Meet Todd Chipman
Dr. Todd R. Chipman is Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and MABL, M.Div., and Ph.D. degrees from Midwestern Seminary.
Chipman’s research interests include Second Temple Judaism, biblical theology, and Greek grammar. He is the author of Scripture Storyline, has published in the Midwestern Journal of Theology and Expository Times, and has presented papers for the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Since 2000, Chipman has served as teaching pastor at The Master’s Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, and has served on the executive board of the Kansas City Kansas Baptist Association. He and his wife, Julie, have seven children and advocate for foster and adoption ministry.
MBTS—How has orphan care—through both foster care and adoption—shaped your family’s life and ministry?
Todd Chipman—If not for Jesus Christ, I have no idea how anyone could do foster care or adoption. I have seen the relational complexities of these ministries challenge even the most theologically mature believers. Foster care and adoption have brought my family into deeper intimacy and dependence on the Lord. We have learned to walk with those who weep in trauma and loss. We have experienced the Lord’s morning mercies anew each day. We have seen the power of the local church, present and praying. In Christ and with the church, foster care and adoption are glorious.
MBTS—As a husband, father, pastor, and scholar, what key practices have helped your family cultivate a distinctly Christian home?
Todd—The Christian life is a life of integrity. From G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man to Jason Allen’s Being a Christian: How Jesus Redeems All of Life, Christian thinkers consistently identify the life of the believer as one characterized by wholeness. As a Christian myself, Christ centers me as a husband, father, church member, friend, and professor.
Two noteworthy practices radiate from Christ as center. These have helped my family cultivate a Christian home. First, my family and I prioritize the intake of God’s Word. Each day begins early in the Word and prayer. Our living room has two couches. My wife sits on one and I sit on the other, with coffee between us. Breakfast is brief before we head out the door for the day’s opportunities, but Psalm reading and prayer are a part of the meal. Most evenings, I lead my family in systematic reading of Scripture, prayer, and singing. Second, we prioritize hospitality, and that connects my family leadership with leadership in the church and academy. Multiple evenings each week, church family and/or students gather around our table for a meal and worship.
MBTS—As you reflect on 25 years of ministry, what practices or convictions have most sustained your faithfulness through both fruitful and difficult seasons?
Todd—November 2025 was one of the most joyful months of my life. The Master’s Community Church surprised my wife and me by recognizing my 25th anniversary of pastoral leadership. Later that month, Julie and I catered lunch for the church, and I shared my appreciation for them for their faithfulness over the last two and a half decades.
But a lot has happened in the world and in our church since November 2000. The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the ensuing war on terror, the housing crisis of 2008–2011, COVID, and the shifting sands of evangelicalism and politics—not to mention that our church endured disease, cancer, death, wayward children, and job losses. But the Lord has shone His face upon us in each season. We have seen couples get married, have children, get baptized, and grow in the Lord. We have sent and supported missionaries, heard nearly all of the Bible preached, participated in home groups, trained and sent pastors, written music, and sang the Lord’s praise.
Whether we have witnessed the smile or frown of providence, two practices have sustained me. First, I have prioritized personal intake of God’s Word apart from study for sermons or teaching. I have individual time with God each morning and then try to take a few minutes in the afternoon for the same—always beginning with Scripture in the original languages. I fill myself so I can fill others. Second, I use the church directory as a prayer guide. As I pray through the names of individuals and families in the church, I am reminded of the life circumstances of the flock and their needs. I know where to apply God’s Word on Sundays in light of what the Lord has for them in the week to come.
MBTS—As dean of graduate studies, why do you believe residential theological education remains vital, and what unique opportunity for formation does it offer students? Todd—As a dean of Midwestern Seminary, my job is to help our faculty biblically educate God-called men and women to be and make disciples for the Church. Contrary to popular opinion, seminary is not a data dump. Yes, we transmit content to students, but more than that, we inculcate values and train instincts. Seminary training is thus distinctly relational. Whether students are enrolled in residential or Global Campus courses, we are doing life-on-life as we train heads, hearts, and hands. First-year residential students have the added opportunity to enroll in cohorts and participate in weekly cohort meetings with faculty for additional mentoring in a particular field of study.
