I had already gotten my bachelor's degree from KU when I felt
the call to ministry. I was raised in a good Christian household and always
went to church on Sundays, but I had never really felt the call to do more than
that with my life until I went on a mission trip with my church in college. It
was a real wake-up call, and it helped me to realize how I could use my life to
help do God's work.
After a lot of research, I decided to enroll in the Master of
Divinity (MDiv) program at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) in
Kansas City, Missouri. The campus was close to home, which made taking classes
easy, but what really drew me to them was their dedication to the church and
Biblical education. The motto of their Master's program, "Come for the
next 3 years, prepare for the next 30," really spoke to me, and they
offered a wide range of Master's degree options. Because of my interest in
missionary work, I settled on a Master of Divinity with a concentration on
International Church Planting.
For the MDiv in International Church Planting, Midwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary is partnered with the International Mission Board
of the Southern Baptist Convention. As part of my education, I'll do two years
of intensive study at Midwestern, and two or three years of field-based service
abroad in cooperation with the International Mission Board. This work can be in
countries all over the world, doing missionary work including building churches
and helping those in need, as well as teaching the Word of God to those who
need to hear it most.
I've already made a lot of friends at Midwestern, many of
them in other branches of the MDiv department. MBTS offers Master of Divinity
degrees in all sorts of concentrations, including Christian Ministry, Christian
Education, Biblical Languages, Counseling, Urban Ministry, and Youth Ministry,
as well as many others. MBTS also offers Master of Arts degrees in things like
Christian Education, Church Music, Counseling, Biblical Archaeology, and
Theological Studies. Having so many different graduate students all pursuing
God's work through so many different avenues means that a lot of viewpoints and
life experiences are represented in my classes at MBTS, and it helps to enrich
my experiences and my appreciation for the work that we're all doing together.
For those who feel the call to ministry—whether early in
life, or later—there's no better place to pursue your calling than at
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their campus and curriculum help to
cultivate a Christian lifestyle, while also teaching classical theology and
ministry skills. It's not all work at MBTS, though. The students and faculty
have become like a family to me, and the campus hosts a lot of cultural events
and mixers that are as fun as the classes are enlightening.
The author of this article turned to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & College to witness biblical truth, receive an
authentic Christian education, and become a passionate disciple of the
teachings of Jesus Christ.
