NEW ORLEANS, La—During the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Midwestern Seminary President Jason Allen delivered the seminary report, highlighting the profound stewardship and blessing from the Lord in Kansas City.
Allen began by sharing his appreciation for Southern Baptists. Growing up in a Southern Baptist home himself, he expressed the longevity of his love for the denomination.
He said, “I love Southern Baptists. I love getting to serve you. Southern Baptists love the Scriptures, the gospel, the Great Commission, and one another. I want to remind you today that we are accomplishing great things together for the cause of Christ.”
Having served as president of Midwestern Seminary for over a decade, Allen shared with messengers the breadth of stewardship for a Southern Baptist theological institution, specifically in the areas of theological, missional, and operational responsibility.
First, he spoke to the theological stewardship of Midwestern Seminary, saying, “The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 for us is an ongoing and active source of theological accountability. We advocate for it, cherish, and defend it. We did so yesterday, we did so today, and we will do so tomorrow as well.”
He also shared additional statements of faith that faculty and instructional staff are required to affirm; namely, the Danver’s Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, and the Nashville Statement on Human Sexuality.
“We affirm each of these because our culture has lost its mind,” he said. “In a time of confusion, we aim to be clear. As a theological institution, our first responsibility is theological.”
Secondly, he spoke to the missional stewardship of the seminary.
Midwestern Seminary exists for the Church, Allen reminded messengers. “Our primary calling is to train pastors, ministers, and missionaries for Southern Baptist churches and the nations.”
Moreover, Allen announced that Midwestern Seminary has experienced an 11th consecutive year of enrollment growth. He noted, “Ten years ago, we had around 1,100 students. This year, we’ll finish with more than 5,100 students.”
Yet Allen reminded messengers that the work of theological education is far more than numbers. He said, “When we think of our work, we don’t just think of the numbers. We think of the young men and women being trained on our campus to serve your churches and to reach the nations for the cause of Christ.”
He shared of a new initiative to continue to maximize Midwestern Seminary’s impact on the nations through training missionaries for the Great Commission.
Midwestern Seminary’s Missions Moonshot, he explained, seeks to partner with the International Mission Board and produce 100 students that are going to the nations each year. With students in all 50 states and 64 countries, he expressed the seminary’s desire to continue to increase its reach for the sake of the lost.
Allen also shared about Midwestern Seminary’s For the Church Institute, an online training program for lay church members. More than 10,000 students in local churches are engaging in lay training through the FTC Institute as the seminary seeks to help strengthen church curriculum and discipleship work in those congregations.
Finally, he shared of the operational side of an institution’s stewardship, stating, “The most important data point by an institution on the operational side of its work is the annual audit.”
He went on to say, “As you can see, God has blessed us abundantly. Our institutional net assets 10 years ago was just over 20 million. As we gather today, there are approximately $90 million. By God’s grace, our net assets have quadrupled in a decade. To God be the glory.”
As he closed, Allen thanked messengers, saying, “Southern Baptists, you support us so generously. You send us your students. You send us your support through the Cooperative Program. We feel in a profound way the stewardship before us.”
“It’s a theological stewardship, a missional stewardship, an operational stewardship, and collectively, a precious stewardship. I thank you for the privilege of serving at Midwestern Seminary.”
