Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College announced another record enrollment for the 2021-2022 academic year, with a combined enrollment up nearly 5% from the previous academic year.
President Jason Allen commented on the recent announcement, “I am incredibly thankful for another record enrollment. In the current state of higher education, and especially theological education, an increased enrollment is rare, and it signifies once more how much we have to be thankful to God for.”
“Moreover, we are thankful that our Fall 2022 enrollment is up approximately 5% over Fall 2021, so were off to a strong start to this academic year as well,” Allen added.
Allen went on to say, “We prioritize a strong enrollment because of the ongoing ministry needs of the churches we serve, and the ongoing needs of the nations, far beyond Kansas City. We’re committed to training a new generation of pastors, ministers, and missionaries. The task is great, and we’re praying God will find us faithful in this task.”
Midwestern Seminary has experienced over a decade of consecutive enrollment growth, with 4,917 total students attending in the 2021-2022 academic year. That is up from 4,700 total students in the 2020-2021 academic year and 1,182 students in 2010-2011 academic year, prior to Allen’s arrival at Midwestern Seminary.
While many institutional priorities could account for the consistent growth at the seminary, Midwestern Seminary Senior Vice President for Institutional Relations Charles Smith states that one factor far surpasses them all.
“As Dr. Allen has said, I believe our mission is the biggest driver for our enrollment growth. Yes, we invest a great deal of resources in promoting our institution and recruiting students, but it’s abundantly clear that the biggest driver is Midwestern Seminary’s for the Church mission and Spurgeon College’s for the Kingdom mission.”
Throughout Allen’s tenure in Kansas City, the for the Church and for the Kingdom missions have influenced everything from faculty hires and degree additions to student life activities and community engagement.
Even within the past year, Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College have taken several key institutional initiatives to continue to pursue their mission to train leaders for the Church.
The seminary and college launched its Global Campus, the newly redesigned online program. The Global Campus is designed for God-called men and women serving in a unique kingdom assignment that currently precludes them from pursuing residential studies.
New degree programs and initiatives at each level have also influenced the growing number of enrolled students in Kansas City.
At the undergraduate level, Spurgeon College recently launched the Graphic Design degree, led by Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Tyler Rosas.
At the graduate level, Midwestern Seminary launched For The Church Cohorts, a new one-year training program designed to equip like-minded residential seminary students through enhanced discipleship, focused study, and intentional community. Current cohorts include Fusion Masters, Biblical Counseling, and Timothy Track, with plans for additional cohorts in the coming years.
At the doctoral level, the seminary approved revisions to the Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, allowing students added specialization in the field while furthering advanced training in the great doctrines of the Christian faith. These updates were in line with the recent expansion of the Ph.D. program more broadly, which now allows students to study under one of three umbrellas: biblical studies, theological studies, or applied theology.
Those interested in pursuing theological education and ministry training have responded to many of these updates and improvements, signified by continued record-breaking Preview Days hosted at the Kansas City campus.
Reflecting on the growth at the seminary and the enrollment growth in particular, Smith said, “I am so thankful for the work of our enrollment management team led by Camden Pulliam. God is using their gifts and tireless efforts to raise up a generation of ministry leaders for the Church and for the Kingdom.”
“The world around us needs more of God, not less,” Smith continued. “As we look to the future, we are committed to educating as many ministry leaders as we possibly can.”
