The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
LAMENTATIONS 3:22–23
The Bible’s phrase “great is Your faithfulness” is often considered a comfort for the believer in times of trouble. This assurance certainly fits into the broader theme of the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. But maybe this promise can also apply to our personal witnessing.
From the first day of her existence until today, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has required all her students to share the Gospel weekly with the Word of God in a genuine attempt to lead people to Christ. In the 50-plus years of the seminary’s existence, over 169,000 people have prayed to receive Christ as their personal Savior through the evangelism efforts of our students. This program is unmatched by any other theological institution.
So, how do you stay biblically faithful to evangelism for over 50 years? You do it by staying with the basics.
1. The Word of God is true and sufficient. The Bible tells us to witness, and that is enough. Evangelism is a command from the Commander-in-Chief.
2. Compassion for the lost. We live among people who are one breath away from hell. So many people cry out for help in their miserable lives, and the Gospel is the only answer.
3. Expect Jesus any day. The view that Jesus may come today is essential to maintaining an active and effective witness. Urgency is required.
4. The Great Commission is our plan. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts tell us to take the Gospel to every person on the planet. As we go, we share the Good News.
5. The Lord does the saving. We are faithful when we share the Gospel, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and the Lord does the saving. We just deliver the news. So let us renew our commitment to personal evangelism. After all, the Bible promises that “Great is His faithfulness.”
MICHAEL R. SPRADLIN, PHD PRESIDENT, MID-AMERICA SEMINARY AND COLLEGE
INSID E
WINTER 2024
VOLUME 52, NUMBER 2
Published by Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America College
PRESIDENT Michael Spradlin, PhD
EDITOR Randy Redd, PhD
DESIGN
Eternity Communications
WEB mabts.edu midamericacollege.com
EMAIL info@mabts.edu
SOCIAL
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PRACTICAL MISSIONS LEGACY
A distinctive that has set apart Mid-America for more than 50 years, our Practical Missions program has equipped thousands of students to be soul-winners.
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THINKING SMALL, BIG RESULTS
P.O. Box 2350
Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350 901-751-8453
A VBS outreach ministry led by a Mid-America College student discovers that sharing Christ with kids and their families is a big deal.
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WITNESSING TESTIMONIES
Mid-America’s revered weekly Report Hour comes to the pages of the Messenger with student and faculty testimonies of witnessing experiences.
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THE MINISTRY OF PROVIDING
Those who are called to support Mid-America’s mission of equipping biblical leaders have a hand in sharing the Gospel.
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LIGHTING THE WAY TO MINISTRY
A Mid-America alumnus and faithful pastor shares, “We desperately need Gospel-centered churches who are led by faithful pastors who are ready and willing to share Christ.”
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CONNECTED CAMPUS
Mid-America President, Dr. Michael Spradlin, is reenvisioning the way we will equip the next generation of biblical leaders.
A DISTINCTIVE THAT HAS SET APART MIDAMERICA FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, OUR PRACTICAL MISSIONS PROGRAM HAS HELPED EQUIP THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS TO BE SOUL-WINNERS AND WITNESSED MORE THAN 169,000 SOULS COME TO JESUS.
BY LARRY A THOMPSON MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV, 1995
They say evangelism is more caught than taught.
There’s a lot of truth to that. Yet somehow, Dr. B. Gray Allison managed to do both masterfully.
I can still remember that day in the warm, oldschool classroom at the Midtown Memphis campus of Mid-America Seminary. I sat listening intently, enraptured as Dr. Gray shared the “Soul-winner’s Motivation”—the call from above, the call from beneath, the call from without, and the call from within. The lingering echo still sends shivers down my spine.
I calculate that I sat through approximately 1,600 seminary lectures during my seminary days at MidAmerica in the early 1990s. I learned much, yet that soul-gripping lecture sticks out in my mind as the most moving, memorable message I’ve ever heard. It still motivates today.
THE REMARKABLE STORY OF MID-AMERICA’S PRACTICAL MISSIONS PROGRAM begins when the young B. Gray Allison enrolled at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1949, just months after being called to preach. By 1954, he was invited to join the New Orleans Seminary faculty, where he taught and also directed the practical missions work of the school. This program provided off-campus, on-the-job training in evangelism for the students. Dr. Gray drew from his experience at New Orleans as God began to give him a vision for a new seminary that combined positive aspects, such as the practical missions program, but one that stayed true to the Bible theologically.
The New Orleans years taught him that the Southern Baptist Convention was in need of a seminary that would not compromise biblical authority. Leaving the New Orleans faculty in the early 1960s, he devoted a decade to preaching and leading as an evangelist and evangelism advocate. As time went on, he began sharing with colleagues his God-given vision for a different kind of seminary, “where every professor would believe all the Bible, all the way through without any question at all…unashamedly conservative. Unashamedly evangelistic and mission minded.” It became a conviction.
Finally, the time was ripe. Recruiting friends, former students, and even his brother, Dr. Phil Allison, as faculty members and supporters, Dr. Gray launched a new school in 1971 that was uniquely Southern Baptist, theologically conservative, and thoroughly focused on soul-winning. Mid-America officially opened in 1972, moving from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Midtown Memphis in 1975.
PRACTICAL MISSIONS HAS BEEN BAKED INTO MID-AMERICA’S CURRICULUM from the beginning. Dr. Gray believed it was important to train and equip those who were called by God to preach and to reach others for Christ. From the beginning students were required to meet “mission assignments each week and report on the work done,” according to the first Mid-America Bulletin. The requirement, which still stands today for seminary students, is two missions hours and one witness per week for each term of the school year.
The weekly Report Hour is a Mid-America institution in which students, faculty members, and staff share their recent missions and evangelism experiences. These stories are one part accountability, one part training and inspiration for others, and one part praise and thanksgiving to God. If you ever need a good dose of motivation to engage in more soulwinning, attend or listen online to Mid-America’s weekly Report Hour.
THE RESULTS OF MID-AMERICA’S PRACTICAL MISSIONS PROGRAM are nothing short of astounding—and praise-worthy. On average during the school’s 52-year history, Mid-America students have witnessed 62 individuals per week make a profession of faith in Christ. Can any church or other school come close to that? That’s counting only salvations reported through the program during the school semester. Imagine if we knew how many more people were led to the Lord by alumni
All Mid-America students are required to take our Personal Evangelism courses in which they memorize Scriptures essential for soul-winning.
NUMBER OF PEOPLE LED TO CHRIST BY MID-AMERICA STUDENTS ON AVERAGE PER WEEK FOR THE PAST 52 YEARS
Who is the best friend anyone can have? Jesus! Do you believe that? Why apologize and why beat around the bush, why wring your hands and hesitate to introduce people to the best friend they’ll ever have?
—DR. B. GRAY ALLISON
For decades, Mid-America students have taken the legendary “Personal Evangelism” course taught first by Dr. B. Gray Allison and now by current President Dr. Michael Spradlin. The content for this course has now been compiled into an engaging book edited and revised by Dr. Spradlin. Get your copy at the Mid-America bookstore or online book retailer.
and through churches on fire for the Gospel because Mid-America-trained pastors and missionaries are leading people to practice soul-winning in their everyday lives. The ripple effects go on and on as you consider generation after generation of students, faculty, staff, supporters, and their families— all inspired to go out and share the Good News with all the world for Jesus’ sake.
WHEN I THINK BACK TO ALL MY EXPERIENCES AT MID-AMERICA—the lectures, the Chapel messages, the “Miracle of Mid-America” at Founders’ Days, the theological discussions around a lunch table or professor’s desk—the memories that still stand out the most are those practical missions hours spent ministering and soul-winning.
I was involved in a wide variety of practical missions ministries during my three years at Mid-America. Jail ministry. Door-to-door ministry. Evangelism training ministry. And many more. But my favorite was the film ministry. Coordinated by Mid-America student Ronnie Tullos, an alumnus who still directs an urban outreach center in Memphis, the film ministry involved showing an evangelistic film after dark in outdoor parks in inner-city Memphis.
Dozens if not hundreds would come out and watch the movie under the stars. Multitudes would respond to the invitation at the end, and we as students would counsel those who came forward. I can remember launching into an impromptu sermon one warm evening as a group gathered under a tree. I said, “I have some Good News, and I have some bad news.
Let me give you the bad news first.
The Bible says you are a sinner….” I later turned the mini-sermon into a Gospel tract, “Good News, Bad News,” which I published and still distribute today.
I often wonder if Memphis would be a different city today were it not for the 168,000 individuals who have given their hearts to Jesus during the past 52 years through the ministry of Mid-America. Would there be fewer churches and more pulpits empty of soulwinning pastors in the Mid-South and beyond? Who knows the eternal impact of Mid-America’s practical missions program?
What is certain is that God has used in a mighty way what He inspired Dr. B Gray Allison to do more 50 years ago and what current President Dr. Michael Spradlin continues today. God has used the thousands of Mid-America alumni to help reap a harvest across the globe. We believe He will continue to use Mid-America’s practical missions program in this generation and for generations to come.
GOD HAS LIT A PASSION FOR SOULS that is born of a love for Christ and a love for people—a drive for fulfilling the Great Commission that is motivated by the call from above, the call from beneath, the call from without, and the call from within.
Do you hear the call? If so, join the Mid-America family of students, educators, and supporters. Indeed, it’s still a different kind of school, a campus that’s connecting the community with Christ, a place where evangelism is still both caught and taught.
NUMBER OF BAPTISMS ON AVERAGE PER SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH IN 2023
A Classic Gospel Tract Gets New Life
Only God knows the eternal impact of the simple little Gospel tract developed by Dr. B. Gray Allison after many years of soulwinning. Countless thousands of the tracts have been distributed by Mid-America students, faculty, and friends. Only Heaven will tell how many it has helped guide into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Believing that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, Dr. Gray used the powerful words of Scripture Itself to explain the plan of salvation, adding minimal words outside of the life-giving Bible verses. The result is a Gospel tract that is simple, straight-to-the point, and saturated with Scripture.
NOW, MID-AMERICA HAS REPUBLISHED THIS TIMELESS TRACT with a fresh new look, the same simple outline, and the same Scripture verses as the original. We thoughtfully updated the Bible version to the New American Standard Bible (1995), a version that is thoroughly faithful to the original text yet highly readable for modern readers.
Dr. Gray believed that God uses tracts. Join us in prayer that God will continue to use this classic Gospel presentation to light the way for many more souls to discover what God wants them to know.
If you would like to order a supply of these Gospel tracts for your own use or for your church, please contact The Lion’s Den, Mid-America’s bookstore. Visit mabts.edu/GodWantsYoutoKnow
Mid-America’s weekly Report Hour is a revered tradition. Experience it in person (Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. Central). Or watch it live online or view videos from past Chapels (mabts.edu/live). To give you a taste of what these inspiring and instructional sessions are like, we’re including a sampling of recent witnessing testimonies (edited for conciseness) and other practical missions experiences.
DR. MIKEY MEWBORN
VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT LIFE; DEAN OF THE SEMINARY; PROFESSOR
Welcome to Mid America Chapel. What we do each Tuesday is gather together for Report Hour, and it’s a great opportunity for people to share about witnessing experiences they’ve had in the past week or so that God gave them.
When people come up and share, they first say their name and the degree program that they’re involved in. After that, they share a witnessing testimony of how they shared the
Gospel. We know that the Lord is the One Who is responsible for working through all that in a person’s life. A lot of times we get to hear about salvations. A lot of times we hear that an invitation was given, but not necessarily a salvation experience. We take the time here to pray for those people who have made decisions for Christ.
I’m going to open it up for faculty, staff, and students—you’re welcome to come up for a witness testimony. Let me share with you something as they’re coming down.
Dr. Mikey Mewborn
A couple weeks ago, I was pumping gas here in Cordova, and a guy gets out of his car and gives me a pamphlet, and I looked through it really quickly, and at the end it said, “JW.” I said, “Are you with Jehovah’s Witnesses?” He said, “I am. We’re out here giving hope to the world.” And I asked what the hope is based on.
He looked at me and said, “What do you mean? It’s about doing the right things. It’s about knowing who God is and about being His witnesses.” I said, “Who is Jesus to you?” He clearly didn’t know that Jesus Christ is the One Who died on the Cross for our sins, and that we can believe in Him and have eternal life.
I talked with him for several minutes and explained the Trinity to him—he had grabbed hold of a theology professor! I explained, “Jesus said, ‘If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father in Heaven.’ You worship Jesus because He is God Almighty. You worship Him. That’s where our hope comes from.” I saw him start pulling back; he was trying to get away from me.
He said, “Well, I just know this: we need hope in this world, and we just have different ways of getting to it.” I said, “But Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.” And he left. It was one of those opportunities where I shared with him but was not able to ask him fully come to Christ. Please pray for that man.
KEUNDRA BOWEN
MID-AMERICA REGISTRAR AND SEMINARY STUDENT (MA IN BIBLICAL COUNSELING)
I had an opportunity to go on a missions trip to Mozambique, and I had many opportunities to share the Gospel. We had an unexpected opportunity to share the Gospel on a school campus with about 30 children. As I was sharing the Gospel, the missionary pastor was able to translate. Afterwards, I gave an invitation, and many of them prayed to receive Christ. It just reminded me of how wonderful it is that the Lord can use all of us no matter where we are, no matter what part of the world we are in, and we can encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
We had an unexpected opportunity to share the Gospel on a school campus with about 30 children....Afterwards, I gave an invitation, and many of them prayed to receive Christ.
—KEUNDRA BOWEN
STEPHANIE PASCHALL
MID-AMERICA SEMINARY STUDENT (MA IN BIBLICAL COUNSELING)
I work with a mobile ministry called Confidential Care. We are a pregnancy resource center that is on a mobile unit. We serve women facing unplanned pregnancies who aren’t sure what to do or are abortion-minded. We counsel them, conduct ultrasounds, etc. When women can see the heartbeat of their baby, many times they choose life for their child. We also share Jesus with them and how to thrive in life.
Also, I work with Embrace Grace, a support group for single and pregnant women, single moms, and single dads. We walk through topics about identity, worth, the sacrifice Jesus made for us, soul ties and sin, parenting help, and more. At the end, we provide a baby shower for each of our moms. We also do a ministry portion called Princess Day, discussing Christ and what He’s done for them.
Keundra Bowen
Stephanie Paschall
CADE LOCKLEAR
3RD YEAR STUDENT AT MID-AMERICA COLLEGE (BA IN CHRISTIAN STUDIES)
I’ll be honest, I don’t go to the gym a lot. But I was at the gym this day, and I got done working out, and there was a sauna there. So, I go sit in the sauna, and it’s really awkward. There are about four guys sitting there. I walk in, sit down, and for some reason, the Lord impresses on me, “Bro, you need to share the Gospel.” I thought, not right now. Maybe another time. I mean, this is odd. It’s just an awkward time. Everyone’s silent. But the Lord was still saying, “Yeah, share.”
I’m thinking, how do I even initiate this conversation? Everybody’s quiet. So, I just sat, pouring down sweat. Then I said out loud, “Man, I would hate to live like this for eternity.”
It opened up a great conversation. As I got to share with them, I came to find out that all of these guys were believers. They knew Jesus as their personal Savior, and they’re all connected in church. But we had a great conversation. We had a great time just fellowshipping as brothers in Christ.
I came up here to share with you because sometimes the Lord impresses on your heart. Be creative. There are opportunities there.
KACIE NEWSOME
MID-AMERICA ALUMNA (BA IN CHRISTIAN STUDIES, 2023) AND SEMINARY
STUDENT (MA IN WORSHIP)
This past summer, I got the opportunity to codirect a VBS class at my church. The first day, I was able to teach from the Bible. After the lesson, they had many profound questions, and I showed them how to apply the lesson to answer practical questions. Throughout the week, they continued to ask deep questions, and I got to share Scriptures I had memorized as a kid to help them find biblical answers to questions that our confused culture poses to them. At different times in the class, I would hear them mention things that were controversial because of our confused culture. One of the girls in my class noticed how I could quote Scriptures to them and asked me how I was able to do that. I got to share part of my testimony about my walk with Christ and how, as a kid, my mom discipled me and taught me the importance of the Word of God. I then encouraged them to read the Bible for themselves like my mom encouraged me to do so that they could study the truth for themselves. Sharing the Word of God with the kids was the highlight of my summer.
CAYMAN BLOUNT
MID-AMERICA MEDIA TEAM AND SEMINARY STUDENT (MDIV IN PASTORAL MINISTRY)
He sat there for a minute, then looked back up at me and said, “I want to give my life to Jesus.” So, I prayed with him, and it was a really awesome moment.
—CAYMAN BLOUNT
We have a prayer drive-through at my church where we set up for an hour on Fridays, and we pray with people who drive in. Normally, we have anywhere from 15 to 20 cars come through. We were getting close to the end, and one last car came in. He rolled down the window, and he was a younger guy. His name was Malik. I said, “How can we pray for you today?” He said he’d been going through some difficulties. He mentioned he’d been trying to get closer to God and reading his Bible recently. I said that’s awesome, but reading your Bible won’t get you closer to God because there’s something in your life that has created a separation between you and God. It’s called sin, and you can’t just overcome that alone. You have to have Somebody help you overcome that gulf. I went down the Romans Road with him, beginning with Romans 3:23. I told him the reason he was trying to get close to God is that he realized that he was far off from Him right now. But God wanted him to be saved. I said he had a decision to make. Was he going to keep trying to do things his way, or was he going to finally trust in God, turn to Him, and give his life to Him? He sat there for a minute, then looked back up at me and said, “I want to give my life to Jesus.” So, I prayed with him, and it was a really awesome moment. Obviously, I’m super excited for him, but it was really refreshing for me as well because it’s been a year since I’ve had a Gospel conversation with somebody who came to know Jesus and were saved at that moment. Please continue to pray for Malik as he’s taking his next steps in faith.
Cade Locklear
Cayman Blount
Kacie Newsome
2023–2024
169, 011
PROFESSIONS OF FAITH WITNESSED BY OUR STUDENTS SINCE 1972
24,556 7,584
NUMBER OF HOURS OUR STUDENTS SPENT DOING PRACTICAL MISSIONS
NUMBER OF PEOPLE OUR STUDENTS WITNESSED TO
1,044 2, 625
NUMBER OF PROFESSIONS OF FAITH THROUGH THE WITNESSING OF OUR STUDENTS THIS YEAR
NUMBER OF SERMONS PREACHED BY OUR STUDENTS
Practical Missions program results reported for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters
To all the world PRACTICAL MISSIONS
PRACTITIONERS
BY DR. JOHN CHARPING CHAIRMAN OF THE MISSIONS DEPARTMENT
Mid-America is committed to sharing the Gospel. From the Seminary’s inception, the school has held a strong sense of Great Commission responsibility. To build this commitment into the students’ lives, Mid-America requires its seminary students to average at least one complete Gospel presentation per week of classes, with a call for repentance and faith. Throughout their studies, students develop a Great Commission culture.
This Great Commission culture is celebrated every Tuesday during Report Hour. This is a time to hear about God’s people, students, and professors on mission for God. It is a time to praise God for those who received salvation and pray for those who have not yet responded to the Gospel. This culture ingrains evangelism into the student’s life, not as a law, but as a lifestyle of responsibly stewarding their Great Commission.
The results of Mid-America’s Practical Missions program are students who become practitioners who take this Great Commission culture to the churches they serve. Where can you find a group of students and professors who are active in weekly evangelism? Mid-America. Where is evangelism normalized in the life of a healthy believer? Mid-America. Where is there a reservoir of pastors, missionaries, and church leaders with a heart for the Gospel? Mid-America.
“THE LOSTNESS IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY IS SO GREAT THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED GOSPEL-CENTERED CHURCHES WHO ARE LED BY FAITHFUL PASTORS WHO ARE READY AND WILLING TO SHARE CHRIST.”
BY TIM HOBBS
MID-AMERICA ALUMNUS, MDIV, 1992
SENIOR PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, BRANCH, ARKANSAS
My seminary experience began in January 1988. Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary was really the only school in which I was interested. Their emphasis on the Bible as the Word of God, on missions, and on evangelism struck a chord that still resonates within me today.
One of my very first experiences sharing the Gospel came shortly after I got saved. A friend who had received Christ a few months before I did asked me to go with him to share the Gospel with his friend. We went and knocked on the guy’s door. We spent quite a bit of time talking to him and trying to share Jesus with him. It didn’t really go very well.
One of the things I soon learned as I began to feel the call of God into pastoral ministry was that preparation was not just a good option, it was essential. When God opened the door for me and my wife to move to Memphis and attend Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, I was ready.
I WANTED ALL THE TRAINING AND PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY that I could get. Some may look at preaching classes, theology classes, biblical languages, and missions as the subjects that we really need to learn. They’re not wrong. But we also need the practical part of doing ministry. There is
Faithful over the long haul and exemplary of Mid-America alumni who are still passionate about winning souls after decades of ministry, Tim Hobbs has served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Branch, Arkansas, for more than 32 years.
nothing more practical than being able to share the Gospel. As a pastor, I have great appreciation for what Mid-America did to prepare me for ministry.
“To all the world for Jesus’ sake! Where bodies hurt and sad hearts ache…”
The words of our Alma Mater still ring in my mind today. The sound of all those students singing within that great old Midtown Chapel was amazing. Report hours on Tuesday mornings were also an incredible moment as students shared about witnessing to the lost and what God did.
THE BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE PRACTICAL MISSIONS PROGRAM was to be involved in a ministry that would give us opportunities to share the Gospel each week. We were required to witness to an average of one person each week. Dr. B. Gray Allison taught us that to witness was to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a lost person in the power of the Holy Spirit in a genuine attempt to lead them to Jesus. At the time, there was no other seminary that had such a requirement. I still don’t know of one.
My first experiences in the practical missions program were through the jail ministry. We would go out and have a service with the inmates on Thursday evenings. We would sing, and one of the students would preach. Then, we would break into small groups and share the Gospel with those men. It was not uncommon to have a number of them respond to the Gospel.
I SERVED AS A PASTOR DURING THE LAST PART OF MY SEMINARY EXPERIENCE. Lenn Downey was an older man who lived in our community. His wife attended our church, but he never did. Over time, I developed a friendship with him, and we would talk together about growing tomatoes and raising a garden.
Then one day, his wife called. She was upset. Lenn had lung cancer. I went to see him in the hospital. I shared the Gospel with him, and he was ready. He prayed to receive Christ. When he came home, he was changed. A friend who came to stay with them
and help out told me how Lenn even wanted to pray before meals. He was a different man. His friend also came to Christ.
Lenn didn’t live long. In fact, he was never able to attend church. But I am so thankful he put his faith in Christ. I look forward to seeing him again in Heaven.
One of the keys to sharing the Gospel is to trust the Holy Spirit. We must trust Him to work in us and to give us the words to speak. We must also trust Him to speak to the hearts of people and draw them to Christ.
God is so good that He will use even a bashful young man like myself to help others come to know Jesus. I am thankful. I have never been the greatest at evangelism, but there is no joy like sharing Christ and seeing someone bow their head and invite Him to save them.
From elderly people in nursing homes and hospital rooms to young people to children who are brokenhearted over their sins, I have been blessed to see many come to Christ. The lostness in our country today is so great that we desperately need Gospel-centered churches who are led by faithful pastors who are ready and willing to share Christ.
THROUGH MY SEMINARY EXPERIENCE, I LEARNED TO SHARE JESUS in any number of situations and with all kinds of people. That’s still true today. As a pastor, I get opportunities to share with people in many different settings.
As a pastor of a small, country church I have learned that the key to all of ministry is to trust the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who fills us with His presence and His power so that we can share the Good News of Jesus. I have seen this in missions trips—six trips to India plus trips to Michigan, North Dakota, and many trips back to Memphis to share Christ on the streets in the inner city. In Memphis, we have worked with Ronnie Tullos (another Mid-America grad) whose ministry in the inner city continues to touch lives and change hearts.
I am grateful for the vision that God placed in Dr. Gray’s heart. He wanted a school that would produce soul-winning pastors, missionaries, and teachers. If there has ever been a time that this is needed, it is now. May God richly bless the faculty and staff, the students and the supporters of Mid-America.
MEET OUR NEWEST FACULTY
JOHN HOFECKER
DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT; ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING
I grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina and was raised in a Christian home where I surrendered my life to Christ at an early age.
In my 20s I worked as a land surveyor and eventually earned my professional license. I also participated in several missions trips with my local church and felt the call to serve the Lord in ministry.
Sometime later I moved overseas and worked for a year with an IMB team, and then returned to study and train at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. While I was there, I met my lovely bride, Stacey.
I was also introduced to the field of biblical counseling and saw the need to equip church leaders, both at home and abroad, with the rich resources that the Scripture provides for counseling one another in truth and love.
LINDA MITCHELL
DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC SERVICES; PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION
I was born in San Diego, California, but spent most of my life in Mississippi. I met my husband Dean in kindergarten, and we both attended First Baptist Church in Pontotoc, Mississippi. It was there that I professed Jesus as my Lord and Savior during a summer Bible School.
I received my PhD from Mississippi State University and my MFA from Spalding University in Kentucky. I enjoyed a 30-year career with Mississippi State University before retiring in June 2024.
I have two awesome sons who wisely married wonderful young ladies, and we now have four amazing grandchildren.
God has been faithful to me my entire life and blessed me in so many ways. I am thrilled the Lord led me to serve Him at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and MidAmerica College, where I currently teach communication classes and work with the Doctoral Program.
DIRECTED BY DR. JAMES
D. WHITMIRE
PRESENTING SPONSORS
MID-AMERICA PASSION PLAY IN NORTHEAST FOR 2025
Mid-America has long had a heart for the Northeast, operating a full seminary campus in upstate New York for decades.
Now, for 2025, the Mid-America Passion Play (MAPP) will be presented June 20–22, not at the school’s Cordova campus, but at Living Water Church in Poughkeepsie, New York, about an hour away from Mid-America’s former Northeast Branch.
Executive Producer and Director of the Mid-America Passion Play and Mid-America Music Instructor, Dr. James D. Whitmire explains, “The MAPP Steering Committee and I feel that God is leading us in a different direction for 2025. We will present the Passion Play as part of the Poughkeepsie Mission Project.”
Last spring, Living Water Church brought their pastor and four laymen to the seminary for four days in order to observe and learn first-hand about the Mid-America Passion Play. Living Water Church was planted by the late Derek Duncan, a deacon at Bellevue Baptist Church and a lay missionary to Uruguay in South America, where he built 13 churches before taking the Memphis Passion Play there for four years, 2004–2007. That play continued many years afterward.
Living Water Church 260 Mill Street • Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
JUNE 20-22, 2025
FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO
“Derek Duncan and I had talked several years about presenting the Passion Play in New York,” says Dr. Whitmire. “Now that dream has become reality!”
Here’s the plan for 2025:
January 2025: New York auditions at Living Water Church.
Late January 2025: Identify supplemental actors, singers, etc. from the MAPP in Memphis, similar to casting for Uruguay.
June 16–23, 2025: Missions trip to New York and four Passion Play performances.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: PRAY, GIVE, GO!
1. Please pray. Living Water Church wants to continue a yearly outreach to Poughkeepsie, New York. They have been given a stage like the Memphis one, costumes, and props. They are building and supplying the rest.
2. Please give. If you would like to help a person or a family go to Poughkeepsie, please give. A financial gift will help those who feel called to participate in this exciting missions project. Make checks payable to Crossroads Baptist Church, 125 S. Houston Levee Road, Eads, TN 38028.
3. Please go. If you feel called to participate, email MAPP at info@midamericapassionplay.org
COUNSELING BY THE BOOK NOW OFFERS TWO LEVELS
Now, the training program that puts you on the fast track to becoming competent to counsel takes you even further. Counseling by The Book Live!, developed by Dr. John Babler, Chairman of Biblical Counseling at Mid-America, now offers both Level 1 and Level 2. Both levels can be completed in just four weekends this spring, and both provide you with a Certificate of Biblical Counseling from Mid-America. Level 1 fulfills the Fundamentals training requirement for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
Level 2 Advanced Training focuses on a biblical examination and critique of popular Christian psychology. The live training (also available via livestream) begins January 31, 2025. Learn more and register at MABTS.EDU/CBTB
NEW NAME FOR COLLEGE
THE COLLEGE AT MID-AMERICA IS NOW MID-AMERICA COLLEGE
When you put the Mid-America name on a college, academic excellence, affordable tuition, and full accreditation are expected. So when we created the new name for our College, we put Mid-America right out front. Mid-America College. Truly, it’s the Mid-America of colleges. Our new name is more concise, and by making Mid-America our first name, it aligns our College name with the name of our parent institution: Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Our colors will remain Gold and Gray. Our mascot will still be the Lions. And, of course, our commitment to the Bible, missions, and evangelism will absolutely never waver. Discover more at: MIDAMERICACOLLEGE.COM/NEW-NAME-SAME-MISSION
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STUDENT THINKS SMALL AND ENDS UP WITH BIG RESULTS
BY SAMUEL HUNT 4TH-YEAR BACHELOR STUDENT AT MID-AMERICA COLLEGE
As a student at Mid-America College, my experience in Mid-America’s Practical Missions has been joyful and fulfilling.
I know I am doing the Lord’s will in my life. Additionally, attending a school that views Matthew 28:19–20 as a command and not a suggestion is a blessing in and of itself. I have seen God work in me and the lives of many others through me, as God has surrounded me with those who love and hold to this mandate our Lord Jesus Christ has given us as believers.
ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE TIMES OF MINISTRY AS A YOUTH PASTOR HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. This past summer, my pastor and I purposefully pushed others (and ourselves) to go canvassing every Saturday for two months in the neighborhoods surrounding our church, inviting them to attend church and VBS and sharing the Gospel. God rewarded our work, as in our small congregation of 50, we had 32 children and youth signed up with 22 in average daily attendance for the week. But most surprisingly, nine professions of faith were made among the kids who attended. What is more encouraging is that some of those kids began regularly participating in church through our bus ministry. Parents and grandparents also started coming to church more often, some accepting the Gospel through the moving of the Holy Spirit, preaching, and the witness of their children and grandchildren.
In September, my pastor and I visited a young lady whose son attended VBS. She had given her heart to Christ, and we were doing a follow-up visit to encourage her to be baptized. We accidentally arrived at the wrong address, however, and knocked on the door. A young man answered, and as we began talking with him, he indicated that the Lord had been working in his heart as he read Scripture. After some discussion, my pastor gave a Gospel invitation and led him to Christ! We will look forward to his baptism shortly!
I hope this encourages those who work in a dead zone in ministry. When I began as a youth pastor, I had just completed my first semester at Mid-America College and did not yet know what God had called me to do. When my pastor asked me to become the youth pastor in February 2022, I hesitantly accepted, partially because we had no youth whatsoever, and our church was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, so I would be building it from the ground up. Not only that, but I did not want to teach youth, and the reason for that is rather strange. I would not call myself a scholar, but I loved discussing theology and the Bible with men older and more mature in the Word than myself, so teaching youth who had almost no idea what the Gospel is was outside of my comfort zone. My pastor was convinced, however, that God had called me to this ministry, so after hours of prayer and confirmation through Scripture, friends, and professors at MidAmerica, I knew this was where God wanted me. Since then, God has humbled me repeatedly, teaching me that we, as one human race, have one problem: sin. This problem puts us all in the same boat—a sinking vessel in which those who believe reach out to grab those who do not, young or old. That is the job of not only the pastor but also every believer. This truth has encouraged me and given me the boldness to go into my community to spread the Gospel because it teaches me to love my neighbor as I love myself.
IF GOD HAD NOT MADE A WAY FOR ME TO GO TO MID-AMERICA COLLEGE, I could not see myself as obedient to Scripture, much less fulfilling God’s will for my life. The godly men and women at Mid-America who stand for the complete inerrancy, infallibility, and sufficiency of Scripture have also inspired and motivated me to love and obey the commands given by our Lord Jesus Christ. At the very least, this is to say that Mid-America has helped me continue to fulfill my ministry in every respect concerning the Bible, missions, and evangelism.
VBS
BY DR. RANDY REDD VICE-PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE, OPERATIONS, AND ADVANCEMENT
Sharing the Gospel message requires sharing the money it takes to equip and prepare those called to ministry. When those guided into ministry and those providing for ministry combine forces, the Gospel goes out powerfully to all the world for Jesus’ sake.
Isee this all the time. Students sense God leading them into ministry, and they respond to His calling. Sometimes, they have the money and move forward in preparing for ministry, and they do. But often, they don’t know where the money will come from to fund their preparation. They know what they are supposed to do but don’t have the resources.
I SEE THIS ALL THE TIME. People sense that God has blessed them financially and want to use their wealth to carry on His work. Sometimes, God calls them into a ministry and gives them money. But often, their calling is not to do but to give so others can. They know that “giving” is their ministry!
The fulfillment from sharing the Gospel with a lost person is a gratifying experience and a blessing from the Lord. Many cannot go and share, but they can provide the funding for others to prepare and go. Those who give find it just as gratifying knowing God used them to fund the good news of salvation found only in Christ! Their role is a God-given assignment, and when they give, they know God uses them, which is a blessing. I remember Adrian Rogers saying, “Where God guides, He provides!” Some are guided into the Gospel ministry. Others are guided to provide for them. Both know the hand of God is the source!
YOU CAN HELP BY PRAYING. Please pray for our instructors as they train our students to go to our neighbors and all over the world for Jesus’ sake. Pray that we can offer scholarships to our future evangelists and 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 have been called to the ministry and want more information on our programs, please email admissions@mabts.edu.
YOU CAN HELP BY DONATING. Should you feel led to help provide funding to these aspiring, deserving evangelists and missionaries, you can contribute now by scanning the “Give Now” QR code below and selecting “General Support” from the “FUND” drop-down box.
Or you can “Learn More” about ways to support MidAmerica. 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!
PRESIDENT CASTS FAR-SIGHTED VISION FOR EXPANDING MID-AMERICA’S IMPACT
Expanding its 50-year legacy of lighting the way in biblical education, Mid-America Seminary and College is announcing a bold new vision for equipping biblical leaders into the next 50 years. It’s called the MidAmerica Connected Campus.
“We are reenvisioning the way that Mid-America will equip the next generation of biblical leaders,” said Mid-America President Dr. Michael Spradlin. “We will never change our mission of training those who will take the Gospel to all the world for Jesus’ sake. But our methods will change. We want to connect more students to their future ministries and callings—faster, more efficiently, more effectively.”
It’s far more efficient,” says Dr. Spradlin. “With our Connected Campus, students won’t need to relocate to our Cordova campus. They can continue to minister on the field where God has currently called them. Even local students won’t necessarily need to commute to campus. They can better invest that time in learning and serving.”
THE MID-AMERICA CONNECTED CAMPUS WILL FOCUS ON RIGHT-SIZING THE SCHOOL FACILITIES. The school will continue to welcome and accommodate students who choose the residential educational experience. Yet by reallocating resources that were previously used to purchase, maintain, and secure a large and ever-aging physical campus, more funds are available to develop the Connected Campus, a global, virtual campus that is able to deliver more courses to more students in more locations than ever before.
Discover more about the Mid-America Connected Campus at mabts.edu/ connectedcampus or scan the code below.
Mid-America, which has operated on five different campuses during its 50-plus-year history, will begin developing a “Connected Campus” which is focused more on its students’ futures than school facilities. “We want to invest in God’s Kingdom, not our campus. We want to offer more classes, not classrooms. We’re focused on the future, not facilities.”
THIS NEW FOCUS WILL FREE MID-AMERICA TO EXPAND ITS PROGRAMS—offering more degrees, more courses, better online education experiences— rather than continuing to spend resources on a large central campus which no longer meets the needs of a majority of today’s students.
“Theological education in the 21st century moves at the speed of light. More and more students are taking advantage of the benefits of online education.
One of Mid-America’s first moves will be to sell its 144-unit residential housing development which is adjacent to the school campus. Demand for its 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments has decreased as demand for online courses has increased. Proceeds from the sale of this housing development will be invested in 21st century educational tools and an expansion of the school’s educational programs. Mid-America will likewise align its future need for offices, classrooms, and other physical facilities with current trends in online education.
“Higher education is no longer campus-centric. Our focus with our Connected Campus will be not on facilities but on efficiently, effectively connecting students with their futures—as pastors, missionaries, teachers, business leaders—whatever God calls them to do,” says Dr. Spradlin.
MID-AMERICA KICKS OFF NEW SCHOOL YEAR, AUGUST 19–22, 2024
Dr. H.B. Charles, Jr.
Dr. Brad Whitt
Dr. Stephen Rummage
Dr. Michael Spradlin
Dr. David L. Allen
Dr. Mikey Mewborn
Dr. Jim Whitmire
Dr. Joshua McClain
Dr. Mac Brunson
P.O. Box 2350 • Cordova, Tennessee 38088-2350
901-751-8453 • info@mabts.edu • mabts.edu
FOCUS AND MAXIMIZE YOUR GIVING.
Did you know that in the United States, only about 10% of an individual’s wealth is held in their checking or savings accounts? Approximately 90% is retained in other assets like real estate, stocks, bonds, and other securities. Some have a significant amount in individual retirement accounts or other charitable gift annuities. Most of these options provide the individual with ways to designate the beneficiaries.
Focus your giving by naming your beneficiaries. This way, you can care for your spouse, family, and charities like our school! Maximize your giving by caring for your loved ones and supporting ministries like Mid-America Baptist
Theological Seminary and Mid-America College. You will be investing in a spiritual ministry that will impact eternity!
