MBTS launches Institute for Preaching and Preachers
By Michaela Classen
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The newly launched Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers advances Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s (MBTS) mission to train leaders for the church by equipping and encouraging preachers of God’s Word.
Through regional preaching workshops and an array of online resources, the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers aims to equip current and aspiring preachers through developing a supportive community of preachers, cultivating preaching skills and encouraging preachers in their task.
“I am overjoyed to announce the launch of the Midwestern Seminary Institute for Preaching and Preachers,” said President Jason Allen. “Midwestern Seminary exists for the church. And the truth of the matter is that no church will be healthier than the health of its pulpit. In this generation, there is no greater need for local churches than for pastors, elders and teachers who are more faithfully equipped for more fruitful ministry, the ministry of preaching and teaching the Word of God.”
The vision for the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers grew from Midwestern Seminary’s mission to serve the church, focusing on the central place of biblical exposition in building up the local church.
Jordan Wilbanks, vice president of church partnerships and director of the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers, said, “The Institute for Preaching and Preachers is fueled and driven by the conviction we have at Midwestern Seminary for biblical preaching, a central, mission-level aim for how we aim to train those called for pastoral ministry in the church.”
Wilbanks serves as the first director of the Institute for Preaching and Preachers and has led Midwestern Seminary’s Church Partnerships department since 2016. In his role, he has helped develop and oversee various initiatives for church-based theological education, including For the Church Institute and Shepherds Fellowship (formerly Timothy Track).
He pointed to the Compelling Preaching Initiative of Lilly Endowment Inc., as a key factor in bringing the vision for a preaching institute to life this year. Through their support of Christian preaching, Lilly Endowment awarded a $1.25 million grant to Midwestern Seminary to establish the Institute for Preaching and Preachers.
Wilbanks said, “We are grateful to the Lilly Endowment for believing in our vision and for helping us to establish an excellent package of preaching-related resources that will further our mission.”
The resources offered by the Midwestern Institute for Preaching and Preachers include an online library of articles on preaching, Jason K. Allen’s Preaching and Preachers podcast, and preaching guides crafted by Midwestern Seminary faculty, graduates and other scholars to assist preachers in their sermon preparation.
Mohler delivers Spurgeon Lectures on Biblical Preaching at MBTS
By Michaela Classen
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) welcomed R. Albert Mohler Jr. to campus on October 29-30 to deliver the annual Spurgeon Lectures on Biblical Preaching.
Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, Kentucky, preached from two Old Testament passages, drawing out their applications for expositional preaching.
President Jason Allen expressed his gratitude for Mohler’s friendship over the years and his service to the church, saying, “Dr. Mohler is one who faithfully and regularly stands behinds the pulpit and preaches the Word.”
“It’s always good to have gifted lecturers. It’s always even better to have your friends,” Allen said. “Dr. Mohler is not just a dear friend to me personally but a dear friend to many of us in the room today.”
Words that will not fall
In his lecture on Tuesday, Mohler preached on God’s call of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, emphasizing the preacher’s responsibility to hear and speak God’s words.
Mohler began with an exposition of the passage, which presents Israel as a nation who did not know God’s voice. Mohler showed how, in this context of silence, God spoke to the boy Samuel and entrusted to him a message of judgment on the unfaithful priestly line, thus establishing him as a prophet.
Mohler applied the narrative to encourage expository preaching, focusing on the text’s statement that God let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
“I’m not a prophet,” Mohler said. “I’m merely a preacher. The Lord does not speak through me the way He spoke through the prophets, but I am to be the conduit whereby His Word is preached. It is His Word that He will not allow to fall to the ground.”
Addressing preachers in the room, Mohler continued, “So how can you build a ministry? How can you preach a sermon in such a way that your words will not fall to the ground? Stick to the text. Preach the text.”
Mohler gave examples of preaching that falls to the ground, both in heretical teaching that denies God’s Word and in forms of evangelical preaching that fail to exposit God’s Word.
Contrasting Charles Spurgeon’s faithful example, Mohler said, “Spurgeon would want us to know the power is in the Word of God. So we preach that Word in season and out of season, and insofar as we preach the Word, I say this not on the authority of Charles Spurgeon, but on the authority of God and His Word: None of those words will fall to the ground.”
To watch this year’s Spurgeon Lectures, click here.
