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10 REASONS TO CHOOSE MIDWESTERN
Students cite numerous reasons why they chose Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to prepare for a lifetime of Christian ministry. Here are 10 reasons to choose Midwestern as you follow God’s call into vocational ministry:
1. Biblical
Simply put: Everything Midwestern does is founded upon the Word of God.
Midwestern’s mission statement reads, “Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary biblically educates God-called men and women to be and to make disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the world” (Emphasis added).
“Every Word of God is flawless,” said MBTS President Dr. R. Philip Roberts, affirming that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of God. “God moved human writers to write exactly what He wanted to say … without error.”
“Thus, we, at Midwestern, take our marching orders from the Bible,” Roberts said. “Everything we do, from our weekly street evangelism teams to chapel services to classes, is based, first and foremost, on the foundation of the Word of God.”
At Midwestern, be assured, you’ll be taught the Word — unashamedly, and proudly.
2. Evangelism and Missions
“There should be no doubt that Midwestern is an evangelistic and missions-minded seminary,” Roberts said. “From sharing the Gospel on the streets of Kansas City to ministering to tragedy-stricken victims in Paraquay, Midwestern students are taking the love and message of Jesus Christ to the nations.”
Among the Midwestern faculty, you’ll find a wealth of both home and foreign missionary experience to draw from, as well as a passion for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
3. World-Class Faculty
Midwestern faculty hold a diversity of degrees from the University of Aberdeen, Free University of Amsterdam, and Cambridge to the University of Memphis and Texas A&M to Southern, Southwestern, Southeastern, New Orleans and Golden Gate Baptist Theological seminaries, as well as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Hebrew Union College, among many more.
“The depth of our faculty’s educational background provides our students with a broad perspective of ideas and influences, rather than from a faculty educated from just one or two institutions,” Roberts said. “Our faculty have trained and been educated throughout the world. This gives our students a vast exposure to knowledge, both culturally and biblically, from which to draw from.”
At Midwestern, you’ll not only find professors with solid educational backgrounds, but also find men who have real-world experience ministering to the lost and proclaiming the Word as pastors, missionaries, associational leaders and more.
“Our professors have been in the trenches, whether sharing Christ in Tanzania, or right here in Missouri, they know what it’s like to be a God-called man in today’s world,” Roberts said.
At Midwestern, you’ll have an opportunity to be discipled and equipped by well-rounded men and women of God who have been where you’re going.
4. Personal Attention
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1, Midwestern is proudly the smallest of six Southern Baptist seminaries. Thus, Midwestern offers its students an opportunity for small classes and personal attention by the faculty.
“One of the reasons I came to Midwestern was that it was more one-on-one,” said MBTS student Ken Posey, a native of Louisiana. “Some other seminaries have huge classes. At Midwestern, I knew I would be considered an actual student rather than a number.”
“As a student at Midwestern, it’s very likely that you’ll know your professors, but also that they’ll know you too,” Roberts said.
5. Affordability and Value
At just $130* a credit hour for Southern Baptists, Midwestern Seminary and Midwestern Baptist College, SBC, are some of the best buys in theological education today.
According to the Association of Theological Schools, the median annual tuition for Masters of Divinity programs in seminaries across the United States in 2002 was $9,000. Comparatively, Midwestern’s is approximately $3,000.
“Through the Cooperative Program funding, Midwestern students are able to get a great biblically-based education at a fraction of what it would normally cost them,” said Dr. Alan Branch, vice president of student development. “For the God-called man or woman, Midwestern is not just an outstanding academic choice, but a wise financial one as well.”
* As of Fall 2005
6. Degree Options
Midwestern offers a wide range of degree options for the God-called man and woman to be trained and equipped for a lifetime of Christian service.
With the recent establishment of Midwestern Baptist College, SBC, the undergraduate school of the seminary, students straight out of high school can start work on biblically-centered undergraduate degrees.
Currently, the College offers Associate of Divinity degrees with majors in Biblical Studies, Christian Education, and Music, all designed to prepare students for vocational ministry. Each degree includes training for students to acquire basic biblical and theological knowledge.
A new 126-hour, fully accredited Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies is now available in two formats: Traditional and Accelerated.
The Seminary offers three types of master’s degrees, including the ever-popular Master of Divinity degree with numerous concentrations available. Concentrations include Christian Education, Collegiate Ministries, International Church Planting, North American Church Planting, Urban Ministry, Worship Leadership, and Youth Ministry.
Other master’s degrees include a professional Master of Arts degree in Christian Education, Church Music, or Counseling; and an academic or research Master of Arts degree.
Midwestern’s doctoral program offers two ministry-related degrees: the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree and Doctor of Educational Ministry (D.Ed.Min) degree. Both degrees are designed to equip persons seeking a high level of competence in the practice of ministry. Students may specialize by choosing elective seminars in one or more of the following areas: Proclamation, Care, Leadership, and/or Church Planting emphases.
7. Baptist
Midwestern is not only distinctively Baptist, but proudly Southern Baptist. Owned by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and supported through the Cooperative Program, Midwestern is guided by a board of trustees elected by the Convention in its annual sessions. The trustees, in turn, elect faculty members and administrative officers.
Midwestern professors are members of Southern Baptist churches, many serving as interim pastors, teachers, or deacons. Each professor subscribes to the Baptist Faith & Message, adopted by the SBC in 2000.
Midwestern graduates serve in a variety of positions in Southern Baptist life. From Kansas City to the ends of the earth, Midwestern graduates are contributing to Southern Baptist work here and abroad helping to “be and make disciples throughout the world.”
8. Located in the Heartland
Centrally located in the heartland of America, Midwestern is approximately 1,900 miles from anywhere in the continental United States. With its excellent geographic location, Midwestern is within a day’s drive of the nation’s metropolitan areas:
500-600 miles: Denver, Colo. (611); Louisville, Ken. (515); Milwaukee, Wis. (564); Nashville, Tenn. (578); and Dallas (505).
400-500 miles: Little Rock, Ark. (425); Memphis, Tenn. (485); Oklahoma City (350); and Minneapolis, Min. (445)
Less than 300 miles: St. Louis (250); Des Moines, Iowa (190); Tulsa, Okla. (250); Wichita, Kan. (190); and Omaha, Neb. (187).
(Mileage is approximate. Source: VisitKC.com)
9. Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Nicknamed the “City of Fountains,” more than 1.8 million people live in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. More than 100 Southern Baptist churches alone are within a 20-mile radius of the seminary, providing ample opportunities for membership and service. A good job market in Kansas City also provides opportunities for work while attending seminary classes. Part-time opportunities around the seminary include: Sam’s Club, UPS, OfficeMax and more.
In the Kansas City metro, there are: 61 public swimming pools, 600 parks, 24 public lakes, and more than 40 museums.
10. Beautiful Campus
One of the first things guests mention after a visit to Midwestern is its beautiful campus, a 220-plus acre greenbelt in north Kansas City. Deer, fox, turkey, geese, squirrels and other wildlife make their home on the seminary campus as well as more than 250 students and family members in 149 dorm and apartment units. Additionally, the seminary’s north campus — the Koehn-Myers Center for World Evangelism — was once a retreat resort for a large company and includes a two-acre lake.
Midwestern’s unique spire, a 65-foot architectural pinnacle, points up toward the heavens, indicating the driving purpose behind the seminary — that everything it does be for the ultimate glory of God.
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