The Journal of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary–Volume 9, 2022–2023

Published annually by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Cordova, Tennessee, Michael R. Spradlin, President.

Journal Committee

John Babler, PhD Terry Brown Van McLain, PhD

The Journal of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is published each spring under the guidance of the journal committee of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.

Correspondence concerning articles and editorial policy should be addressed to the editor, John Babler.  Comments concerning book reviews should be directed to the book review editor, Terry Brown. Manuscripts for consideration should be sent to the editor. Writers are expected not to question or contradict the doctrinal statement of the Seminary.

The publication of comments, opinions, or advertising herein does not necessarily suggest agreement or endorsement by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, the editorial staff, or the Trustees of the Seminary.

The subscription rate for the print edition of the Journal is $10.00 per year. The rate is for mailing to domestic addresses. The Seminary does not mail The Journal internationally, but makes it available worldwide through its online edition. The online edition is available free of cost at www.midamericajournal.com. Address all subscription correspondence to: Journal Committee, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 2350, Cordova, TN 38088.

© 2023 Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

ISSN: 2334-5748

“Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is a school whose primary purpose is to provide undergraduate and graduate theological training for effective service in church-related and missions vocations through its main campus and designated branch campuses. Other levels of training are also offered.”

Welcome

Dr. Michael Spradlin and The Journal Committee

Fifty Years Ago: The Beginning of Mid-America Baptist

Theological Seminary

Michael Spradlin

A Founder’s View: The Amazing Story of the Miracle of MidAmerica

Michael Spradlin/ Dr. Gray Allison

History of The Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library

Terrence Brown

Ethos in Ministry: A Cornerstone of Mid-America Seminary

Z. Scott Colter

To All the World for Jesus’ Sake: Mid-America and Missions

Mike Morris

Models and Methods of Education at Mid-America

Bradley Thompson

Unsung Heroes: The Ministry of Support Staff

Randy Redd

The Women’s Institute: Preparing Women to Serve

Lee Ann Spradlin

A Glimpse of Reality Concerning the Poor Widow’s Gift

Van Gray

Where Do We Go from Here: The Future of Seminary Education

Michael R. Spradlin

This edition of the Mid-America Journal is unique in many wonderful ways. As we celebrate fifty years of ministry as an institution, we recognize the kind providence of the Lord in so many ways. Our prayer is that this volume will serve as a blessing to you and as an encouragement, that it is a good thing to remind ourselves of the ongoing faithfulness of the Lord Jesus.

The aim of the articles contained within this work are designed to be more of a celebration than a mere academic exercise. The history of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has often been thought of as our founding president, Dr. B. Gray Allison’s annual recounting of “The Miracle of Mid-America.” He told an updated version of this story at the beginning of every school year at Founders’ Days. This journal contains that story and so much more.

As always, the heart of Mid-America is Bible, Missions, and Evangelism and that heartbeat can be felt throughout this journal. We will even consider what the future may hold for our beloved institution. So read, be blessed, and thank the Lord that so many have labored so well, to bring about the right kind of seminary. In love with Jesus, committed to the Word of God, and with a heart for the lost people of the nations.

This edition of our journal does more than focus on the past. This edition serves as a call to continue the ministry for the future. More than just learning of the inner workings of a seminary and ministry, you can sense the heart of our loving Lord, who earnestly desires for the redemption of a lost and dying world.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Spradlin President, MABTS

Fifty Years, and Counting! What a blessing to be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. From very humble beginnings, God has continued to bless Mid-America with His provision and the opportunity to prepare the called for ministry. The founding commitment to focus on the Bible, Missions, and Evangelism continues to define the Seminary’s commitment today. With the addition of the College as well as campuses in two prisons God continues to expand the impact of Mid-America.

Dr. Michael Spradlin and The Journal Committee

This 2022-2023 issue celebrates the history and accomplishments of MidAmerica while looking ahead to great things God has for us as we continue “Lighting the Way.” The authors provide their perspective on the mission, the ministry and the methods of the College and Seminary. Enjoy a time to reflect on your history with Mid-America and join with us in prayerfully looking to what God has for us in the future.

The Journal Committee:

John Babler, Editor

Terry Brown, Book Review Editor

Van McLain

NOTE: The individual writers are responsible for the contents of each article and review. Neither the seminary nor the committee necessarily endorse the contents.

Fifty Years Ago: The Beginning of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

Michael R. Spradlin, PhD

Michael R. Spradlin, PhD, President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, received a BA from Ouachita Baptist University, and an MDIV and PhD from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a versatile ministry background that includes preaching, teaching, church planting, military chaplaincy, and many international and North American mission trips. In addition to serving as the president, Dr. Spradlin is also professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, church history, practical theology, and missions and chairman of the evangelism department. He is the author of many scholarly articles and books, including The Sons of the 43rd: The Story of Delmar Dotson, Gray Allison, and the Men of the 43rd Bombardment Group in the Southwest Pacific. Dr. Spradlin served as editor of Studies in Genesis 1-11: A Creation Commentary, Beaman’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, and Personal Evangelism. His newest edited book, That One Face: The Doctrine of Christ in the First Six Centuries of Christianity, by Lawrence R. Barnard, will be available in 2023. Dr. Spradlin and his wife Lee Ann live in Memphis and have three children (David, Thomas, and Laura) and two daughters-in-law (Laurel and Madelyn).

In 1972, now fifty years past, the beginning of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary was announced to the Southern Baptist world with a letter from Dr. B. Gray Allison to every pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention. The letter is included in this article to show the original vision, mission, and passion of the proposed seminary. Over thirty thousand letters were prepared by the Allison family and friends for mailing. What is fascinating is that Dr. Allison began the letter by sharing his personal testimony and then he shared the mission and vision of the new seminary. With the benefit of hindsight one can see how this approach personified the early years of Mid-America and the insight of Dr. Gray (as we all called him). A brand-new educational institution can state any purpose or mission, but with no history, it has little or no credibility. However, an experienced minister does have a track record. Dr. Allison used his extensive ministry experience to show

that the school he was starting did have instant credibility. The later announcement of the first faculty members, men with considerable ministry experience, further enhanced this.

In the following letter, Dr. Allison modeled his philosophy of being known more for what you are for than for what you are against. He obviously believed that theological compromises existed in the theological institutions of his day, otherwise why start another seminary? Yet, he wanted to be distinctive more than disruptive. It is always a difficult balance to take a strong stand for what truly matters without seeming to engage in negative attacks. Nevertheless, strong stands must be taken, and Dr. Allison and the first faculty members took a stand knowing that many considered this to be the end of their denominational careers.

The original name of the Seminary was to be The School of the Prophets. It was Dr. Gray’s brother, Dr. Philip Allison, who came up with the idea of MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary as the name for the new school. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Dear Baptist Friends:

For several years I have sensed a need in our convention Life. This letter is being mailed to the Southern Baptist pastors listed in the Southern Baptist Convention Annual. Many of you know me, but some do not. Please read this letter carefully!

Jesus became my Lord in 1935 (when I was 11 years of age) and I joined the Ida Baptist Church, Ida, Louisiana, a cooperating Southern Baptist Church. I surrendered to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ on July 4, 1949. My formal educational background includes the B.S. from Louisiana Tech University, the B.D. and Th.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (in church history, with minors in Theology and Homiletics). After receiving my Th.D. in 1954, I was invited to teach Church History and Evangelism and direct the Practical Activities Program at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In January of 1956, Dr. Roland Leavell asked me to switch from Church History to Missions. For four and one-half years I taught in the field of Missions. In 1960 God led me into full-time evangelism. I was asked to return to N.O.B.T.S. in 1962 for a term as visiting Professor of Evangelism. I was elected Professor of Evangelism at N.O.B.T.S. in 1964 and taught in that position for two years on a part-time basis, devoting the rest of the time to field evangelism. From January,1966, to July 1967, I served as Associate Director of the Division of Evangelism, Home Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. Since that time, I have been engaged in evangelism in Baptist Churches, evangelism conferences, Bible conferences, etc. Each year I spend some weeks in pioneer areas, trying to help our struggling churches there. During the past fourteen years I have made ten overseas trips at the invitation of our Baptist Missionaries for evangelistic meetings, conferences, Bible studies, etc. The Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist

Convention assisted financially in the travel expenses of two of these trip—the others were financed by interested friends, and myself.

My family and I are active members of Temple Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana. We tithe our income through our church—undesignated. We also contribute to the work of our Lord and our denomination through the special offering—Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, etc. I am a firm believer in, and supporter of, the Cooperative Program. It is our life line

All of the biographical material has been given simply to say, I am a Southern Baptist, by conviction and choice. I thank God for the privilege of being a Southern Baptist preacher.

For some years, however, I have sensed a special need in our Convention Life. We have six seminaries, supported by Southern Baptists, to train leaders for our churches, schools, and mission endeavors. I have counseled with many college and university students in the past seventeen years and have said to each one: “You can get a good theological education in any of our six seminaries.” I still believe this. However, I have a deep-seated feeling that there is a need for another seminary which is through and through conservative in its theological stance where every professor believes in the verbal inspiration of the Bible. I would like for the young men surrendering in our churches for the ministry of Jesus Christ to have the option of attending this school. If they choose to go to another school, that would be their privilege. I believe our primary task is evangelism at home and abroad, and that our young preachers should be required to take more hours in the field of evangelism and missions than are required in most schools.

Because there seems to me to be such a great need, I propose to begin such a school. I pledge to you several things as we begin:

1. Every professor will be a soulwinner.

2. Every Professor in the theological field (Theology, Bible, Church History, Evangelism, etc.) will hold an earned doctorate.

3. Every professor will be conservative in his theology, believing the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God and so teaching.

4. Every professor will be an active pastor and/ or member of a co-operating Southern Baptist Church.

5. Every professor will be available for counseling with students.

6. Academic standards will be maintained at the highest level, but no outside agency will be allowed to dictate requirements, etc.

7. Students will not only be taught evangelism and missions but will be required to do them.

8. Financial support will be sought from churches and individual church members.

Let me add that I have personally visited with the president of each of the six Southern Baptist Convention Seminaries, and with a number of Convention leaders, to assure them that we are not fighting them or are we opposed to them. We rather desire to have friendly relations with all, and to try to meet what we believe is a genuine need in our Convention Life. Therefore, “The Schools of the Prophets “(for Evangelism and Missions) will open in Ruston, Louisiana in August 1972. I will serve as President and Professor of Church History and Evangelism. Other professors are committed and will be announced later.

We need three things:

1. Prayer—This above all!

2. Money

a. At least 100 churches that will budget at least $100 per month

b. At least 100 individuals who will give $1000 per year

c. At least 1000 individuals who will give $10 per month

d. We welcome any contribution, and especially need friends who will contribute on a regular basis.

3. Students

If you are interested or have young people in your church who are interested in attending our school, please fill in and mail the enclosed form and you will receive our bulletin. We ask for your prayerful consideration, and if the Lord leads, for your support.

Thank you very much for letting me share with you the burden of my heart.

In Christian Love, B. Gray Allison

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world”. Romans 1:8

Giving Form

______ I am interested in the school of the Prophets (for Evangelism and Missions). Please send information concerning classes, enrollment procedure, etc.

______Enclosed is a contribution for the School of the Prophets (for Evangelism and Missions).

______ I am interested and promise to pray with you.

NAME: ADDRESS: _________________________________________ _________________________________________

NAME OF CHURCH: __________________________________

Mail to: The School of Prophets

Post Office Box 892

Ruston, Louisiana 71270

A Founder’s View: The Amazing Story of the Miracle of Mid-America Theological Seminary

Michael R. Spradlin, PhD and Gray Allison, ThD

Michael R. Spradlin, PhD, President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, received a BA from Ouachita Baptist University, and an MDIV and PhD from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a versatile ministry background that includes preaching, teaching, church planting, military chaplaincy, and many international and North American mission trips. In addition to serving as the president, Dr. Spradlin is also professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, church history, practical theology, and missions and chairman of the evangelism department. He is the author of many scholarly articles and books, including The Sons of the 43rd: The Story of Delmar Dotson, Gray Allison, and the Men of the 43rd Bombardment Group in the Southwest Pacific. Dr. Spradlin served as editor of Studies in Genesis 1-11: A Creation Commentary, Beaman’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, and Personal Evangelism. His newest edited book, That One Face: The Doctrine of Christ in the First Six Centuries of Christianity, by Lawrence R. Barnard, will be available in 2023. Dr. Spradlin and his wife Lee Ann live in Memphis and have three children (David, Thomas, and Laura) and two daughters-in-law (Laurel and Madelyn).

Dr. B. Gray Allison, ThD, founding president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, had an extensive lifetime of ministry. He served as a local church pastor, a seminary professor, author, and an associate director of evangelism for the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention among many other ministry endeavors. While serving as the president of Mid-America he also was the chairman of the faculty and the professor of evangelism, missions, and homiletics. He was a pilot and a veteran of and United States Army Air Corps during World War II in the Pacific Theater.

The following account has been transcribed from Dr. Gray Allison’s account of the founding of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. As the founder of the institution he had an unusual insight into the amazing works of the Lord in bringing about and sustaining this school. The document has been lightly edited for content and clarity, but an attempt was made to keep the wording as close to the original as possible. A second document has been included giving Dr. Allison’s instructions for telling the “Miracle of Mid-America” story.

—Michael R. Spradlin

“The Miracle of Mid-America”

Dr. Gray Allison, January 27, 2002

Lord, we wouldn’t rush heedlessly into Your presence, but we come boldly because You told us to. We just come to ask that You bless this service. Lord, take the songs we’ve sung and praises, as a message to our own hearts. Would You bless this time? I’m looking at Your grace and Your goodness. If there are those here who are lost without Jesus, would you, dear sweet Father, bring deep conviction in their hearts and draw them to You. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Well, I’m glad to be back with you, and I don’t have time to elaborate on that except to say, “God bless you.” I want to put two verses of Scripture in your hearts. The pastor has asked me to share with you something of the greatness of God that I’ve seen demonstrated in the last thirty years. Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Would you hold that in your heart and remember a part of Colossians 1: 18 which we’ve adopted as the motto of Mid-America Baptist Seminary, “that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

For a number of years, some of us were very concerned about the condition of our Southern Baptist Convention, especially the theological drift. In 1962, several of us began to pray that God would give us, as Southern Baptists, a seminary where every professor would believe all the Bible, all of the way through, without any question at all. Where every professor would have an earned doctorate capable of and qualified to teach anywhere, where every professor would be an active member— Please underscore in your mind active—an active member of a local, cooperating Southern Baptist church. Where every professor would be available for counseling with the students, open doors and open hearts for the students, and where every professor would be a soul winner, where students would be required to witness of their faith for God. Well, we prayed for nine years, really. Now we didn’t have any organization. I don’t want to mislead you. It was just a little group of us who were from time to time together, and we’d pray and talk about it.

In 1971, we felt that God was leading us to begin a school like that. Now there was a little problem. None of us had any money. We didn’t have any land or buildings or library, and those are all essential for a seminary. But we did have the conviction

that God wanted a school, and I want to submit to you folks—that’s enough. Thank you. Who said “Amen”? You can stay. Thank you. I usually bring Voncille with me, and she amens me. I like to be “amened,” That’s amen territory. If God wants it, that’s enough.

So, we agreed that we would start the school. We didn’t have anywhere to start it with no land or buildings or library. At that time, Voncille and I lived in Rustin, Louisiana, a town of about 20,000 in north-central Louisiana where Louisiana Tech University is located, at that time between eight and nine thousand students, now probably twelve thousand. They had a wonderful library. They had a good religion section in the library. I knew the president. I had gone to school with the academic vice president and the natural vice president, and I knew them well. The librarian had led music in revivals for me. We felt we could work out something and use their library. We thought if we had to, we could begin in our house. Voncille and I owned about a third of a house there, if anybody can understand that language. That means a building loan on most of it. We thought if we had to, we’d start there. Now that was not a good place to begin a seminary. Here about eight or nine thousand college students who need to work, and our kids would need to work, but we just didn’t have anywhere to start.

But a man in Little Rock, Arkansas, was developing a new satellite city in Maumelle, Arkansas about thirteen miles north of Little Rock. Some of you will remember that the federal government sponsored twelve satellite cities about forty years ago, thirty-five years ago; and Maumelle was one of them, was one of the only two of them that really made it. He’s just beginning to develop it, and he said he would give us twenty acres in Maumelle if we could build on it. He said as an educational, nonprofit organization he could give it to us if we could build on it. So, our trustees went to Little Rock and looked at it, and since we didn’t have anything, it looked very good to us. Kind of rolling land, rocky with little scrub oaks on it, but it looked good. And our trustees agreed that we ought to take that.

Well, if we were going to have the Seminary there, we ought to start it in that area. So, we started looking for a place to meet. Had a wonderful Southern Baptist church, Olivet Baptist Church, was the old Gain Street Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock. That area had become very, very rough, and they had moved out, bought five acres out in west Little Rock, built a brand-new three-story brick building out there, and moved in March of 1972. Their property was for sale.

Their downtown property had an auditorium that would seat about 850 people and educational space to match. Beautiful, wonderful buildings. We thought we could use the auditorium as a chapel and the educational building for our offices and classrooms and library, maybe even some dormitory space. They had gotten down to $200,000 for that property. We felt that if somebody would offer them $100,000, they’d jump all over it. So our trustees voted to offer them $100,000 for that property. One of the trustees said, “You know we really ought to sleep on this

overnight and just pray about it a little more. We are going to have young wives and young children down there, and that is a terribly rough area of Little Rock. We better pray about it another night.” So, we agreed to do that.

Now I must tell you that in all my almost fifty-three years of ministry I’ve had a bunch of people predicting I’d have a heart attack, and I probably will, and I may have after preaching to you. And if I do and die, my body dies; I can’t die, would you just praise God. He’ll call Voncille. She knows what to do.

About 4:00 the next morning, I jump straight up in bed and came back down; and Voncille thought I was having a heart attack. She jumped up. She said, “Oh, Honey, what’s the matter?” I said, “I believe God has just given me the most wonderful idea.” I waited until the decent hour of 6:00 and called the chairman of that committee in Little Rock. And I said, “Gene, you folks have that brand new building. You won’t use it during the day, during the week. We won’t need it on night and on weekends. Why don’t you’ll rent us that new building and let us begin the Seminary there.” He said, “I like it. Let me call the pastor.” He called the pastor, and he called me right back. He said, “The pastor is almost jumping up and down with excitement. He’s asked God to let us use that new building seven days a week for His glory, and he believes this is a direct answer to his prayer. He wants you to come Monday night and talk to our deacons.”

So, I drove to Little Rock and talked to the deacons and told them what we were going to do and why and how. And they voted unanimously and enthusiastically— that’s a miracle—to recommend to the church that they allow us to use their building and rent to be determined by the pastor and three deacons and me. Then they asked me to come to the business meeting on Wednesday night and explain to the church; and I did that, left so they could discuss it. And the deacons brought that unanimous recommendation. The chairman of that committee told me later, he said, “Gray, when you left, a man stood up in the back and said, ‘I want to make a substitute motion.”’ And he said, “My heart just went down in my shoes. He said, ‘I move that we not allow that seminary to use our building.’ (And he paused.) He said, ‘I move that we invite the Seminary to use our building and that the rent be extra utilities and extra janitorial service.’ And the church voted unanimously and enthusiastically to do that.” That’s another miracle. A Baptist church voted unanimously and enthusiastically for something.

Well, we moved in the first of July. I looked at that thing. They had their offices on the first floor, and they had the whole first floor lit and cool. Now I figured if they did that for summer that they’d heat it for winter. So, we put our seminary office in the church library on the first floor, had classes on the first floor, and we didn’t have any extra utilities. Amen. One of our students did the janitorial work, and that’s how we started.

`We had absolutely no money. We had four professors, a business manager, and a secretary, started with a budget of $125,000 and no money. I don’t mean some.

I mean no [money]. I wish I could tell you this whole story how God gave us an adding machine for the business office which we didn’t have, and a typewriter, and a desk and chairs. Just people calling in and giving to us. We agreed that we wouldn’t ask people for money, wouldn’t ask churches for money.

We’d do what J.B. Lawrence said, and he’s head of our home mission board, “Trust the Lord, and tell the people.” So, we’ve trusted God for thirty years and told folks what’s happening. And God has raised up churches and people, and we’ve operated in the black for thirty years. That’s an amen. We don’t ask anybody for money. Nobody believes that. The crediting association comes, and they say, “How do you get this money?” We said, “God provides it.” “Well, you don’t have a program to raise money?” “We don’t raise money; we raise friends.” Amen. See, folks, God is able. He said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

We didn’t have any library. I gave my books which I’ve regretted and rejoiced over for thirty years. Man, I miss them, but I’m glad I gave them. My brother Phil gave a bunch of books. Dr. Beeman gave some. We didn’t have a librarian and didn’t have a library. We just put some shelves in the Sunday school assembly room, arranged the books by subject, alphabetically by author, and let the guys use them. But you do know that God knows everything, don’t you? In 1970, our daughter Susan, our eldest daughter was at Louisiana Tech as a student there, she came to me and said, “Daddy, I’m majoring in education and minoring in English. I would kind of like to get another minor. I’d like to do a minor in library science. I don’t want to be a librarian, but I’d kind of like to do that. What do you think?” And I said, “Honey, that’s ok with me. You just do it.” So, she did and married a professional baseball player.

After a year of going to a Baptist church and hearing the Word of God preached and having family altar in their home every night like Susan was taught and reading the Bible together and talking about it and praying every night, Charlie was saved. He wasn’t sure he’d make it into the Big Leagues. He thought he probably would, but he didn’t like Sunday ball and all that after he got saved so he got out of baseball and worked at Merrill Lynch. Would you like to guess where? Little Rock, Arkansas; and we had a librarian—paid for. And Suzy set up our library right from the beginning. God does things like that. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

We started with twenty-eight students from seven states. We agreed we wouldn’t recruit students. We said if God wants the school, He must have somebody He wants us to teach and train, and we’ll trust Him to send them. And we don’t recruit students. We don’t go out and try to talk people into coming. We ask God to send us the ones that He wants us to have. We started with twenty-eight students from seven states, budget of $125,000. I wish I could tell you how God did that, but He did it. And the second year we had eighty-six students from seventeen states, and our budget went to $163,000. And the third year we had 153 students from twenty

states, and our budget went to $233,000. And God kept taking care of us. We stayed in the black. He gave us $100,000 over and above that. I’d like to tell you the whole story of that one, but I’ll tell you half of it.

A man offered us $250,000 in cash if we could match it. He gave us a deadline. And the deadline came, and we hadn’t matched it at all. God just didn’t give it to us. He said I’ll give you thirty more days. The day before we had to have that money, we had $10,000. This is a real miracle. A seminary student—you’ve been to seminary—a seminary student came into my office, and he said, “Doc, my wife and I didn’t sleep last night. We stayed awake and talked and prayed.” He said, “My grandfather gave me some bank stock that’s worth about $15,000, and we believe we ought to give it to the Seminary for the matching fund.” But he said, “We’ve got a problem. It’s in a bank vault in East Tennessee.” And I said, “Son, that’s why God made jet airplanes.” Businesspeople think God does all that for them. He did that to carry on His Word. I called Merrill Lynch and sold that stock, and we flew up there and got it and came back. After we paid the fee, it brought in $14, 758.59. And God sent the other $20-something while we were gone, and we had the matching fund that’s fifty. We ended up with $100,000.

We were about to push all of that out of our building, so being the kind soul that I am I went to the pastor and said, “Russel, I believe if this church had the Christian spirit you’d give us this five acres and this building and you all would just go somewhere else.” Well, he said, “Gray, I don’t think we have that much Christian spirit.” So, I knew who had to move. It was us.

A wonderful architecture firm in Jackson, Mississippi, drew up plans for us for a library building that we could use as a multipurpose building to start with, with classrooms and offices and a contemporary chapel and a library space to accommodate thirty thousand volumes which we didn’t have then, and later be the library building. And we let out bids on that building.

I went to the Southern Baptist Convention and ran into Dr. Adrian Rogers there. And we stopped and talked a minute, and he said, “Gray, the Seminary ought to be in Memphis.” I said, “Dr. Rogers, everybody knows where it ought to be. God put us in Little Rock. He’ll have to move us.” He said, “Well, it ought to be in Memphis across the street from Bellevue.” I thought he said in a Jewish synagogue in Hebrew school, but he really said “Jewish temple” in Hebrew school. I waved at him and on down the hall. He’s persistent. He called me several weeks later, and he said, “Doc, instant seminary, everything you need. They’ve got a temple that seats about a thousand people in cushioned opera seats and a pipe organ, and they’ve got the stained-glass windows with a vine on it.” You see, the Jews thought that the vine was Israel. We didn’t have to change the windows when we got there. You know Who the vine is, don’t you? You all awake? I said, “If God wants to move us, He can move us.” He called me again. He said, “Doc, instant seminary, everything you’ll need but a

library building. And you’ve got space in there for a library if you can get one.” And I said, “If God wants to move us, He can move us.” Well, He wanted to move us. We got the bids on that building, and the lowest bid on that library building was $700,000. We had $100,000. We would have had to borrow $600,000, if we could. Anybody remember ‘74? Interest rate was prime 15–16 %. We probably couldn’t have borrowed it. If we could, we would have been paying that kind of interest and almost immediately have to turn around and build another building, borrow more money. We would have been head over heels in debt. We thought that was poor stewardship of God’s money and agreed not to do it. And we looked at old buildings, old church buildings, old school buildings, old office buildings all over Little Rock and north Little Rock and couldn’t find a thing. And I called Dr. Rogers. I said, “Is that property still for sale?” He said, “Yeah, they offered it to Bellevue for a million dollars. We’ve had a committee study it. It would take another million for us to fix it like we need it. It’s across busy Jackson Street; and if we are going to spend two million on buildings, we are going to build them on our own property. But we haven’t told them.” I said, “Don’t tell them. Let me come look at it.” And I flew over there that Thursday. He took me down there. We went into the Montgomery Street entrance, which doesn’t mean anything to you; but it’s the side door. And got in there and turned left, and I opened the door to that synagogue, that temple. And I’m not a mystic. Folks, God has never spoken to me in an audible voice; and if you tell me he spoke to you like that, I’d probably step away from you. But I’m going to tell you that when I stuck my head in that door, I knew I had come home. I cannot explain that to you, but I knew that was ours. I called our trustees. We had eight in five states, busy businessmen. Usually, it takes two or three days to set up a conference call to get them all on the telephone. I got them all that afternoon. That’s a miracle. I said, “You’ve got to come up here Saturday and see this property.” We can’t get them to a trustees’ meeting where the date’s set in concrete. They can’t all come. They could all come that Saturday. That’s another miracle. They looked in that temple and said, “My, we couldn’t build this building for a million dollars.”

Well, we started dealing with the Jewish people. That was fun. We had a good time. Dear, sweet people. They were so kind to us. They had offered it to Bellevue for a million dollars, so we offered them $800,000 for it. They bought thirty acres, by the way, in east Memphis, built a seven-million-dollar plant on it, and moved in debt free. My brother went out to their opening and said, “When you all get tired of this property, call us.” They said, “It’ll take us two and a half years. You can get the property June the fifteenth of ‘77.” This is the fall of ‘74, but they said our folk don’t even consider an offer less than a million dollars. We just kept talking, and he said, “We like what you’re doing, but we’ve been offered a million dollars cash by another group. We don’t like what they do. We don’t really want to sell it to them. We like what

you’re doing.” When I told them we required our guys to study Hebrew, he liked it better.

But he said, “Our folks won’t even consider an offer of less than a million dollars.” Well, we just kept talking. And finally, he said, “Well, they probably would take a million less the realtor’s commission.” That’s $940,000. The trustees authorized this offer of a million. So, we offered them $940,000. And we said, “We’ll give you a $100,000 down, and we’ll give you $200,000 in escrow. You finance $640,000 for us in ten years with 8 %.” They said, “We can’t do that.” I thought they were talking about the interest. They said one man has pledged a million dollars on our new building. We think we ought to talk to him. I said, “I think you should too, and if you’d tell me who he is, I’ll talk to him.” And they did, and I did. That’s another story. He gave $25,000 for our library. Amen.

`Anyway, we went to him, and he said, “No, fellows, make the Baptists a counteroffer. Tell them if they’ll give us $300,000 in cash right now and give us a half million dollars in cash June 15, 1977, when we get the buildings, I’ll give $140,000 so the temple gets her $940,000 and the Baptists get their $800,000 they wanted for it.” And they said, “How about that?” We said, “How about that.” I mean, praise God, hallelujah, and everything! But we’ve still got a minor little problem. We don’t have $300,000. That morning we had $155,555.55 sack and all, everything we had. So, we said, “Would you let us give you a $150,000 and the escrow fund. Give us some time to raise the other $150,000.” They gave us six weeks. Anybody remember the fall of’74? Interest was high. Inflation and recession. Stag-flation, they called it. Man, Interest Prime was 15 to 16%, and nobody had any money. They gave us six weeks. Well, the first weekend of November…six weeks, by the way, was at 5:00 the Monday after Thanksgiving. First weekend of November, I preached in a church here in North Carolina. It was about a third the size of your church. That church had been giving us $100 a month since we had started. They’d raised it to $200. I knew the pastor, but I’d never been in the church. He asked me to come for a weekend meeting, and God blessed. We had a really glorious time that weekend, but I found out something about that church. I found out it was a very sinful church. They didn’t owe any money, had everything paid for that they needed, and had $73,000 in the bank drawing interest, and that’s a sin. They were not supposed to have money drawing interest; they were supposed to put it in kingdom work.

We’re not in a money-saving business, folks. We’re in the soul-saving business. Put it in Lottie Moon or Annie Armstrong or Mid-America Seminary, somewhere. Now they didn’t even know I found out they had that, but I went home and started praying God would help us to relieve them of part of their sin. I asked God to give us $10,000 of that money.

On Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we had $35,000. Monday after Thanksgiving at 5:00, we had to have $150,000. We walked in the door after prayer meeting, Voncille and I; and the telephone was ringing cause it’s an hour later in

North Carolina than it is real time. This pastor said, “I’ve been trying to call you.” He was home from prayer meeting. He said, “Our church voted unanimously and enthusiastically tonight (there’s another miracle) to send $10,000 to the Seminary to help pray for that property. And one of our deacons got so excited. He brought me another $100. I just put a check in the mail to you for $10,100.” And when I got through bouncing around on the ceiling praising God, I said to Voncille, “Oh, me, of little faith. I believe if l had asked God for $20,000 of that money, He’d given it to us.” We have a great God, folks. Ask Him. Well, that’s $45,000 if you’re with me. The next morning, one of our trustees called said, “The director of this company voted to give $10,000 to the Seminary.” There’s $55,000. I flew down to Golden Meadow, Louisiana, down in the heart of the Cajun country to preach a meeting in the little First Baptist Church in Golden Meadow; and on Saturday we were meeting in a Cajun kitchen, the Ducey’s kitchen, eating red beans and rice. And my daughter Charlotte tracked me down. She said, “Daddy, Mrs. Walls sent us $50,000.” I’m not a shouter, I really am not, but man, I ran all over that Cajun kitchen staining those walls shouting. This sweet lady had been a friend to me and Voncille for many years. I mean, a dear friend. She had more dollars than Carter had little pills, loved Jesus, didn’t think her church gave enough for missions. She sent extra money for the cooperative program to the state convention. Amen! May her tribe increase, never given us any, never indicated any interest. She didn’t even write a letter, just mailed a check. It’s a good letter! But I called her, and I said, “I want to thank you for that.” And she said, “Well, Gray, I got the letter telling about the opportunity and the need, and you asked us to pray. And I did. It seemed like God said, ‘Send $50,000.’ So, I did.” And I said, “Well, Honey, two things: Number 1, I’m glad somebody was on the mailing list that had $50,000. And Number 2, that you lived so close to Him you didn’t say, ‘Lord, you meant $5,000.’” That’s $105,000. You still with me? That Monday morning, I’d like to tell you this whole story, but I can’t, but Monday morning, we got $20,000 in the mail. A dollar to a thousand dollars. Didn’t ask anybody for it.

A man from Lindale, Texas, called me. He said, “How’s your money?” I said, “Bill, we need $25,000 more.” He said, “I’ll go to the bank today and borrow $5,000 and send it to you. I’ve borrowed money for a lot less worthy causes than that.” And he did.

Well, we borrowed from each other, got about $15,000. It helped to have a bunch of brothers a long about that time. We still needed $10,000. I called a business friend, asked him to lend it to us. He said, “Gray, I can’t do it. I don’t have it. I’ll take you to the bank and see if we can get it.” Now the bank’s in Little Rock. We’re not lending money in Arkansas because they were limited by the state constitution to 10 % interest, and they’d get 15–16–17 % after that in the state. I don’t blame them. He took me to the top of a bank building which will remain unknown because I think the bank did something they wasn’t supposed to do, introduced me to the president of the bank, told him who I was, and said “He wants to borrow $10,000.” And he

said, “Mr. Allison, is that a corporation?” And I said, “Yes, sir.” He said, “You ever borrowed any money?” I said, “No, sir, we’ve been operating in the black for two and a half years, don’t owe anything but current bills, everything’s current; but I’ve got to have a $10,000 cashier’s check right now.” He got some papers, sent them to me, and said “Get your papers filled out. Get your trustees to approve it. Get the secretary of your trustees to sign it. Put the seal of your corporation on it. Bring it back. I’ll get my committee together and see what we can do.” I said, “Oh, sir, I don’t have time to get the trustees to do anything. I don’t have time for you to get your committee together. I have to have $10,000 cashier’s check right now.” He went and got it and handed it to me with the papers and said, “Get them filled out as soon as you can.” We had the money in hand to pay that $25,000 back Wednesday afternoon and paid that bank back Thursday, never filled out a line on those papers. That’s a miracle, folks. Can you imagine a bank doing that? I had called that morning to our bank, and I said, “We need a cashier’s check for $150,000. And I know you won’t give me a cashier’s check for money that hasn’t cleared the bank, but we’re going to write a regular check. And if we write it, would you let it clear even if the checks haven’t cleared.” I’d asked for the right vice president. They gave me this sweet lady. She said, “Oh, Mr. Allison, I know who you are and what you’re doing. You’re buying the Jewish buildings over in Memphis to train Baptist preachers. I’m excited about that. You bring those checks down here. We’ll give you a cashier’s check for it.”

Well, I went to the bank and started there on the first floor. They all laughed at me and said it was a mistake, and they bumped me up to the head knocker. And he laughed at me which made me kind of mad. He said, “No bank could do that.” I said, “This one will.” He said, “No, it won’t.” I said, “Yes, it will.” He said, “No bank would do that. That’s like a loan of $105,000 in three or four days with no interest, and no bank would do it.” I said, “This one will.” He said, “No, it’s been a mistake.” I said, “Call the vice president.” He said, “It won’t do any good.” I said, “Sir, please call her anyway.” He said, “Her? I knew there had been some mistake. We only have one women vice president, and she is not in charge of this. She’s in charge of loans.” I said, “Call her anyway.” And he called her, and she said, “I told them they could have it. Let them have it.” See, when I called and asked for the right vice president, they gave me the wrong vice president who—praise God—was the right vice president; and that’s two miracles in two banks on one Monday.

In the meantime, we had missed the plane. And Voncille is driving our car, waiting by wondering why I didn’t come out. She had a wreck. It wasn’t her fault, but we drove a wrecked car to Memphis and at fifteen minutes till five gave that check to that lawyer for the Jewish congregation. She asked me on the way over, she said, “Honey, do you think it would be wrong to ask the Lord to give us the other half million just one day early?” And I said, “No, let’s ask him.” And we did. And lacking eight days, He gave it to us ten months early. The Jews got through with their building early. Who ever heard of anybody getting through with a building early?

That lawyer called me in middle of June, and he said, “We’re going to get through in October instead of June next year. How would you like to get in in October?” I said, “Love it.” He said, “You’ve got to have all the money or you won’t get that $140,000.” I said, “Get us in. I believe God will give it to us.”

We had $200,000. We’re talking about another $300,000. He called me a week later. He said, “You are not going to believe this. We’re going to get through earlier than that. How’d you like to get in in August when you begin school?” I said, “Better.” He said, “I don’t want to put you in a corner.” He said, “You’ve got to have that money or you’re not going to get that $140,000. I guarantee you.” I said, “You get us in. I believe God will give it us.” We had $200,000. That’s toward the end of June. We had to have it in the middle of August, the twenty third day of August. By the way, they had a builder’s strike. They were delayed two months and got in in October. But the twenty-third day of August, our trustees and staff and faculty knelt and thanked God for a half million dollars in cash in hand that we didn’t ask anybody for except our heavenly Father. See, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Well, we moved in there. We used part of that building for a library, but you know the Shriners that built the three-story white brick building within spitting distance of that temple. You all understand “spitting distance” in North Carolina? It’s close. They had 3.2 acres that joined our 2 acres and had that building and another one on it. And I’d never been in the shrine temple. I had no idea what was in there or what they did, but it just looked like a library building to me. So, Dr. John Floyd of our faculty and I went over and knelt over at the northeast corner of that building and asked God to give it to us for our library building. In 1983, He did right in the middle of another recession. A man came up, and we had to mortgage our property and mortgage that property and borrow the money to do that. And a man came up, and I was showing him around. And he said, “Gray, you are going to lose all of your property.” And I said, “No, we’re not. God’s in this.” He said, “We’re in a recession.”

The chairman of our trustees, a godly layman, said “Recession? Man, God owns everything all the time. How can God recede?” I love laymen like that. Well, we borrowed up to $1,524,000. God gave us $401,000 to buy them five acres out in the suburbs so we could get their building. Then we borrowed the rest of it and let them draw on it at Prime plus 1. And Prime was 21.5. Some of you may remember. And we were paying on $800,000. Couldn’t get off of that at 22.5 % interest. And a man called me. I didn’t even know to call him. He said, “Could I come by and see you?” And he came by. He said, “How much do you owe?” And I said, “Well, I hate to tell you,” but I told him. And he said, “What interest are you paying?”

I said, “I really don’t want to tell you.” He said, “How much interest are you paying?”

I said, “22.5 %—Prime plus one.” He said, “You can’t do that.” I said, “I understand that. We have to.” He said, “How would you like to borrow $800,000 for a year at no interest?” I said, “Is the pope a Catholic?” He said, “I believe he is.” I said, “As much

as he’s a Catholic, we’d like to do that.” He loaned us $800,000. He came to me folks! You all listening. I didn’t go to him, didn’t know to go to him, loaned us $800,000 for a year at no interest. Two weeks before it was due, he called me. We had paid him $200,000. And he called me and said, “How’s your money?” I said, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll go to the bank and get it.” He said, “I’m not worried about it. How’s your money.” I said, “We’ve got two weeks. Don’t worry about it.” He said, “I’m not worried about it. How’s your money.” Well, I said, “We don’t have any.” He said, “How would you like to extend the loan?” He came to me. I didn’t ask him. I said, “We would love it.” He said, “How long?” I said, “Till the first of the year.” He said, “Gray, be reasonable. You’ve had it eleven and a half months, paid $200,000. You’re talking about four and a half months, paying $600,000.” I said, “I really believe God’s going to give it to us by the first of the year.” He said, “Ok.”

The seventeenth of December, Tommy Lane brought a group from Bellevue down to sing for us The Messiah in our last chapel before Christmas. I was able to announce to our seminary family that we were debt free. God had given us that $600,000. See, God is able.

Well, Bellevue moved out and left us down in midtown Memphis, and it was a rough area. And it got rougher and rougher, and we were having cars stolen off our lot right there and having our girls’ purses snatched from them and having them come into the seminary building and steal the secretaries’ purses. And I was worried about our girls who worked there and their safety. And a man called me and said, “You going to be in the office for a while?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “I want to come by and see you.” And he came by and said, “Germantown Baptist Church has outgrown its facilities. We bought 64 acres out on Highway 72, building a humongous plant; and they’ve got a great set of buildings on seven acres in Germantown. How’d you like to have that for the Seminary?” I said, “I’d love it, but we don’t have any money. I don’t believe we could even sell this for anything here in midtown anymore.” He said, “Oh, you didn’t understand. It won’t cost the Seminary anything.” I said, “I understood you then.”

A long story short—he and his wife paid $3.5 million cash for those buildings. The auditorium seats 1,250 people. It was thirteen years old when we got it. One of the educational buildings was six and a half years old when we got it, and they paid it and gave it to us. It cost us $800,000 to move, $400,000 to fix the building like we needed. You come see them. You come see them, and you’d think an architect planned that whole thing for a seminary building. It’s the most, and see God did that. God had that church build everything just right so we’d have it. Well, you may not believe that, but I know that’s so.

We moved in in January. They weren’t through with it, but we moved in, wanted to dedicate it in March. We needed $400,000. A man called an asked me if I’d take his wife through and show her the building. And I took her through and told them our students had led almost 130,000 people to Christ while they were in school

since we started. She got all excited about that and the fact that our students, our graduates at that time, were in fifty-two countries around the world, and he said we want to have a part in the move and gave me a check for $300,000. I nearly fell off the stairs. I’m talking about a little household check, handwritten, $300,000. Well, we got to time to dedicate, and we still needed $50,000. About 5:30, the day we were going to dedicate at 7:00—We wanted to dedicate debt free, needed $50,000—I started up those stairs toward my office. I love those stairs. A man rounded the comer. He said, “Wait a minute, Gray.” He said, “How much you need to dedicate debt free?” I said, “$50,000.” He said, “Would you believe that’s what God laid on mine and my wife’s heart to give.” So we dedicated them debt free. See, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

I had the Northeast on my heart all my life. One of my sisters married a Yankee from New Hampshire in 1945, moved up there in ‘46. I’d go to see them. Folks, a drought of Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, soul-winning churches up there. Just can’t find them, and God laid that on my heart. I asked the trustees if we could start a branch there. Hopefully, it’ll grow into another seminary under the same board. The board of regents up there wouldn’t let us until we were fully accredited. We got fully accredited. I went, and they said, “You’re not financially sound.” I said, “Been operating nine and a half years in the black, don’t owe anybody anything. Our campus is paid for. All the equipment and furnishings are paid for.” They said, “You don’t have any endowment.” I said, “How many schools of higher education in New York state don’t owe any money?” Guess how many they named… zero. I said, “I believe that’s good financial basis.” Took us five and a half years to get them to let us start. Somebody said, “Why did you start there?” Because within a radius of 250 miles of Albany, New York, live 25% of the people of this country and part of Canada. Go home and draw that circle. That’s within a five-hour drive, folks. Our students could fan out and touch a quarter of the population of this country, most of them lost.

We bought ten acres of land a mile off interstate 90, and that interchange is a quarter of a mile from interstate 890. That interchange is a quarter of a mile from interstate 90, runs from New York City to Seattle, Washington. Great location, built a building there, put 15,000-plus books in there, started with three full-time professors all with earned doctorates and seven students in August of 1989. We’ve had seventy-two students so far this year up there, and we’re training pastors! There are now five Southern Baptists missions and two Bible studies that are about to become missions right now, right there in the capitol district. We’re having an impact on the whole Northeast because those professors and students win people to Christ and plant churches and grow churches. And God gave us that building debt free. We moved in it debt free. That’s a miracle.

We needed housing for the students. We’ve never had housing. They had to find their own, and—uh—we looked for housing. We couldn’t build on the seven acres we had. We need all that for the building and parking. Started looking for housing that was fairly close to the Seminary, close to good schools for the students’ children; and they’re hard to find. You’ve got to get out in the county to do that away from the city of Memphis. And close to work for the students’ wives who had to work. We couldn’t find anything, and a man called me and said, “I have a friend who is a member of Bellevue, and he didn’t know anything about the Seminary. Would you show him through it?”

And brought him over, and I told him about the soul-winning. Those students must win somebody—witness to somebody of Christ every week. They had led about 130,000 people to Christ just while they were in school since we started. He got all excited. We were almost there, going towards my office, and my friend said, “John’s the biggest land developer in Desoto County, Mississippi. Now Desoto County, Mississippi, joins Memphis; and the only way you know you’re out of Memphis in Desoto County is you see the sign that says state line road. I said, “You’re the biggest land developer in Desoto County. You must know the land developers in Shelby County.” He said, “I know them all.” I said, “Would you help us find this property,” and told him what we needed. He called me two weeks later, and he said, “Gray, there’s not anything that fits that.” But he said, “I own thirty-two acres in the city limits of Olive Branch, Desoto County, Mississippi; and if you could use that we could probably work out a way for you to pay for it.” A $1.5 million worth of property. By the way, they are “four-laneing” both approaches to that property. The businesspeople think they’re doing it for them. They’re doing it so those students can get to classes in about twenty minutes now, and it’ll be less than that when they get those four lanes finished.

You all’s “amen-ers” are rusty and need some Holy Ghost oil. Amen! We built ninety-six apartments for those students, six of them for furlough missionaries— furnished them completely. All the missionary has to do is bring his wife and kids and their clothes and move in, doesn’t cost them anything the year they’re there. And we’ve got real live missionaries associated with our kids. Boy, those wives have been so blessed. See, preachers’ wives can’t have friends on the church field, and most of these girls—one of these girls said her husband pastored eleven years before he came to Seminary. She said, “I’ve never had a close friend in eleven years.” Now she’s got some close friends there. Beautiful apartments! One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and we rent them for less than half the going rate to those students. We built those ninety-six apartments. John and his wife gave us that thirty-two acres. Say amen. A million and a half dollars. We built those ninety-six apartments for $4.5 million, and God paid for it before we moved in. It rained from September to the first of April the year we built them, and they said, “We can’t get them finished by August.”

And I said, “God can. Let’s go down on our knees.” And we asked God to finish them, and we moved fifty-three students in about a week before school.

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” I wish I could tell you the whole story. Folks, our God is able.

We need housing in the Northeast. We’ve bought twenty—about eighteen acres of land for $2.2 million, waiting for it to be approved. You pray for the town council of Rotterdam, New York, that they’d approve our site plans, hopefully the second Tuesday in February, that we’ll get that. We’ve got three apartment buildings already on it with twenty-four apartments. The sellers agreed to update them, bring them right up to date before we get them. We’ve got a $1.4 million of that already, just need $800,000; and that’s no deal for God. Well, folks, God is a God of miracles. He never quit doing miracles. We get the idea, you know, He did it in the Old Testament and did a few in the New Testament, and He quit. He’s still at it! God is a God of miracles, and I told you a handful of miracles this morning that God has done, but I want to tell you the greatest miracle God has ever done or ever will do is to bring a soul out of death into life, bring a soul out of sin to the Savior, bring a soul out of Satan’s kingdom into the kingdom of His dear Son, bring a soul from death unto life. God is in the miracle-working business, and God wants to work miracles here today. You see, if you will realize that you sinned against God, and that your sin is separated you from God, and that sin will keep you separated from God forever unless it’s taken away; and you’re willing to turn away from that sin and give your heart—your life to Jesus, receive Him as the Lord of your life so that He is the owner and ruler of your life. He today, just like that, more quickly than I slap my hands together, will bring you out of darkness into life, bring you out of death into life, give you life now—real, wonderful, overflowing, abundant, joyful, powerful, victorious life. Right now. And it lasts forever. Heaven at the end of this. And I want to tell you folks, that’s a miracle; but God’s in the miracle-working business. And if you’ll give him your heart and life today, He’ll do that miracle in your life. You ought to come and let one of these godly people take the Word of God and help you to get that thing nailed down. Maybe you’re a child of God, but you’ve never had believer’s baptism. I’m amazed. I guess a lot of Baptist churches…I’m amazed how many people join a church and are saved later and never follow Christ in believer’s baptism. It’s believer’s baptism; and if you’ve never been baptized since you were saved, you need to come. Maybe you’re a child of God, and you live in this area. You don’t have a church home here. Ask God if this is the church. This is a wonderful church. I’ve been watching this church for several years, and God has worked here. Why have you all gone to sleep on this? God is at work in this place. I want to tell you things have happened here, and they’re happening here.

And this church is at a crossroads; and God, I believe, is going to do even greater things in these days just ahead if Jesus delays His coming, and you could be

a part of that. This is an exciting church. You can find a place to learn and grow and serve here. They just showed you some places of service. Man, what an opportunity to become a part of a real fellowship of God’s people.

Maybe you’re a child of God, and you’ve let the dust of the world settle down on you. You just need to come let Him blow that off you. We’re going to sing our invitation hymn “Just As I Am,” and the minister can stand here. If you need to come, you just come. Do whatever God wants. Folk, listen. God wants to work miracles in your life. God wants to work miracles in this church. He’s just waiting for us to get into position. He’s does not work miracles until we trust Him to do it, and He’ll do that today. Would you trust Him? Let’s stand and sing. You come.

Our time is about gone, and I don’t want to drag out this invitation; but, folks, God is a God of miracles. Everything I’ve told you this morning is just God, just God. He’s in the miracle business. He’ll do miracles in your life. He’ll do miracles in your home. He’ll do miracles in this church. He’s in the miracle working business. Some of you need the miracle of a new birth today. Boy, that’s a great, great miracle, to be changed, to be brought into the family of God.

He’ll do that for you. Some of you ought to’put your life here for Him. Go to work in service. Some of you need believer’s baptism. Some of you need to come and say, “God, my life is in such shape You couldn’t bless me very much, and I want to get it all straightened up.”

Let’s just sing another verse. You come if God’s spoken to your heart. Folks, I want to tell you, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew the great and mighty things, which thou knowest not,” remembering that “in all things He might have the preeminence.” Would you give Him the preeminence in your life today, right now?

The next section of the Miracle of Mid-America comes from the archives of the Seminary. Here Dr. Allison teaches how anyone could tell the story of Mid-America in a short amount of time.

How to Tell the Story of the Seminary in Under Five Minutes B. Gray Allison

These are three questions which I ask when I go into churches, and then I answer them. It does help them to know what Mid-America Seminary is and what it is all about. It may be helpful to you.

The first question that people ask me when I go somewhere is, “ls that a Southern Baptist Seminary?” My answer is always the same.

It is as Southern Baptist as we know how to make it. The Seminary is not owned by the convention. We get no cooperative program money, but all eight of our trustees are deacons in local cooperating Southern Baptist churches. We have some requirements for our professors. We require that every professor be saved. We do not take this for granted. We also require that every professor have experience in

the churches. I believe it is important that if a man is going to teach pastors that he know by experience what a pastor does. Every professor must accept plenary verbal inspiration of scripture. Now that is a four-bit theological term that means they have to believe all the bible, all the way through, without any question at all. If one of them did not believe the bible or raised a question about it, I would fire him immediately. Every professor must have an earned doctorate. This is so that these men are capable of and qualified to teach anywhere. Every professor must be available for counseling with the students. I believe the most important thing that any professor ever gives his students is not his notes, but his heart. Every professor must be an active member of a local cooperating Southern Baptist church. Every professor must be a soulwinner. We require every student at MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary to do two mission assignments every week as long as he is in school. One of these must be as a pastor or a staff member in a local church. The other must be outside the church walls where the people are. Presently our students are involved in seventyseven different mission activities in the Memphis area. We also require that every student witness to at least one lost person every week with the Word of God in a genuine attempt to lead that person to Christ. Our students this year have led over four thousand people to Christ. We believe that the professors must set the example for the students. We also require that every student take a course in Southern Baptist missions so they know how our two mission boards operate. We take lottie moon offering and an annie armstrong offering in our chapel every year in addition to the money we give to these offerings through our churches.

The second question which people always ask me is, “If you do not get Cooperative Program money, how is the Seminary financed?”

It is financed by churches and people who believe in what we are doing. It costs about $7,400 per year, per student, to train these young people. We charge them$ 800 per year. This means that we must find $6,600 per year in order to train them. We have approximately 350 churches who help us regularly through their budgets. We also have a number of people who contribute regularly. The regular contributions plus the students’ tuition bring in about threefourths of the money which we need each month. this means we must find about $53,000 per month in order to train these young people. We need 3,000 people to give us $15 per month, and this would take care of the deficit in our budget.

The third question which people always ask is “Why have another seminary?

Don’t Southern Baptists already own six?”

I am a peculiar Southern Baptist and think that we ought to have at least ten seminaries right now. We need one in the mountain west, one in the great lakes area, and one in the northeast. We have established a branch of Mid-America Seminary in the northeast because of the pressing need there. We feel that one is desperately needed. So, we have bought ten acres of land, we have built a lovely building, we have a fine library, and we have full-time faculty members living there so that we can reach

that area for Christ. We believe that whole area can be salted down with Southern Baptist churches through the work of professors and students at the branch.

Those are the questions which people ask me. So, I try to answer them on the front end. I believe that if you will do this, you will find a great response. Put it in your own words, and just tell them about it.

History of The Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library

Terrence Brown

Terrence Neal Brown serves as both book review editor of The Journal of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and director of Library Services of The Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library. Mr. Brown as been on staff at MABTS since 1981, making him the longest-serving person in the school’s history. He has been library director since 1990.

Dr. B. Gray Allison, the founding president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, historically told the Seminary story during Founders’ Days in August of each academic year since the school’s inception. While audience members note particular aspects of Dr. Gray’s account that they recall with clarity, amusement, astonishment, or favor, the keen listener grasps one noteworthy theme—Mid-America’s need for a strong, vibrant, and resourceful library facility. Throughout the years, Dr. Allison repeated this seminal subject often, “the library, the library, the library,” emphasizing this special section of the school. Indeed, The Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library retains both a singular place in the history of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and a historical account unto itself.  The library of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary began with nothing—no space, no books, no staff, no director, and no name. When the Seminary started classes in 1972 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the library commenced with multiple donations from original faculty members, including Drs. Roy Beaman, J. Philip Allison, and B. Gray Allison. From the outset, the faculty and students realized the critical role that a library affords the life of any academic institution, as it serves as the intellectual hub of learning, research, and attendant matters.  Operating fairly informally, but recognizing the overriding necessity of place, materials, and staff, the library organized under the guidance of its initial officer, Suzanne Allison Grigsby, daughter of Dr. B. Gray and Mrs. Voncille Allison. Besides establishing a place for the Seminary’s first library in a temporary “out building” at Olivet Baptist Church (the Seminary’s initial home), Mrs. Grigsby laid a foundation that her successors in the library and generations of students know to be of vital importance: Mrs. Grigsby placed all library materials in the Library of Congress classification system, one that lends itself to in-depth specialization, such as music, nursing, law, or theological studies. From the library staff’s point of view and,

indeed, all users of the facility for nearly four decades, this original and profound choice has blessed countless people. By the autumn term of 1973 the library counted over seventy-five hundred items in its budding collection.

When Mid-America moved to Memphis, Tennessee, for classes in the fall of 1975, the library relocated into temporary quarters, again, in an old house on Montgomery Street, directly across from the recently acquired Jewish property. While the seminary renovated the temple estate, classes took place in the facilities of the old Bellevue Baptist Church and the library offered services from the large, twostory dwelling on Montgomery. Holdings in the library measured nearly fourteen thousand volumes.

By October 1976, the seminary had completed its remodeling of the Jewish Temple site, and both classes and the library entered the new accommodations. Given the actual weight of library materials, the administration placed the library’s holdings and offices on the ground floor of the school’s education wing, flanked by Montgomery Street and Bellevue Baptist Church. Mrs. Grigsby left the Seminary in 1978 to have a child.As the library approached the possession of fifty thousand items, Dr. Reginald Barnard assumed the position of librarian.

During Dr. Barnard’s short tenure as librarian, the library acquired thousands of theological works from another institution that closed. Also, the library gained,

Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library-Midtown campus

finally, its official name in 1979—The Ora Byram Allison Memorial Library, as designated by the board of trustees. The ceremony bestowing the new title was held during Founders Days’ services, on Tuesday, August 21, 1979, with various members of the Allison family on the program, along with Dr. Thomas Lane of Bellevue Baptist Church.

Dr. James Edwin Powell succeeded Dr. Barnard, who while teaching in the Theology Department, retained the title of Library Consultant for a number of years. In Dr. Powell’s term as librarian, the Allison Library made its first contact with computerization by joining OCLC in late 1981, permitting the library to transact interlibrary loan cooperation electronically and to produce computerized card sets. This eliminated the arduous typing of multi-page paper cards for the catalog. The staff under Dr. Powell, on the cusp of computerization, included ten full-time and four part-time staff. Dr. Powell brought to the staff Mrs. Ada Sumrall, a librarian of some note and years of experience from Mississippi, in order to assist the library in its preparations for seeking accreditation from SACS. Two other professionals, Ms. Nancy Taylor as Technical Services and Mr. Terrence Neal Brown as Serials Librarian, joined the staff in May 1981.

Midtown Staff 1990 (left to right, top to bottom) Mike Williams, Audrey Williams, Amy Mahony, Doug Wilson, Brandi Hayes, Terrence Brown, Shanova Ray

By the summer of 1982, with the library nearing eighty thousand titles in its holdings, more changes came to the Allison Library. Dr. Powell moved into fulltime teaching in the New Testament and Greek Department while a tandem began administering the library. Mr. Bill Hair, whom the administration had sent to the George Peabody Library School, received an appointment by the board of trustees to become the first Director of Library Services, effective July 1, 1982, while Mr. Brown became Assistant Director, the only person ever to hold the position at MidAmerica. By the Christmas break, the Allison Library moved yet again, transferring from the old synagogue site to the renovated Shriners’ Building, a three-story edifice next door at 1257 Poplar Avenue. Books and some study area occupied the basement floor—again, due to literal weight. Offices, including Technical Services and Circulation, the catalog, more study areas, and the Reference Room took the second main level, and journals, storage, and PhD study carrels shifted to the upper third story. Connected to the main campus by a covered walkway, the library would reside at 1257 Poplar for exactly thirteen years.

Several years of change marked the conclusion of the 1987–88 academic year when Mr. Hair departed Mid-America for Golden Gate Seminary. In the 1988–89 school year, Dr. Barnard returned as Interim Director of Library Services, and the Allison Library registered its 100,000th title, The Correspondence of Roger Williams,

Receiving the 100,000th title (left to right) Deb Mabbott, Dr. Reginald Barnard, Terrence Brown, Karen Millikin

Volume 1, 1629–1653 in November. Mr. Brown assumed the Interim Director’s role for 1989–1990 after Dr. Barnard’s health prevented his serving longer. The board of trustees voted Terrence Brown as Director of Library Services, effective July 1, 1990, after he completed a year as Interim Director. Mr. Brown has served in the role of Director since the 1990 appointment.

In the “Brown Years” of the Allison Library the primary theme is change. Under Mr. Brown, the Allison Library has relocated twice more—to Germantown in December 1995, and to the present Memphis campus in the summer of 2006. Computerization has continued apace with the entire paper catalog transferred to an electronic database in 1995, just before the move to Germantown. In the succeeding sixteen years all acquired resources have entered the library by way of the OPAC—online public access catalog. To complement this invaluable tool, the Allison Library has purchased databases, including EBSCOHOST’S ATLA Religion databases, the Southern Baptist Periodical Index, EBSCO’s Academic Search Elite (primarily for undergraduates), and ATLA’s twin Historical Monograph Databases, of twenty-nine thousand titles, lifting the Library’s total holdings, in both traditional print and electronic modes to over one hundred sixty-three thousand titles, as of July 1, 2011.

Germantown campus staff 1996 (left to right, top to bottom): David Loh, Jeff Heim, Hanga Song, Fiodor Baraniuk, Kala Wetherby, Terrence Brown, Rachel Bochat

By spring 2018, the library passed another milestone. With the addition of Dr. Spradlin’s edited version of Dr. Roy Beaman’s commentary on the book of John, the Library noted the acquisition of its 200,000th title. Mr. Brown made this announcement public in chapel to honor Dr. Spradlin and to note publicly for the seminary community this important event.

Ethos in Ministry: A Cornerstone of Mid-America Seminary

Z. Scott Colter, PhD

Dr. Scott Colter serves on the faculty as an assistant professor and as director of strategic initiatives at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He served previously in the administration of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as chief of staff to the president. In 2020, Scott joined together with several pastors and individuals to launch the Conservative Baptist Network. He currently serves concurrently as the network’s executive director. Scott is married to Sharayah, a journalist, media professional, and principal of Colter & Co., a communications and advocacy firm. Sharayah and he are rearing two children—a son and a daughter.

The history of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination to exist, clearly documents the historical shift toward embracing the moderate doctrines of theological liberalism. This tendency is not unique to Southern Baptists and has been similarly evidenced among Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans, and many smaller sects; however, Southern Baptists are unique in that this collective of churches recognized theological shift and intentionally returned to the positions from which they had departed. This return to biblical fidelity, known as the Conservative Resurgence, was marked for its emphasis upon the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture. The struggle to restore the Southern Baptist Convention began formally in 1979, but doctrinal concerns began to surface throughout the preceding decades. Various controversies arose calling into question the veracity of the Bible, and severe tensions ensued.1

The leaders of the Conservative Resurgence, including Paige Patterson, Paul Pressler, Adrian Rogers, Jerry Vines, and W.A. Criswell, understood that lying immediately beneath the derision of orthodoxy was the abandonment of orthopraxy. According to these men, to depart from a biblical position regarding the Scripture was also to depart from the effective practice of Christian evangelism. A departure from the veracity of the message functionally led to a fracturing of the very necessity to share that message. As the seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention increasingly embraced theological liberalism, evangelism unsurprisingly was relegated to the historical heap of outdated practices.

Against this backdrop in the Southern Baptist Convention, B. Gray Allison, vocational evangelist and professor of evangelism at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, determined that the then current course of theological education in the Southern Baptist Convention was untenable. He undertook the task of founding a new seminary, one which would focus intentionally on the Bible, missions, and evangelism.2 Founded out of a desire to see the orthopraxy of ministry match the orthodoxy of doctrine, Allison instilled high standards of integrity and moral character into the fabric of Mid-America that remain a central tenet of its educational philosophy. With this vision, four faculty members, and twenty-eight students, MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary began on the plains of Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1972.3

As Mid-America now celebrates her fiftieth year of existence, individuals across the evangelical waterfront are once again raising concerns of theological orthodoxy within the Southern Baptist Convention. The leftward drift which characterized the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s has again reared its head, this time taking the form of unbiblical ideologies such as Critical Theory and Intersectionality, the downgrade of biblical qualifications for ministry, the embrace of worldly definitions of gender and sexuality, and a departure from practices informed by the sufficiency of Scripture. These occurrences are indelibly marked in history by a twenty-year decline in the annual number of baptisms, which represents the number of people reached for Christ through Southern Baptist efforts in the United States.4 Pastors and theologians are again challenging and questioning what is being taught in Southern Baptist seminaries, and once again, Mid-America Seminary’s focus on the central tenets of Scripture, missions, and evangelism has risen to a point of utmost necessity. The principles on which Mid-America was founded are not new—they take residence across the counsel of Scripture and are echoed throughout the pages of the philosophical history of humanity.

More than two thousand years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, while not a religious individual, understood the significance of ethics in the communication act in order for the presented message to be received effectively. As the work of Southern Baptists becomes increasingly ineffective due to a multiplicity of reasons, perhaps a return to the ethics outlined in Scripture, emphasized by Aristotle, and championed by Baptists across the centuries, is in order.

Aristotle’s Understanding of Ethos in Rhetoric

In the realm of Greek reason, Aristotle provided one of the foundations and formative works through his discourse On Rhetoric. He describes and defines the three principal components of early rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. The philosopher references logos as the truthfulness of the claim proposed. In this aspect, the persuasiveness and veracity of the argument is contained in the content of the argument itself. One simply is more likely to be persuaded by what is true. Aristotle

of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

stated, “Persuasion occurs through the arguments [logoi] when we show the truth or the apparent truth from whatever is persuasive in each case.”5 Therefore, if what is presented is factually accurate, it is more persuasive and more likely to be followed and believed. Aristotle’s chroniclers attribute this occurrence to the term logos.

Aristotle further explains the significance of Greek reason through a rhetorical perspective in his assessment of the pathos of an argument. Looking at this component, Aristotle emphasizes the importance and value of the emotional appeal of an argument. If a case is presented passionately with appeal to one’s emotion and innate sensibility, it is also more likely to be accepted and followed.6 Aristotle makes the case that for a strong and convincing argument, both logos and pathos should be present to produce a robust and persuasive endeavor.

The final component of Aristotle’s triad is ethos. Within this realm, the character of the speaker is examined, and to this point Southern Baptists ought to again direct their attention. While logos and pathos relate to the message being shared, ethos portrays the speaker who is sharing and proclaiming the message. Aristotle argues that if one is working to craft a communication that is persuasive and worthy of acceptation, not only must it be true and appeal to one’s emotion, but it must also be delivered by one who is considered by the audience to be reliable, trustworthy, and of impeccable character.7 Therefore, a person who has a reputation of deceiving, lying, misrepresenting, or plagiarizing others’ ideas to stand before a gathered body and deliver a truthful message would be ill-received. In such instances the speaker’s actions and lifestyle voice far more than the specific words he or she shares. Those who adhered to a Greek standard of reason did so with a clear understanding of the importance of character, ethical reputation, and morality.8 While the outcome is similar to that of religion, the methodology by which one reaches this moral standing is varied along the way. Worth noting is the specific importance the Greek culture placed on virtue and character, which are established by one’s ethical practices. In the Greek perspective, one constructed character and virtue through exemplifying a morally credible lifestyle.

Shared Commonality between Reason and Religion

William Tillman, as the editor of Understanding Christian Ethics further elucidates this situation beyond that of the early philosophers in explaining how the morality of the Bible is based on the character of a good God who is the creator of all. Tillman espouses that both non-believers and believers are capable—and even inclined—to make ethical decisions based in Christian reasoning. Christian ethics, therefore, is not limited strictly to Christians and expands into all vocational areas.9 Practiced ethics are existential evidence of an ethical God as the primary source of all humanity. God is consequently the righteous standard of morality, for he is himself the very definition of what is good, moral, and ethical. With this understanding established, God then becomes the determination of what is good based on his

character, which is revealed in Scripture. Readers and adherents to religion are not then left to determine a standard of morality on their own, but instead are simply called to follow the standard that has already been set forth. Scholars of Greek reason struggle to explain, according to Glenn Saul, why it is the case that humans innately understand differences between right and wrong apart from a Christian perspective of general and special revelation.10

If mankind is to utilize reason and logic to reach the pinnacle of existence, one must wonder why it is the case that a young child, who has undoubtedly spent very little time working on rational realizations of reality, understands that it is wrong to hurt others, wrong to steal, and wrong to lie. This moral standard seems to be more innate than it is learned. Further, those adhering to the significance of rational thought struggle to explain how it is the case that separate cultures across divided barriers all possess very similar standards of morality and ethical standing. Again, Tillman’s volume presents this foundational reality from the similarity of a creative God bringing about all groups and tribes regardless of their recognition of his existence because of humanity being created in the imago dei. 11

Thinking along these lines would seem to advocate that truth would be relative to what is understood by one group and what is true to that group in that situation. However, it would not necessarily apply to a different group experiencing a different set of circumstances in a different way without outside influence from others. History establishes that when new civilizations were discovered and new tribes were met, the new groups evaluated all held a very similar moral standard with recognition of a near universal definition of what is true and what is right and wrong.

While certain aspects of these perspectives are indeed in tension, there is also some significant similarity between common Judeo-Christian religion and that of Greek reason. These similar characteristics pose much of the foundation of Western Civilization, and some individuals even adjacent to the Christian tradition consider them foundational for bringing greater intellectual and moral order to Western thought.12 The early Greeks most certainly valued and recognized the significance of clear moral and ethical components in their society. This is echoed in religious cultures through a clear teaching and standard of morality and ethics presented by a divine and moral God.

Judeo-Christians and Greeks both agreed that their society functioned best when being a moral person was established as the end goal. Further, the JudeoChristian teachings do not contradict reason and thought, but instead encourage them. Religion, in these cases, is not a blind faith but is to be evaluated, tested, examined, and understood as the truth from Scripture effected in culture and community. Advocates of the Judeo-Christian worldview were not concerned that it would collapse under reason and logical consideration, they knew it would endure and thrive under such testing. If the principles and practices of Judeo-Christianity

were to be juxtaposed against Greek reason in a Venn Diagram, there would be noticeable difference on the outer edges; however, both would share in the common middle those aspects of morality, ethical standards, and a desire for rationed, reasoned, and persuasive consideration of the message being shared. In summary, the ethos would encapsulate the middle area of the demonstration. This common area provides a biblical and cultural understanding of the Christian preacher and minister.

The minister is to be a man of moral and ethical character who reasons the faith and then persuasively presents it to members of a culture or civilization. These principles prevail even into recent history. The late John Bisagno, long-time pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church, stated that there is no more important but also no more difficult aspiration than that of a pastor. He summarized, “At no time in history has the world so closely examined the integrity of ministers.”13 Because of the unique calling and role of the preacher, as well as the cultural setting of Western Civilization based on the confluence of Greek reason and Judeo-Christian values, the Christian communicator is unique and invaluable for effecting change in individuals as well as an entire society—both spiritually and culturally.

From the beginning of time, humanity has been inherently questioning the realm of existence. Where did man come from? What is his purpose? Is there a greater good and reason for all that is? How then should one live? These questions seem to be planted deeply within the very nature of humanity. Generation after generation has attempted to attain an adequate response. The Bible records historical narrative of individuals asking just these questions and looking for the greater purpose and significance in their lives. The Old Testament tells of the life of Solomon, who acquired unimaginable wealth and then realized it was all worthless vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:14). At the same time as the accounts of many Old Testament authors, Greek philosophers were asking similar innate questions and seeking to reach and espouse an adequate and sufficient response to the reason and purpose of their existence. The biblical preacher knows the true answer to these inquiries, and with character he must stand and speak the words of God to a searching audience.

A Biblical Perspective on Character and Virtue

The Bible in its entirety is a book that deals with the character and way of life of individuals who adhere to its system of religious establishment. While this article will not have opportunity to look in depth at a survey study of the Old Testament, it should be noted that the Law was given in the Old Testament to provide a moral standard of righteousness and ethical living. While theologically it is the case that due to man’s inherent sinful nature, this Law cannot be upheld, it is concurrently the case that a righteous standard of morality does exist for followers of God. Further, it is the case that divine prophets of the Old Testament were specifically set apart for their ministry of delivering the message of the Lord. Often, signs and wonders

accompanied their message, which could only be facilitated by the very hand of God. Not only were the words they proclaimed true, but their character was well-known, and specific evidences set them apart as divine messengers for the Lord. When the Old Testament prophets spoke, it was clearly recognized as the Word of the Lord even by those who chose not to heed the messages and the warnings as they were delivered.14

Looking to the New Testament and specifically to Christianity, the case is such that the biblical authors were recognized in a way that points to them as credible, and their message was received as such. The process of canonization of the New and Old Testaments includes heavy emphasis on the writings that were taken seriously and followed as authoritative in the times of the Bible’s original writing. This credibility does not extend only to the words on the page, but also to the authors as individuals. The writings of Paul in the New Testament are authoritative for the church, and the early church recognized the work of God through Paul extending the very authority of the Lord himself upon what Paul proclaimed and the topics unto which he argued and persuaded believers to accept. As Paul continues his writing related to address the way in which believers are to live, a great deal of time and attention is spent related to what is involved in becoming a minister of the gospel message as was Paul. In his pastoral epistles, Paul admonishes Timothy–and by extension all those who follow his example by serving in Christian ministry–to guard and heed the importance of one’s own character and morality. Regarding the pastoral qualifications, John MacArthur of Grace Community Church writes, “‘Above reproach’ is the overarching quality of the pastor. The remainder of the list is a detailed examination of each component of that characteristic, developing what it means to be ‘above reproach.’”15

Paul issues in these cases certain and specific qualifications for those going into ministry to serve as pastors and preachers communicating the message and truths of Scripture. Of important note is the fact that the qualifications deal far more with the character and nature of the person as evidenced over time than the specific details of his day-to-day work. Certainly, the Bible makes pronouncements about a minister’s daily tasks, but it seems to make the case that if a person of strong character is developed and ordained into the ministry, the daily tasks will be done correctly because the actor is a man of virtue and character. Paul encapsulates these requirements and qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1–7:

It is a trustworthy statement: if any many aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, but if a man does now know how

to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? And not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

While daily and specific tasks certainly fall into the fulfillment of these qualifications, Paul is making the argument that the character of the person desiring the office of pastor is of utmost importance and necessity. Each of the attributes listed above speaks to the long-term characteristics of a person in his being qualified for ministry.

In certain cases, a one-time event could disqualify a person from ministry based on these stipulations above, but even in those instances, the event would be one that has lasting impact and indefinite effect on his character into the future.16 Paul’s chief concern is that those who are formally tasked with proclaiming, teaching, and explaining the message of God are those who are trustworthy and above reproach in their reputation both inside and outside of the local church. The qualifications presented in 1 Timothy 3 provide most often the foundation for ordination and entrance into formal ministry. While Scripture affirms these qualifications in other language throughout the Bible, Paul here issues a clear and concise list as a measure against which a proposed candidate for ministry is to be considered. The author does not assume that the candidate is without sin as Scripture makes clear that no man is without sin apart from Jesus Christ.17 A proper inference would be that individual and specific instances of sin do not necessarily disqualify a man from this standard. Instead, a willful and stubborn pattern of disobedience, which speaks not to a specific instance but the overall pattern of character in a person, would be the disqualifying mark. Paul places strong importance on the character of the one delivering the message of the Lord. He presents this argument because the message will be received and trusted more when it is delivered from a recognized person of character and trust.

This principle must be held in tension with the premise that the power of the message is contained in the very Word of God, not the one who is speaking. Paul also writes the following in Philippians 1:15–18:

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, wherever in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.

According to this passage, the most important aspect is the communication of the gospel, because the very message of God has the power to save no matter the way in which it is delivered. The baseline understanding therefore must be that the foundation is simply the presentation of the gospel message. For no matter how it is shared, it has the ability to accomplish its purpose.

Following that understanding, though, the discussion turns to consideration of what makes this message more or less likely to be received and believed. Certainly, someone who is trustworthy and carries a lifetime of proven character would be considered by an audience as a more credible and reliable source than someone with a history of lies, deceit, and deception. In this instance, the character of the messenger matters a great deal. While Paul is rejoicing that the message of Christ is preached in any circumstance, he is at the same time offering a careful and high standard for those who are to serve as ministers and messengers on behalf of the Lord. There are many instances of Christian service in which a person can serve the Lord, but the calling of pastor and preacher is reserved for men characterized in the pastoral epistles as men of remarkable character and ethos.

Conclusion

While mostly unknown today, Western Civilization is based centrally upon premises established in a Judeo-Christian worldview as well as foundational thoughts in the realm of Greek philosophy and reason. While much of what comprises these worldviews remains in tension (not the least of which are the competing views of the innate goodness against the innate sinfulness of humanity), there are notable similarities observed. One of the most-clear similarities is the prominence that both perspectives attribute to the ethos of a person devoted to communication. In Greek culture, that person advocated the betterment of society and culture through various means of philosophy. In Christianity and the Judeo-Christian worldview, that person communicates and advocates the betterment of society and individuals through a relationship with God and obedience to his instructive commands. In both instances, the ethos of the individual carries significant weight. Both worldviews establish with primary significance the process of carefully determining who is to be a representative communicator to share the most important message. Further, both worldviews suppose and establish the primacy of persuasiveness in the presentation of the message. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul admonishes his readers and upcoming men in the faith to persuade those to accept Christ and to live in a way that causes others to desire the faith that is presented. Aristotle also recognized the importance of persuasive reasoning, and he advocated that persuasion through speech was the greatest avenue of influence to effect certain outcomes.18 In attempting to synthesize these two perspectives together into one culture, it becomes worth considering which premise existed before the other. Aspects of the Judeo-Christian faith existed in some ways from the very beginning of creation as

Adam and Eve walked and related to God in both positive and negative ways. Later, the specific passages related to the pastoral epistles were written by Paul in the first century, very closely following the period of Christ’s life and ministry. In between these reference points, Aristotle raised his philosophical explanation and advocated for the eminence of Greek thought related to persuasive reasoning and rhetoric. Of necessary consideration is which group may have had an influence or direction on the other. Was Paul aware of Aristotle’s ideas, lifting them through incorporation into his biblical epistles under the leadership of the Holy Spirit? Or did Aristotle, aware of the standard of the Lord regarding morality and ethics, propose what he understood to be an ethical standard into his teachings, lectures, and writings within the scope of philosophy, reason, logic, and rhetoric?

At this point in time, many Christian apologists recognize that “all truth is God’s truth.” Established in his volume that carries the same title, Arthur Holmes’ statement has received criticism that is warranted in Christian circles by seeming to propose that secular truth is the same “type” of truth as what is contained in Holy Scripture.19 While his position is not one of strength, this view does recognize that if God is the creator of all that is the world and all that is in the world, what is good and true and noble can all be traced back to the ultimate good, truth, and nobility of God and his holy character. The case is such that both Paul and Aristotle were correct in that they appealed to the way in which the world and humanity operate having been made in the very image of God and consequently recognizing what is good and virtuous because of a shared good and virtuous source.20 Western Civilization is unique in that it is firmly based upon these common streams of influence. Because of these foundational pillars, the Christian communicator, minister, preacher, and teacher fills a vacuum in both perspectives, which is, in reality, representative of a vacuum that simply exists among humanity and culture in general. That vacuum is the need for a man of character, virtue, and morality–a man of great ethos–to proclaim a message that brings life, betterment, happiness, and true fulfillment. In both spheres of influence, that need is fulfilled through the Christian communicator sharing the timeless truths of Scripture with an audience in need of hope, life, and truth.

Whether it arises from a foundation of general revelation of the created order or special revelation from the inerrant Scripture, the importance of one’s integrity and character is unmistakable. For fifty years, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has been a champion of integrity in ministry. A ministry philosophy driven by character and conviction is often not popular, especially when its very existence emphasizes the waning of those characteristics in parallel settings. In a tribute to Mid-America’s founder Gray Allison, current President Michael Spradlin wrote, “As a leader of a conservative, Bible-believing seminary, Dr. Gray [Allison] experienced the distancing of friends who wanted no part of controversy and the rejection by many in the leadership of the denomination he so loved.”21 On this

anniversary year, the seminary founded upon convictions of theological orthodoxy continues unwaveringly down the path first charted by Gray Allison. As allegations of ministerial misconduct have become ever-present among contemporary church leaders—including rampant evidence of sermon plagiarism, double standards, slander, gossip, and the embrace of secular ideologies and practices with the divine—the biblical message of Southern Baptists is becoming increasingly ignored. The Apostle Paul and the philosopher Aristotle hearkened the need for men of character to stand and speak. As evangelicalism and the Southern Baptist Convention are facing a reckoning of integrity and moral character while searching for significance in the twenty-first century through lucrative aspects of pragmatism and progressivism, Mid-America stands apart in faithfully championing in doctrine and in practice the Bible, missions, and evangelism without compromise. In a generation seeking answers to life’s challenges, the biblical solution is not distant nor hard to discern. It is prepared and recorded, simply awaiting God’s herald, a man of ethos to take up the book and proclaim, “thus says the Lord.” May it be so that through the next fifty years the fiber of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary stands the test of time, true and unfading, preparing ministers to be of the highest character fit for their calling.

NOTES

1. For further examination of the Conservative Resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention and associated theological concerns, the author recommends Jerry Sutton, The Baptist Reformation (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000).

2. Michael Spradlin, “Tribute to Dr. B. Gray Allison: How He Belongs to the Ages,” MidAmerica Messenger, Spring 2019, 2–3.

3. “History,” Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, accessed January 23, 2022, http://web.archive.org/web/20100923193606/http://mabts.edu/templates/System/details. asp?id=23267&PID=69046.

4. Brandon Elrod, “‘It’s On Me,’ SBC Leaders and Pastors Say of Baptism Decline,” Kentucky Today, June 19, 2020.

5. Aristotle, On Rhetoric, trans. George A. Kennedy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), 39.

6. A. W. Price, Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle, 1st edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 113–15.

7. Aristotle, Rhetoric, trans. C.D.C. Reeve (Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2018), 6.

8. Price, Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle, 141–42.

9. William Tillman, ed., Understanding Christian Ethics (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1988), 14–15.

10. Ibid., 79–81.

11. Ibid., 282.

12. Richard E. Rubenstein, Aristotle’s Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews

Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages (Orlando: Harcourt, 2003), xii.

13. John Bisagno, Letters to Timothy (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001), 43.

14. C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007), 20.

15. John MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically (Grand Rapids: Thomas Nelson, 2017), 68.

16. Philip H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 248–49.

17. Ibid., 247.

18. Aristotle, Rhetoric, 4–5.

19. Arthur F. Holmes, All Truth Is God’s Truth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977).

20. Ibid, 33.

21. Spradlin, "Tribut to Dr. B. Gray Allison," 3.

To All the World for Jesus’ Sake: Mid-America and Missions

Mike Morris, PhD

Mike Morris is a senior professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned the DMin and PhD degrees from MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as an IMB missionary for ten years and is a co-editor and contributor to Make Disciples of All Nations: A History of Southern Baptist International Missions (Kregel Academic, 2021). He is the author of Growing a Great Commission Church: Biblical Principles and Implications for Methods (Seminary Hill Press, 2017), and he is also the author of various journal articles. He is the pastor of Stadium Drive Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Introduction

As a two-time graduate of Mid-America Baptist Seminary, I have great appreciation for the Seminary’s emphasis on missions. I enjoyed taking my classes at all three campuses in Memphis: downtown, Germantown, and Cordova. The missionary training and encouragement that I received there have served me well as a pastor of an established church, IMB church planter, domestic church planter, and seminary professor. Indeed, missionary training is very useful for pastors of established churches. Many churches, especially in urban areas, are surrounded by diverse groups of people; their pastors must learn to think like cross-cultural missionaries to be the most effective in evangelism and discipleship. I also treasure my time at Mid-America because of the enduring relationships that I have with former students and faculty members.

After serving two terms as an IMB missionary, I was privileged to learn alongside former missionaries (both students and faculty members) in the PhD program at MABTS. We were able to draw from our experiences on the mission field and bounce ideas off each other in a valuable collaborative learning environment. Important dissertations focusing on missions topics have been produced by PhD students at MABTS.

According to the IMB’s global research team, at least 250 IMB missionaries have attended MABTS.1 Mid-America students have also served with other missions groups overseas and in the United States. The seminary’s continuing efforts to reach the Northeast through its prior campus in Schenectady, New York, and its current MOVE program are notable. Another example of the Seminary’s missionary

influence around the world is its partnership with Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania. The Seminary’s official song begins with “To all the world for Jesus’ sake,” stressing the missionary heart of Mid-America.

Theological Contributions

Since its founding in 1972, Mid-America has been characterized by conservative theology, including the belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. As the Seminary’s website states, “Mid-America’s founder and first president, Dr. B. Gray Allison, possessed a commitment to biblical inerrancy, expository preaching, and the Great Commission that continues to permeate the school today.”2 Because missionaries have a powerful effect on the people whom they evangelize and teach, particularly in areas where few trained pastors are available, the theological positions held by missionaries are crucial to the spiritual health of new Christians in the missionaries’ spheres of influence.

John Fulks, a PhD graduate of MABTS, has served as a professor at Global Theological Seminary in Uganda and at Moffat Bible College in Kenya. He stated, “Without a solid foundation in conservative, evangelical, biblical doctrines, the preacher/teacher could fall for any wind of doctrine…With the rise of cults and the Charismatic movement sweeping through denominations in Africa, a solid foundation on the basic biblical doctrines is important.”3 Thorough teaching of biblical doctrine should not be neglected by missionaries. Fulks cautioned, “If training leaders is not kept as a priority alongside multiplying churches, then the multiplication turns into the reproduction of cults, false teachings, and fewer genuine salvations.”4

Missionaries who help start seminaries, Bible colleges, and denominations overseas have a particularly important responsibility to make sure that such institutions are confessional and have a conservative theological foundation. In many cultures, once a precedent is set, that precedent is difficult to change. For example, I did not see a Korean Baptist confession of faith during the time that I served in South Korea as an IMB missionary. Malcolm Fenwick, who went to Korea in 1889 and formed the group that would become the Korea Baptist Convention, did not promote a denominational confession of faith. Yong Gook Kim described the continuing problem: “The Korea Baptist Convention does not have any denominational confession of faith. Therefore, it can not [sic] offer local churches an objective guideline for their faith and practice. The Convention also is without tools effectively to solve theological controversies when they arise.”5 After decades without a confession of faith, a denominational group can have difficulty uniting churches around a proposed confession.

A missionary candidate who has not engaged in personal evangelism regularly in America is unlikely to engage in it regularly overseas. One of the most important characteristics of Mid-America is the requirement to witness to an average of at least one non-Christian per week. Paul Chitwood, current president of the IMB, explained, “Because Mid-America students are required to share the gospel each week while enrolled in Seminary, we know we are getting missionaries trained in evangelism and disciple-making.”6 The witnessing experience gained in diverse situations while enrolled at MABTS can be utilized wonderfully in cross-cultural situations on the mission field. In addition to the diverse witnessing experiences of the individual student, hearing about other students’ witnessing experiences during Report Hour on Tuesdays in chapel encourages evangelistic fervor.

The witnessing requirement was a valuable accountability factor for me in both the DMin and PhD programs. The requirement also led to some unexpected theological stretching in my life. As a PhD student, I attended a weekly meeting at a particular educational institution in Memphis. I became acquainted with an atheist who approached me each week with a new question about the Bible. If I did not have an immediate answer for him, I would research the question and give him an answer the next week. My knowledge of apologetics greatly expanded. We became friends, and he knew he could approach me with any question. After two years of this approach, I finally asked him the following question: If you could understand everything in the Bible and then came to the conclusion that there are no mistakes in it, would you then surrender your life to Jesus Christ? He refused to answer the question. I understood at that point that even though he had genuine intellectual objections, the most important issue was that he was not willing to change his life. I wish that I could report that he has become a Christian, but so far, he has not done so.

The IMB’s respect for Mid-America is evidenced by the fact that the IMB continually has invited Mid-America missions professors to its two-day annual meeting for missions professors, known as the Consortium. Mid-America has been the only seminary invited to participate besides the six seminaries supported by the Cooperative Program. During the consortiums, which have often taken place in March, missions professors and IMB leaders discuss missiological issues, including theological education. During the years that I have attended the meetings, MidAmerica missions professors have always championed biblical missiology at the meetings.

Faculty members in the missions department at Mid-America have consistently advocated the missiology of Donald McGavran (1897–1990), who was the founder of the classic church growth movement. My chief research topic at MidAmerica and at Southwestern has been the receptivity principle, which is a biblical principle described by McGavran.7 He believed that unreached people groups that are also receptive to the Gospel should be prioritized: “The rule which guided

missionary societies during the nineteenth century—‘Go where no one has been before’—is currently not a good rule. Today’s rule, specially for beginning societies, is ‘Find populations in which many want to become Christians, but are not being evangelized. Go there.’”8 He thus emphasized receptive unreached people groups over resistant unreached people groups. Under a previous administration, the IMB moved away from its dual mandates, which emphasized both receptive groups and unreached groups, and that administration began to emphasize only unreached groups, regardless of receptivity.

Another important missiological issue was a past IMB administration’s emphasis on rapid reproduction of churches. This missiology of the IMB was “radically” changed for the better during the IMB presidency of David Platt. Thankfully, the IMB’s emphasis shifted from rapidity to health, as explained in the IMB’s current book of guiding principles:

The need for the gospel among the lost is urgent, and we desire to see churches multiply as rapidly as God chooses to favor. At the same time, we recognize God’s Word gives us no promise that our faithfulness to the missionary task will be rewarded with a certain rate of reproduction. Rapid multiplication is biblically possible, but is not biblically promised. The gospel will spread at different rates in our work around the world…Our primary aim in church planting is healthy churches that multiply, and we do not sacrifice or delay introducing any characteristics of a healthy church for the sake of rapid reproduction.9

Also, the IMB shifted from using new converts as pastors to using biblically qualified pastors in newly planted churches:

He must be discipled, tested, and affirmed by the church.…The pastor/elder/ overseer must know the Bible and he must know doctrine. He must know both well enough to teach them accurately and to discern and refute false teaching. This indicates a high level of biblical and theological knowledge…The Bible never mentions academic credentials as necessary for service in church leadership…Other levels and styles of theological training should be provided.10

A rapid approach of using new converts as pastors can lead to churches being absorbed by cults and the proliferation of false teaching. Thorough evangelism and thorough discipleship are both necessary for healthy churches. I vividly remember a PhD seminar at Mid-America in which I and my fellow students, some of whom had served as IMB missionaries, discussed the differences between McGavran’s missiology and the IMB’s missiology of that time. I firmly believe that Mid-America’s missions faculty members and students have made important contributions to the research of important missiological issues.

Mid-America’s Journal of Evangelism and Missions has included articles by key missiological thinkers through the years. The journal was published once each year in the spring. Volume 2 of the journal (Spring 2003) had “Assessing the Church Growth Movement” as its theme and included articles by Elmer Towns, Sonny Tucker, Gary McIntosh, Thom Rainer, Cal Guy, Wade Akins, Robin Hadaway, and Bill Bright. Volume 4 (Spring 2005) had church planting as its theme and included articles by Ed Stetzer, “Church Planting: Observations on the State of North America Missions Strategies,” and David Garrison, “Global Church Planting: Something is Happening.” Volume 6 (Spring 2007) had Church Planting Movements as its theme and included articles by IMB leaders Jim Slack and Clyde Meador. In the same issue, Wayne Lovelace, a PhD graduate of Mid-America and the founder of a church planting organization, had an article entitled “Is Church Planting Movement Methodology Viable? An Examination of Selected Controversies Associated with the CPM Strategy.” Wayne understood the CPM methodology used by the IMB at that time. Another PhD graduate from Mid-America, Ebele Adioye, has served as president of Seminaire Baptiste de Formation Pastorale et Missionnaire in Côte d’Ivoire, as secretary for the All Africa Baptist Fellowship in West Africa, and as a church planter and disciple maker. He wrote an article entitled “Spiritual Warfare in Times of Revival: A Case of the Daloa Baptist Revival” in the Journal of Evangelism and Missions (vol. 8, Spring 2009). Before the Journal of Evangelism and Missions was first published, the Mid-America Theological Journal included articles on missions. An example is the issue (vol. 10, no. 2, Fall 1986) that had the theme “Focus on Missions.”

Some Mid-America graduates have become influential in both missiological education and publications. An example is John Massey, the current dean of the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a contributor and co-editor of Making Disciples of All Nations: A History of Southern Baptist Missions (Kregel, 2021). He was also a contributor to Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions, 2nd Ed. (B&H Academic, 2015) and World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues (Lexham, 2019). His article entitled “The Fellowship of the Gospel: The Dual Nature of the Church’s Mission in Philippians” appeared in The Journal of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (vol. 4, Spring 2017). Two of his articles appeared in the Southwestern Journal of Theology: “Wrinkling Time in the Missionary Task: A Theological Review of Church Planting Movements Methodology” (vol. 55, no. 1, Fall 2012) and “Theological Education and Southern Baptist Missions Strategy in the Twenty-First Century” (vol. 57, no. 1, Fall 2014).

Other Mid-America graduates became influential executive directors of state Baptist conventions in the United States. In the summer of 2020, five men were serving in those positions: Jack Kwok in Ohio, Jim Richards in Texas (SBTC), Sonny Tucker in Arkansas, Thomas Hammond in Georgia, and Fred MacDonald in the

Dakotas.11 State Baptist conventions often focus on cross-cultural missions in their spheres of influence, and state executive directors who are well trained in missions are definite assets for effective work.

Missions Degrees at Mid-America

Mid-America’s Master of Divinity in Missiology and Intercultural Studies degree plan has been instrumental in preparing students for overseas missionary work. They can choose the ninety-hour on-campus or online version of the degree, or they can choose the International 2+2 On-Campus and On-Field Combination Degree, which requires seventy-five “normal” credit hours plus fifteen credit hours of field study and completion of a master’s thesis. This combination degree includes “a two- or three-year appointment with the International Mission Board” after two years of normal work (hence 2+2 or 2+3): “The objectives of the on-field study are accomplished through prescribed research, field ministry, and language acquisition under the immediate direction of experienced field missionaries and under the final auspices of the Missions faculty at the Mid-America Cordova campus.”12 A dissertation at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary described the good retention results for 2+2 students compared to other IMB missionaries in an interview transcript that quoted Bruce Ashford: “Dr. Ashford: I think there are at least a couple of types of retention you want to look at…One would be how many of those students stayed on the field after their initial two year or three year term… Dr. Eitel had some records on that and it hovered in between I think 87 and 100 percent for all our deployments which is far superior to what the average has been with 1MB.”13 Because the 2+2 programs at Mid-America and at the six seminaries supported by the Cooperative Program are similar, one can reasonably assume that the Mid-America program has also made a positive difference in retention.

When I was a PhD student at Mid-America, my major was missiology, and my two minors were systematic theology and practical theology (preaching). Foreign and domestic missionaries obviously need to have an understanding of biblical missiology, but they also need to have a good grasp of systematic theology and preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed all eight of my research seminars and the professors who taught them, and all of the seminars were useful to me. During the time that I was in the PhD program, I became a church planter in Tennessee after resigning from the IMB. Mid-America’s PhD program requires an external reader of the dissertation. I asked that Keith Eitel, who at that time was dean of the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to be my external reader. The external reader provides objectivity to the process, and a fringe benefit is that the external reader could possibly hire the doctoral candidate after graduation. After graduation one of my Mid-America missions professors sent my resume to Keith Eitel, and he hired me as a missions professor at Southwestern. After becoming a missions professor, I went with Southwestern students five years in

a row to Japan on short-term mission trips. My training at Mid-America was useful during those trips.

Prior to becoming an IMB missionary, I earned the DMin in Pastoral Ministry at Mid-America while serving as a pastor in Kentucky. The DMin seminars were immediately helpful in my work as a pastor as I became a better preacher, administrator, and counselor. I remember listening to Adrian Rogers describe his preparation for sermons during a seminar on preaching. That time was priceless for me. The DMin in Pastoral Ministry, my advanced age, and my pastoral experience helped me as a missionary in South Korea as I worked with pastors there. I have noticed that some emphasis is now placed on revitalization in the DMin program, which is necessary because so many churches are plateaued and declining.

Mid-America now offers a Master of Arts in Missiology and Intercultural Studies, a degree which requires the completion of sixty credit hours and which can be completed online. This degree is a valuable alternative for students who cannot invest ninety hours in the MDiv degree. My preference is that students interested in missionary service get as much preparation as possible, but I also understand that time and money may be limited.

Other Contributions that Mid-America Made in My Life

I am thankful for the opportunity that I had to serve as assistant editor of the Journal of Evangelism and Missions. That experience helped to prepare me to serve as the general editor of the Great Commission Research Journal. In the current climate where blogs and forums seem to rule the day as to what people read, peerreviewed journals may not be as popular as they once were, but they are certainly important. The professors trusted me with the assistant editor job, and they also trusted me to teach a class during the PhD program. That teaching experience was great preparation for my job at Southwestern.

I am also thankful for the deep spirituality displayed by missions faculty members at Mid-America. They were and are men of prayer who love to see lost people saved. They do set a good example for students as they witness to the lost, go on mission trips, preach in various churches and chapel services, and display a good sense of humor at appropriate times. I remember that each one of them prayed individually for me at graduation as they made their way down the line of graduates. Mid-America was big enough to offer all the courses needed by students, but it was also small enough to feel like family. When I was around the professors and students there, I felt as though I were part of a wonderful group of people who shared the same values and goals. Whether sitting at a table on Catfish Friday or in the chapel during Report Hour, the spiritual fellowship was palpable. Truly, my spiritual cup was filled while I was at Mid-America.

Finally, I am thankful for the wonderful student housing in Cordova. My older son lived with my wife and me in the student housing while he attended law

school. He led the music at the church plant where I was working. After he graduated, he moved with us to Fort Worth, passed the Texas bar exam, and took courses at Southwestern. He married a Korean seminary student, helped plant a church in Arlington, worked in the international office, and eventually felt a call to missions. He and his wife are now serving as IMB missionaries in South Korea. I believe that his exposure to the seminary environment at Mid-America was important.

At the beginning of the second half of my time in South Korea, I moved to a city of a million people. I was the first IMB missionary to live there, and few people there could speak English fluently. I utilized my computer when I wanted to have deep theological conversations in English, but it was not the same feeling as being in close physical proximity to other students and faculty members during such conversations. I am thankful that Mid-America now offers online classes, but I would encourage any prospective student to be residential if possible. Online relationships with other students can be developed, but developing those relationships is much easier in person. For me, there was no substitute to eating with other students after walking to the Commissary from the Germantown campus or after driving to La Hacienda from the Cordova campus.

Conclusion

I was saved as a tenth grader in 1972 toward the end of the Jesus movement in America. That year was the best year for baptisms for Southern Baptists. Many people who were saved during that era eventually sensed a call to ministry. Thus, during the 1980s, seminaries had many students sitting in the classrooms. There was no need for them to recruit students. I sensed a call in 1980, and I automatically understood that I needed to enroll in a seminary to prepare myself for ministry. There was no such thing as online education. A leap of faith was necessary to move to a seminary campus. Missionary candidates, with a few exceptions, were expected to have MDiv degrees.

In the past decades, the situation has dramatically changed. Many young adults are not Christians. Some young adults who are Christians see no need for seminary preparation for missionary work; rather, they think that all they need to be able to do is share the plan of salvation, and many of them choose to do so on short-term mission trips rather than as long-term missionaries. More seminaries exist now than forty years ago, but there are fewer potential seminary students. A 2013 article explained the decline:

Evangelical Protestantism enjoyed a boom in the late 20th century, and the enrollments at schools associated with the movement also mushroomed. Sociologists now report that membership is declining in evangelical churches, and seminary enrollments are down. Total headcount enrollment is declining, and full-time-equivalent enrollments are declining even faster. Total course

credit levels are falling as more students enroll in shorter M.A. programs and fewer in master of divinity programs. The losses are not great—they do not erode the gains of the prior period—but they are felt keenly, because most evangelical theological schools are tuition dependent.14

Very recently, things have changed for the better in terms of seminary enrollment. According to the Association of Theological Schools, “2020 is indeed a noteworthy year. More than half (54%) of ATS schools showed enrollment increases in fall 2020 when compared to fall 2019—this swing reversed a trend where only about 45% of ATS schools had been growing over the last decade.”15 Mid-America is a truly great seminary for future pastors and missionaries. I will always speak highly of my experience there, and I hope that many future students will have the wonderful missions preparation that I had there.

NOTES

1. IMB Global Research, “Re: Information Needed,” email message to author, June 4, 2021.

2. “History,” Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, accessed August 20, 2021, https://www.mabts.edu/about/history.

3. John K. Fulks, “Designing Effective Theological Education to Influence Indigenous Church Planting with Emphasis on Southeastern Uganda” (PhD diss., Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011), 73–74.

4. Fulks, 84.

5. Yong Gook Kim, “An Analysis of the Theological Development and Controversies of the Korea Baptist Convention, 1889–1997” (PhD diss., The Southern Baptist Seminary, 2001), 305.

6. Paul Chitwood, Mid-America Messenger 47, no. 3 (Winter 2019): 12.

7. McGavran stated the principle: “Evangelism can be and ought to be directed to responsive persons, groups, and segments of society.” Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, 3rd ed., rev. and ed. C. Peter Wagner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 187.

8. McGavran, “Basics of Effective Missions Anywhere,” Church Growth Bulletin 11, no. 4 (March 1975): 431.

9. IMB, Foundations (Richmond, VA: IMB, 2018), 90–91.

10. IMB, Foundations, 95–97.

11. “Mid-America Alumni Lead Five Baptist State Conventions,” Mid-America Messenger 48, no. 1 (Summer 2020): 22.

12. “Here or There: Domestic or International, All Roads Lead to Missions with MidAmerica’s MMICS Degree,” Mid-America Messenger 43, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 6–7.

13. Simeon Lee Childs, “A Mixed Method Evaluation of the First Fifteen Years of the Master of Divinity with International Church Planting Degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary” (EdD diss., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2011), 181.

14. Anthony T. Ruger and Barbara Wheeler, “Sobering Enrollment Figures Point to Overall Decline: New Research from the Auburn Center for the Study of Theological Education,” In Trust Center for Theological Schools, Spring 2013, accessed August 31, 2021, https://intrust. org/Magazine/Issues/Spring-2013/Sobering-enrollment-figures-point-to-overall-decline.

15. Chris Meinzer, “An Enrollment Surprise—More ATS Schools Grow Than Decline for First Time Since 2006,” ATS Colloquy Online, Holiday 2020, 3. https://www.ats.edu/uploads/ resources/publications-presentations/colloquy-online/an-enrollment-surprise.pdf.

Baptist

Models and Methods of Education at Mid-America

Bradley Thompson, PhD, EdD

Bradley Thompson is the dean of the College at Mid-America. He is a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (PhD) and Columbia University (EdD). He speaks and writes in the areas of educational methodology, critical thinking, reflective practice, and matters of education, growth, and leadership.

Since its inception in 1972, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has soughtfaithfully to prepare men and women for effective, biblical ministry through personal mentoring and informed educational methodology. Adrian Rogers, the past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church described the Mid-America experience as “scholarship on fire.” As neo-orthodoxy took a stranglehold on most seminaries through liberal faculties in the 1960s and 1970s, foundational doctrines to Christian belief were summarily attacked and rejected: the inspiration and authority of Scripture, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and the historicity of miracles. This climate of doubt and rejection in the sufficiency of Scripture gave birth to a need for institutions who would return to a commitment of academic integrity based upon Scriptural fidelity. As its founding president, B. Gray Allison was fond of saying, Mid-America Seminary is more of a movement that functions as a school. His belief was that a seminary should focus on the faculty and students more than buildings and property. As faculty taught evangelism and missions, it would help fan the flames in the hearts of students to win the lost to Christ. In a day of widespread theological liberalism, Dr. Allison had the foresight to help create a school that would function and thrive in today’s post-denominational environment by centering its heartbeat on the Bible, evangelism, and missions. Prophetically, he envisioned a day when the theological pendulum would arc back to a time when churches, denominations, and Christian higher education would wander away from its mission and focus on popular thinking and ancillary issues. That time has come a half-century later.

Even in its earliest days, the leadership of Mid-America realized the important connection between faculty and subject matter, so an emphasis was placed on hiring those who would teach at the highest level of scholarship through the lens of Scriptural integrity. This fine filter has been and is still a hallmark of the institution.

Today, the school once again faces a different kind of liberalism as Christian higher education capitulates to popular sociological doctrine. Many seminaries today publicly espouse the idea that Scripture is inspired, inerrant, and the final authority for Christians for faith and godliness, yet at the same time advocate the notion that it must be interpreted through a lens of gender, race, or a sociological viewpoint to be understood. Mid-America continues to raise the standard that the truth of Scripture is solely sufficient, and that the identity of students and faculty rests squarely on who they are in Christ, not in their gender or sociological group.

Mid-America has successfully maintained the balance of academic rigor and practical application of learning through its Practical Missions program, now called Missions 1:7 (students sharing the gospel message with one person on average every seven days). All students are required to take a class in personal evangelism, as is true of most seminaries, but the importance of this course is highlighted by its professor, Michael Spradlin, the president. In addition to learning principles of winning the lost to Christ, students are required to share their faith an average of once per week, including a presentation of the gospel and an invitation to be saved. In Christian higher education today, especially in seminaries, this is unique. Many students who enroll at Mid-America have little to no experience sharing their faith and have found this class and the Missions 1:7 program to be invaluable, especially as they graduate and enter local church ministry. Evangelism courses today include theory and subject matter in the classroom without connecting learning to life. At Mid-America, learning is reinforced in weekly chapel sessions by devoting time for students and faculty to report on their weekly evangelistic endeavors. The sharing of these experiences by faculty and students strengthens a commitment to be “doers of the Word, not just hearers only” (James 1:22).

In addition to the Missions 1:7 program, Mid-America instituted the GO! program in 2017. As in the seminary, The College at Mid-America’s heartbeat is also to connect the classroom to the community. Reaching people for Christ is the basis upon which the school was founded, and this passion motivates the president, the faculty, the curriculum, and even the chapel programs. The GO! Program exists to provide students with the opportunity to fulfill the mission of the school through community service and is the demonstration of what the student learns in the classroom. Students are expected to fulfill the biblical command to love their neighbor and thus are required to serve in community service sites each week and report on the work completed. By serving weekly, the student connects classroom learning to the practical aspects of community service. Each student enrolled in the GO! Program must complete an average of one service hour per week during the semester, and a list of service sites is provided by the college. Students must fulfill fifteen hours of service each semester, and opportunities for service include work with prison ministries, urban outreach, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus

Crusade, hospital ministries, rescue mission ministries, church survey work, nonprofit ministries, and more.

The school’s educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that course content and the student-teacher relationship should directly inform instructional methodology. As Mid-America transitioned from a no-tech/low tech residential instructional model in the 1970s and 1980s to a high-tech digital blended model in the 1990s to present, they have maintained a commitment to provide meaningful course content using cutting-edge technology. Both the college and seminary have become leaders in the use of diverse instructional methodologies. While other institutions rely heavily on “banking” information through lectures, mainly due to over-populated classrooms, Mid-America has committed itself to a manageable class size where collaborative and participatory approaches to learning can be employed. Action learning is simply an instructional method to close the theory-practice gap,1 and the school actively seeks to promote reflective practice in action learning to produce a greater sense of autonomy and problem-solving in students. Because the seminary primarily trains students for local church ministry, it is important that their faculty have rich church leadership experience. Instead of solely teaching ministry methods and principles, from the seminary’s first day to present, each faculty member is required to be a committed soulwinner and an active member in a local church. This connects theory to practice, allowing faculty to act as valuable mentors and guides-on-the-side, helping students understand current and possible future ministry situations.

The seminary has provided training for students at the undergraduate level through its Associate of Divinity degree and various certificate programs dating back to 1972. In 2017, realizing the need to expand its reach into other disciplines, The College at Mid-America launched with four degree programs in Biblical Counseling, Christian Ministry, Organizational Leadership, and Business Administration. Two additional degree programs are planned for the 2022–23 academic year and a plan to offer master’s degrees in all fields is in the making. Most students enrolled in the college come directly from high school, and some are dually enrolled as high school students. This provides Mid-America with the wonderful opportunity to help students form spiritual disciplines as organized Bible study and discipleship in churches are on the wane. According to the Barna Group, this is expressed by a declining percentage of pastors who claim that Sunday school is their top priority and the fact that fewer churches offer a Bible training program for junior-high or high-school students).2 Each week, college students meet for student-led chapel and a chance to learn and strengthen spiritual disciplines through personal mentoring by faculty. This added dimension of relationship helps students grow spiritually and reflect critically outside the classroom experience as they notice the authentic relationship between what faculty say they believe and what they.3

Although the college and seminary have relied heavily on residential mentoring, they have become leaders in non-traditional and distance-based models of education while remaining true to their commitment to personal mentoring and retaining students. In 2006, Mid-America began offering online classes. Later, this teaching methodology developed as instructional faculty focused on distance learning through the Internet. Today, online learning is a vital component of every program, which was especially invaluable during the pandemic of 2019–20 and has furthered its ministry to educate inmates in high-security prisons. In 2017, The Arkansas Baptist Convention, in partnership with The Global Prison Seminaries Foundation, invited Mid-America to offer their Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry degree to inmates at the Varner Supermax Prison near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Because of its success, they were again asked to launch the same degree program at Limon Correctional Facility in Limon, Colorado, in 2021. The teaching methodologies for these two prison programs differ greatly in that the Varner Prison is a closed, asynchronous system that requires all lessons to be video recorded and administered by a credentialed director. All students communicate with their instructors through the director, who acts as a liaison for all academic matters. The Limon Correctional Facility operates differently, in that inmate students have access to classes at the MidAmerica classroom synchronously through a credentialed director of the program. Once these students graduate, they minister to other inmates within the state prison systems.

As the college and seminary continue to extend their reach, Mid-America is committed to keeping current in emergent teaching methodologies. Recently, homeschool groups from different states have contacted the college to create online and residential dual-enrollment partnerships. With the annual average cost of tuition and fees at $43,775 for private colleges 4 students today are looking earlier for affordable, faith-based education with faculty who are focused on leaning into undergraduate instruction rather than those who see it as an intrusion.5 As the landscape of higher education continues to change, students at the College at Mid-America contend with the timeless truths of Scripture as they relate to subject matter, vocation, and the question of what it means to be a committed believer in the world today. With the rapid increase of online instruction, new opportunities have become available for students around the globe to participate in the MidAmerica experience. The seminary is partnering with a school in Eastern Europe to train teaching faculty through distance education; and leaders from other schools in Africa, Asia, Indonesia and other parts of the world have come to Mid-America to learn the most current teaching methods and course content.

Mid-America also partners with local churches and businesses to provide meaningful practicums for seminary and college students. Guided instruction is provided in the workplace for ministry, missions, counseling, and business students to help bridge the theory-practice gap. Accomplished practitioners in

these fields guide students through weekly sessions of instruction, helping them to understand how to apply classroom and textbook learning to vocation. In 2019, Mid-America introduced Mentored Online Virtual Education (MOVE) for students in the Northeast where groups of online students are placed under the guidance of a capable ministry mentor. These mentor groups meet regularly for prayer and encouragement as mentors and mentees discuss the integration of academic subject matter with practical ministry and church life. Mid-America has come a long way in fifty years. Teaching methods in adult learning have changed dramatically due to technology, and the school has embraced the best of thesemethods while remaining firmly committed to its first principles of Scripture, evangelism, and missions. As the college and seminary prepare to face the coming years of teaching and leading students, they have committed themselves to their transformation, and not merely transactional learning, as students develop in critical thinking and autonomy, and ultimately as they become fully devoted followers of Christ.

NOTES

1. Jean McNiff, Action Research in Organisations (New York: Routledge, 2000).

2. “Sunday School is Changing in Under-the-Radar But Significant Ways,” Faith & Christianity, Barna , accessed September 2021, https://www.barna.com/research/sundayschool-is-changing-in-under-the-radar-but-significant-ways/

3. Stephen Brookfield, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass, A Wiley Brand, 2017).

4. Farran Powell, Emma Kerr, and Sarah Wood, “What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs,” US News, September 17, 2021, usnews.com/education/best-colleges/payingfor-college/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-college-tuition-costs

5. Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2011).

Unsung Heroes: The Ministry of Support Staff

Randy Redd, PhD

Dr. Redd serves as vice president for finance and operations, chief financial officer, and professor of Business Administration and Management. He also serves as minister of music at Gracepoint Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee.

He has business experience in the oil and gas, real estate, sales, shipping, utilities, as well as serving on staff over twenty-one years at five wonderful Southern Baptist Churches. In addition to his teaching at Mid-America and area pulpit supply, Dr. Redd has taught in men’s ministry, evangelism training, volunteer ministries training, and at various discipleship conferences.

It has been estimated that at least one-third or more of the pastor’s job is comprised of the business of ministry. A study that observed ministers on the job determined that thirty to forty percent of a minister’s time is spent in some type of administrative duty.1 Much has been written in academic journals discussing business concepts involved in the ministry of a church. “In addition to being an organism, the church is also an organization. This means that the church faces two kinds of problems, spiritual and administrative.”2 It is mission-critical that churches are adequately equipped to handle the spiritual and the administrative problems they will face. It is the unsung heroes found in the ranks of the support staff that keep things running smoothly. This research will focus on some of the principles within each of the following business-related disciplines: accounting, finance, marketing and management. As the literature may suggest, the author will attempt to reflect strengths and weaknesses in the level of training received as compared to what the church organization requires.

Essential Business Disciplines for Church Ministries

Literature was examined from religious, nonprofit types of organizations with specific focus on churches. Some attention was given to literature at the denomination level since they are reflective of practices for a collection of churches.

The following examination will group the materials according to four basic businessrelated disciplines.

Accounting

To assess the level of accounting knowledge in churches, an investigation into meaningful research dealing with the internal controls of churches was conducted. By internal controls, the author refers to the existence of safeguards to protect assets from fraud and inefficient use by written policies and to report fairly and accurately, the revenues and expenses, assets and liabilities, from well maintained records.

J. R. Throop reported an incident at a church where the treasurer was responsible for making deposits that had been checked by other individuals, but they had the primary signing authority for the churches bank account. He directed that the monthly bank statement be sent to his home instead of the church and “the church was defrauded of more than $100,000 because he wrote checks to himself and kept control of the flow of information about the actual account status.”3

Wooten, Coker & Elmore studied 520 churches all from one denomination in the south. Their findings indicated “the organizations did an adequate job of providing controls over the cash receipts flowing into the organization.”4 Significant in their findings was that controls used to manage disbursements and reporting were considered ‘weak’ but that larger churches had stronger internal controls and were more likely to have annual outside audits performed.

Denominational affiliation impacts the level of business accumen. In a study by John B. Duncan, it was revealed that 305 Pastors from three mainline denominations, Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church (USA), did not show similar knowledge when given a set of scenarios to rate that pertained to internal control issues. “Significant differences were found to exist…between the proportion of cases rated correctly by Presbyterian pastors and the Baptist pastors, and also between the proportion of cases rated correctly by the Presbyterian pastors and the Methodist pastors.”5

Larger churches are more likely to have staff trained for such duties. A longitudinal study by Ruhl & Smith was conducted following the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans over a nine year period from 2001–2009. It showed the lack of accounting expertise within the church.6 The deficiency in their accounting skills cost their churches hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as the negative testimony this lack of stewardship reflects to the church members and the world. The literature reviewed indicates a perceptible need in further training in accounting for those responsible in ministry. But what does the literature indicate about the business discipline of finance?

Finance

The financial management of a church includes the existence and use of a budget, accounting controls over cash receipts and disbursements, financial reporting and compliance, and investment policy, where needed. With churches so focused on their primary mission, often the business issues of day-to-day operations is an afterthought and becomes neglected. Regarding financial reporting, Busby stated, “The board (or finance committee), should at least receive a statement of financial position, balance sheet, and statement of activities, receipts and disbursements, each month. These statements should include all church funds, not just the operating fund.”7 The article recommends adequate financial controls, the conducting of internal and external audits, and internal controls on all disbursements. They must give records to members at the end of the year accurately reflecting all donations. The average pastor does not know what to include on a balance sheet versus what to put on an income statement. If an internal or external audit is performed, the average pastor would not know what to ask for or be able to understand the findings of the audit. Elson, O’Callaghan, & Walker conducted a study of 60 churches from fourteen denominations to try to determine the adequacy of the accounting and financial management in practice. The results indicated, “Churches can do a better job of documenting their policies and procedures. In addition, they should communicate these policies and procedures to all employees.”8 Such weakness potentially impacts the integrity of the church.

Members put their trust in the church leaders to conduct the ministry with full integrity. Pastors are expected to hire staff that understand their jobs. Many times, Pastors are not trained sufficiently to hold the bookkeeeper accountable and can easily be misled. Another study was conducted with sixty-six churches of various church denominations, including non-denomination churches that examined internal controls and financial fraud. “The fact that most church goers place too much trust on their leaders is one of the major causes of financial mismanagement. The leaders see themselves answerable only to God. In today’s society that is just not good enough.”9 Biblically trained clergy know that they are accountable vertically to God and horizontally to their fellow man. Such accountability should indeed be required and when present will instill and further develop the trust and integrity needed for churches to minister successfully. Again, the literature supports the understanding that pastors are not well-equipped to provide guideance and accountability regarding the financial management of church business. The literature has been consistent regarding the lack of applied knowledge of pastors regarding both accounting and finance. The author will now turn the attention to the discipline of marketing.

Marketing

Many pastors question if marketing practices can be applied to the church? The marketing suggested for the church is not on a theological basis, but one that

can be rightly related to good stewardship of church resources. Wrenn concluded, “If marketers are to successfully meet the special challenges of applying marketing tools and methods to religious institutions, we must begin by acknowledging the unique characteristics that distinguish these institutions from other not-for-profit organizations.”10 This article emphasizes the good fit between marketings expertise in identifying, understanding, and helping ‘customers’ satisfy those needs and the church’s mission to help people with needs, both physical and spiritual. The religious leaders see God as the primary focus. The Bible records the words of Jesus Christ, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” John 12:32

What churches need to do is make Jesus known to those who live in their surrounding area. Using a billboard or telemarketing are not part of their training and for many ministers it is not an approved method since it is not recognized in the Bible. Churches make use of direct mail and the Yellow Pages, but that is the extent of their marketing savvy. But at the heart of the pastor is sharing the gospel. This fits well into what expertise the marketer can provide. Pastors are not trained in developing a marketing plan for the ministries offered by their churches. “The training that most religious leaders receive involves preaching, counseling, teaching, music, etc. Having been trained in these religious matters, the pastor upon assuming church leadership is asked to run a business.”11 Considine develops a suggested format related to helping churches move toward developing marketing plans. “Becoming a responsive religious organization that can adapt to environmental conditions requires careful planning and skilled leadership.”12

Marketing can be an important tool in the ongoing success of the church. Joseph & Webb reported that the focus of marketing efforts for churches will increasingly be related to retaining and attracting members and reactivating those that are no longer attending or participating.13 Some churches are beginning to use marketing strategies, however, very little empirical research has been conducted on marketing by churches. “Although much has been written about the proliferation of marketing efforts with regard to church and religion, relatively little academic research has been attempted.”14 Along with additional research, more training is needed in this discipline as well. To complete our examination of all four disciplines, the author now considers the final discipline of management.

Management

Most ministers graduate from a seminary or Bible college with the initial skills to prepare a sermon, baptize, conduct weddings and funerals, offer biblical counsel, and perhaps know the original languages of Scripture. In their first week on the job, they realize there are people to manage and business to conduct along with preparing the weekly messages. Irwin and Roller sampled fifty-three pastors from one denomination. “Most of the respondents wish that they would have had better management training before entering ministry, and feel that, even at this point in

ministry, their ministries would be improved if they had better management skills.”15 The study indicated the importance of management skills in the pastorate and that most pastors feel they were not well-prepared for managing the church in their formal training. Fritz & Ibrahim conducted a study of 250 organizations in five different urban areas, related to the tenure of the leader of religious organizations and their ability to be proactive in strategically managing and directing their organizations. Among the significant findings is that often the new leader may face hesitancy on the part of the organization to accept leadership in new directions, especially in the earlier years of their leadership career.16 Duvall & Pinson surveyed deans from 111 schools of theology, representing twenty different denominations. They asked if they offered business courses, required students to take business courses, and if the deans felt their graduates were prepared in basic business skills.17 A majority of deans replied to the first question that such courses were not offered at their schools. Over 90% also do not require business-related courses in their degree programs. Finally, the deans overwhelmingly indicated they felt their students were not well prepared in the basic business skills that are essential to successful ministry.18

In summary, it is apparent in the reviewed literature that pastors are typically well-prepared for the ministry areas of church operation, but need help with the basic business disciplines. Enter the unsung heroes, the ministry of support staff!

Discussion

The importance cannot be overstated. Mistakes in the business of ministry can be devastating. Pastors need help in managing the business of church so that they have time to fulfill their calling to minister as a shepherd to the flock. There are too many pastors who are required by their church to do things like mow the church lawn, pay the bills, vacuum the carpet, mop the floors, and clean the church toilets. All of this they are willing to do, but this is poor stewardship! The time spent on these things is time they cannot spend in sermon preparation, visitation, hospital calls, discipleship, and prayer.

So, who will do the business and operation of the church? It is the unsung heroes, it is the ministry of the support staff! They have the training and expertise in these areas to keep the ministry running smoothly. They fill the gaps in the work of the church for which the pastor is not well-trained or prepared to perform, and they do so with great fervor and professionalism. Moses was taking on more than he could manage on his own. In Exodus chapter 18, Moses’ father-in-law counseled him to divide the work among select leaders that feared God, were trustworthy and faithful, and hated dishonest gain. So too, pastors who select staff and volunteers with these qualifications, find they have more time to fulfill their true calling in ministry.

“Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘The thing that you are doing is not good. ‘You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” (NASB) -Exodus 18:17–18

NOTES

1. “Study Finds Ministers Spend a Third of Time as Managers,” Los Angeles Times, November 4, 1995.

2. Craig E. Irwin, and Robert H. Roller, (2000). “Pastoral Preparation for Church Management,” Journal of Ministry Marketing and Management 6, no. 1 (2000): 53–67.

3. Throop, “Segregation of Duties” Clergy Journal 80, no. 8 : 31–32.

4. T. C. Wooten, Coker, and R. C. Elmore, “Financial Control in Religious Organizations A Status Report,” Nonprofit Management & Leadership 13, no. 4 (Summer 2003): 343–365.

5. Duncan, “The Effect of Experience, Denominational Affiliation, Business Traning, and Church Size on Pastor’s Evaluations of Internal Control Scenarios,” Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management 7, no. 2 : 1–20.

6. J. M. Ruhl, and Smith, “A Perfect Storm: A Case in Nonprofit Financial Reporting,” Issues in Accounting Education 27, no. 3 : 819–836.

7. D. Busby, “Preventing Financial Problems at Your Church,” Clergy Journal 81, no. 4 (2005): 21–22.

8. Elson, S. O’Callaghan, and Walker, “Corporate Governance in Religious Organizations: A Study of Current Practices in the Local Church,” Academy of Accounting & Financial Studies Journal 11, no. 1 : 121–130.

9. A. Enofe, & P. Amaria, “The Role of the Church Denomination in Financial Accountability Among Religious Organizations,” Intenational Journal of Business, Accounting, & Finance 5, no. 2 : 87–104.

10. B. Wrenn, “Religious Marketing is Different,” Services Marketing Quarterly 32, no. 1 Jan.–Mar. : 44–59.

11. Considine, “Developing a Marketing Plan for Religious Organizations,” Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management 7, no. 2 : 51–67.

12. Ibid.

13. W. B. Joseph and Webb, “Marketing Your Church with Advertising and Promotion Strategies That Work,” Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management 6, no. 1 : 19–34.

14. A. Kuzma, A. Kuzma, and J. Kuzma, “How Religion Has Embraced Marketing and the Implications for Business,” Journal of Management and Marketing Research 2: 1–10.

15. Irwin and Roller, “Pastoral Preparation for Church Management,” Journal of Ministry Marketing and Management 6, no. 6 : 53–67.

16. D. A. Fritz, and Ibrahim, “The Impact of Leader Tenure on Proactiveness in Religious Organizations,” Review of Business 31, no. 1: 45–53.

17. Duvall, and Pinson, “Role Changes Within the Clergy: Theological and Business Education,” Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management 6, no. 2 : 43–53.

18. Ibid.

The Women’s Institute: Preparing Women to Serve

Lee Ann Spradlin

Lee Ann Spradlin has been in ministry with her husband Mike for almost 40 years. From local church ministry to church planting with the North American Mission Board, Mike and Lee Ann have served in Arkansas, Kansas, New York, and Tennessee in their many years of service to the Lord.

Lee Ann graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree and has worked as private piano teacher, church accompanist, music teacher of children’s choirs, church secretary, and as an adjunct women’s ministry instructor for Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.

As a homeschool mom, she educated her three children through high school graduation, and all three received academic scholarships to the college of their choice.

Throughout the years of Mid-America’s existence, women have been trained for ministry. Although the type of training has evolved over time to meet the needs of the women who have come, the goal has remained the same: to prepare women to serve the Lord.

In the early days of MABTS the students were men who were called to preach, teach, or train for missionary service overseas. Most of the students were married and their wives usually worked to help put their husbands through school. Because many worked during the day, a Monday night class for wives was offered. The very first class was taught by Mrs. Pat Henderson, wife of Dr. Dick Henderson. Dr. and Mrs. Henderson had served in the pastorate and on the mission field for many years before coming to Mid-America to serve on faculty. As Mrs. Henderson shared with these ladies from her personal experiences in ministry, the women learned firsthand what they could expect as they looked forward to their own ministry one day after seminary. As the seminary wives class grew in popularity and as the role of the teacher expanded, a fall semester and a spring semester class were created and titled The Pastor’s Wife Class and The Missionary Wife Class. Several different faculty wives through the years taught these classes based on their encounters while serving

in the church or on the mission field. These teachers loved the ladies who attended their classes and were excellent role models. They would speak and teach from the heart, sharing the wisdom their students needed to hear to equip them for ministries they would soon face.

About fourteen years ago, I was invited to assume the role of directing this class, along with Mrs. Susan Thompson (wife of Dr. Bradley Thompson, Academic Vice President and Dean of the College at Mid-America). Susan and I did not feel ready for this assignment in our early days of teaching, but we have grown to love this program and the ladies that the Lord sends our way. We have enjoyed walking beside many women through the years and equipping them for the work that they are called to do.

Since our program began when the Seminary was on the quarterly system, we wanted to make the change from offering only two classes to a variety of classes. The first year, we created four topics of study in our class, one per quarter. The complete program was known as The Student Wives Class, and everything was designed to train them for ministry in the church and on the mission field. Knowing that a typical student wife would be at seminary for at least three years, we planned a series of studies that could be taught over those twelve quarters. These studies would rotate every three years, along with any new ideas that needed to be introduced, and they would be taught by various women in ministry, from our local churches to our faculty wives. The women involved in the program grew mightily in their walk with the Lord, learned many of the skills needed to minister to others, met new ministry friends that they have maintained relationships with, gained prayer support for their concerns and needs, and were greatly encouraged.

As times changed at MABTS, the Seminary began to admit female students for different degree programs, and we were tasked with the job of including these students in some of our plans. The ladies always enjoyed back-to-school and holiday events, so we were easily able to include the female students in these. Faculty wives were encouraged to attend as well, to give them an opportunity to meet the ladies in the seminary family. Pretty soon a few of the female students chose to sit in on our Monday night classes because they wanted to learn along with us and meet other women for fellowship. Our non-credit classes made it more appealing to the students because they could join us when they had time without worrying about class requirements.

As our program gained interest, we began to look for new ways of advertising to reach student wives, female students, and alumni wives. One of the ladies who has given us good advice through the years is Mrs. Suzanne Grigsby, daughter of Dr. Gray and Mrs. Voncille Allison. Having served for years as a pastor’s wife before establishing a counseling ministry to couples with her husband Dr. Charlie Grigsby, Suzanne has been a great sounding board for Susan and me and has been available to teach in our class whenever we have asked. Suzanne recommended that we reach out

to the alumni wives who live in the Mid-South area, because many times they feel isolated and need the ongoing fellowship and training we offer. What great advice that has turned out to be as even today, we will usually have alumni wives attending.

Once again, our program has needed flexibility in the classes offered because as the student population changes, so does our audience. Single men, college students, online students, and COVID have challenged us to answer the call to train the women who do come to our school. However, preparing women to serve continues to be the mission that we believe God has called us to fulfill through our program now called, The Women’s Institute.

One of the primary goals Susan and I have is to meet the new students and student wives as they join our seminary family. We plan events and classes for a school year and always ask the Lord to bring those new ladies that need what we offer the most. We provide childcare for those who want it, snacks and meals, books for their personal library, prayer support, quality training, and scholarships for those women who are not able to afford our tuition of $30 per semester. We try to make it easy for any woman to come, whether she works full time, is a stay-at-home wife or mom, or is a student.

Our goal is to create an environment for these ladies where they feel wanted and safe, where they know they can confide in us, where they will learn much about the Lord that has saved them and called them to serve Him, where they can verbalize their fears and not be rejected but prayed for, where they can gain the confidence needed to serve in any setting, and where they can fellowship with like-minded women. With these goals in mind, we plan a program that will provide the women with the tools they need for a life of service to the Lord.

The first thing necessary after meeting a woman is to help her discern where she is on her journey as a believer. Taking a woman from where she is to where she needs to be is not always easy. It requires much time getting to know her, learning about her past, and understanding what she feels called to do. We cannot sit down one-on-one with all the ladies because our time does not allow for that in the classroom setting, but through outside appointments we are able to counsel and talk to the ladies, getting to know them a little better. One of the biggest needs women in ministry face is dealing with their past and finding out who they are in Jesus Christ through spiritual growth processes. Truly, they cannot be free to minister to others if they are not walking in victory with Christ. The classes we offer help women in many areas, including identifying lies we believe and how to deal biblically with those lies, learning how to control the tongue, knowing the spiritual disciplines that we need to incorporate in our daily lives and how to practice those disciplines, and how to walk in victory and not defeat. We do this through in-depth Bible studies.

Knowing how to become a leader in their churches and other fields of ministry is another need these ladies have. We offer classes that teach leadership skills based on biblical examples, conflict in ministry and how to resolve it, how to discover

spiritual gifts and serve with them, becoming a woman of influence, building good relational skills, and learning to lead and thrive on the mission field.

An essential skill that women in ministry need to develop is understanding how to build a strong ministry that thrives. Our classes for this include how to build an effective women’s ministry and lead women, relationships and people skills, hearing from other local minister’s wives and gaining advice and tips from them, how to counsel others using the Bible, developing a framework for ministry, and leading others to serve in the community where you live.

As many women have participated in our program through the years, we have seen life-changing and rewarding moments take place. Whether a student comes to the Women’s Institute as a new believer, young married, single, more mature believer, a missionary currently stateside, or a wife entering ministry after many years of marriage, we have the joy of walking beside her, watching her grow in her walk with the Lord and in her ministry role. We have seen transformation take place as these ladies learn for the first time what it means to follow the Lord unconditionally, to understand the ministry call on her life and/or her husband’s life and how to accept it, to dig deep and study the scripture daily, to develop a strong and thriving prayer life, to manage time and keep their homes, to be good stewards learning to live on little, and to raise their children to serve the Lord.

We have been very blessed to include international student wives in our program through the years. These ladies are usually intimidated by the language barrier but have done extremely well as they attend classes and interact with others in the class. They have enriched our class by teaching us about their countries or allowing us to pray for them. When they return to their homeland, we know that a small part of what we have been able to teach them will go with them.

The Women’s Institute has been inviting local church ladies to join us in our studies for the past few years. We have had several women from many different churches participate with us, and we feel that in a small way, we are strengthening these ladies as we use our class to reach out to our community.

Mid-America Baptist Seminary has a rich heritage of training men and women for fifty years to go “To All the World for Jesus’ Sake.” The Women’s Institute plays a very small part in this work at our school, but we have seen wonderful results and received great feedback. It has been a highlight for me and is such a joy to know that I have had a spiritual influence on women who now serve all over this world, just as other women in ministry have had an influence on me.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done!

A Glimpse of Reality Concerning the Poor Widow’s Gift

Van Gray, PhD

Van Gray has worked in business management for forty-one years, owned a business for seventeen years, and holds a BS in geology and MS in business. He currently serves MABTS as chief development officer. He and his wife, Ginger, live in Cordova, Tennessee, and attend Crossroads Baptist Church in Eads, Tennessee, where he serves as a deacon and a member of the missions team. They have two daughters, one who lives in New York City and one who lives in Cambodia.

The existence of Mid-America Seminary and College has always been dependent on the generous giving of our precious donors, as God motivates each individual or organization to give. Our donors are, indeed, precious to us (Ruth 2:12) even with gifts as small as $5 per month. Without the generous and sacrificial financial support of our donors, we simply would not be able to equip Biblical leaders with a passion for the Gospel. These funds are carefully applied to pay operating expenses and to underwrite over half the full expense of education for each student. These students have responded by averaging sixty-five professions of faith, each week, for the last fifty years (one hundred sixty-nine thousand total, so far). As we celebrate our first fifty years of equipping Biblical leaders with a commitment to the Gospel, we realize that each donor has a legitimate interest in knowing that their investments in Mid-America will result in many being saved. Our donors have paid all the expenses for fifty years with a passion that is born of their love for the gospel and their confidence that every cent will be stewarded as a gift from the LORD Himself. Now, let’s take a look at how Jesus evaluated a very small gift.

In John 11:13, the disciples thought Jesus was saying that Lazarus was simply sleeping. In verse 14, Jesus “spoke plainly” that Lazarus was dead. In Matthew 13, Jesus told the parable of the sower, causing the disciples to ask why He spoke in parables. Jesus responded (v. 11), “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” “Therefore I speak to them in parables…”(v. 13). The meaning of the parable was intentionally hidden to the people, but was not to be hidden to the disciples. Jesus then explained the mystery of the parable to them (vs 18–23). Similarly, in Matthew 13:36, the disciples asked Jesus to explain “the parable of the tares of the field” (vs 24–30). And He

answered them beginning in verse 37. Jesus was acting in recognition of their grant “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”

In Luke 21:1–4, and in the parallel passage of Mark 12:41–44 (both passages follow), we are told of the poor widow’s gift of two small copper coins, her entire income. Although her gift was very modest, Jesus said this poor widow “put in more than all of them,” “put in all that she had to live on” (Luke 21:3–4) and that she “put in all that she owned, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44)!

“And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on’. “

-Mark 12:41–44

“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.’ “

-Luke 21:1–4

The scriptures are silent about her actual circumstances. We can only speculate. However, we do know that God Himself is a husband to her and is her protector. While the context of the following passage is God speaking to Jerusalem, the point should not be missed that a facet of God’s character is revealed here. What a special relationship it is!

“Fear not for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.”

-Is 54:4–5

”He supports the fatherless and the widow”

God, Himself, will be “a judge for the widow”

”And let your widows trust in Me.”

-Ps 146:9b

-Ps 68:5

-Jeremiah 49:11b

“Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.”

-2 Cor 9:7

She has trusted Him thus far and has cheerfully given all she has, relying upon Him for all her needs and all her provision. She has learned to trust Him, commonly expressed as a maxim, “You cannot out-give God!” In return, God has elevated the impact of her modest gift to exceed all the others given that day.

“Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.”

-Luke 6:38

”‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need.’”

-Malachi 3:10

“And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren in Judea.”

-Acts 11:29

“In every thing I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the LORD Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give that to receive.’”

-Acts 20:35

The poor widow of the Luke and Mark passages above apparently understood these principles and acted on them, trusting God for all her needs, present, and future. We can confidently conclude that she was blessed for her faith and for her giving. Jesus Himself has honored her by recording her example in His Word for all future believers’ benefit and instruction. Acting again in recognition of their grant to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus then called His disciples to tell them His evaluation of what the poor widow had just done. I’m sure they were startled to hear that she had given more than all the others with her two small coins. Jesus was providing a glimpse of true reality; how He, the LORD, evaluated her gift. Jesus' observation reveals a mystery of the kingdom of God, confirming that God evaluates behavior by internal motives not outward appearances, because He looks on the heart and not as men see things.

“And do not lean on your own understanding.”

-Proverbs 3:5b

“…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

-1 Samuel 16:7b

This story is often referenced as “the widow’s mite.” It could also be accurately referenced as “the widow’s might,” as her gift was revealed to have greater impact than all the others in the LORD’s sight. This may come as quite a surprise that the size of the gift has little, if any, bearing on the impact. As Adrian Rogers was fond of saying, “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.” Does God want our hearts knit to His? I think so. Therefore, we should look closely at what else the scriptures have to say about giving.

In his letters, Paul offers additional insight:

At the judgement the LORD will “disclose the motives of men’s hearts…”

-1 Cor 4:5

“On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.”

-1 Cor 16:2

“…in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the LORD and to us by the will of God. Consequently, we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. For you know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—at this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; as it is

written, ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack’.” (Italics mine)

-2 Cor 8:2–15

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, ‘He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness abides forever’. Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (Italics mine)

-2 Cor 9: 6–15

This echoes Christ’s sacrificial gift that we might become rich. This also echoes the poor widow’s gift. Therefore, we must not hesitate to give because we cannot give a large amount. Note that in 2 Cor. 8:10 & 11 we are informed that the sequence is to desire to do it, then to begin to do it, then to finish doing it: Desire to give, Do give, and Finish giving your heart’s plan to give. Also, God promises to link your harvest to the gift: He will multiply your harvest of righteousness and will be enriched to meet every need considered by your liberality! We give. He multiplies. The recipient prays for the giver, glorifying God for the giver…..another mystery of the kingdom of God is revealed!

“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

-Galatians 6:10

“Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.”

-Ephesians 4:28

“And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”

-Titus 3:14

In these references, Paul is clearly teaching that we are to be prepared to meet needs, pressing needs, of those around us, especially those of “the household of faith.” We have thought about the glimpses of the reality associated with giving, the real connection with God’s view of how giving works, how His provision is apportioned for His purposes, and how we are favored with direct participation. But what of the roles of the supporter and the one who receives the support, on the “front lines,” as they are often described? Does scripture directly address this relationship, or provide hints or glimpses of it?

“Then David said, ‘You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.’ And so it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.” -1 Sam 30:23–25

“Calling a bird of prey from the East, the man of My purpose from a far country.” -Is 46:11

Combined, these two references:

1. Reveal that those who are “merely” supporters (who “stay with the baggage”) share equally with those who fight the battles (on the “front lines”). Each role is dependent on the other.

2. Recognize that God can call a man from anywhere to fulfill His purposes, either as a supporter or as a warrior on the “front lines” of His purpose

The “glimpse,” or mystery, of the kingdom of God establishes reality from God’s perspective. Gifts according to our ability are evaluated by our hearts motivation to make the gift. While God is pleased to use our gifts, He is FAR more interested in our hearts, that they are knitted to His heart. When our gifts are motivated by obedience to His Word and a sincere desire to give for His purpose(s), God will mightily leverage our gifts, FAR beyond its face value, just as He did with the poor widow’s gift. Giving is always between the believer and the LORD. Consider this when you desire to give. Consider this when you give. Consider this when you finish the gift. If so, you can know that God is pleased. “See that you abound in this gracious work also.”

We never ask for money, though the needs are always great. We depend on the LORD to meet our needs by moving the hearts of donors, new and old, to give. These gifts are often from sources we could never imagine, and in the timing that is God’s alone. Jesus Himself gave us insight on how such gifts are viewed from Heaven,

illustrated by the widow’s gift. As a result of these words from Jesus Himself, we realize that we are unable to correctly assess the size of a gift, whether large or small: it is a mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven that determines the true value.

Note: All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960,1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, by the Lockman Foundation.

Where Do We Go from Here: The Future of Seminary Education

Michael R. Spradlin, Ph.D.

Michael R. Spradlin, PhD, President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, received a BA from Ouachita Baptist University, and an MDIV and PhD from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a versatile ministry background that includes preaching, teaching, church planting, military chaplaincy, and many international and North American mission trips. In addition to serving as the president, Dr. Spradlin is also professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, church history, practical theology, and missions and chairman of the evangelism department. He is the author of many scholarly articles and books, including The Sons of the 43rd: The Story of Delmar Dotson, Gray Allison, and the Men of the 43rd Bombardment Group in the Southwest Pacific. Dr. Spradlin served as editor of Studies in Genesis 1-11: A Creation Commentary, Beaman’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, and Personal Evangelism. His newest edited book, That One Face: The Doctrine of Christ in the First Six Centuries of Christianity, by Lawrence R. Barnard, will be available in 2023. Dr. Spradlin and his wife Lee Ann live in Memphis and have three children (David, Thomas, and Laura) and two daughters-in-law (Laurel and Madelyn).

Pastor training has been occurring for two thousand years. Whatever the future may hold, it can be assured that this practice will continue until the Lord returns for His followers to take them home to Heaven. The early churches fought internal divisions, external opposition, outbreaks of heresy, and persecution to the death. And yet, with all that, churches have continued through it all. Indeed, the Scripture has been proven true, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18 NASB, 1995 ed.)

A Historical Glimpse

Polycarp (c. 69–c. 155) lived a life mostly of obscurity but served as the bishop (pastor) in the important city of Smyrna. Though Smyrna is only mentioned in the Book of Revelation, the history of the city was ancient and prominent. In ancient

times Greek colonists settled on the coast of what, in modern times, is the nation of Turkey. The long-lived city was revitalized by Alexander the Great and boasted a large Jewish population by the New Testament era. The city had been considered one of the most important cities of the entire region. One of the earliest churches outside of Jerusalem existed there. The city would remain prominent until a devastating earthquake destroyed the city in 178 AD.

In the church of this prominent city served faithful pastor Polycarp. He lived for an extremely long time of about eighty-six years, and while little is known of his life, much is known of his influence. Tertullian stated that Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John. Irenaeus recounted that he had heard Polycarp preach when he was a young boy. Even though he ministered in a pagan city, Polycarp spent much energy fighting the early heresies of the Marcionites and the Valentinians. Ancient sources report that, after concluding a long trip to the city of Rome, Polycarp returned to Smyrna during a pagan festival wherein he was arrested. Faced with a death sentence, Polycarp announced that he had served Christ for eighty-six years and would not renounce his faith in Christ. Polycarp was brutally burned at the stake in the very city where he had so long served as a pastor.1

Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 200), assumed to be a native of Smyrna, left to become a missionary bishop to the city of Lyons in Roman Gaul. His pastoral ministry on the mission field involved a long-term battle with the philosophy of Gnosticism, which was infiltrating many Christian churches of that era. Irenaeus masterfully used both the Old Testament and the now available books of the New Testament to build a biblical case against heresy. He further began the development of an understanding of Christian doctrine for the new disciples of the Christian churches. The pain of much conflict with heretical groups developed doctrinal clarity and became a blessing to believers throughout the ancient world. The writings of Irenaeus were passed from pastor to pastor, and this probably contributed to why many of his writings are extant today.2

This was the age of personal connections and influence in the training of people for ministry. Though the church fathers are known today, most local church pastors of this era are forever unknown. They learned how to fulfill their calling to the ministry and pass the faith along to the next generation.

Martin Luther (1483–1546), key figure in the Protestant Reformation, benefited from the development of the medieval education system and the expansion of print media. Among many of Luther’s contributions were the translation of the Bible into German, the language of the common people of his area, and his many Bible Commentaries. This spiritual revival involved the change of a minister, or priest, from leading a sacramental ritual to the delivery of a Bible message to a congregation. The need for sermon preparation meant that local church ministers needed to be able to read the Bible and then develop and deliver a biblical message.3

This was an age when the concept of ministry training became conflated with a formal education experience. Of course, this model was not prominent among the radical reformers such as the anabaptists. These underground groups were largely excluded from the opportunities afforded to ministers in the mainline denominations begun in the Protestant Reformation. These anabaptist groups had been persecuted by the Roman Catholic church and the new protestant denominations often joined in persecuting them.

One of the most underrated figures in modern theological education is James Petigru Boyce (1827–1888). Born in the United States in South Carolina, he excelled at formal education and eventually attended Brown University from 1845–1847. Though originally desiring a career in the legal profession, he came to Christ under the preaching of Richard Fuller. Eventually Boyce sensed a call to ministry and became the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Columbia, South Carolina. After his studies at Brown College, Boyce attended Princeton Seminary, where he was influenced by the theologian Charles Hodge. From Hodge, Boyce not only learned systematic theology, but also the importance of theological education.

In an address at Furman University in 1856, Boyce outlined his views in the address, “Three Changes in Theological Institutions.”

The first change was that every minister of the Gospel should have access to theological instruction. Second, Baptist students with special abilities to think and write need opportunities to develop their gifts. Third, every professor at a theological school should commit to teaching according to a common doctrinal statement. Perhaps the key aspect of Boyce’s views was that the theological schools should be governed by the needs of New Testament churches and not the needs of the academy. Boyce went on to serve as a founding father for the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which today is located in Louisville, Kentucky.4

Schools for preachers were not an American phenomenon. Charles Haddon Spurgeon started his Pastor’s College in London in 1856. Nor was this a Baptist emphasis. Many of the earliest colleges in the American colonies included the purpose of ministry training in their charters. Unfortunately, one unintended consequence of this consolidation of ministry training meant that when abhorrent theological ideas infiltrated the faculties and then the students, it would eventually make its way into the churches.

Dr. B. Gray Allison, founder of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, was a two-time graduate of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS), another Southern Baptist seminary along with the aforementioned school in Kentucky. Dr. Allison believed that one of the pivotal figures in his life was the president of New Orleans seminary during his student days, Roland Q. Leavell. The Leavell family was one of the most remarkable families in Southern Baptist life in terms of ministry and theological education. Several members of the family served in the office of president of this school.

In the 1950s, Dr. Roland Leavell instituted a program that required students to share the Gospel on a regular basis and to hold these students accountable for their evangelistic activities. This addition of an evangelism and missions requirement may not have been original with Dr. Leavell, but his approach sparked a spirit of revival on the campus. Many who were there during those years looked back with fondness on the soulwinning stories and deep work of the Lord among the student body.

When Dr. Gray Allison sensed the call to start Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (MABTS), he looked back to this time to find a model for the new school. The Practical Missions program, as it was originally called, was instituted at the founding of the new seminary, Mid-America.

Where Are We Going

After serving as a seminary president for twenty-five years and being in theological education for twenty-nine years, I can say with absolute assurance that I never saw most of the contemporary trends coming. I am not surprised or disconcerted at many of the trends; it is just that predicting the future is a complex endeavor. Some movements that had seemed like a major crisis in evangelicalism or Southern Baptist life quickly faded and were forgotten. The greatest enemies of the Lord’s work are often not some new, fashionable philosophy but the old human problems of sin, apathy, and pragmatism.

1. The Rise of Distance Education

In the 1990s, distance education was somewhat looked down upon. It was thought of as an inferior alternative for those who could not accommodate themselves to the daytime residential model of education. One common idea was that if a person would not pack up and move to go to seminary then they would not make a very good pastor anyway. The thinking behind this was that a call to ministry was a call to surrender all and to be prepared to go wherever in the world the Lord may lead. For a variety of reasons, the educational landscape has changed to the point that if a school does not have an online presence, its very existence is threatened. Distance education may not be the best way to train people for ministry, but it is here to stay.

2. The Popularity of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention

The doctrines of grace, as they are sometimes called, have been present in the modern Baptist movement. Some would contend that these doctrinal tenets were the foundation of the modern Baptist movement. By the arrival of the twentieth century, there seemed to be a decrease in the popularity of this system of theology. However, inspired by certain key ministry leaders, educational institutions, and conferences/ networks a resurgence of these views happened. This resurgence was especially noted among the younger generation of ministers.

3. The Demise of Sunday School

While the demise of the Sunday School movement was not a surprise, many churches struggled to find a viable alternative for Bible study. The loss of this ministry, or at least the loss of vitality in this ministry, also brought about a loss of discipleship in many Southern Baptist churches. This parallels, in this writer’s opinion, with the demise of the Woman’s Missionary Union and the resultant loss of missions education in many churches which has resulted in a loss of emphasis on the Great Commission.

4. The Rise of the Biblical Counseling Movement

The field of biblical counseling has increased in popularity exponentially. While numerous labels are used to describe the various approaches to counseling, it may be that the rise of biblical counseling is a result of a lack of discipleship in many churches. Some in the biblical counseling field believe that their focus is more on discipleship than in merely helping people to solve the problems in their lives. This change can best be seen in the changes in the degree offerings of many schools. Student interest in counseling is high even though few churches have full-time positions for counseling.

5. The Redefining of the Call to Ministry

While some may bemoan the lack of people responding to a call from God to enter the ministry, a greater problem may be a lack of biblical understanding of the role of the pastor/elder/bishop in the local church context. The reasons for confusion on this issue are myriad and intertwined. However, the biblical instructions on this matter are very clear. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38 NASB 1995) Prayer is the key. Also, pastors need to preach and teach God’s ministry and encourage people to explore that possible call in their own lives.

Where Should We Be Going

Since the future is largely unknowable from a human point of view, what direction can be given for the future purpose of theological institutions like MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary? Properly understood, theological education is merely an extension of the work of local New Testament churches. Churches need to theologically train their leadership and their next generations, and seminaries can serve as an efficient extension of that work.

1. Use the Bible

The phrase “biblically-based” has sometimes become a euphemism for taking generalized biblical ideas, mixing them with worldly philosophies and methods, and

them passing them on. We need to stop talking about the Bible and just use the Bible. Many theological curricula assume that the students already know the Scriptures, thereby allowing the instructional time to be spent talking about philosophies and methodologies. We need to spend more time teaching the Bible.

2. Train Disciple-Making Believers

The key word here is “train.” The New Testament churches do not need leaders who are broadly informed of many ideas and philosophies (there can be a place for this elsewhere), but they need leaders who know the power of the Word of God in their own lives and how the Word of God can impact the lives of those whom they disciple. Passing on the faith is a biblical command and must be done intentionally in each local church.

3. Biblically Define the Great Commission

Popular perception has made, in some minds, the Great Commission into one- or two-week trips to an exotic locale for the purpose of ministry. We need to relearn the fact that missions is living amidst lostness and sharing the Gospel as a part of everyday life. Wherever we live, we are cross-cultural missionaries on a mission to win the lost to Christ. In addition to this, all believers are committed to take the Gospel to the peoples of the world who have no access to the good news of Jesus Christ.

4. Recapture the Simplicity of the Early Churches

Rapid multiplication of the Gospel does not require a large, well-funded infrastructure. Southern Baptists, with their Cooperative Program system for financial support, have the greatest tool for missions and evangelism in the history of Christianity (no hyperbole here!). Yet, the ultimate need is not a program but the power of God and a people willing to submit to Him, follow Him, and give Him all of the glory.

From the Apostle John to Polycarp to Irenaus to your local church pastor today, the gospel has been passed on for two thousand years, and it will continue until the end of the age. The gates of Hell will not prevail against the Lord’s churches. Theological education is called to serve the local church by fighting the good fight of training local church pastors to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth and to the next generation of believers.

Notes

1. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, s.v. “Polycarp, St.”

2. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, s.v. “Irenaeus, St.”

3. Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (1950; repr., New York: Pierce and Smith, 1978).

4. Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, vol. 1, s.v. “Boyce, James Petigru.”

Book Reviews

Essential Christian Doctrine: A Handbook on Biblical Truth. Gen. ed., John MacArthur. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021.

Review by Paul V. Harrison, PhD

Dr. Paul Harrison serves as senior pastor at Madison Free Will Baptist Church in Madison, Alabama. He earned his PhD from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

John MacArthur has served as pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA, since 1969. Currently chancellor of The Master’s Seminary and University, he has authored many books and articles.

Essential Christian Doctrine is a condensed version of his 1,000-page Biblical Doctrine, published by Crossway in 2017. MacArthur calls that volume a “reference work” and says this shorter one should be read cover to cover.

The ten chapters cover the expected systematic theology subjects. It opens with a 35-page introduction, explaining approaches to doing theology and handling “major motifs of Scripture.” Helpful here is the treatment of how theology should impact the mind. He warns against anti-intellectualism and hyper-intellectualism (42), seeking a middle way that properly employs both general and special revelation.

Discussing “Bibliology,” he takes a traditional evangelical stance: “As one can draw a straight line with a crooked stick, God produced an inerrant Bible using imperfect men” (59). For Jesus, “God says” and “Scripture says” mean the same thing (63). Material on canonicity and textual criticism rounds out this chapter.

MacArthur’s examination of “theology proper” begins with proofs of God’s existence and then moves to biblical names for God and divine attributes. After focusing on the Trinity, he gives an analysis of predestination and election, assuming a traditional Calvinistic position. He defends creation ex nihilo and says the creative days were 24-hours.

The chapters on christology and pneumatology offer good surveys, including relevant heresies. He carefully works through Jesus’ preexistence, incarnation and death, and resurrection and glorification. Embedded here is analysis of the baptism and filling of the Spirit, along with blasphemy against him. The author’s survey of spiritual gifts asserts that some were temporary (e.g., prophecy, tongues, and healing).

Chapter six examines “Man and Sin.” Along with the expected topics, MacArthur discusses gender and sexuality. There is “an objective reality of gender,” he states, and “deviating from God’s plans for gender and sexuality is rebellion

against God” (233). As to hereditary sin, the author asserts that God imputes Adam’s sin to all mankind based on his position as representative head of the race.

The nearly 100-page treatment of soteriology follows common Calvinistic themes. The author unambiguously embraces the “five points.” He says, “the priest’s sacrifice is identical to the scope of his intercession,” which he asserts is limited. He includes an examination of biblical texts that appear to contradict a particularist position on the atonement. Limited atonement, he asserts, does not negate the need for a universal proclamation of the gospel.

After the doctrine of angels, MacArthur plunges into ecclesiology. Embracing congregational church government, he examines the roles of elder and deacon in some detail. For a Baptist, he is quite brief in his discussion of baptism. He also argues for a memorialist position on the Lord’s Supper.

The book concludes with a 40-page presentation of eschatology. After summarizing the broad outlines of various end-time viewpoints, the author defends a premillennial, pretribulation return of Christ to rapture the church.

This work provides a crisp survey of theology, explaining words and concepts. It shows fidelity to Scripture and makes clear that theological inquiry is a personal exercise and should result in worship. MacArthur’s emphasis that faith is trust and that repentance is essential to salvation is much appreciated, reminding the reader of his earlier The Gospel According to Jesus. MacArthur writes with clarity, rarely leaving the reader wondering what is being asserted. The work is also well-edited, with few mistakes in its five hundred pages, though the editor should have insisted on more than one page devoted to assurance of salvation, an inherent weakness in Calvinism.

With that said, the book has several notable weaknesses. The cover lists MacArthur as “General Editor,” but the reader is left wondering who wrote what. Occasional footnotes pointing to original sources do not remove this ambiguity. With almost seventy pages of indices, the table of contents needs some breakdown beyond simple chapter titles. Additionally, the outline scheme for chapters using bold print, italics, and all caps for various levels sometimes leaves the reader wondering if a heading is a main one or subordinate.

More important, the title is misleading. “Essential” points to the essence of something, and MacArthur presents much more than essence. Is Calvinism essential? Is premillennialism? The title smacks of “mere Christianity,” but the book goes well beyond what almost anyone would call essential. Why this mistake? Perhaps the author sees the struggle to interpret Scripture correctly to be easier than it is, and obvious conclusions are easier to insist upon. He repeatedly indicates that the biblical evidence “clearly” points to his conclusions, on occasion even saying differing viewpoints result from “superficial reading” of Scripture (e.g., 278). He states: “The truths of eschatology are neither vague nor unclear” (33). Really?

Coupled with the author’s dogmatism is the feeling he has not adequately digested all his subject matter. The text and footnotes suggest considerable reading

in the last two centuries but not much beyond. The work therefore lacks the “clean sea breeze of the centuries,” to use a C. S. Lewis expression. So, while the volume has much to offer, before picking it up, read Millard Erickson,Thomas Oden, and Wayne Grudem. Personal Evangelism. By

B. Gray Allison,

edited by Michael

R. Spradlin. Collierville, TN: Innovo Publishing, 2021.

Review by A. Timothy Hight, PhD

Dr. Timothy Hight serves as senior pastor at GraceLife Baptist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia and as adjunct instructor in Homiletics at Liberty University School of Divinity in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The late B. Gray Allison (1924–2019) dedicated his life to sharing the Gospel and teaching others how to lead people to Christ. An Army Air Force veteran of WWII, he followed God’s call to ministry and soon became a professor of missions at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1972, he founded and became first president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Memphis, where he taught personal evangelism to thousands of students for the next forty-five years. This reviewer had the wonderful privilege of being one of Gray Allison’s students and hearing firsthand his passion for evangelism and missions.

Michael R. Spradlin, the editor of Personal Evangelism, succeeded Gray Allison as president of Mid-America where he has served for nearly twenty-five years. Spradlin has written numerous scholarly articles on evangelism, missions, and church history. He edited and revised Roy O. Beaman’s Commentary on the Gospel of John and R. David Skinner’s Studies in Genesis: A Creation Commentary

Few works have been published in the area of personal evangelism in the last twenty years. If there is a single graduate-level textbook with the sweeping practical application of Allison’s Personal Evangelism, the reviewer has not discovered it. This dearth makes this undertaking by the editor to assemble the personal course notes of Gray Allison collected from his decades of teaching experience all the more timely. Within the first few pages, the reader immediately recognizes Allison’s lifetime of teaching, practice, and success in the field.

The book organizes around fourteen chapters and five appendices. The opening sentences of the Introductory chapter state that the book’s objective is “to motivate believers in Jesus Christ to practice biblical obedience to Him by sharing their faith with unbelievers on a regular basis. The plan of the book is to inform, motivate, train, and do personal evangelism.” The editor appropriately reminds the

reader that Allison made the Bible the focal centerpiece of any personal witnessing opportunity. He urged his students to have a New Testament on hand at all times, dedicated solely to witnessing opportunities.

Gray Allison commonly referred to someone engaged in personal evangelism as a “soul-winner”, based on the exhortation of Proverbs 11:30, “ …he who wins souls is wise (NKJV).” Hence, the heart of the book, chapters 3–8, combines Allison’s vintage designation with his love of alliteration as he examines the soul winner’s mission, milieu, motivation, musts, method, and message.

The chapter four overview of spiritual darkness around the world insightfully explores the great need for a world-wide evangelistic witness. While many of the statistics given from Allison’s notes are considerably outdated (e.g., an Associated Press release on American suicides is dated November 27, 1962), the reader nevertheless will be disturbingly aware that thousands of people die each day around the world who have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ. Until one fully comprehends what it means to be dead in sin, there will never be a strong desire to win others to Christ.

Beginning with chapter seven and continuing through the rest of the book, Allison provides some of the most practical advice one ever encountered in a study of personal evangelism. One immediately recognizes the timelessness of his helpful admonitions such as claim God’s promises, watch for opportunities, avoid arguments, and show patience. A question often asked by those considering sharing the Gospel is, “How do I begin an evangelistic conversation with an unbeliever?” Allison not only explains some simple questions to ask (e.g., “Have you been thinking about spiritual things?”), but also suggests a number of “object methods” to employ in most types of casual conversation.

While some personal evangelism methods require a great deal of memorization and practice, one will find Allison’s “Evangelism Outline” biblically centered, refreshingly straightforward, and easily committed to memory. It is logically organized around three headings: salvation needed, salvation provided, and salvation accepted. The outline concludes with a candid invitation to accept Christ and six simple steps for a new Christian in following Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Chapters eleven and twelve deal with a limited treatment of “issues” in evangelism and some brief (two pages) words of advice concerning witnessing to Muslims. Allison saw several “dangerous” theological views which he believed would undermine successful efforts in sharing the Gospel. His responses to these errant views such as universalism and the modern faith movement are thoroughly biblical and a sound repudiation of the false methodologies to which they lead.

The reader notices that a professor’s personal notes from a course taught over a forty-five-year span have a measure of outmoded expressions and data. Yet, one quickly affirms that Gray Allison’s work will be a timeless classic. Those who knew Dr. Allison or had the personal privilege of sitting under his teaching or preaching will have his contagious passion for evangelism and missions stirred once again in

their minds and hearts. The helpful and encouraging tone along with the pragmatic “how to” approach of Allison’s Personal Evangelism inspires both the new believer and the seasoned Christ-follower toward a life of obedience in telling others about Jesus. This book stands as an indispensable resource for a pastor, professor, or Bible student. It is equally important in an academic environment or a local church venue. The reader finds Personal Evangelism to be saturated with the Scripture and deeply persuasive towards a dynamic lifestyle of personal testimony to others of the lifechanging power of the gospel of Christ.

The Church: An Introduction. By Muriel I. Elmer and Duane H. Elmer. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2020.

Review by Zachary Sandiford, PhD

Dr. Zachary Sandiford serves as the director of operations and assistant professor of Practical Theology, Missions, and Church History at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennesee.

Gregg R. Allison serves as professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, secretary for the Evangelical Theological Society, and a book review editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Society. He has authored numerous books, including Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, a comprehensive study of ecclesiology from which Allison draws for The Church: An Introduction. This book is an installment of the five-part series, Short Studies in Systematic Theology.

In this work, Allison proposes, “We know the church.” However, following a description of a myriad of church styles, practices, congregational types, rituals, beliefs, and architecture, it is clear that some do not know the church. The Church: An Introduction is a compact and concise study of what churches believe and practice. The author approaches the study through a dual lens—the mere church and the more church. The mere church is an examination of what all churches have in common in the area of ecclesiology. Allison bases the terminology on C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. The term is not to minimize any belief but to distill the belief to essential components. The more church is an examination of the different practices one discovers in the mere church.

After the explanatory introduction, the author divides the book into two parts comprising eight chapters. Chapters one and two create the first section and examine two foundations for ecclesiology, the Triune God and the church according to Scripture. The church consists of redeemed people who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the head of the Body of Christ. The church is indwelt and

empowered by the Holy Spirit to work, serve, and go on mission. Allison gives a detailed description of the church according to Scripture. The author references many Old and New Testament passages and explains the relationship between the Hebrew qahal (“assembly”), the Greek ekklesia, and the English church. Six chapters make up the second part of the book and survey the prominent themes of ecclesiology. Each chapter holds to the mere and more motif by describing the common beliefs of the particular ecclesiological subject followed by the different practices of churches. Allison addresses such topics as the church’s identity, leadership, government, ordinances, ministries, and future.

First, the church’s mere identity anchors on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed’s statement, “We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” The church is characterized by unity, holiness, catholicity (universal), and adherence to the Apostle’s teachings. The author then addresses the more identity of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant church. This section provides a description of how they identify themselves by their attributes rather than specific practices. Second, the church’s mere leadership generally offers that all churches have some leadership. The author spends ample time describing more leadership. Churches practice various leadership types, such as bishoprics, eldership, pastorates, presbyteries, and deacons. Allison gives the biblical qualifications and responsibilities of the leaders of the church. Also, the diaconate is explained. Third, the mere government, or polity, of the church is based on the New Testament. The early church’s government mirrored Christ as the head of the church, the apostles as (temporary) rulers, bishops/pastors/ overseers as leaders of local churches, and the deacons as servants. However, churches hold to a variety of more governmental structures. Allison provides descriptions of Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist governments.

Fourth, a very detailed chapter presents the ordinances of the church. The mere ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism are what Allison called, “the two marks of the church.” The more ordinances include the broad spectrum of beliefs and practices regarding the Lord’s Supper (transubstantiation, consubstantiation, memorial view, and spiritual presence) and baptism (immersion, pedobaptism, and credobaptism). Fifth, the mere ministries of the church reveal the use of spiritual gifts for ministry. The more ministries detail the use of spiritual gifts in the church. Also, Allison outlines the complementarian and egalitarian (or variants of each) views of ministry and the different beliefs of sign gifts. The final chapter examines the church’s mere future (eschatology) and its continuous look for the Lord’s return. The more future projects differing beliefs of amillennialism, postmillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, and historic premillennialism. The book ends with a single-page conclusion.

Allison presents a brief and concise description of ecclesiology. The book stands structured, orderly, and easy to follow with the mere and more arrangement. The author employs numerous Scripture passages to bolster his work. The book is an

unbiased ecclesiology, and Allison presents the material to inform the reader of the churches’ various beliefs and practices, not solely his belief. The book’s weakness comes in the inclusion of the Roman Catholic Church in the chapters on the identity and the ordinances of the church (curiously absent in other chapters). The overall thrust of the work focuses on Protestant churches, and this inclusion parades a broad and confusing message as if the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches are the same—just another mere church with a different more practice. Otherwise, this book appeals to a wide audience because of its broad description of churches.

The Learning Cycle: Insights for Faithful Teaching from Neuroscience and the Social Sciences.

By

Muriel I. Elmer and Duane H. Elmer. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2020.

Review by Quezia

Uaene

Quezia Uaene is a PhD Student at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves as academic coordinator at the Center for Development of Leadership in Maputo, Mozambique.

Muriel Elmer, PhD and Duane Elmer, PhD have many years of experience in education and learning as well as cross-cultural research and teaching. Duane Elmer’s books include Cross-Cultural Conflict, Cross-Cultural Connections, and CrossCultural Servanthood.

The authors draw from their teaching experiences and are determined to impact teaching and learning and help other educators do the same. The book seeks to help educators better equip their students. The Elmers believe that anyone can teach as a result of scientific developments in teaching and the learning process. They state that anyone involved in education—parents, teachers, mentors, formal, and non-formal educators—can benefit from this book.

In addition to drawing knowledge from the Bible and theology, they also gather from neuroscience and educational theory, believing that all truth is God’s truth. The Learning Cycle gives a holistic biblical perspective, and its major function is to integrate the three aspects of learning: cognition, emotions, and behavior.

Duane Elmer conceived The Learning Cycle in the process of writing his dissertation. His goal was to help integrate teaching with life, and he and Muriel Elmer tested it, having used the Learning Cycle throughout their long careers. The Learning Cycle has informed all their curriculum design decisions and has been built on a solid foundation of educational theory and research. Recent research on how the brain learns has only reinforced the validity of the Learning Cycle.

The Learning Cycle comprises seven parts: 1. Recall (remembering the information); 2. Recall with appreciation (valuing the findings); 3. Recall with speculation (pondering how to use the data); 4. Barriers to change (anticipating barriers); 5. Recall with practice (beginning behavior change); 6. Recall with the habit (doing consistently); 7. Christlikeness (developing character, integrity, and wisdom).

The authors use the taxonomies of learning as depicted by Krathwohl and Bloom’s three domains—cognitive, affective (emotion), and psychomotor (behavioral) as the model that provides the foundation for the Learning Cycle. They also refer to David Kolb and the transformation experience of learning, where an individual has a concrete experience, followed by reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and finally, active experimentation.

In contrast, the authors’ Learning Cycle model attempts to put content, truth, and facts as the driving force for learning while incorporating life experience, including reflection, analysis, and revision. The Educational Cycle includes Mezirow’s learning theory of transformative learning, which corresponds with the Learning Cycle. The authors explain that neuroscience is only employed to describe the critical implications of the teaching and learning process.

Recall of information is the beginning of learning; it is not the end. Deeper learning relies on more than recall; it takes rehearsal and retention. The authors explain how short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory function. Long-term memory is the locus where basic assumptions, values, beliefs, and foundational truths about life are stored and through which behaviors emerge. Meaning will make a connection with existent information. As these networks are strengthened through repetition, discussion, debate, reading, writing, rehearsal, and other learning tasks, learning is crystalized. What one values, elevates his optimism because valuing connects content remembrance known as “recall with appreciation.” Teachers must help students see the purpose of the information, speculate, and thenconnect the new information with the old in order to be able to apply it in future action.

Cognitive dissonance, a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, and behavior, \produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration of the attitude, beliefs, or behavior to create distress and restore balance. Dissonances also occur when beliefs and values are challenged. Dissonances are about making choices where someone must adopt, adjust, reject, or confirm a belief or assumption.

In the process of learning, barriers will occur. The key to managing barriers is to identify them immediately and plan to solve them strategically. With barriers identified, educators can help students with the reasoned action approach to predict the antecedents of behavioral change—a theory known as the theory of planned behavior.

Another step of the Educational Cycle is to recall with practice, which is the beginning for behavioral change, leading people to practice a new behavior.

Systematic practice strengthens the behavior repetition connects it to the brain causing a strong habit. Supportive community is vital for the transformation.

Mezirow’s learning theory of transformative learning corresponds to the Learning Cycle as the disoriented dilemma causes the learner to reexamine their assumption (recall) through the feelings that come with disequilibrium (appreciation) to the new possibilities of lifestyle (speculation). Educators will conclude that the student has learned when the learner understands the relationship between the truth and living and then starts to practice it.

The authors show that debriefing simulations connect truth and action, content and behavior, and the cognitive and the psychomotor. Simulations can create disoriented dilemmas triggering a new cycle of transformative learning stages, as described by Mezirow. Once practice becomes a habit, it becomes much easier to sustain as a new behavior. Habits are created by consistent routine, but belief is essential for brain change. Without it, the brain will not provide the resources required to accomplish change.

In summary, each step of the Learning Cycle describes the learning process from recalling new knowledge, reflection, speculation, simulation and rehearsal, overcoming obstacles, and creating new habits that culminate in Christlike character. This book is very helpful for educators to lead students to a transformative life.

Reformed Systematic Theology, Volume 3: Spirit and Salvation.

By Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021.

Review by Daniel Wiley, PhD

Dr. Daniel Wiley earned his PhD from Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.

Joel R. Beeke, president and professor of systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Seminary, and Paul M. Smalley faculty teaching assistant at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, have released the third entry of the four-volume Reformed Systematic Theology series, a project originating from Beeke’s seminary lectures (19). Having presented the doctrines of revelation and theology proper in volume 1, and man and Christ in volume 2, Beeke and Smalley now move to the doctrines of the Spirit and salvation for volume 3. For the authors, the Spirit’s work in salvation creates a natural grouping of the two doctrines (19).

Volume 3: Spirit and Salvation divides into three sections. The first of these examines the Spirit’s role in salvation history. Here, the authors evaluate the Spirit’s role in creation, His ministry to Old Testament Israel and Christ in the Gospels, His

work on Pentecost, spiritual gifts, and the new creation. Of note, Beeke and Smalley take a strong continuity position on the ministry of the Spirit in the Old Testament and cessation of the miraculous gifts. The second section examines the Spirit’s role in the ordo salutis. The authors defend the traditional reformed position on the doctrines of salvation (regeneration logically proceeds conversion, perseverance, and so on). The third section examines the Spirit’s role in the Christian life. The topics of the indwelling and filling of the Spirit lead the discussion, but the text also examines the doctrine of assurance, Christian graces (examined through the Beatitudes and Fruit of the Spirit), the application of the Ten Commandments to the Christian life, and other relevant issues such as backsliding. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of the content’s implications for Christian practice, a hymn thematically related to that content, and questions for further study.

With their third volume, Beeke and Smalley offers a solid defense of the Reformed positions on the Spirit and salvation. As with the previous entries in the series, one of the greatest benefits of Spirit and Salvation is its willingness to address the contemporary significance of each doctrine. I especially appreciated their discussion of preparatory grace (328–331). There is a notable lack of mention of sin in evangelicalism’s pulpits, but as the author’s write, “The Holy Spirit uses the gospel to reveal the Savior of sinners, but no one will count himself a helpless sinner without the application of the law” (329). Theology matters, and Beeke and Smalley show the reader why. The reader will also note the authors’ awareness of the Evangelical theological landscape with addresses of, for example, Free Grace theology (cf. 463), Second-Blessing theologies (665–668), Federal Vision theology (561), and the New Perspective on Paul (e.g., 568–572); thus, the text is not just simply a remanence of historic Reformed debates. These considerations benefit the text’s contemporary value.

Of course, the doctrines of the Spirit and salvation contain plenty of controversial issues. While Beeke and Smalley are not afraid to address such challenges with grace (this is to their credit), the issues discussed herein create opportunity for extensive dialogue. While it is impossible to examine every topic in a short review, a few observations are worth noting.

Concerning spiritual gifts, the authors do an excellent job summarizing the arguments for cessationism (192–205). I especially admire the inclusion of the nature of the miraculous gifts themselves as a key argument for cessationism (203–205, cf. 164–165, 168–171, 174–178). The biblical definition of the miraculous gifts is essential to the debate, yet it sometimes disappears in discussions of other prominent issues (e.g., the coming of the “Perfect” or the baptism of the Spirit in Acts). I also appreciate the evaluation of James 5:14–15 with a corresponding openness for miracles today (205–208). Although James 5 is used too commonly (and wrongly) by continuationists as a proof-text for the gift of healing, believers should always trust that the Lord could perform miraculous deeds in the present, though not as a response to the miraculous gifts. However, one will have to review

volume 1 of the series to review Beeke and Smalley’s response to the continuationist argument for “fallible prophecy” (cf. RST 1:426–428, 441–455).

Concerning the work of the Spirit, the authors take a strong continuity position, affirming that the Spirit both regenerated and indwelt Old Testament believers (101). There are many perspectives on this topic, and Beeke and Smalley present one of the clearest defenses of a stronger continuity position. However, the continuity view requires one to interpret John 7:37–39 as describing the intensity of the Spirit’s work after Pentecost (cf. 93) rather than a new ministry of the Spirit in fulfillment of Old Testament eschatological hope (e.g., Isa 32:15; Ezek 39:29; Joel 2:28). Granted, there are many nuances to this debate, but there is paucity of discussion of John 7:37–39 to make the author’s continuity position convincing. Doctrinal dialogue notwithstanding, at 1,000+ pages, Spirit and Salvation is a massive work, even with an accessible typesetting. At this size, the text could fit in a theology curriculum that includes a course on the subjects addressed, and seminary students would certainly enjoy working through its content (Spirit and Salvation is very readable and contains solid footnotes throughout). However, it would be challenging to take full advantage of the text for any class addressing topics broader than this.

The final verdict? Spirit and Salvation is a great read for those who love theology and would serve well as a textbook for certain seminary classroom settings. Beeke and Smalley have offered a solid contribution to the ongoing renaissance of systematic theology, and I look forward to reviewing the final volume in the series.

Galatians: A Commentary.

By Craig S. Kenner. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019.

Review by Michael Spradlin, PhD

Dr. Michael Spradlin serves as President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

Craig Keener’s work on the Book of Galatians for Baker Academic is an enlargement of his earlier commentary written for Cambridge University Press. His intensive research over the course of writing two commentaries is readily seen in the exhaustive nature of the work under review.

One major difference, apart from the expanded size, in this new work of Keener is that he uses his own translation from the Greek instead of the New Revised Standard Version preferred by Cambridge. Also, even with the extensive footnotes, only recent commentaries are cited as sources for this work. The assumption being that if someone wanted a fuller bibliography of the Book of Galatians, they could

see the recent works cited and look to them for older commentaries. Keener’s entire translation of Galatians is given after the introductory articles and makes a handy reference guide for using this resource.

While Keener may not engage in extensive textual and grammatical issues, he does cover all other matters with an encyclopedic depth. His discussion of the date of the writing of the book in reference to the Council of Jerusalem is excellent, even if you do not agree with his conclusions. The discussion of the target audience of the book, the Celts, gets extensive treatment. Also, the information of the opponents of Paul referred to in the book has been given careful attention.

This commentary is especially valuable for the introductory notes alone but, as a whole, is a valuable contribution to the literature about the Book of Galatians.

James Robinson Graves: Staking the Boundaries of Baptist Identity, 2nd Ed. By

James

A. Patterson. America's Baptist,

edited by Keith Harper. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2020.

Review by Michael Spradlin, PhD

Dr. Michael Spradlin serves as President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

James Patterson’s insightful work examines a largely forgotten figure in the life of Baptists in America. The current work is a reprint from an earlier B & H Academic publication with updates and added revisions. Patterson lived for several years in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of the subject of the work, and therefore brings keen insight into many areas of J. R. Graves’ life and ministry. This work, and its earlier cousin, are not biographies per se. Patterson’s interest lay in the thinking of Graves and the adherents to his views, which came to be known as Landmarkism. The author is often critical of Graves’s understanding of church, and specifically Baptist, history. Much valuable attention, really the main focus of the book, is given to answering the questions that Graves’s life and ministry produced. In the process, however, the biographical details of J. R. Graves life come into focus as well.

While the work as a whole is valuable, the research is extensive and serves as the best modern source for information about J. R. Graves. Patterson often lets the key individuals speak in their own words which provides depth to these now ancient ministers.

Calvinism: A Biblical and Theological Critique. Edited by Allen, David L. and Steve W. Lemke. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2022

Review by Michael Spradlin, PhD

Dr. Michael Spradlin serves as President of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

When approached by the editors at B & H Academic to revise Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism (2010), Allen and Lemke were encouraged to choose contributors outside of Southern Baptist life. This approach, which included theologians of the Wesleyan and Arminian traditions, was intended to give the work an even broader appeal than the highly successful original edition.

Drs. Allen and Lemke have fulfilled their mission by bringing us an incredible gift. A book that serves as a “critique” without being harsh, and is analytical without name-calling. Though some prominent theologians are named as a way of identifying philosophical views, the result is scholarly and not negative.

For those seeking a biblical way of expressing doctrine with the use of common labels and their baggage, this book serves as a model of doctrinal clarity and an example of keeping a strictly scriptural perspective. One key contributor to this new work who is a Southern Baptist is Dr. Adam Harwood of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His chapter, “A Critique of Total Depravity” shows a mastery of explaining complex theological concepts with lots of historical baggage in readily understood terms.

David Allen has already written extensively about the doctrine of the atonement and his chapter “A Critique of Limited Atonement” shows years of doctrinal and biblical reflection (see: David L. Allen, The Extent of the Atonement: A Historical and Critical Review, 2016). Editor Steve Lemke contributed a chapter on the doctrine of irresistible grace in addition to his other work on the volume. Although the entire book is a valuable theological contribution, the chapter by Brian J. Abasciano, “Romans 9 and Calvinism,” contains interesting exegetical insights as well.

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