TO ALL THE WORLD FOR JESUS’ SAKE
THE SUN NEVER SETS ON THE MINISTRY OF MID-AMERICA, AS OUR PASSION FOR MISSIONS DRIVES US TO TAKE THE GOSPEL AROUND THE GLOBE
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
TPROVERBS 11:30
he three key words of the mission of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary are Bible, missions, and evangelism. Every Christian is called to share the Gospel. Pastors do not share the Gospel because they are pastors but because they are Christians. But the Scriptures tell us to do even more than just share our faith. We are called to go to where the peoples of the world live and tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ in their own language, at their own homes, and within their own cultures.
SO, MISSIONS, OR CROSS-CULTURAL EVANGELISM, is at the core of who we are in Christ. As 2 Peter 3:9 says: “The Lord
is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (NASB) As we concluded the last Chapel of the school year, our students, faculty, and staff shared testimonies of the missions trips ahead of us, and prayed for the blessing of the Lord as we prepare to go.
For me, personally, I plan to return to Cameroon in West Africa to preach another crusade. For over 50 years at Mid-America, when God calls, we go.
MICHAEL R. SPRADLIN, PHD PRESIDENT, MID-AMERICA SEMINARY AND COLLEGE
INSID E
SUMMER 2024 VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1
Published by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Mid-America
PRESIDENT Michael Spradlin, PhD
EDITOR Randy Redd, PhD
DESIGN
Eternity Communications
WEB mabts.edu collegeatmidamerica.com
EMAIL info@mabts.edu
SOCIAL
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A Mid-America student uses the lyrics of our Alma Mater to outline the story of her call to, experience with, and training for international missions. 4
Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350 901-751-8453 TO ALL THE WORLD FOR JESUS’ SAKE
P.O. Box 2350
8
THE WORLD COMES TO MID-AMERICA
Students from 20+ nations have or are currently receiving their theological education at Mid-America, extending our reach to all the world.
16
THE PRESIDENT IS CALLING
Dr. Paul Chitwood, President of the IMB, expresses a personal thank you and a call to MidAmerica alumni and students. 12
MISSIONS:
THE DNA OF MID-AMERICA
Father and son, both Mid-America alumni, testify to how missions is ingrained in the very DNA of the Mid-America family.
MISSIONS AT HOME IN THE USA
From reaching the unchurched right in our backyard to promoting global missions in churches all across our nation, our alumni are on mission in the USA. 10
20
TRAINING FUTURE MISSIONARIES
Hundreds of called missionaries need seminary training before they can be deployed. See how you can make a world of difference.
*Due to security concerns in the region where this Mid-America alumna may be appointed, her name has been changed and other details have been concealed such as names of nations in which she has been or may be serving.
BY ANNIE ROSE* RECENT MID-AMERICA GRADUATE
Flags! Colors! Languages! My six-year-old eyes stared in wonder from the front row of the church balcony during the annual missions fair as missionaries marched down the aisle with flags and crossed the stage. One of my first memories in life is turning to my mom and saying, “When I grow up, I want to be one of those people.” I did not know the title “missionary” but knew God had begun captivating my heart with His love for the world.
In March 2012, I stepped onto a plane with a one-way ticket to East Asia. Upon arrival, I was crushed between sticky bodies on buses, and I was immediately blind-sided with the reality of the density of the population. I gazed upon seas of skyscraper apartment buildings and mountains dotted with villages, and thought, “I wonder if the Gospel has gone there?” The urgency for Gospel laborers reverberated within me, and I remembered Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” I knew He did not intend for the laborers to be few and began to implore the Father to send more workers to come to Asia and go to all the world.
I soon discovered that most of the people in my province had never heard the Gospel. When asked if they knew who Jesus is, most would respond that they had never heard of Him. Never. The thought of generations of families in hell weighed on me, but I recognized the enormous privilege of introducing Jesus for the first time and was overjoyed seeing peoples’ excitement, especially over the resurrection. As I shared the Gospel, it came alive afresh within me as I saw the “power of God unto salvation” at work over and over again. Baptisms also became a thrill of fresh excitement and, due to persecution, my team moved my dining room table out of the way and blew up a kiddie pool to baptize new believers.
My team trained new Christians in the city from several tribal groups to take the Gospel to their own people as indigenous missionaries. Many became indigenous missionaries. They were repeatedly visited by police, beaten, burned by policemen’s cigarettes, and so on, but they never stopped sharing their faith. Once, one of my local brothers was asked, “Why do you keep baptizing people in that river (in his home village), when you know you could be killed for doing it?” He replied, “I’ve already died,” referring to Galatians 2:20. He was joyfully and fearlessly living the crucified life willing to go to all the world for Jesus’ sake.
WHERE BODIES HURT AND SAD HEARTS ACHE
After leaving that persecuted nation, I moved to another country as my base, and went to many other surrounding Asian nations leading women’s evangelism and discipleship conferences. I met women who had suffered unspeakable abuse and
heartache; some did not even have easy access to the basic necessities of living such as water and shelter. Many suffered from painful diseases and multiple losses of children. I asked the Lord to give me His love for the broken, so I could better minister to the women.
I remember standing before a crowd of sari-draped women looking at me with curious brown eyes, and suddenly it was like God had me imagine each of them wearing princess crowns feasting at His table in Heaven. Even though according to their culture they had little value, according to God, He created each one on purpose and with immeasurable value and worth to Him. He is El Roi, the God Who sees them. In Jesus, they could have stories of hope! He wanted to give hope to the hopeless, rest to the restless, and healing for the broken.
I also had the joy of working alongside several indigenous pastors in Asian countries, helping them form women’s ministries and disciple their women to maturity in Christ. As opportunities expanded for discipleship and teaching, however, I recognized the Lord calling me to receive more Bible training before continuing service on the mission field. I also wanted to learn more about counseling in crisis situations and marriage and family issues.
LIFT HIGH THE CROSS, HIS LOVE PROCLAIM, MID-AMERICA, BEAR HIS NAME!
Before moving abroad, I had considered going to seminary at Mid-America, but God spoke to my heart to go ahead to the field.
In 2020, when COVID was spreading and travel was halting, it seemed the perfect time to come home and get my MA degree at the Seminary. In God’s perfect timing, Mid-America had developed the Biblical Counseling program. I prayed and thought of all the “sad hearts aching” I saw on the mission field and
my desire to minister God’s Word effectively to them. Therefore, instead of getting my degree in missions, I chose to get my MA degree in Biblical Counseling. The program has given me invaluable information and practice in ministering Scripture and the Gospel in all kinds of situations people find themselves in this broken world.
One of the first things I noticed about Mid-America is the focus on evangelism and missions. I saw in other students the answer to the prayers I had prayed on the mission field for “harvesters.” I have talked to many fellow students with a passion to go to the mission field and reach unreached people groups. We have prayed passionate prayers together for the lost in the world with an urgency to go and share Christ’s love.
My favorite part of the week is Report Hour, where students give testimonies about how we have shared the Gospel during the week. It encourages my heart to see my fellow students on fire for God, lifting high the Cross and proclaiming His love at their churches, gas stations, neighborhoods, short-term mission trips, and wherever the Spirit leads. The school’s focus on evangelism also challenges me here in the States to keep sharing the Gospel everywhere I go. If I can’t share the Good News here, then why go back overseas?
HIS KINGDOM IS COMING, O LOUD LET IT RING; HIS KINGDOM IS COMING, BE JOYFUL AND SING!
What is the motivation behind missions? Why did I go to the ends of the earth and am preparing to go back? Why do my persecuted brothers in Christ keep sharing the Gospel? Why does Mid-America train and send out biblical leaders? The answer involves more than just obeying the Great Commission. It is because the Kingdom of God has come in the Person of Christ, and He is coming back to rule and reign forever. We want to lead as many people as possible into Christ’s glorious Kingdom to glorify His Holy Name for all eternity. Revelation 7:9–10 tells of a great multitude of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue who will stand before the throne; today’s reality is that some people groups are still missing. So, we go to all the world for Jesus’ sake!
WITNESS ONE:SEVEN & GO! PROGRAM REPORT
168, 681 PROFESSIONS OF FAITH WITNESSED BY OUR STUDENTS SINCE 1972
7, 605
NUMBER OF HOURS OUR STUDENTS SPENT DOING PRACTICAL MISSIONS
2 , 5 72
NUMBER OF PEOPLE OUR STUDENTS WITNESSED TO
347 1, 255
NUMBER OF PROFESSIONS OF FAITH THROUGH THE WITNESSING OF OUR STUDENTS THIS YEAR
NUMBER OF SERMONS PREACHED BY OUR STUDENTS
Witness One:Seven and GO! Program results reported for Fall 2023 semester.
The Lord of the Harvest is not only sending Mid-America students “to all the world for Jesus’ sake,” as our Alma Mater proclaims, He is also sending us students from all the world for Jesus’ sake, such as Timothy Kafang (above) from Nigeria. God then often sends them back to their home countries, fully and readily trained to advance the Gospel in their own language and culture.
FR M ALL THE WORLD FOR JESUS’ SAKE
BY TIMOTHY KAFANG
MID-AMERICA PHD STUDENT FROM NIGERIA
Iam an international student from Nigeria, working on my final phase of completing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Old Testament/Hebrew at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Before coming to MidAmerica, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies, a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies in the Old Testament in Nigeria, and a Master of Theology in the Old Testament in California. I have taught for over a decade at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary in Kagoro, Nigeria.
As a theological student, my passion for ministry is to train and develop future pastors, church leaders, and religious school teachers through teaching, preaching, and discipleship. The church in Africa needs trained and devoted disciples of the Master who are faithful to biblical truths and their applications within the cultural and changing global contexts,transforming the church into a Christ-like body (Acts 4:13).
Mid-America has prepared and given me the critical tools and skills to pursue God’s calling for my future ministry. The tools and skills will enable me to access theological education consistent with biblical teachings (Ephesians 4:14).
Unlike some academic institutions, Mid-America has a balanced equilibrium between academic emphasis and spiritual formation. Therefore, I learned to engage in biblical scholarship that produces spiritual transformation. Finally, the Seminary has equipped me for disciple-making (2 Timothy 1:13; 4:2–3).
IKSAN LASMANTO
Mid-America alumnus, MDIV, 2015
“Although my scholarship is more personal in nature, but I would say that I’m representing Jakarta Baptist Theological Seminary and the Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches. Further, while I’m working on my doctoral study, I’m a part-time staff of Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett. My roles are both the Ministry Assistant to the Senior Pastor and a Mission Assistant. I have been working on assimilating our visitors and new members. I also lead an outreach ministry called Saturate Bartlett to visit, give away packets, and share the Gospel to every home in ZIP code 38133.
ADDIEL R. GUTIERREZ
Mid-America alumnus, BA, 2021, MDIV, 2024
“I currently work and serve in the Children’s Ministry at Bellevue Baptist Church. I am also currently serving children with special needs. I believe by God’s grace that my calling is to serve and love these special needs children by ministering and sharing the love of Jesus.
Mid-America has helped me by knowing the principles of teaching Gods Word clearly and precise and also sharing the Gospel clearly word for word according to the Bible. The seminary has encouraged me and trained me to do what God has called me to do.”
ISAIAS AND QUÉZIA UAENE
Isaias Uaene, Mid-America alumnus, PhD, 2021; Quézia Uaene, Mid-America alumna, MDIV, 2019, PhD, 2023
“As theological educators, we had our skills enhanced by the diligent training that Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary provides to its developing leaders (the students). The theological education and spiritual formation we received at Mid-America equipped us to face with assurance the ministry challenges in the cultural landscape of our mission field that is so diverse and experiencing many difficulties and spiritual warfare.
“Our theological education paved the way for us to join God where He is already at work among churches here in Mozambique. To encounter the power of darkness and its influence in the culture and community God placed, and to help the church to advance the kingdom of God here in Africa, we were privileged to be equipped at Mid-America for which we are ever grateful. Mid-America invested in our lives to make a difference and impact leaders in our context of ministry here in Mozambique.”
Read the entire report from Drs. Uaene and Uaene about how Mid-America is impacting their ministry in Mozambique. Visit the Mid-America Blog at mabts.edu/blog or scan this code.
THE WORLD COMES TO MID-AMERICA
MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS SCOTT MORIE IS PROVING THAT DOING MISSIONS WORK RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S.A. TRULY IS “WORTH IT ALL!”
BY DR. SCOTT MORIE MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV, 1987
It was the hardest four years of my life. It was also, however, the most rewarding years of my life. My pregnant wife, 1-year-old son, and I moved to Memphis in 1984 to begin my seminary education. We left four years later with five children (including one set of twins) to serve with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) as a church planter.
While a student at Mid-America, a convenience store attendant where I purchased gas once asked me, “Preacher, do you ever think it will be worth it all?” The Holy Spirit gave me a response to that question not just for her, but even more so for me. I answered, “Mrs. Edna Mae, it’s worth it all right now!”
FORTY YEARS LATER, I AM JUST AS EXCITED AND GRATEFUL TO BE SERVING THE LORD. Furthermore, I will always be indebted to Mid-America for the spiritual and biblical training that was provided to me. It was at Mid-America that God put a burden on my heart and a passion in my soul for evangelism and missions.
Presently, I have the honor of serving as the Director of Missions (DOM) for Cimarron Baptist Association in North Central Oklahoma, which consists of 53 churches in three counties. Working with pastors, staff members, and church leaders is a serious responsibility. They are facing a spiritual battle daily and need as much encouragement and support as we can give them. There are struggles and challenges in many churches where a DOM might provide guidance and counsel. It is also a joy to welcome new pastors to our Association, to mentor and coach first-time pastors, and to celebrate the longtime ministries of those retiring.
PART OF MY EXPERIENCE AT MID-AMERICA WAS ACQUIRING A VISION FOR THE WORLD. It was a highlight in every Chapel service to sing our Alma Mater, “To All the World for Jesus’ Sake.” Following my Mid-America graduation, my wife and I explored foreign missions, but that did not seem to be God’s will, though I continue to have that passion. Not only have I been blessed to go overseas on missions trips, but each of our six children has also served internationally.
One huge blessing as Director of Missions in rural Oklahoma is to work with our Hispanic, Korean, and
Chinese Baptist churches. My eyes tear up every time we meet, whether a planning session or a worship service.
It is also a very special opportunity for me to partner with a ministry that impacted my life 45 years ago as a college student. Our Association includes the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Oklahoma State University, my alma mater. OSU is a choice mission field with an enrollment of 25,000, including 2,000 international students, the driving force of our Chinese and Korean churches.
OUR ASSOCIATION IS ALSO INVOLVED WITH AN UNUSUAL MINISTRY THAT WE CALL “LOVE WORTH SHARING.” This is our second year to conduct this missions emphasis, and we look forward to many more. “Love Worth Sharing” is a two-month focus on one community in our Association. We invite Cimarron churches to send a team for a half or full day to help with service projects. These projects include roof repairs, minor home renovations, brush removal, or handing out smoke detectors. Our Disaster Relief chain saw team removes downed trees or hanging limbs. Others go door-to-door delivering food packets or Bibles and praying with families. Everyone serves with the purpose of sharing the love of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
Forty years ago, as a young seminarian at MidAmerica, I had no idea where God would send me or how He would use me. Following my education at Mid-America, I knew I would work in missions, and without a doubt, I would be involved in evangelism. No, it has not always been easy, and at times it has been extremely challenging. Nevertheless, it has also been a most fulfilling and inspiring life. God has certainly blessed me, and one of His greatest blessings was placing me at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. I can say it now, as I said it then, “It is worth it all!”
Though Scott ministers right in the heartland of the United States— North Central Oklahoma—he’s discovered that the nations are coming to us. With a heart on fire for missions which Mid-America helped ignite, he works with Hispanic, Korean, and Chinese churches and ministers to more than 2,000 international students attending Oklahoma State University.
A
GREAT PURSUIT TO FULFILL
A THANK YOU AND A CALL TO MISSIONS FOR THE MID-AMERICA FAMILY FROM
DR. PAUL CHITWOOD, PRESIDENT, SBC INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD
THE GREAT COMMISSION
BY DR. PAUL CHITWOOD PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD, SBC
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19–20
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
—Revelation 7:9–10
From the Great Commission to the Great Multitude, we as Southern Baptists have united for nearly 180 years in a Great Pursuit of those who have yet to hear the Good News of the Gospel. We work to make disciples in every nation—all tribes and peoples and languages. God is so very gracious to allow us to join Him in taking the Gospel to those who have never heard it.
Mid-America alumni have long walked the paths to global mission fields in obedience to our Lord and in partnership with IMB. You’ve gone to the nations in full-time missions service, focusing on the core missionary task of entry, evangelism, disciple making, healthy church formation, leadership development, and strategically planned exit and partnership—all while abiding in Christ. Others of you have led your local churches to take responsibility in international Gospel ministry by undergirding missionaries in prayer, supporting missions financially, or pursuing short-term service.
AT IMB, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR MID-AMERICA ALUMNI who have a heart for the nations. We’re thankful you gain a seminary education which includes the biblical basis for missions, a value and practice of personal evangelism, and regular participation in local church mission initiatives. Your commitment to preparing for missions service directly impacts your role on an IMB team. And your contributions strengthen our cooperative efforts.
TOGETHER, WE REJOICE THAT WE’VE SEEN THE FRUIT OF GOD’S HAND: We’ve seen new people groups and places engaged with the Gospel, with hundreds of thousands of people hearing a clear and complete Gospel presentation, many for the first time ever. We’ve witnessed nearly 150,000 new believers accept Christ as Savior last year, with more than 100,000 people following in believer’s baptism. Tens of thousands of people last year received sound training in preaching or teaching, or in evangelism, or in biblical counseling, or in cross-cultural sending, and so much more.
While we celebrate these wins for His Kingdom, the most sobering and heartbreaking statistic we report on each year continues to grow. Tragically, today, 174,202 people will die and enter an eternity separated from God.
Statistics show us that among 8 billion people in the world, living in 195 countries and speaking more than 7,000 languages, there are about 3,000 people groups who have no missionary presence and likely no Gospel access. No one is engaging them.
That’s why we are pursuing them. We’re going to the largest megacities and to the middle of nowhere. We go to the places where people have given up
on religion and even on relationships. We’re looking for ways to impact real people still shouldering the world’s greatest problem—lostness—by sharing with them God’s solution to their problem, which is the Gospel.
In the Great Pursuit, we remain steadfast at the IMB in our mission to serve Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Our work is focused every day on doing our part to see the fulfillment of the Revelation 7:9–10 vision and the gathering of the Great Multitude before the throne and before the Lamb.
We’re looking for hundreds of missionary explorers to go find these unreached people groups, to journey into the unknown to find out where these people live, to learn about their culture, to discern their literacy and to develop ministry strategies. We’re looking for unlimited virtual explorers who are willing to urgently pray as we go to the deepest parts of lostness, to consider opportunities to support and join the work.
Mid-America alumni, if you are interested, we have a role for you. Connect with us at IMB.org/great-pursuit
The nations are waiting. We still have much to do, together.
“AT IMB, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR MID-AMERICA ALUMNI WHO HAVE A HEART FOR THE NATIONS. WE’RE THANKFUL YOU GAIN A SEMINARY EDUCATION WHICH INCLUDES THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR MISSIONS, A VALUE AND PRACTICE OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM, AND REGULAR PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL CHURCH MISSION INITIATIVES. YOUR COMMITMENT TO PREPARING FOR MISSIONS SERVICE DIRECTLY IMPACTS YOUR ROLE ON AN IMB TEAM.”
—DR. PAUL CHITWOOD
INTERCEDING FOR THE NATIONS
Read “A Call to Restore the Doctrine and Practice of Prayer” by prayer advocate Dr. Gordon Fort, Senior Ambassador to the President, International Mission Board, SBC. Included are special prayer requests from Mid-America students on mission this summer. Read this exclusive content on the Mid-America Blog at mabts.edu/blog or scan the code at right:
“I ALWAYS TAKE A PIECE OF MID-AMERICA WITH ME WHEREVER I AM IN MINISTRY.”
BY BO PARKER*
MISSIONARY FIELD WORKER, SOUTHEAST ASIA
MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV IN MISSIOLOGY, 2008
Evangelism and practical missions—those two foci are what particularly drew me to further my ministry training at MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary. Those requirements have always distinguished Mid-America from other theological training institutions.
At the time of my enrollment, I did not know any students or any professors personally. It did not take long to develop lifelong friendships and to experience the blessing of being mentored by some of the finest men I have known. After serving two years on staff at a church in Memphis, I have spent the last 12 years fulfilling a ministry call overseas in Southeast Asia. Regularly, I reflect with appreciation on my time in the classroom, visits with my professors and mentors in their offices, the iron sharpening iron of my classmates, and the lessons I learned through practical missions in several different contexts.
UPON COMPLETING MY DEGREE, I WAS EQUIPPED to understand how to develop a strategy for reaching unreached people or places and evaluate the most critical activities for accomplishing entry, evangelism, discipleship, church formation, leadership development, and exit to partnership.
Day in and day out, I apply what I learned while at Mid-America in my service field. Though I continue to grow in my capacity
as a cross-cultural worker, there was not any significant void in my equipping and training that I felt ill-prepared to face.
I HAVE BUILT UPON THAT PRACTICAL TRAINING FOUNDATION and continued to develop as a field worker. I have added tools along the way that have aided me, but I developed skills to evaluate tools from those who taught me at Mid-America. From the constant reminder by Dr. Gray Allison of a lost and dying world, to the countless stories of Dr. Bud Bickers in the bush of Malawi to Dr. Stan May’s emphasis on always taking a national person with you in ministry, to the times of prayer on my knees with Dr. John Floyd in his office, to peeling back the sin and issues of the heart with Dr. Steve Wilkes, to the simple reproducible nature of discipleship taught by Dr. Wade Akins—I always take a piece of MidAmerica with me wherever I am in ministry. My experiences and training at Mid-America prepared me to serve where I am today and lead a cross-cultural team of 18 adults in a megacity.
To this day, I have a strong affinity with those who have graduated from Mid-America. When I come across fellow alumni, we join in unison, saying, “To all the world for Jesus’ sake!” I pray that Mid-America never loses its priority of evangelism and missions in every aspect of training. May Mid-America continue to equip men and women for ministry in a way that instills in them the heart of why we are Southern Baptists: to fulfill the Great Commission together!
*Due to security concerns in the region where this MidAmerica alumnus serves, his name has been changed.
*Due to security concerns, last names are withheld.
LIKE FATHER
BY MICHAEL*
JACOB’S FATHER, MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV, 1978
India, 623 million—LOST. Japan, 110 million— LOST.…” Dr. B. Gray Allison, founding President of Mid-America, must have mentioned every nation on earth in our Personal Evangelism class. He said the nation’s name followed by the word “LOST.” That first semester at Mid-America set the tone for my seminary experience as it prepared me to address earth’s greatest problem, lostness.
The Great Commission is in the DNA of MidAmerica. I was blessed to have professors who were missionaries such as Dr. T.V. “Corky” Farris, Dr. Charlie Culpepper, Dr. John Floyd, and Dr. Howard Bickers.
Every day in classes and in Chapel, the faculty prayed that our Lord would send out laborers to the nations.
In my final semester, my wife and I surrendered to go anywhere. That summer, God sent us to upstate
New York with two other Mid-America alumni couples to plant churches with the Home Mission Board. In New York, God began to show me how a local church could be involved in global missions. At that time, the northeast part of the United States was known as a pioneer mission field. My oldest son was born during the time we served there.
MISSIONS: THE DNA OF
LIKE SON
BY JACOB*
MICHAEL’S SON, MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV, 2010
Iwas raised in a Christian home by two godly parents. I have many memories from my childhood of my dad going on missions trips every year to many different places. He led construction trips to Panama to build church buildings, traveled to Romania to preach the Gospel to new believers, and trained pastors in countries all over the world. As I was growing up, I thought that these trips were what every pastor did.
The Lord called me to the ministry while I was in college. After I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I knew I needed to attend seminary. My dad had gone to Mid-America a few decades before me, and after praying through all the different options, I believed that Mid-America was where the Lord was leading me. My wife and I, along with our newborn
baby, made the move to Memphis from the East Coast, and I began working on my MDIV.
While at Mid America, the Lord used several professors to speak to my heart about the Lord’s plans for me. Dr. Stan May’s passion about missions made me want to pack up and head overseas after each class. Dr. Steve Wilkes took me with him on a
A FAMILY AND A SCHOOL
trip to South Africa to work with IMB missionaries who were Mid-America alumni. It was Dr. Gray Allison who looked me in the eye and challenged me to take the Gospel to all the world for Jesus’ sake.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM MID-AMERICA, I served as a youth pastor for a few years, but the call to the mission field was still echoing in my spirit. One day, as I boarded a flight headed to do mission work in East Asia, my dad called me and asked me to pray about joining his church’s staff to lead discipleship ministry among adults. It had always been a dream of mine to serve alongside him in ministry.
During those years between attending college and joining my dad’s ministry, dad had changed. His love for the nations had deepened and intensified. His belief of the role the local church played in the work of taking the Gospel of Jesus to the world had become focused and personal. He felt it was the responsibility of those with the Gospel to do whatever it takes to provide access to those without the Gospel. That responsibility was highlighted in every aspect of the church’s life.
IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE I PARTICIPATED AND LED MISSIONS TRIPS to places that I didn’t think I would ever go. I loved it. The cultures were so different, the lostness was so palpable, and the needs were immense. After each trip, my wife and I would debrief, and she would ask, “Do you think that maybe the Lord might be calling us to go?” I kept thinking about my still growing family. My wife and I had several small children by this point.
We were living close to family. Our kids were in good schools.
We were serving at a great church, and I was living my dream of serving in ministry with my dad. How could I leave all of this? I would usually respond with something along the lines of me serving more in mobilization: “I just want to help more people be able to go.” Then I would remember Dr. May’s words to me years before when I had said something similar to him: “Why would anyone listen to you if you aren’t willing to lay your life down and go?”
WE STARTED HIGHLIGHTING A DIFFERENT UNENGAGED UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP (UUPG) in each of our worship services. We would highlight a different one in each service. I was presenting those UUPGs each week, and the numbers kept increasing. We were asking the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to hundreds of millions of people who had never even heard His name before.
Then one Sunday morning, my dad, my pastor, preached a message entitled, “A Task Left Unfinished.” He read from the last chapter of Joshua and demonstrated how the task that the Lord had given His people had not been completed. In the last point of his message, my dad connected that passage from Joshua to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20. He said, “We are the same as the people in Joshua’s day. The Lord has commissioned us with this task, and while we have made disciples of Jesus in many places in the world, we are disobeying Him by not going into all the world to make disciples.”
WHEN THE INVITATION BEGAN, I looked at my wife and said, that I was convinced Jesus was calling us to the mission field, and she agreed. After the service, I found my dad in his office and told him that my wife and I were submitting our application to the IMB the next day. He was stunned for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around me and began to weep. “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord,” he said over and over again through tears. He knew what this was going to cost.
Since then, we have been serving with the IMB. I know that it was the influence of my dad and Mid-America that gave me a heart for seeing the nations come to Christ. I will be eternally grateful for that gift.
MID-AMERICA ALUM ELECTED VP OF MOBILIZATION, IMB
Dr. Jeff Ginn, double Mid-America alumnus (MDIV, 1986; PhD, 1990), was elected in February 2024 to serve as the Vice President of Mobilization for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB). Dr. Ginn served previously as affinity group leader for the Americas. For more than 20 years prior to that, Dr. Ginn served as pastor of local churches in Mississippi, Virginia, and Louisiana. He also served for three years as executive director of the SBC of Virginia and as a trustee of the IMB. A native of Arkansas, Dr. Ginn is a graduate of Blue Mountain Christian University as well as Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Nell, have three children and five grandchildren.
MID-AMERICA PASSION PLAY
FORTY-ONE SOULS SAVED THROUGH OUR ANNUAL EASTER PRODUCTION
In all six performances combined, plus a new Hispanic emphasis before opening night, Mid-America Passion Play organizers recorded 41 professions of faith, 127 rededications, and hundreds of requests for prayer. During the dress rehearsal of the Mid-America Passion Play before it began in earnest, 18 people made professions of faith, 49 rededicated their lives to Christ, and 75 requested prayer. A new idea for 2024, this special evening brought about 400 members of the Hispanic community to gather for a unique viewing of the Mid-America Passion Play, and it drew an “ecstatic” response, according to Passion Play director and Mid-America faculty member, Dr. James D. Whitmire.
YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO THEM
HUNDREDS OF CALLED MISSIONARIES NEED SEMINARY TRAINING BEFORE THEY CAN BE APPOINTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD.
DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.
BY DR. RANDY REDD VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND OPERATIONS/ INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Our Alma Mater opens with “To all the world for Jesus’ sake” and centers MidAmerica’s purpose on sharing the Gospel with the world. This passion for the Gospel drives our students to go next door, across the street, to the city, and to all the world. Mid-America equips students to handle God’s Word appropriately to all the world, and we carry out our mission with as little financial burden on our students as possible. MidAmerica Baptist Theological Seminary is a missiondriven school, so we train men and women to fulfill the call of God on their lives—to all the world.
WHY DO MISSIONARY-SENDING ORGANIZATIONS, like the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, require missionaries to receive seminary training before being sent to the mission field? Think about this: Without training, soldiers would not be equipped to accomplish their goals. Without training, the fire department would never send firefighters to save people from a burning building. Without training, doctors would not be allowed to perform heart surgery. The same holds true in missions work—missionaries must train to be effective as they go to the world.
THEREFORE, WE DESIRE TO OFFER FULL-TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS to missionaries and missionary students. “To all the world” is our goal, and this goal will only be possible by God’s call on our students and His provision through our prayer partners and donors. After some preliminary inquiries, we have found that more than 200 IMB missionaries will need some seminary training before they can be appointed, and we hope you will help us train them to go to all the world for Jesus’ sake.
You can help us by praying. Please pray for our instructors as they train our students to go all over the world for Jesus’ sake. Pray that we can offer full-tuition scholarships to our future missionaries. Please pray about how the Lord will use you in His plan to take the Gospel to all the world for His sake.
If you are called to missions and want more information on this program, please email financialaid@mabts.edu.
Should you feel led to help provide this scholarship to these deserving missionaries, you can contribute now by scanning the QR code below and selecting “General Support” or “Missions Scholarship” from the “FUND” drop-down box. Or learn more about ways to support Mid-America at mabts.edu/give. Either way, you will help the school continue its mission to train and equip the next generation for Gospel ministry. To all the world for Jesus’ sake!
LACK OF FUNDS OR STUDENT DEBT SHOULD NEVER PREVENT MISSIONARIES FROM REACHING THE FIELD.
SO
WE DESIRE TO OFFER FULL SCHOLARSHIPS TO MISSIONARIES NEEDING SEMINARY TRAINING.
HELP US LIGHT THE WAY! GIVE YOUR GIFT TO OUR MISSIONS SCHOLARSHIPS TODAY AT MABTS.EDU/GIVE Scan the code with your phone, or contact Dr. Randy Redd at rredd@mabts.edu or 901-751-3041.
Mid-America
MID-AMERICA PRISON INITIATIVE NEWS
BY DR. MARK THOMPSON DIRECTOR OF THE ARKANSAS PRISON INITIATIVE
Since the inception of the Arkansas Prison Initiative in 2019, God has impacted and changed many lives. Last May, 18 long-term inmates graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies from The College at MidAmerica to become Field Ministers across the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC).
BY DR. DANIEL JONES DIRECTOR OF THE COLORADO PRISON INITIATIVE
AR CO
God is using these graduates to change the culture in the Varner Supermax prison. These men currently lead Bible Study groups teaching the Scriptures to men who want to know more about Christ. Inmates, including gang leaders, come seeking prayer and counsel for themselves or family members. Our graduates are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with men who desperately need to be changed by the Gospel. Some of these men are being restored to their families after years of not communicating with their children, parents, or other family members. Just recently, one of our students reconciled with his son after 11 years of no contact. The stories of what God is doing at Varner are truly amazing. These men will finish their pilot project assignments this summer and will begin to be deployed across the ADC this fall.
When the Fall 2024 semester begins, 18 students in Cohort 2 will begin their senior year and look forward to their graduation in May 2025. Cohort 3, which has 15 students, will begin their sophomore year with an anticipated graduation date of 2027. They will begin the year in our brand new 50-foot x 100-foot building, which was completed in May and has a library, four classrooms, a study area, and office space. Pray that God will continue to do great things in the lives of these men and use them to do great things for the Kingdom of God.
Mid-America’s Prison Initiative provides inmates with the education and training to be missional inside prison walls. Here’s what our inmate students have to say about the program:
“Being enrolled at Mid-America has opened my eyes to the importance of missions. What I am learning is helping me be more confident in sharing my faith and gaining a deeper understanding of what we truly believe. We are being prepared to share the Gospel in any situation effectively.” —John
The primary challenge for these students is living in an environment hostile towards Christians.
“Prison is hard. No matter how minute, one mistake can ruin your testimony and witness. Being a Christian in prison is by far the hardest thing I’ve had to do in life.” —Brandon
Mid-America’s inmate student body, however, is advancing the Gospel among the inmate population and staff.
“Since being in this program, I have seen many men receive Christ as their Savior. I have also seen the lives of many inmates and staff impacted positively by my fellow students.” —Matthew
These students are sharing the Gospel with prisoners who will reenter society. Inmates who come to faith in Jesus have a better chance to reintegrate and impact their communities.
As a result of your donations, you make it possible for MidAmerica students to advance the Kingdom of God in some of the darkest places in our world. MORE: MABTS.EDU/PRISON
“This is an eternal investment, not only in the men who attend this program but in the countless souls who will be saved as the Gospel spreads. In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus gives the Great Commission, and this program is a work in fulfilling that command of the Lord. We are all working together to obey Christ in this, and your investments are just as relevant and necessary as our work in the mission field. Your provision enables the Gospel to spread and disciples for Jesus Christ to be made and strengthened. Without you, there’s no us.” —Paul
Prison Initiative at the Limon Correctional Facility in Limon, Colorado
AUGUST 19–22, 2024
Monday, August 19, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 20, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 21, 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, August 22, 11:00 a.m.
Also, attend the Alumni & Friends Reception, Monday, August 19, 5:30 p.m.
FOUNDERS’ DAYS will again this year be combined with the Adrian Rogers Preaching Conference (see below), so expect some inspired preachers—both faculty and special guests. Also, enjoy worship led by Jim Whitmire and Joshua McClain. Join us live or watch online, but don’t miss it!
MABTS.EDU/FOUNDERSDAYS
ADRIAN ROGERS PREACHING CONFERENCE
Three inspiring days of training and celebration
Begins Monday, August 19, 12:00 noon, and runs through Wednesday, August 21, after lunch
Includes Founders’ Days sessions on Monday–Wednesday with special speakers (see above)
Breakout sessions and workshops
Major giveaways
Register online now! ($50 cost includes meals)
DR.
P.O. Box 2350 • Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350
901-751-8453 • info@mabts.edu • mabts.edu
LET YOUR LEGACY KEEP LIGHTING THE WAY.
At The College at Mid-America and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, students find an energetic Christian community where ideas are exchanged, relationships are developed, and convictions are solidified. Our world desperately needs this kind of education today!
You can “Leave a Legacy” through planned giving. You control where you want your money to be distributed and limit the amount of your estate that must go to taxes. This is one of the main benefits of planning ahead!
To learn more about how you can help light the way, simply email development@mabts.edu and ask for a time to meet and discuss your options. You can also discover more about ways to support Mid-America by visiting mabts.edu/give or scanning the “Learn more!” code below. Or contribute now by scanning the “Give now!” code below and selecting “General Support” from the “Fund” drop-down box.
Your support will help the school continue its mission to train and equip the next generation for Gospel ministry. To all the world for Jesus’ sake!
