Dr. Thor Madsen joined Midwestern Seminary in 1999 and currently serves as Dean of Doctoral Studies and Academic Initiatives and Professor of New Testament, Ethics, and Philosophy. Since coming to Midwestern, Dr. Madsen has served in several academic and administrative roles and has seen Midwestern from a variety of angles, playing a vital role in many of the changes at the seminary. Therefore, it was a delight to meet with Dr. Madsen for our faculty highlight in this edition of the Midwestern Magazine.
MBTS: Dr. Madsen, can you tell us about the different roles you’ve served in and initiatives you’ve been a part of throughout your time at Midwestern?
Thor Madsen: I was originally hired to replace three departing professors, one in New Testament, another in ethics, and a third in philosophy. I completed my Ph.D. in New Testament, but most of my formal graduate hours were in subjects like ethics and philosophy, so I was designated as Assistant Professor of New Testament, Ethics, and Philosophy.
After four years, I served as Interim Vice President of Academic Development and Dean of the Faculty. I also served as the Chief Academic Officer for six years, the Dean of Students for three years, Dean of Graduate Studies and Director of Ph.D. Programs, and currently serve as Dean of Doctoral Studies.
During my time as the Chief Academic Officer, we started the undergraduate program, the Ph.D. program, and the Fusion program. Dr. Rodney Harrison and I took the lead in restructuring our curriculum from the undergraduate to the doctoral levels as well, pursuant to Dr. Allen’s directive. Due to these changes Dr. Allen wanted to implement, Midwestern Seminary is much healthier, both educationally and financially.
MBTS: This edition of the Midwestern Magazine will celebrate Dr. Allen’s 10-year anniversary at Midwestern Seminary. During your time at Midwestern, how have you seen the seminary change and what have you enjoyed most about his presidency?
TM: This question is easy enough to answer, because the answer is everything. We’ve added substantially to our faculty and raised our institution’s research and writing profile. We have quadrupled in size since Dr. Allen started at Midwestern. For purposes of comparison, when I started in 1999 we had around 300 students. The current enrollment numbers at Midwestern are now much higher. I would add that Dr. Allen has connected Midwestern to some wonderful families who have been astonishingly generous toward us, and their generosity accounts for the total upgrade that everyone notices when coming on campus. Having been away for even three or four years, graduates from the earlier days can hardly find their way around anymore, given the extent of the improvements.
A great deal of what accounts for these changes is down to the people that Dr. Allen has hired in areas like Institutional Relations and Executive Administration. Considering who is on Dr. Allen’s cabinet right now, I really cannot see how the total makeup of his team could be any better. Nothing good can happen on my level if things don’t work on that level, and thankfully they do.
MBTS: What have you enjoyed the most during your time at Midwestern Seminary?
TM: I still tell people that doing the work of administration, which has to be done and done as well as possible, supports my teaching habit. Teaching is what I originally came to Midwestern to do, and I sort of backed into administration without really trying. But both tasks are essential, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of the creative process that has affected our college, graduate, and doctoral programs.
MBTS: What are your hopes for students at Midwestern Seminary?
TM: The most demanding job in the Southern Baptist Convention is the local church pastor. Serving as a pastor requires skill-sets and degrees of self-starting drive that hardly anyone has. A local church pastor is an SBC seminary in microcosm; he preaches, teaches, counsels, administrates, and relates to the wider public on levels that no one else in the local church does. Accordingly, the purpose of Midwestern is to produce that kind of person, to the extent that our formal educational assignment will allow. Midwestern also has the mission of sending out graduates who can support the work of local church ministry, as worship leaders, educational specialists, counselors, and administrators. Everyone employed at one of our SBC seminaries belongs to this supporting cast, and we are glad to be viewed as such. If Midwestern does not serve local churches, there is no reason for it to exist at all.
