In the days before the new norm of lockdowns, social distancing, and other stay-at-home measures due to COVID-19, one traversing Midwestern Seminary’s beautiful Kansas City campus might notice groups of prospective students and their families touring, sitting in on classes, and enjoying a meal with the school’s faculty and staff.
And just because there’s a worldwide pandemic, that doesn’t mean God has ceased calling his servants into ministry. So, what is a student, who desires to investigate undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral studies at Spurgeon College or Midwestern Seminary, to do?
Well, he or she turns to the internet, of course. And, to help students move forward with their plans for exploring the right location to pursue theological education, Midwestern Seminary now offers “Meals with Midwestern.”
In essence, this concept is not new, but the delivery mechanism is. For a number of years, the school has hosted Meals with Midwestern on campus and, in fact, all over the country. Administration and faculty members have joined numerous students on campus, in diners, coffee shops, and restaurants to hear their stories and share the passion and vision of “For the Church” and “For the Kingdom.” Now, these interactions are conducted via livestreamed video sessions like Zoom.
President Jason Allen explained that just because COVID-19 has put on-campus visits and other face-to-face interactions on hold that doesn’t mean students are placing their future plans on hold.
“We, at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College, are fully planning to reopen campus for this coming Fall Semester and beyond, and students and their families need to have a way to discover what school is the best fit for their theological studies,” Allen said.
So, the best way to help them get to know what Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College has to offer is to provide virtual tours, interactions with the school’s faculty members, and even to score a free meal.
Admissions Director, Camden Pulliam shared that students can sign up for Meals with Midwestern at the following link: mbts.edu/virtualmeals. In partnership with DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats, meals are delivered right to the students’ doors.
The sessions include a relaxed conversation between a group of students, their families, and a Midwestern Seminary or Spurgeon College faculty and admissions staffer where “we can hear the students’ stories, and they can hear ours,” Pulliam said.
“What we really hope to provide is up-close dialogue with our world-class faculty at a time when this is not possible through other avenues,” Pulliam continued. “On these calls, prospective students get to ask professors questions ranging from theological topics and personal questions to practical advice regarding starting seminary.”
Pulliam said the program is off to a great start. Meals with Midwestern began on April 1st and has been running daily since then. “So far, the meals have been excellent, averaging five students per call for 20 straight days. We have seen many applications started as a result, and we’ve also seen numerous students who had already started the application process grow in their excitement for seminary to begin.”
Faculty member, Jason DeRouchie, research professor of Old Testament and biblical theology, who’s taken part in these sessions, said they have provided him an “opportunity to share my joy in being a part of the ministry of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College and to respond to very thoughtful and engaging questions from students.”
He noted that discussions have centered on wide-ranging topics like family discipleship during a pandemic, how one should faithfully see Jesus in the Old Testament, and how Midwestern faculty handle different perspectives on the doctrines of grace, God’s sovereignty, and human responsibility. He added that he’s “excited about the quality of men and women who are considering our school!”
Students who participate are really getting a chance to “savor the sweetness that is Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College,” DeRouchie said. “I am part of a remarkable team, and through these lunches, prospective students get a chance to truly see part of what makes this school a rising leader in theological education that is for Christ’s church and kingdom.”
To any prospective student who feels led by God to pursue theological education, DeRouchie stated, “This school exists for the sake of equipping men and women to serve Christ’s bride in a world desperately in need of hope.
“We need quality, Bible-loving, God-dependent, Christ-treasuring, mission-minded men and women who can carry on the torch of seeking the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ’s name among the nations.”
These meals, he added, provide “one opportunity for who we are to connect with who they are, and I pray that God will use these times of sharing to draw in a new generation of leaders whom we can equip and who can effectively live for the church and for the kingdom, all for the fame of Christ’s name.”
For more information about admission to Midwestern Seminary or Spurgeon College email the Office of Admissions at admissions@mbts.edu or visit mbts.edu/admissions.
