, andwe’re prayerful that the work we do here will be glorifying to theLord. Our goals are to finish the work on the upstairs andexterior that’s necessary to attain a certificate of occupancy, aswell as to complete the lower level.”

Rhyne’s remarks came during BFC’s 2011 SpringCoordination Meeting held at the Seminary on March 12. Themeeting included team leaders from the volunteer group’s “B” and“C” teams, who traveled to campus from Virginia, Indiana,Alabama, Ohio and Missouri.

During their visit, the team leaders toured the chapelconstruction site to attain a better understanding of where theproject stood in order to be prepared when their teams arrive towork this summer. They also received construction updates andlogistical details from Lyndal Lovelace, MBTS vice president ofAdministration, and from John Humphrey, volunteerconstruction coordinator.

The group was also addressed by MBTS president, Dr. PhilRoberts, who gave them background information on the Seminaryand the chapel project and said they were an answer to prayer.

“We know the value of volunteerism here,” Roberts said.“You folks are a miracle. We didn’t really know how we’dcomplete the lower level of the chapel, but we knew the Lord

would take care of it, and your groups are an answer to prayer.”The president said the chapel has been 50 years in the

making. However, because of an ebb in funding, schooladministrators have used the space from what was supposed tobe the library for chapel services and events.

“We’ve outgrown that area now,” Roberts said. “Our chapelservices are often full, and we’ve had to turn people away at largeevents because there wasn’t enough space. With the addition ofthis chapel complex, we’ll have plenty of room for those events.Additionally, we’ll be able to consolidate our library resourcesinto one building. This will allow us to add important volumesfor our students and to properly display our C.H. Spurgeonliterary collection and Morton-Seats archeological collection.”

Roberts noted that the school’s goal is to accomplish thechapel project debt free. He said the project is on target to meetthat goal. “We still have some work to do in raising the financesnecessary to complete the project. But when I think of thepersonal and financial sacrifices so many have made and willmake to accomplish this task, I remember Jesus’ words inMatthew 6:19-20: ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures onearth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves breakin and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves donot break in and steal.’

“What we’re doing here and what you’re coming here to dowill certainly attain an eternal reward,” Roberts continued. “TheLord is taking notice of your efforts, and your service to Him isinvaluable in His sight.”

The BFC teams are scheduled to begin arriving on campus inlate May and will work throughout the summer. Seminaryadministrators are prayerful that the project will be completed inlate August. MW

Buildersfor Christvolunteersreturn tocompletewhat theystarted

During the first week ofconstruction on the chapelproject, BFC team memberserect one of the building’s walls.


On April 19, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminaryreached a milestone in the construction of its 40,000-square-foot chapel complex: the “setting of the

steeple.” The steeple-setting ceremony signified the near-completion of the chapel building, a project that has been in theworks since October 2009.

Media representatives and spectators joined the Seminaryfamily on campus to witness the towering 3,000-lb. structure as itrose to the top of the chapel complex before being secured to astabilizing base on the facility’s roof.

The ceremony came on the heels of the school’s springtrustee meeting and in the midst of celebrations over MBTSPresident Phil Roberts’ 10th year of service at the institution. As aresult, many trustees and regents were able to watch thecompletion of this monumental phase in the constructionprocess.

“Today is a special day in Midwestern’s history, and itis encouraging to see the steeple sitting atop our chapel,”Roberts said. “I’m grateful to our regents and to ourtrustees for their unwavering prayer and support in thisproject. It’s only fitting that they get to be here to witnessthe visible progress of their efforts.”

The steeple itself is approximately 51-feet high and iscomprised of a cupola and a spire crowned by a 10-footcross. It was placed at the centerjunction of the complex’s roofs,over the congregational area ofthe chapel. The new addition isgracefully lighted so as to be seenfrom the neighborhood,indicating clearly the Seminary’spurposes.

Roberts said he was blessedby the opportunities the newaddition affords. “Now peopleacross the Northland will be ableto view the cross from any angleand be reminded of the sacrificethat our Lord Jesus made toforgive our sins,” said the long-time Baptist leader. “Our neighbors will also be remindedon a daily basis that this is a place that serves Jesus Christ.They will know we are a place that trains future pastorsand missionaries to carry out the Great Commission andspread the Gospel to Kansas City, to Missouri, to theUnited States and to the ends of the earth.”

With its new addition, the chapel complex nowreaches to approximately 107-feet in the air, addinggreater prominence to an already impressive structure.The facility is to include a 1,000-seat auditorium, awelcome center, additional classroom space and corridorsconnecting the complex to the current administration andclassroom buildings. The structure will allow for

increased capacity at Midwestern chapel services, workshops andvarious other events.

The Seminary’s board of trustees approved the chapelconstruction in October 2009, and ground-breaking ceremoniesfor the project took place on March 3, 2010. An influx ofvolunteers began arriving on the Seminary campus in thesummer of 2010 as J.E. Dunn Construction and the Alabama-based Builders for Christ joined together with Midwestern tobegin construction, and a second wave of volunteers will beginarriving on campus early this summer with the aim of readyingthe interior of the chapel for the fall semester.

Midwestern Seminary leaders are continuing their efforts torecruit volunteer groups to help finish the project. Interestedparties should contact the office of Lyndal Lovelace at(816) 414-3731 or via e-mail at [email protected]. MW

Midwestern sets steeple on new chapel complexby Austin Mayfield

CHAPEL UPDATE


Media representatives and spectators joined the Seminary family on campusApril 19 to witness the towering 3,000-lb. steeple joined to the roof of theschool’s new chapel complex.

Inset: Workers steady the steeple as the 51-foot addition is lowered onto its stand at the center junction of the complex’s roofs.

Photos taken from March 22 - April 28

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To financially support this or other MBTS projects, contact the IA office at (816) 414-3720.12 The Midwestern Spring/Summer 2011

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To financially support this or other MBTS projects, contact the IA office at (816) 414-3720. Spring/Summer 2011 The Midwestern 13


by Austin Mayfield

Earley urges workshopattendees to

T he leading expert in pastoral ministries at LibertyBaptist Theological Seminary posed a challenge toattendees of a prayer workshop that took place at

Midwestern’s campus on March 25 and 26: “How many of youbelieve that God can do things bigger than you can? How manyof you believe that He can do things better than you can? Howabout faster? More long-lasting?” he asked. “If you actuallybelieve that, it will translate into your prayer life.”

These questions, issued by Dr. Dave Earley, chairman of theDepartment of Pastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at theLynchburg, Va., seminary, resounded throughout the weekend asthe best-selling author discussed the value, methods and strategicuses of prayer in the subsequent 11 workshop sessions.

Earley asserted that, though God has given AmericanChristians virtually limitless opportunity to pray, the U.S. is oneof a small number of countries where Christianity is waning. Thisdecline is a consequence, he said, of underused and under-developed prayer. “If I could give you anything to set you up foreffectiveness in life and for effectiveness in ministry, I would giveyou the gift of a strong prayer life,” Earley said.

By recounting Scripture from Acts, Ezekiel, Ephesians andLuke, and by recalling examples of prominent Christian leadersfrom Abraham to Billy Graham, Earley pressed the consistentefficacy of prayer as well as its critical presence in the lives ofeffective ministers. “All of God’s great leaders have been peoplewhose one common denominator was a lifestyle of prayer,” hesaid. “If you want to maximize your impact, prioritize yourprayer life.”

The former pastor considers the spiritual discipline one ofthree biblical, essential functions of ministers, alongside theministry of the Word and the delegation of leaders. Morespecifically, Earley said, prayer is the most important task of aspiritual leader.

One reason the Liberty professor holds prayer at such a highpriority is his firm belief that through intercession the believertaps into God’s omnipresence. “In a sense, prayer is omnipresent,because it links us to the omnipresent God,” he said. “Throughprayer, you can accompany any missionary to the remotest placeson earth. Through prayer you can walk through crowded bazars,

minister in steaming jungles, feed millions of starving men,women and children hungry for bread for their bodies and for thebread of life.”

Earley concluded the first session by urging workshopparticipants to respond to this pressing need for petition. Themagnitude of the need is acknowledged by Christians of varyingdoctrinal loyalties, he said, quoting prodigious Calvinist andArminian theologians alike as saying that God works in the worldonly as a result of prayer.

“I honestly believe that, all other things being equal, themore I pray, the more God works,” Earley said. “Sovereign Godhas chosen to limit His activities to the prayers or to the lack ofprayers of those here on earth. At both ends of the theologicalpole, Wesley and Calvin say the same thing: ‘If you aren’t praying,God’s not working.’”

In the workshop’s second session, the ministry expertexpounded on the believer’s daily responsibility to pray. Earleyagain cited many illustrations – Scriptural and historical – ofpeople who wove prayer into their day-to-day lives. The chiefexample, and the one on which Earley focused most of his time,was Christ Himself.

“As someone who is fully God and fully human, the humanside of Jesus lived and needed to pray. If Jesus, the Son of God,needed to pray that much, how much more do you and I need topray?” he asked. “We call ourselves Christians – little Christs – sowe need to do what He did. We need to be like He was. Theworld is not excited about a Christianity that is not like Christ.”

To access God daily, the workshop leader said, we need toconsider the discipline a necessity. “Jesus got up early and prayed.It was the top priority. If nothing else got done, prayer got done.It was the one nonnegotiable in His day,” Earley said. He urgedattendees to begin by spending even one hour in prayer everyday.

According to the prayer expert, another step toward dailyprayer is assigning specific times of the day to prayer. “Davidprayed three times a day. Daniel prayed three times a day. If youwant what they had, do what they did,” he said.

The final suggestion that Earley gave for developing a dailyprayer life is designating a specific place for prayer. “Where is

PRAY


FEATURE STORY

your tent of meeting?” he asked. “Where are you building yourrelationship with God? You need some sacred places in your life –some holy places.”

Earley concluded the session by stressing the importance ofspending long spans of time in prayer. “Your life isn’t transformedin prayer by taking a workshop on prayer or by reading a bookon prayer. Your life is transformed in prayer by praying,” he said.“There’s been no communion with a holy God, no fellowshipbetween heaven and earth, no power for the salvation of soulsunless much time was set apart for it. Much time spent in prayeris the secret of all successful praying…You owe it to yourself, youowe it to your family, you owe it to your church, you owe it toyour community and you owe it to your God to be a man orwoman powerful in prayer.”

Dr. Tom Johnston, Midwestern’s associate professor ofevangelism, served as professor of record for the event. Johnstonwas grateful for the wisdom that Earley shared in the workshop,and he was also pleased with the participants’ reactions. “DavidEarley’s prayer workshop was biblical and engaging,” Johnstonsaid. “Earley combined biblical content with an overview of thepractices of godly men who prayed, and he punctuated histeaching with practical opportunities to pray. Students respondedvery enthusiastically to this workshop.”

For moreinformation aboutEarley, his ministriesor his writings, visitwww.daveearley.net.For details on similarupcoming events atMBTS, visitwww.mbts.edu. MW

Dr. Dave Earley (right), chairman of the Department ofPastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at Liberty BaptistTheological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va., speaks to MalachiO’Brien (left) and Jeff Ingle, graduate students at MBTS,between sessions of the prayer workshop hosted by Midwesternon March 25 and 26.

Students pray corporately during one of the Seminary’s bi-weekly chapel services.


by T. Patrick HudsonFEATURE STORY

Land examines the ‘Christian’s obituary’during celebratory chapel service

Amidst a tone of celebration for the president’s 10-yearsof service and the honoring of a dedicated volunteercouple during the April 20 chapel service at

Midwestern, Dr. Richard Land, president of The Ethics andReligious Liberty Commission, delivered an upbeat message on atopic that many find little comfort in – death.

At the outset of the filled-to-capacity service, the audience’smood was turned to glorify God during a rousing piano pieceplayed by Jamaican concert pianist Huntley Brown. The groupwatched attentively as Dr. Phil Roberts presented chapel projectvolunteer John Humphrey with the President’s Medallion – thehighest honor bestowed by Midwestern Seminary. Humphrey,according to the medallion’s accompanying certificate, “answeredGod’s call to serve as volunteer coordinator and siterepresentative…John’s outstanding professionalism, sacrificialChristian service, and construction expertise have broughtenormous value to Midwestern’s chapel building project, and hiscongenial spirit has engendered Christian unity, humility ofservice as well as a mind to work with all diligence amongcontract workers and over 1,500 construction volunteers fromaround the U.S. John has exemplified outstanding Christiandevotion and a stellar work ethic in every aspect of thisconstruction process.”

Roberts lauded the Humphreys by calling them his “heroesfor their example of dedication and service.” Joining via Skypein the honoring of the couple was their home church pastor,Johnny Hunt, of First Baptist, Woodstock, Ga. He called theHumphreys the “epitome of the best of the Woodstock family,”using words such as “character,” “compassion,” “dedication,” and“service” in describing the couple’s ministry throughout his 25years as their pastor. When asked to say a few words, Johnsimply replied, “Thank you.”

As the service continued, the MBTS president also receivedcongratulatory notes for his decade-long service to Midwesternfrom a number of Southern Baptist leaders including Hunt, Dr.Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary, Dr. ChuckKelley, president of New Orleans Seminary, and Dr. Jeff Iorg,president of Golden Gate Seminary.

In stark contrast, stepping into the pulpit, Land turned theattendees’ attention to the topic of death, saying he reads fivenewspapers daily and one portion he pays particular attention tois the obituaries. He added that most people think of death interms of sadness, loss and grief. However, in light of Psalm116:15, which says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the deathof His saints,” Land said Christians should re-evaluate thismorose thought process.

“In reality, death means a change of nature. It means a changeof environment. We are altered, and if we are believers in the LordJesus Christ, that change of nature and environment is a huge, vastimprovement thanks to the events that we’re going to celebrate thisSunday (Easter),” Land said. The Oxford University scholar addedthat, because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ,

the grave has lost its sting and death has lost its victory.To illustrate his point, the ERLC leader spoke of a relative

who fought in Vietnam and was involved in a very difficult battle.The soldier’s mother fasted and prayed for her son’s deliverancefrom harm and danger. The soldier was in fact delivered, andupon his return to America, his family rejoiced. Speaking ofbelievers, Land said, “When we die, we are delivered from a placewhere bad things can happen to us. We are delivered from aplace of danger both within and without. To be absent from thebody means we’re in the presence of the Lord!”

Referring back to obituaries, Land noted that such aremembrance of a Christian is very truncated because it doesn’t

tell the rest of the story – either before the person was created orafter his departure from earth. He used passages from Jeremiahand Psalm 139 to denote that God knew each person before hislife began, and that He formed a clear plan for each of Hischildren’s lives. “We may have been a surprise to our parents,but we were not a surprise to God,” he said.

“The obituary of a Christian starts in eternity past…and itdoesn’t end with the date of our death either, does it?” Landasked. Quoting Hebrews 2:14-15, the chapel speaker read, “Nowsince the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus alsoshared in these, so that through His death he might destroy theone holding the power of death – that is, the Devil – and freethose who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.

“Why are people afraid of dying?” Land asked. “We aren’tgoing to die until God’s appointed days for us are done. Whyshould we want to cling to this life and remain imprisoned in thislife?”

Revelation 21:3-7 provides great encouragement on thesubject of death, Land said. Death will no longer exist; there willbe no more grief, crying or pain in the life to come, he added.Verse 7 says, “The victor will inherit these things, and I will be hisGod, and he will be My son.”

“This passage goes from the corporate to the personal,” Landstated. “In the new heaven and the new earth, He’s going to beyour father and you’re going to be His child. First person, face-to-face, it’s going to be as if each one of us is His one-and-only.There will be enough of Him to go around. So, as we look at theobituary of a Christian, this life is but a tiny, momentaryinterlude.”

To listen to Land’s sermon, go to www.mbts.edu and click oneither the video or audio podcast for April 20. MW

“Why are people afraid of dying? We aren’t

going to die until God’s appointed days for us

are done. Why should we want to cling to this

life and remain imprisoned in this life?”


by D.J. Castilleja

MIDWESTERN NEWS

Prominent apologist challenges Midwesternstudents to evangelize Muslims

Prominent Christian apologist Jay Smith was on theMidwestern Baptist Theological Seminary campus onMarch 16 encouraging students to learn about

apologetics to Muslims and to engage Islam for the cause ofChrist. During the chapel service, Smith also gave a preview ofthe debate that was to take place on March 17 between himselfand Muslim spokesman Khalil Meek. The debate was entitled,“Which way America: The Bible or the Qur’an?”

Smith, who is currently in the final stages of writing hisPh.D. dissertation, 2,000 years of Christian/Muslim apologetics/polemics, and their efficacy post 911, began his message to thechapel attendees by complimenting the seminary’s willingness tohost a forum for dialogues between Christians and Muslims.Smith said that, as far as he knew, Midwestern was one of the fewschools willing to “confront Islam publicly.”

The Christian apologist continued by expressing theimportant and urgent need to challenge Islam. “The governmentcannot confront Islam,” Smith said. “Don’t wait on the politiciansto take on that battle. If you are going to confront Islam, you aregoing to have to confront their ideology. If you are going toconfront their ideology, you are going to have to do it withoutbombs, bullets and cruise missiles.”

Smith continued by telling students that the only way todestroy an ideology was with a better one. “Christians have abetter ideology in Jesus Christ!” Smith said. “We are the only onesthat can take on the battle.” He expressed his concern over thefact that Islam is growing faster than any other religion.

According to Smith, in nine years Islam will be the largestreligion on earth.

Another point that Smith emphasized was the superiority ofthe Bible over the Qur’an. “The Muslims need to understand thatthis book [pointing at the Qur’an] does not come from God – itcomes from man,” Smith said. He went on to say that he was notjust interested in showing the weaknesses of the Qur’an, but alsoto demonstrate the greatness of the Bible.

Smith concluded his message by challenging students tostand up for the Gospel despite persecution and attacks byMuslims. “In the book of Acts, the disciples were attacked, theywere hated, they were persecuted, they were flogged… andevery one of them was killed except for John,” Smith said.“What a commissioning! That is your commissioning… Are youup to it?”

In addition to his personal studies, Smith has taught classesin advanced apologetics and polemics and has provided trainingfor evangelists in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Healso equips missionaries for the mission field in areas where theIslamic faith is prominent. Since 1995, he has participated in over40 formal debates with distinguished Muslim scholars, statesmenand apologists.

Smith will return to the Midwestern Seminary campus fromJune 27 to July 5 as an adjunct professor to teach the course,Muslim Apologetics. Students will learn more about apologeticsand polemics in regard to Islam. For more information, contactthe Registar’s Office at (816) 414-3756. MW

Christian apologist Jay Smith encourages studentsof the Bible’s apologetical superiority over theQur’an during the chapel service on March. 16.

Students, as well as local and regional pastors, congregatedat Midwestern Seminary’s campus on April 26 for a dayof spiritual refreshment and training as they attended the

2011 Spurgeon Pastors’ Conference.Seminary leaders brought in experts in their respective fields

to lead sessions and discuss topics related to the conference’stheme: “Maximizing Your Ministry.” The event’s keynote speakerwas Bryant Wright, the Southern Baptist Convention president,who delivered a chapel sermon that focused on preaching. Laterin the day, Wright participated in a Q&A session about his dutiesas the SBC’s leader.

Discussing what such a conference affords himself and theattendees, Wright said, “For me, there’s been of a lot of value incatching the spirit of Midwestern Seminary. God is so obviouslymoving here. Plus, I think these (events) are times whenstudents…get something that maybe they wouldn’t be getting inthe classroom on a day-by-day, week-by-week basis.”

In addition to Wright’s plenaries, breakout session topicsincluded planning sermons and services, effective preaching,leading worship, cultural awareness, pastoral skills and tappingsocial media.

Dr. Jerry Sutton, MBTS vice president of academics,introduced Wright’s sermon by summarizing the conference’spurpose: to help attendees become “more effective ministers ofthe gospel.”

Following the introduction, Wright delivered a chapelmessage that focused on preaching God’s Word. To emphasizethis, he used a passage from Acts 2 that he said included the“most important” sermon in the history of the church – Peter’ssermon to the church at Pentecost.

“There are few callings in life that are greater than the callingto preach the Gospel,” Wright said. “It’s an overwhelming callbecause, if we really have any sense of honesty and integrity

about our own lives, all of us are inadequate for the calling topreach the Gospel.”

Wright went on to state that, according to the model foundin Peter’s sermon, all great preaching comes from Spirit-filledpreachers, is grounded in God’s Word and is Christ-centered.

Wright, the senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church inMarietta, Ga., for nearly 30 years, wrapped up his message bysaying that solid preaching brings about the conviction of sin andcalls for a decision. He noted that in Peter’s sermon, the apostle’swords pierced the hearts of the people because they realized theirsinfulness, attained Christ’s forgiveness and desired to repent. Asa result, 3,000 people were added to the church that day.

“There’s no calling more emotionally demanding or moreintellectually rigorous than that of preaching,” Wright said.“There is no calling more spiritually exhausting… But there’s nocall with greater joy and fulfillment and with greater impact forall of eternity than preaching the Gospel of Christ.”

Throughout the day, attendees received insight from guestlecturers during breakout sessions. Breakout leaders includedpastors Mark Hoover, of NewSpring Church, and Terry Fox, ofSummit Church, both from Wichita, Kan., Aaron Loy, a worshipleader from Two Rivers Baptist Church, and Ben Stroup, a socialmedia expert, both from Nashville, Tenn., Fern Sutton, acounselor from Lynchburg, Va., and Martin Pohlmann, presidentof the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa.Midwestern faculty members Jerry Sutton, Rodney Harrison andRustin Umstattd also led sessions.

During his session called “Tapping Social Media forMaximum Ministry,” Stroup spoke of an evolving technologythat’s permeated almost every aspect of culture – social media –and he strongly encouraged pastors and churches to get involvedwith it. He noted that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,YouTube, Google, Vimeo and Flickr now provide a method forpastors to get their messages beyond their church’s walls. “Socialmedia is a transformational shift in how people discover, readand share information,” Stroup said. “It transforms monologuesinto dialogues.”

One concept the social media expert said has been heavilyconsidered in his meetings with pastors and church leaders ishow to get their message outside the pulpit and maximize itsimpact for the next six days until the congregation meets again.


Pastors, studentsdiscover ways tomaximize theirministries duringSpurgeon Pastors’Conference


Bryant Wright delivers amessage on biblical preaching

for maximizing ministryduring the 2011 Spurgeon

Pastors’ Conference.


“We can really extend the benefit of what we do on Sundaymorning through social media,” Stroup said.

He also said that pastors are the church’s spokesmen,and one of the best ways for people outside their church tosee who pastors really are is by “empowering the people inthe pew to multiply what you’re trying to do and multiplyyour impact,” he said. “Folks are going to care moreabout what the people in your pews say about you andyour church than about what you say.”

One of Stroup’s guiding rules in encouraging socialmedia use is that “you are who you are online. If you’renot online, you’re invisible.” He added that it’s imperativeto develop a strategy that works for each organization.There are no one-size-fits-all strategies, and groups mustfind the one that works best for them.

In closing, Stroup said this transition for many pastorsand churches will be on a steep learning curve. Hesuggested that it’s best to learn about one platform at atime, to build value through content and to stick with it.“The key is to start doing something today and to payattention to what others are saying,” he added.

Speaking of the takeaways he gained from Stroup’ssession, Kevin Ross, pastor of Pearl Street Baptist Churchin Paola, Kan., said, “I’ve always been the type of personwho enjoys and embraces change, but the pace of changein today’s culture sometimes seems overwhelming…Understanding the impact and influence of the Internetand social media in today’s spiritual economy is a must. Ican dislike it, but I cannot afford to ignore it. While everypastor ought to primarily function within his strengths, thewise will learn how to leverage this medium to reach asector of society that best communicates in 140 charactersor less.”

The Spurgeon Pastors’ Conference concluded with afinal Q&A plenary session with Wright. The SBCpresident addressed issues and goals that he has for theConvention as well as ways the denomination is growingand carrying out the Great Commission. MW

FEATURE STORY

Q&A with the SBC PresidentIn the final plenary session of the Pastors’ Conference, SBC

President Bryant Wright discussed his role in the Convention and

his vision for the future. The following is a sampling of the

session’s Qs & As:

Q: Tell us how your ministry of nearly 30 years at Johnson

Ferry got started.

BW: We were a church plant meeting in an empty doctor’s

office in North Atlanta. The group, in 1981, prayed that the Lord

would lead to them their first full-time pastor and provide land

where they could build a church facility that year. My family arrived

there on December 15, and two days later the church made a large

down payment on 13 acres of land. Being the only staff member, it

was at times overwhelming to be involved in a church plant. At first,

our focus was the Great Commission, but in the late 80s our staff

really sought our church’s true mission. Our new mission

statement became “to love God and worship Him as we disciple

people for Christ,” and that’s driven us since.

Q: What’s it like being the SBC president?

BW: It’s been pretty much what I was expecting in the sense

of the responsibility. I was reluctant at first to be nominated, but at

our World Missions Conference in 2010, the Holy Spirit convicted

me about being selfish in not being willing to think of something

broader than our church. This role has very little authority and a

whole lot of responsibility. This is a tough combination... The

greatest joy I’ve had has been preaching in the seminaries and

colleges. It’s fantastic to see the students’ commitment, and how

God is working greatly in these places.

Q: What is your vision for where the SBC is headed?

BW: One of the things I’ve noticed in this role is that there’s a

need to remind folks to return to their first love – that love for the

Lord. Materialism and Hedonism are extensive in the local church.

As pastors, oftentimes we replace our love for Jesus with the

idolatry of our ministry. It’s spiritual death when one becomes a

“professional” rather than a Spirit-filled minister of the Gospel.

Next, I’ve challenged churches to take at least one mission trip. It’s

hard to describe how positively it’s impacted our church to become

involved in “going” versus only praying and giving. Thirdly, another

result of our World Missions Conference 2010 was a conviction that

there’s no reason, with 44,000-plus SBC churches, that we cannot

have at least one church adopt each remaining Unreached People

Group (UPG) in the world. The IMB believes there are about 3,800

people groups having no witness for the Gospel. The convention in

Phoenix this year will be all about missions. You’ll hear about

church planting in largely unreached areas, but also there will be a

challenge for enough local churches to commit to adopting each of

these UPGs. They’ll be responsible to pray…for openings to reach

these areas with the Gospel. Churches of any size can do this and

have an impact on the world for Christ. This allows local churches

to lead the way, and the IMB will be the facilitator. MW

Aaron Loy, a worship leaderfrom Nashville, Tenn., leads the

conference attendees during atime of praise and worship.


With all six SBC seminaries featuring doctor ofphilosophy programs, and with each programoffering multiple concentrations in turn, students

seeking doctoral-level education have some decisions to make.But according to Dr. Steve Andrews, director of Midwestern’sPh.D. program, there are three things that make a MBTS researchdegree “phenomenal.”

“Firstly, we have an excellent faculty – terms have been usedlike ‘world class,’” Andrews said. “They know their material;they’ve done extensive research in the Old Testament and in theNew Testament. They are absolutely interested in the primarytext: correct exegesis, correct interpretation, rightly dividing theWord of truth.”

In fact, program faculty are so interested in the biblical text,Andrews said, that they require students to generate primary-textdissertations. “We’re not writing about what somebody else says.Our text is the Greek New Testament and the Hebrew andAramaic Old Testament,” Andrews said. “It’s a degree in readingthe biblical text in the primary language and in gettingapplication out of that for our time, for our world. We’re not justtranslating the text; we’re using the language of the text tounderstand the text.”

The second phenomenal ingredient is the program’s cost,according to the professor of Old Testament, Hebrew andarchaeology. “It is a great, great bargain,” Andrews said. “ForSouthern Baptists, it is one of the best that exists. And the coststays the same; once you get in the program, it never changes.”

Fixed tuition rates aren’t the only contributors to theprogram’s overall affordability. Andrews said the Seminaryprovides a variety of financing options to its Ph.D. students,including payment plans and scholarships. These options create a“great opportunity for students who are called into ministry toexpand and develop their ministry without having to worry abouttaking out massive student loans,” he said. “It’s doable even forstudents who are providing for a family.”

The third distinguishing characteristic of Midwestern’s Ph.D.program is connected to the other two: namely, that the Seminaryis “proactive in helping its students,” said the Midwesternadministrator.

In addition to its affordability and Bible-based instruction,this student-centered approach is displayed in the Seminary’sefforts to provide Ph.D. students with teaching and publicationexperiences that will complement their degrees. The frequency ofstudent teaching is the prerogative of the president and the dean,Andrews noted, but he added that these administrators arecommitted to helping Ph.D. students get teaching experience.

“Some students are able to work in the college. We give them

opportunities to minister by teaching, by serving as graders forthe faculty and by facilitating online degree courses,” he said. “Agood number of them are finding that they can also pay for theircosts by serving in this capacity.” Correspondingly, studentspossess a competitive edge when applying to teaching positions,having already handled syllabi, tests, coursework, coursepreparation, objectives and assessments.

Program administrators are also committed to seeing thePh.D. students publish. “The faculty actively teach students tocontribute in the disciplines that they’re studying in the academic

world, so they actually start out after getting their degrees withrecords of publication,” Andrews said, noting that students arestrongly encouraged to go to academic society meetings as well todeliver their work.

As for the impact that all this preparation makes on agraduate’s job application, Andrews said the competitive edge isevident. “When they graduate, they not only have an excellentdegree in hand, but they also have the experience of teaching andthe experience of publishing, which will make them far bettercandidates for a position out there in the academic world,” hesaid.

Dr. Rodney Harrison, director of doctoral studies at MBTS,observed how the Ph.D. program’s phenomenal characteristicsfulfill the Seminary’s core values. “Paul exhorted Timothy to‘entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others.’The Ph.D. program is designed to equip students at the highestlevel of academic study to communicate the core values ofMidwestern – veritas, pietas and missio (truth, devotion andevangelism) – in their teaching ministries,” Harrison said.“Moreover, Midwestern’s mission is ‘to serve the church bybiblically educating God-called men and women to be and makedisciples of Jesus Christ.’ The Ph.D. program serves the church bypreparing those leaders whose calling is to train the nextgeneration through our colleges, seminaries and churches.”

To learn more about the Ph.D. program at MBTS, visitwww.mbts.edu or call the doctoral studies office at 877-414-375.MW

Ph.D. program offers students ‘phenomenal’ opportunity

MIDWESTERN NEWSby Austin Mayfield

In addition to its affordability and Bible-based

instruction, this student-centered approach is

displayed in the Seminary’s efforts to provide

Ph.D. students with teaching and publication

experiences that will complement their degrees.


Ph.D. students voice their opinionsRusty Osborne is a first-year Ph.D. student at Midwestern, and he’s taking advantage of the publishing

opportunities the program affords. Recently, one of Osborne’s works was accepted for publication in OldTestament Essays, a journal produced by the Old Testament Society of South Africa. He credited the Seminarywith equipping and enabling him to better succeed in his field.

“The Ph.D. program at MBTS has proved to be incredibly rewarding,” Osborne said. “Like all advanceddegrees, the work is not easy, but the research environment at Midwestern has strengthened my ability tointeract with the Bible at a scholarly level. Consequently, with the help of the Ph.D. faculty, I’ve enjoyed severalteaching and writing opportunities – experiences that will help prepare me for future ministry.”

Like all second-year Ph.D. students, Joshua Mann is focusing on fulfilling the coursework component of thedegree, and said he’s grateful for the versatility his education affords. “I’ve found the Ph.D. program atMidwestern to be a tremendous benefit on a number of fronts,” Mann said. “The coursework feature of theprogram has given me a broad base from which to operate in the field of New Testament studies; the assignmentsin each class have served to sharpen my critical thinking skills; and the rigorous study of the New Testament hasbetter equipped me for my local church ministry as well as for academic teaching.”

Rusty Osborne

Joshua Mann


Less than a year after the successful launch of a 100%online master’s degree, Midwestern Baptist College,SBC, leaders have now developed a line of

undergraduate courses aimed at helping off-campus studentsto more conveniently work toward a degree.

With coursework beginning on July 5, MBC-Online willintroduce six individual classes that will be fully transferrabletoward several of the associate and bachelor degree programsthat the College offers.

Online program leaders say this is an excellent way forstudents who can’t make it regularly to campus to completeneeded courses toward their degree. “Midwestern BaptistCollege, SBC, is committed to providing high-quality Christianeducation for life and ministry and to making that educationaffordable and accessible,” said Dr. Ted Davis, director of theMBC-Online program. “We’re excited that, beginning with the2011 summer semester, students will be able to manage theirbusy schedules while achieving the important goal of a collegeeducation through these online undergraduate courses.”

The courses will be offered in eight-week terms, with twoterms being offered each semester. The undergraduateofferings will begin in the second summer term (Term B)which runs from July 5 to Aug. 19, and the available classeswill include English Composition I, Survey of Old TestamentLiterature, Christian Doctrine I and Introduction to Businessand Finance.

“Because the courses’ length is considerably shorter thanthose in traditional semesters, the workload is challenging,”

Davis said. “However, we think students will find the onlineformat friendly to their schedules. Whereas, people once hadto travel to the main campus or extension locations to attend aclass, they can now complete courses from anywhere they haveinternet access!”

“Another extremely beneficial aspect of these courses isthe cost,” said Dr. Rodney Harrison, dean of Online Educationat Midwestern. “When compared to other online coursesoffered by state or private institutions, our costs are quitereasonable. One other point to note is this: the cost you see iswhat you get. There are no hidden fees whatsoever.”

The tuition for the online courses is $250 per credit hour,with each course being worth three credit hours. The onlyadditional costs a student will incur include textbooks and anyother required materials for the course.

“All of these courses are offered as part of theundergraduate degrees currently available at the college,” Davissaid. MBC-Online plans to offer additional courses in the FallSemester, with Term A taking place Aug. 22-Oct. 7 and Term Boccurring Oct. 17-Dec. 9.

To view the complete list of undergraduate degree plansavailable, prospective students are encouraged to visit the MBCwebsite at: http://www.mbts.edu/academics/degree_programs/college.

Registration for the summer and fall terms is underway.Anyone interested in enrolling for one of the classes can do soon the MBC-Online web page. For more information or toask further questions, contact the MBC-Online office at (816)414-3814 or e-mail [email protected]. MW

MIDWESTERN NEWS


MBC-Online to launch undergraduatecourse offerings this summer

T he hoisting of the majestic, 51-foot steepleatop the new chapel at Midwestern BaptistTheological Seminary was a monumental

day in the life of the school and was witnessed bylocal news crews, friends, students, faculty, staff, theBoard of Trustees and our Board of Regents. It was agrand day… a memorable day.

As I thought about this symbol, I was remindedagain of our purpose and mission. The words“onward and upward” came to mind as the steeplewas carefully placed on the new chapel and workersbegan the process of permanently affixing thisaddition to the roof. Yes, it now looks like a church,a house of worship adorned with a 10-foot cross.

This new addition provides a stunning andpowerful symbol of why we exist. The stately verticallines not only enhance the beauty of the chapel, butthey direct the viewers’ eyes toward heaven,reminding us that God is in control; and our hoperests not in the security of our existence here onearth now but in the second coming of our Messiah.

The cross so aptly punctuates the top of thismagnificent edifice, a symbol of tortuous death thatreminds us of the penalty for our sin. Yet, at thesame time, the cross is a cherished Christian symbolof our forgiveness in Christ.

Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from theearth, will draw all peoples to myself.” (John 12:32)John commented that Jesus said this to signify thedeath He would die, but it also serves as a challengeto believers to lift high the cross of Christ to theworld. The next time you see a steeple atop a houseof worship, take a moment and look heavenwardand remember it is the mission of the Church, theBody of Christ, to make sure the nations know Jesus.

Our most carefully chosen words can never

adequately express our love and appreciation for thealumni, friends and supporters of Midwestern’schapel project. Every gift, every sacrifice and everyvolunteer has contributed to the success of theproject, and together we will celebrate the goodnessof God when the building is complete. Theanticipation is mounting as we near the finish line.Volunteers from Builders for Christ are poised toreturn this summer to complete the project. Now itis critical that we raise an additional $500,000 forconstruction materials to complete the lower-levelconference center and classrooms. $500,000 morewill be needed to complete the sanctuary as well ascover the cost of parking lots.

From the very beginning, we have beencommitted to building this new chapel debt-free. Webelieve that this will happen. Now we want to askyou again to consider making a sacrificial gift to ourchapel project. Together we are making a difference!We are partners in the Gospel and co-laborers forChrist. May the Lord richly bless you!

We hope you will be able to see our new chapelsoon. For more information on how you can beinvolved in the completion of this project, pleasecontact us at (816) 414-3720 or [email protected].

Thank you again for your gifts, prayers, andencouragement.

In His Name,

Anthony W. AllenSenior Vice President

for Institutional Advancement

(816) [email protected]

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

To financially supportprojects at MBTS, contact

Anthony Allen via the information above.


Dr. Jim Turnbo (D.Min. ’06) is currentlyworking as the associational missionaryfor the Mountain and Western BaptistAssociations. He works among NativeAmerican, Hispanic, African-Americanand Anglo Southern Baptists in NewMexico.

Before heading to the mission field,Turnbo earned a bachelor’s degree fromEast Texas Baptist University in Marshall,a Master of Divinity from Southwestern

Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, and a Doctor ofMinistry at Midwestern. He has also served as a pastor in Texas,Louisiana and Nebraska.

Karen, Jim’s wife of nearly 25 years, supports her husband ashis ministry assistant, a Vacation Bible School coordinator, amusic leader and as a mentor for other pastors’ wives. (Courtesyof Baptist Press – Mickey Noah)

Dr. Martin Thielen (D.Min. ’88) hasrecently published his fifth book, What’sthe Least I Can Believe and Still Be aChristian? A Guide to What Matters Most.Martin was recently appointed as seniorpastor at Brentwood United MethodistChurch in Brentwood, Tenn. He has beenmarried to Paula for 33 years and has twogrown children, Jonathan and Laura.

Dr. Marc Dreyer (M.Div. ’80, D.Min.’84) is currently senior pastor at MemorialBaptist Church in Tulsa, Okla., where hehas served since 1993. In other ministryservices, Dreyer has been a member of athe Board of Education in Kansas City, hasbeen involved in both police and hospitalchaplaincies and has taught as an adjunctprofessor at Midwestern.

Most recently, Dreyer wasreappointed by Oklahoma governor, Mary

Fallin, to the five-member Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.“I think my experience in criminal justice, as a pastor andtraining in education equips me to make balanced decisionsabout cases the board hears,” Dreyer said. “I just like trying to beinvolved in the community and doing something. This particularassignment seems like it fits my background the best.”

Shane Kastler (M.Div. ’04) was called toserve as senior pastor of PleasantonChristian Church in Pleasanton, Kan.,shortly after graduation. In July of 2010,he published a book entitled, NathanBedford Forrest’s Redemption (Pelican). Thebook is a spiritual biography of aninfamous Confederate Civil War generalknown for his suspected involvement inthe Ku Klux Klan. Kastler accepted thecall to serve as pastor of Heritage Baptist

Church in Lake Charles, La., in February 2011. In addition, hewrites a weekly newspaper column called “Seeking HigherGround” for the Linn County News. He is married to Erin andhas three children: Andrew, Savanna and Karissa.

Denney Rives (M.Div. ’73) and his wifeLinda have returned to the United Statesafter two years of service in the PeaceCorps in Azerbaijan. Denney taughtcomputer skills at an IREX Center,funded by USAid. Linda instructedEnglish teachers in the course “BestPractices: Teaching Methods for EnglishInstruction.” They are now making theirhome in Kansas City.

ObituariesJesse Morris Ashcraft died on January 29in Evanston, Ill., after a lengthy illness.Ashcraft attended public schools inArkansas and graduated from OuachitaBaptist University and Southern BaptistTheological Seminary.

He taught at Furman University inGreenville, S.C., before becoming one ofthe original faculty members ofMidwestern Baptist Theological Seminaryin 1959 as a professor of theology.

Ashcraft also served as a pastor for seven years in Arkansas andKentucky. While at the seminary, he was frequently an interimpastor of Baptist churches. He wrote the commentary on thebook of Revelation in the Broadman Bible Commentary series,and one of his most defining books was The Will of God, a smallpaperback that was designed to help any individual discover anddo the will of God.

He is survived by Mary, his wife of nearly 66 years.

ALUMNI NEWS

Keeping in Touch

Shane KastlerJim Turnbo

Denney Rives

Jesse Ashcraft

Martin Thielen

Marc Dreyer

Let us hear from you! Send updated information on your family and current ministry [email protected], or go online to mbts.edu and click on Alumni and Friends, Keeping in Touch.


IN THE COMMUNITY

Robert Glenn Poor (M.Div. ’71) passedaway March 31 at the age of 84. Poor issurvived by his wife, Faith. In a letter toMidwestern, Faith writes, “Bob choseMidwestern because he felt his ministrywould be in the Midwest. He loved theseminary experience as well as theteachers.”

He was called to pastor First BaptistChurch in Pleasant Hill, Mo., shortly afterhis graduation from Midwestern. Along

with being a pastor, Poor also served on the board of the IllinoisBaptist Association. He was married for 65 years.

Dr. James Paul “Jim” Cogdill Jr., formervice president of academic affairs anddean of faculty at Midwestern, passedaway on March 17. Cogdill also served aspastor for several churches in Illinois,Missouri, Kentucky and North Carolina.He earned his Master of Divinity fromSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary in1986 and his Doctor of Philosophy fromSouthern in 1990.

Cogdill passed away unexpectedlydue to complications with pulmonary emboli in his lungs.Cogdill is survived by his wife, Debbie Collie Cogdill.

Robert Poor Jim Cogdill

by Austin Mayfield

As part of an ongoing effort to reach Kansas City’s at-riskpeople groups, one of Midwestern’s Evangelism Teams(METs), in cooperation with Central Baptist Church, a

multi-cultural fellowship in Kansas City, Mo., and West HavenBaptist Church in Tonganoxie, Kan., gifted roughly 200individuals with prescription eyeglasses on April 2. The day ofministry, which took place at Central Baptist, was made possiblevia a partnership with Focus on Missions, an Evangelicalorganization dedicated to sharing the Gospel and meeting theoptometric needs of the disadvantaged.

Having ministered to the immigrant people groupssurrounding Central Baptist Church, Dan Williams, a METmember and frequent volunteer for Focus on Missions, saw thecommunity’s physical and spiritual needs as an opportunity for theeyeglass ministry’s expertise.

According to Williams, the internationally-focused ministryoperates from a bank of thousands of donated prescription glasses.These glasses are analyzed, separated by prescription and stored forfuture use. A sophisticated machine then scans the eyes of patientslike those who lined up at Central to determine their correctprescriptions, at which point the glasses are matched up with theindividual, joined with a suitable nosepiece and given to thepatient. After undergoing this process, eyeglass recipients at CentralBaptist were ushered to a final station, where they tested theirglasses to insure proper performance and were presented with theGospel message.

Matthew Inman, a M.Div. student at Midwestern, is a METleader and an active member of Central Baptist. For several years,the team that Inman leads has been building relationships andevangelizing in the community surrounding Central, a diversemix of Somalis, Hispanics, Indians, African-Americans,Burundians and Kenyans. When Inman learned of the eyeglassministry, he jumped at the chance to be involved.

Inman described the scene on April 2 with alacrity. “Theywere lined out the door, waiting to get in,” he said. “Half the linecoming out was Muslim women. That was just an amazing site tosee going into a church.”

From its end outside the front doors of the church, the line ofeye-care recipients meandered throughout a number of rooms inthe church and finished in a counseling room.

“It was like a packed city in there,” Inman said. “Those waitingin line were just standing there, so you’re thinking, ‘Man, let’s gotell them about Jesus!’ I got to talk to some of them at each waitingstation, and then followed up by giving them a Bible.”

The event spanned several hours past the pre-scheduledwork day, but Inman said the results were decidedly worth theextra effort. “We’d had very minimal contact with two particularindividuals prior to that day, but there was just a breakthroughinterest in Jesus and in receiving a Somali Bible and wanting togrow,” he said. “People are more open to talking with the(evangelism) teams now as they see that we’re giving and wedon’t expect anything in return.”

For Inman, the best part of the outreach was its spiritualimpact: the Good News was shared with each recipient,relationships were established and many Muslim Somalis showedunprecedented interest in the Gospel. The Midwestern studentremembers giving a Bible to one Somali man in particular.

“It was the most energetic I’ve ever seen a Somali. He wantedit – like, ‘Give it to me. I’m going to read it; I’m going to read it all!’”Inman recalled. “I haven’t had any Muslim say this to me before, buthe said, ‘I want to know how I can know I’m going to paradise.’”

In all, seven decisions for Christ were recorded among theparticipants that day. Dr. Tom Johnston, professor of evangelismat MBTS and former pastor of Central Baptist Church, wasinvolved with the outreach and was pleased with its results. “Itwas a wonderful partnership of the METs, Central BaptistChurch, West Haven Baptist Church and many others,” Johnstonsaid. “Those involved felt that it was the most successful clinicthat they had held.” MW

MBTS-based METs, volunteers from Central Baptist in Kansas City, Mo.,and from West Haven Baptist in Tonganoxie, Kan., joined forces withFocus on Missions to deliver prescription eyeglasses to roughly 200residents of the community on April 2. (Photos by Mark Scribner)

Giving sight to the blind: Midwestern evangelismgroup, churches team up with eyeglass ministry


Dr. Alan Tomlinson

Dr. Alan Tomlinson has taught New Testament andGreek at Midwestern for more than 16 years. Priorto his time here, Tomlinson was employed as an

engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority, as an officemanager for a certified public accountant and as a pastor inColorado.

MW: You’re one of the longest tenured professors oncampus. How long have you been here, and what do you likebest about Midwestern?

AT: I’ve been here since July 1995, and my passion isteaching. Because I’m in the biblical text, I have a strong desireto communicate it to our students in a way that honors God.My hope is that it encourages students to get into the Wordand to live its commands. Every day that I come into my officeI discover something new in the Bible. It keeps me fresh, andLord willing, that comes across in my teaching. I want toencourage students to be lifelong learners so they can knowGod in a more intimate way.

MW: How did you become a professor, and what is the paththat brought you to Midwestern?

AT: It started when I was pastoring a church in Colorado,and I called a professor at one of our sister seminaries about atext that I was preaching through in Philippians. Theconversation lasted two hours, and the professor encouragedme to call him every Friday, which I did for a couple of years.When I left my pastorate in 1989, I went to seminary, and hebecame my mentor. I never really expected to have a seminaryteaching position, but a professor here submitted my name.While I was interviewing with the trustees, I was so nervousthat I spilled a cup of coffee on some of them. They handled itwith such grace that it really made an impression on me. Theyhired me anyway.

MW: What is your favorite thing about ministering here?

AT: My favorite aspects of ministering here have been thecamaraderie among the professors; seeing my students, whowere here 12 or 13 years ago, now flourishing in ministry; andseeing the things I’ve taught come to life in others’ ministries.

MW: What is your favorite area of research, and how doyou apply it in the classroom?

AT: There are two areas: the first deals with the biblical text –how the parts fit into the whole within the text and seeinghow it impacts the text’s meaning. My passion is to always seethe parts to the whole and the whole to the parts. The secondthing is to integrate the word pictures in the New Testamentinto the teaching. The 1st Century is an oral society, and theyoften use words to communicate that are very picturesque andmeaningful. They communicate a thousand words in theirpictures. In the New Testament, each book and letter generallyhas a central theme and purpose for writing, and I want to geta handle on that theme and purpose for every book.

MW: What is your advice to young seminary studentscoming to Midwestern, and how would you encourage them intheir studies?

AT: First of all, I would say that in their prayer life they shouldask God to take what they’re learning, that it wouldn’t just befor head knowledge but that God would give them the ability tosee the spiritual truths. This way, it’s a combination of theacademic and the spiritual that encourages them in the Wordand by the Spirit that they can apply it to their lives. I’d alsoencourage them to be in the Word. Although they’re reading allkinds of different textbooks in their courses, I would tell themto stay centrally focused on the book they came here to study –the Bible. Also, I’d tell them to allow time for their families. I

found it helpful to take my studies andincorporate them into my family life. My timein seminary was one of the most special timeswith my family.

MW: Tell us about your family.

AT: I met my wife, Ginger, during my lastyear of college. She radiated the Lord Jesus. Isaw her witnessing to some Jewish students inthe dormitory as I was passing by, and I knewin my heart that she would be the woman Iwanted to marry one day. I asked her to marryme in a prayer, and I’m so thankful that Imarried her. I wanted girls, and God gave methe desires of my heart. We have two marrieddaughters, and our oldest is a teacher inWichita, Kan. Our youngest is a teacher inKansas City’s inner-city schools. MW

FACULTY PROFILE


Dr. Alan Tomlinson, MBTS professor of New Testament and Greek,interacts with student Vicki Channell during a Greek II class.

STUDENT PROFILE

Micah Cooksey

Micah Cooksey is one of the youngest graduatestudents to ever take classes at Midwestern.He’s currently enrolled in the 100-percent

online degree program offered through Midwestern BaptistCollege, SBC. He grew up on the mission field with hisfamily, graduated from high school and college and is nowpursuing his master’s degree – all before the age of 18.

Here’s a bit more about the spotlight student:

MW: I understand that you grew up in a missionaryfamily in Japan. Briefly tell us about the experience ofgrowing up in that environment.

MC: My family moved to Japan when I was 3-years old.When I was 13, we moved to McMinnville, Ore., which iswhere we live now. My dad is the pastor of Valley BaptistChurch here. During the time my family spent in Japan, Ilearned to speak Japanese fluently, and I also gained anappreciation and an understanding for cultures that aredifferent than ours.

MW: You’re 17-years old and taking seminary graduateclasses. Tell us about your earlier schooling: Where did youattain your undergraduate degree? What was it in, and howold were you when you started those classes?

MC: I was homeschooled through high school, and in Juneof 2010, I received my B.A. in Social Sciences from ThomasEdison State College, a distance learning institution. I was 12when I started working on that degree (when I was still inJapan).

MW: How did you hear about Midwestern’s Master ofArts in Theological Studies degree program, and whatinterested you the most about pursuing this program track?

MC: I heard about the degree through the NorthwestBaptist Paper. The top thing for me about the MATS programis that I can take classes from home. My family and I hadbeen praying about what the next step for my schoolingshould be, and the MATS program was perfect. If I go intomissions with the International Mission Board, this wouldfulfill the degree requirements, which is another reason formy enrollment with this program.

MW: What do you like best about the online format, andwhat’s the most challenging aspect?

MC: The thing I like most about the online format is itsflexibility schedule-wise. Although there are deadlines at theend of each week, most of the coursework can be completedany hour of the day, unlike traditional classes. The mostchallenging aspect is the workload, especially since I’m takingtwo classes per seven-week term.

MW: What has been your favorite class thus far, andwhy?

MC: I would have to say that my favorite class to date wasmy hermeneutics course taught by Dr. David Sundeen. Ireally benefitted from taking that. In a way, though, everyclass has been my favorite because they are all so great.

MW: At the pace you’re moving, taking two classes perterm, you’re on track to finish your MATS degree by late2011 or early 2012. What are your goals upon graduation?

MC: I’m praying about doing one of two things: 1) goinginto ministry, possibly missions; or 2) studying either webdesign or marketing and getting a job in either of those fields.

MW: Are any of your siblings on a course similar to whatyou’ve done?

MC: Not exactly, but my sister, who is 14, is enrolled in aChristian paralegal program. We’re still praying aboutwhether or not my other siblings will follow a similarprogram to the one I’m doing. They’ll definitely dosomething like it, but we’re still praying about the exactdetails. MW


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