This sponsored post was prepared by Jared Wilson on behalf of Midwestern College.
I don’t always arrive for work at Midwestern Seminary before sunrise, but I often do. It was an ordinary late summer morning in Kansas City—the first rays of dawn barely a glint behind the Northland campus woods—when I pulled into the east parking lot. I am used to taking campus security by surprise with my early arrival, but on this morning, the surprise was all my own. As my headlights trailed across the asphalt, they illuminated the legs of a herd of marchers in dark sweats marching toward the Midwestern gazebos.
For a second I thought we’d been invaded. Flashbacks to an eighties childhood film favorite, Red Dawn, popped into my mind. I quietly exited my car, gathered my bag and coffee, and tried to slink onto the sidewalk when suddenly I heard a loud welcome—about thirty students shouting in unison, “Good morning, Mr. Wilson!” Turns out it was just Midwestern College’s Fusion team working their morning PT regimen, a mix of Crossfit and good ol’ fashioned calisthenics.
Fusion is a one-of-a-kind college program funded and sponsored by the International Mission Board and designed to train and teach students in missiology, practical discipleship, and international culture. Fusion students are an easy spot on campus during the day, as they’re often wearing Fusion gear and tend to travel in packs. But while I’ve grown accustomed to meeting their out-of-breath ranks in the early morning hours, in that darkness they kind of fly under the radar.
Come to think of it, Midwestern College itself is a bit like that. Until recently, it is has really flown under the radar. It is probably the best Bible college option you’ve never heard of. But that’s really a shame, because, as the Fusion students could tell you, the kind of education and training you receive here is as challenging as it is rewarding.
And Fusion isn’t the only challenge available. Called not simply to mission but to some level of local church ministry? You may be interested in the Accelerate program, a intensive course of study that rewards serious students with two degrees—B.A. and Master of Divinity—in just 5 years. Or you could always take the more traditional route and pursue one of our traditional bachelor’s or associate’s degrees, including emphases in Biblical Studies, Christian Ministry, Intercultural Studies, Worship, etc.
Midwestern college campus life also provides an ideal environment for residential studies, as the community here is warm, tight-knit, and keenly focused on gospel-centered discipleship. Sharing campus with Midwestern Seminary, one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America with an enrollment that has more than doubled in 4 years, there exists at Midwestern a shared vision between seminary and college to be “for the church.” This means our campus environments and community create not just run-of-the-mill “campus life” but a discipleship culture. Join your classmates at college dean John Mark Yeats’ home for pizza and ask him about his time at Oxford. Get mentored by your professors and other Midwestern staff members in our spiritual formation groups. Hear preaching from Dr. Yeats, Owen Strachan, myself, and others at The Gathering, an intimate college worship service meeting monthly.
If you or a loved one are looking at college options while trying to discern a call to ministry or explore opportunities for education that trains more than simply informs, I’d encourage you to consider joining us at Midwestern College. With an annual tuition rate of just $6,480, it’s also an incredibly affordable option. Most importantly, however, we’re eager to have those serious about following God’s call on their life join our growing ministry movement.
But if you do come here, please don’t yell at me in the parking lot before I’m fully awake—it freaks me out.
Request information or find out more about Midwestern College at midwesterncollege.com.
