DALLAS, Tex—Midwestern Seminary welcomed nearly 600 participants to the Alumni and Friends Luncheon on June 11 for a hymn sing with Matt Boswell and a discussion of the relationship between worship, theology, and spirituality in the Christian life.
Themed “Doctrine, Devotion, and Doxology,” the luncheon featured a panel with three of Midwestern Seminary’s newest faculty members and included the presentation of the 2025 Alumnus of the Year award.
To begin the event, Boswell led guests in singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” and “Christus Victor,” a hymn he recently co-authored with Bryan Fowler, Keith and Kristyn Getty, and Matt Papa. Boswell, who serves as lead pastor of The Trails Church in Celina, Texas, joined Midwestern Seminary’s faculty in the Department of Worship Ministries in February 2025.
Following the hymn sing, President Jason Allen shared key updates from Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. He highlighted the seminary’s commitments to faithful doctrine, stewardship, and mission.
“It is incumbent upon us in our generation to be theologically faithful above all other areas of commitment or concern,” he said.
He also highlighted God’s kindness to grow the institution’s net assets from $20 million to nearly $120 million since 2013, reflecting the seminary’s investment in training leaders for Southern Baptist churches into the future. He emphasized the seminary’s commitment to that mission since 2012, reflected in the institution’s continued growth to nearly 5,500 students in the 2024–25 academic year.
Allen reflected, “It’s always right to plant your convictions and set your mission where Scripture teaches us to stand and to set our convictions and our mission. And I am grateful that along the way, those convictions and that mission has resonated so broadly with Southern Baptists, and the Lord has been so very pleased to bless these efforts.”
Allen went on to highlight God’s particular blessing on Midwestern Seminary’s faculty over the previous year. Noting the seminary’s recent additions of professors Don Whitney, Matt Boswell, John Meade, Peter Gurry, and Ronni Kurtz, Allen said, “These individuals are godly and gifted men, and we are privileged to have them join our ranks and continue to work with us as we seek to serve the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
Concluding the updates, Allen presented the 2025 Alumnus of the Year award to Jeff Dodge.
Dodge is the teaching pastor at Veritas Church of Iowa City and director of the Veritas School of Theology, a theological training and leadership development ministry of Veritas Church that prepares church planters for collegiate contexts.
Dodge earned a D.Min. and Ph.D. from Midwestern Seminary, where he also serves as assistant professor of theological studies. He is the author of Gospel 101: Learning, Living, and Sharing the Gospel, the Bible study Titus: Life-Changing Truth in a World of Lies, and the forthcoming book Gospel 201: Growing and Thriving with Jesus.
Congratulating Dodge, Allen said, “You have been an integral part of a movement around the country to intentionally plant churches on college campuses and see college students not just come to faith in Christ but be equipped for faithful service for the cause of Christ. It brings me such joy to announce you as the 2025 Midwestern Seminary Alumnus of the Year.”
Following the award presentation, Allen was joined by Don Whitney, Ronni Kurtz, and Matt Boswell for the panel conversation, which reflected on the roles of doctrine, devotion, and doxology in a flourishing Christian life and ministry.
Boswell, who serves as professor of worship ministries, shared, “We want all our theology to result in doxology. We want to know God in His Word, and as we know Him, for our hearts to be full of worship and love for Him, and for our lives to be marked by devotion to Him.”
Whitney, who serves as professor of biblical spirituality, noted that one’s spiritual life and practices flow from one’s theological beliefs. “I believe spirituality and theology go hand in hand,” he said, adding, “The first priority of a man of God is to be a godly man.”
Kurtz, who serves as assistant professor of systematic theology, reflected on his early years after coming to faith, saying, “I saw that the more I knew God and knew what God was doing, the more I loved Him.” Kurtz referenced 2 Corinthians 3:18, which states that in beholding the Lord, believers are transformed. “I think of theology as looking at Christ until I look like Christ,” he said.
Kurtz, Whitney, and Boswell also shared their vision and passion for training the next generation of students to serve the Church.
Boswell said, “I’m so grateful for what the Lord is doing in our churches and for the people who feel called to love and serve the body of Christ. Any way we can help fan into flame what the Lord is doing and encourage them for the future—what a gift that is.”
Allen concluded the event with a prayer and word of thanks to the alumni and friends gathered. “We consider it a profound privilege, a true honor, and a precious stewardship to get to serve Southern Baptists in our generation at this institution,” he said.
