Clippard exhorts students to be ‘passionate’ during MBTS’s Missouri Baptist Day Aug. 25
Strong ties
get even stronger
By Cory Miller
Communications Director, MBTS
August 31, 2004
KANSAS CITY – Speaking to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students in chapel during Missouri Baptist Day Aug. 25, Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director Dave Clippard said, “I’ve seen a lot of guys come in (to seminary) with a full heart and empty head, and leave with a full head and empty heart.”
Then Clippard exhorted, “Don’t let it happen to you.”
Preaching from Philippians 3:10, Clippard said simply, “Passion. There’s got to be passion in your heart.”
Clippard’s appearance in chapel was part of Midwestern’s campus-wide day to honor Missouri Southern Baptists. Clippard said as he has traveled to churches across Missouri, he’s been “thrilled to see Midwestern grads throughout this state.”
“We have more than 350 Missouri-native students here at Midwestern,” Midwestern President Dr. R. Philip Roberts said. “ Missouri is our home state, and we take great care and responsibility in training the next generation of pastors and leaders who will shepherd Missouri’s churches into the 21st century. Per David Clippard’s comments, we want our graduates to have both heads full of truth and hearts full of passion for the Gospel.”
“Missouri Baptist Day is just one way to say, ‘Thank you for the work you do and the support you give,’” said Roberts of the more than 2,000 Missouri Baptist Convention churches with more than 600,000 members in the state.
Missouri Baptist Convention Worship Specialist Bill Shiflett led worship for the special chapel service, which included a solo of “Word of God Speak” by Mercy Me.
Convention leaders, Midwestern faculty and students gathered around Dr. Jim Anderson, dean of MBTS’s new undergraduate school, Midwestern Baptist College, SBC, for special prayer. The college began its first classes this August, offering fully-accredited associates degrees in evangelism and biblical studies, among others, with plans for a full bachelor’s program marked for spring 2005.
As part of Missouri Baptist Day activities, MBTS held a special open house tour for its guests, which included the Koehn-Myers Center for World Evangelism, MBTS’s recently-acquired north campus, currently in its first phase of remodeling.
“The Koehn-Myers Center for World Evangelism is named after Midwestern graduates, William Koehn and Martha Myers, who were martyred while serving the cause of Christ in Yemen,” said Roberts. “Naming this building after these great servants will serve as a reminder to our students of the ultimate sacrifices made throughout the world for Jesus Christ.”
A mid-afternoon reception at the seminary’s Vivion Farm House, a plantation-era mansion which serves as Midwestern’s guest and reception center, capped off the day’s activities.
Outside of its main campus in Kansas City, MBTS offers extension classes across the state of Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Bolivar, St. Louis, and Hannibal, all designed to equip Christian leaders for service in the Kingdom.