A brief history and philosophy of theological education at Central Baptist Theological Seminary.

Before joining the faculty of Central Seminary in 1995, I must admit I knew little of this historic seminary, the first Baptist seminary west of the Mississippi. The names of W. W. Adams and H. E. Dana (1) were familiar from my days at Southern, but I was not aware of their distinguished service at Central. My roots were nourished in Southern Baptist life in northeastern Oklahoma, (2) and we presumed we were the only Baptists around! In the aftermath of my "forced resignation"--a nice euphemism for firing--at Southern Seminary in the fall of 1994, I was looking for a new spiritual homeplace in which to offer my vocation as a theologian, an equipper of ministers. At the same time, providentially, Central was seeking to expand its constituency. The board, led by the president, sought to reach out to marginalized moderate Southern Baptists; in a sense, this was a return to the historic vocation of Central, a place designed to educate the Baptists of this area, that included Northern (now American), Southern, (3) Progressive, National, as well as other denominations. The lines between Baptists were not drawn so firmly at the turn of the century when the Kansas City Theological Seminary (our first name) was founded. (4) By the 1950s, however, the wonderful collaboration between the northern and southern cousins in the Baptist family began to have strained relationships, and another Baptist theological institution was formed. I will not try to interpret fully the reasons for this rupture in the brief compass of my presentation; perchance, even in this august gathering there likely would be differing interpretations of our forebears' decisions.

In the early 1990s, as we all can bear witness, lines were clearly drawn and something of a diaspora was occurring. In the second year of his presidency, Thomas Clifton comprehended the shift in Baptist life and sought to provide a hospitable place where a "Baptist family reunion" could take place. And indeed, at Central, it is.

I want to outline our beginnings, tell a few of the notable facts about Central, and describe the kind of students we are seeking to form. We are grateful for our calling to serve Christ and the Church here in the Midwest for nearly one hundred years.

A Venture of Faith

Reverend E. B. Meredith, missionary secretary of the Kansas Baptist State Convention, was a man of vision and great faith. In the early part of 1900, he began to gather others around him who yearned to found a seminary. Not only did he plant the seeds with other ministers, he also awakened the citizens of Kansas City to the promise such an institution could hold for the whole community. (5) On August 17, 1901, Reverend Meredith convened the first board meeting in his home in order to purchase property for the founding of a seminary. (6) Baptists of varied stripe were a part of this earnest, but inauspicious beginning. As a bonus for locating the school in the city, the Mercantile Club of Kansas City, Kansas, pledged to give the fledgling seminary $5,000, greatly helping defray the start up cost of $12,500 (which included the purchase of the Fowler mansion to house the seminary.)

The first charter of the Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary stated that the purpose for its founding was "for the education and training of ministers of the gospel, missionaries and teachers to the end that men may be saved through the presentation of the truth revealed in God's word." (7) From the very beginning, the seminary sought to welcome a variety of educational backgrounds as well as persons from other ecclesial traditions. As early as 1903, the seminary catalogue articulated this ecumenical vision:

   While the seminary was founded primarily for the education of Baptist
   ministers, it admits students of other denominations having the ministry in
   view. It also welcomes others who are desirous of a theological training
   for better service in the Lord's kingdom, even though they do not
   anticipate entering the ministry. (8)

Central has sustained this vision of inclusion, striving always to be both evangelical and ecumenical.

The seminary formally opened in the fall of 1902, with four faculty members and six students. Our accrediting bodies would laud us for such a professor-to-student ratio today! By the fall of 1903, forty-five students had enrolled, "the most rapid seminary growth on record," (9) according to James H. Wright Jr., an earlier historian. Through the years, Central has offered several different degrees, ranging from a Diploma, to the B.D., M.R.E., M.A.R.S., M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., D.R.E., and Th.D. Presently we offer a Diploma and two degrees, M.Div. and M.A. in Religious Studies. Each program has stressed the essential need for preparation "to enable the minister to take his [her] place as intellectual and spiritual leader in his [her] community ...," (10) believing ministers are called to be both servant and critic of the church. (11)

What theological understanding guided the young seminary? In 1917 the board added to the by-laws this instruction:

   All regular professors in the seminary whose departments have to do with
   essentials of the faith and doctrinal teaching be required to assent to the
   "New Hampshire Confession" with the distinct and definite understanding
   that if at any future time their views shall come to diverge in any
   substantial way from the statements of that document they shall feel it
   honor bound to sever their relations with the seminary. (12)

The school, "by conviction, tradition, and practice regards itself as conservative, and has always been true to the historical Baptists principles." (13) [Perhaps this conservative perspective is reflected in the seminary's 1952-53 catalogue that notes: "students who smoke are not eligible for scholarship or other special financial aid from the Seminary."] The Board of Directors at their annual meeting, May 4, 1938, approved the following statement for publication:

   We, the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary,
   do most heartily and unreservedly declare our belief in the divine
   inspiration, authenticity, and authority of the Bible as the word of God,
   and in the New Testament as the rule of faith and practice in the Christian
   Church.

      We gladly reaffirm, also, our assent to the New Hampshire Confession of
   Faith, not as an authoritative creed or perfect expression of divine truth,
   but as a cautious, moderate, and balanced statement of the doctrines
   commonly received among Baptists. (14)

As I have researched how this confessional statement has been used at Central Seminary, I have been impressed that it has functioned in an appropriately Baptist fashion. It has not been elevated above Scripture; it has not been officially interpreted, rather left to the individual conscience; it has been recognized as human construction; and, one could freely enter into dialogue with its presuppositions as an early nineteenth-century summary statement of Baptist doctrine, with its intentionally subdued Calvinism.

To the best of my knowledge, the only time the statement has been used as a theological corrective occurred in 1971 when three faculty resigned following "a serious polarization of understanding about the purpose of the school with relationship to preparing men for pastoral and church related ministries and about the historical statement of theological faith of the school." (15) The practice of having new professors sign their pledge to teach in accordance with the statement dropped aside in the 1950s, but obviously not the expectation that each professor would teach in accordance with these principles.

Expressions of Faith

Anyone familiar with the story of Central knows that it has persevered in a remarkable way given its many challenges, financial and ecclesial. In my estimation, it is "the little seminary that could." Reading through the minutes of the Board of Directors, one quickly discovers that on several occasions whether the seminary would be able to continue its mission was in question.

At one time, Central depended greatly on the seminary farm to help sustain the school. In board minutes from 1943, Dr. Cowles offered the following report:

   We have 25 acres of corn that will produce over 1,000 bushels, four acres
   of high geer, two acres of later crop of high geer, twenty acres of
   alfalfa, twelve acres of soy beans for the cows. We have 3 sows, 4 hogs,
   and 4 milk cows. We have 4 cows to butcher, 24 sheep, 5 yearling heifers, 3
   calves and 1 bull. We have 350 laying hens and 250 in locker for seminary,
   one acre of watermelons, a grinding mill, etc.... moved to buy two
   additional milk cows. (16)

And this was a prosperous year! A report from 1939 noted the purchase of two cows and chickens for the seminary "with the hope that a saving will be made to the dining room expense." (17) Through hard years, Central has maintained its keen sense of vocation as an institution founded for the sole purpose of assisting the church in its mission through theological education.

Central has also expressed its faith by being prophetically inclusive. Early on, it made a place for women. By 1909, women were being admitted to classes; some of these were wives of ministerial students, others sensed calling "to fit themselves for greater usefulness in Christian service." (18) This receptive attitude toward women has persisted in Central's history. (19) In 1946, Cora Mary Hawn had the singular honor of being the first woman to receive the degree of Doctor of Theology from Central Seminary. By the time the 1952-53 catalogue was published, gender specific language was used: "It is the policy of the Central Baptist Theological Seminary ... to accept as regular students and to grant degrees to men and women." Presently, about 40 percent of our student body is comprised of women.

In 1947, Central witnessed another significant milestone as Maynard Turner received his Th.D. degree, the first black student to receive this award from Central. Through the years Central has been intent on reaching out to the black community, not always successfully, but with the conviction that this is God's irrevocable mandate. The location of the seminary and its deep concern for social justice expressed through racial equality has helped prompt attentiveness to this issue. Despite the racism of the time, in 1957-58, distinguished African-American pastor of First Baptist Church, Kansas City, Kansas, E. A. Freeman (a doctoral graduate of Central), served as an officer in the Alumni Association. Further, an enduring partnership with the Burma seminary has also enriched the quality of theological education at Central as we have exchanged scholars, welcomed students, and celebrated the expanse of the Body of Christ.

From 1950 to 1955, serious discussions were held concerning the relationship of the Southern Baptist Convention to Central. After several attempts to "take it over" as a Southern Baptist seminary (the language used in the minutes of May 5, 1950), always resisted by Central's board, the SBC withdrew its support of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in 1956. At that time the decision was made for Central to "declare itself definitely and positively to be aligned with the American Baptist Convention." (20) A very difficult time ensued, for the year 1956 changed the course of history for the seminary. Remarkably, a year later the catalogue stated in graceful language the abiding intent of Central: "the Seminary continues to serve Baptists of several conventions, attempting to serve the entire area in which it is located and to create harmony and understanding." (21)

In the spring of 1994, President Clifton carried forth this desire by meeting with leadership of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as Central "began to broaden its constituency base by reaffirming its position as a seminary offering quality theological education for Baptists." (22) The board revised the Mission Statement in February 1995 to include "full support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship." This was a return to Central's historic mission as an inclusive Baptist institution. By God's grace, this expression of faith has given new life to our school.

Formation of Faith

Spiritual Formation is not a term one would have typically heard at seminaries other than Roman Catholic twenty-five years ago, but now it is a subject of much discussion and activity. The first reference (using the nomenclature of spiritual formation) to this need in the life of our seminary appears in the 1979-80 catalogue. The seminary community adopted a statement concerning this essential task, an excerpt of which follows:

   Spiritual formation is growth of all relationships toward wholeness in
   Jesus Christ.... The process is the opening of the human spirit to the Holy
   Spirit at work in every dimension of human existence (cognitive, affective,
   and physical) integrating all of life through the love and grace of Jesus
   Christ. The process is the forming of Christ in a human being. (23)

It was not until 1996 that the Association of Theological Schools added spiritual formation to the criteria for seminary accreditation; Central was already attending to this vital aspect of theological education. Formation may be a one word description of what we do in seminary. As stated in our present catalogue:

   Spiritual formation is the continuing work of God's Spirit in the life of
   the believer in the context of Christian community. As Christ is formed
   within, each Christian is equipped and empowered to fulfill God's call to
   ministry (diakonia), to worship (leitourgia), and to participate in
   community (koinonia) which builds up the whole Body of Christ. (24)

Obviously, spiritual formation does not occur only in those courses that are a part of the Spiritual Formation Curriculum. It must permeate every aspect of our life together in community--classroom, chapel, table, conversation, early morning prayer, even faculty meetings! Our midwifery of grace, our encouragement toward birthing a ministry vocation, requires the labor of formation; it also requires our love. Long ago St. Augustine remarked: "if you want to know whether a person is good, do not ask what she believes or hopes, but what she loves." Forming students requires that we serve as means of grace in the lives of our students through loving attention.

In a recent Christian Century interview, Dan Aleshire, executive director of ATS, made this observation about what is expected of seminaries in these days:

   Clearly, there has been a change in the ecology of ministerial call and
   formation. More of it is located in the life of the seminary [whereas
   formerly it was located in the church] and the seminary is struggling to do
   a good job. Seminaries are trying to figure out how to be appropriately
   rigorous intellectual environments, while at the same time they are being
   asked to provide remedial work on what it means to be a believer before God
   and a community of believers.... (25)

In 1989, Central adopted a mission statement that speaks to these concerns. Under the leadership of our able dean, James Hines, we take this statement seriously in our curriculum design and community life. We are seeking to form men and women

called by God to be leaders for the church of Jesus Christ who are

theologically articulate
biblically knowledgeable
spiritually healthy
humanly sensitive
professionally competent

and who respond to the Holy Spirit in the ministries of reconciling, proclaiming, and teaching throughout the world. (26)

Obviously, the whole of this statement is about formation of faith and its expression in ministry. We at Central believe that formation is not simply a human work; it is God's work and our work. It is a life-long transformation in which we become most fully ourselves and more and more like Christ. And formation in faith occurs best in community.

On the cusp of Central's second century for Christ and the church, in humility we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, in the descriptive words of St. Bernard de Chartes. Sacrificial giving, stubborn, Spirit-inspired labor, and deep joy in "not growing weary in well doing" have sustained our good school. Soli Deo Gloria!

Endnotes

(1.) At the inauguration of Harvey Eugene Dana as president in 1938, among the special guest speakers was L. R. Scarborough, president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

(2.) Interestingly, both Northern and Southern Baptists shared pioneering Baptist work in Indian Territory. Several churches, such as my home church, First Baptist Church of Muskogee, Oklahoma, related to both conventions in the early 1900s.

(3.) From the May 17,1933, board minutes we learn: "One-half of the student body is from Southern Baptist Convention territory. In recent years continued effort has been made to promote a helpful and happy understanding between these two great Christian forces."

(4.) The name was changed on 25 April 1941, to Central Baptist Theological Seminary.

(5.) The primary historical source for this material is Chronology of Early Baptists in Kansas and "The Seminary" compiled by Betty S. Gibson in 1990. She is a local author and historian and served, at that time, as executive secretary for development for Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Mrs. Gibson consulted board minutes, an early "Preliminary Statement," issues of the Voice (a seminary publication), and two earlier histories of the seminary written for the fiftieth and seventy-fifth anniversaries of the founding of the school. Hereafter, references will be noted as Chronology. Other materials are drawn from ATS/NCA Self-studies for accreditation and seminary catalogues dating back to 1903. I am indebted to my graduate assistant, Jerrod H. Hugenot, for his meticulous research.

(6.) The following men were present: Rev. Meredith; Rev. F. L. Streeter, pastor Armourdale Baptist Church; Rev. F. C. Bingham, pastor First Baptist Church; Rev. J. F. Wells, pastor Edgerton Place Baptist Church; Rev. B. W. Wiseman, Kansas editor Word and Way; Rev. S. M. Brown, editor Word and Way; Rev. Z. Nason, M.D., Armourdale Baptist Church; Deacon Chas. Lovelace, Turner Baptist Church; and Rev. W. C. Stiver, pastor Third Baptist Church. See Chronology, 8, for further details.

(7.) Chronology, 8.

(8.) Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary, 1903 Catalogue, 7.

(9.) James H. Wright Jr., A Half-Century of Vision, 1950, cited in Chronology, 13.

(10.) Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary, 1916 Catalogue, 11.

(11.) This perceptive language is drawn from the 1978-79 catalogue and underscores our sense of the Reformation principle, semper ecclesia reformanda.

(12.) Chronology, 20.

(13.) Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary, 1938-39 Catalogue, 8. A later catalogue (1970-72) acknowledged that under the guidance of H. E. Dana, who served from 1938 until his death in 1945, and his successor, W. W. Adams (1946-54) the seminary "earned a coveted reputation for biblical interpretation, missionary zeal, and a world-wide outreach of service to all Baptists."

(14.) Ibid.

(15.) Chronology, 90.

(16.) Chronology, 52.

(17.) Chronology, 44.

(18.) Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary, 1909 Catalogue, 10.

(19.) In 1917, the seminary founded the Women's Missionary Training School. This school is

   the fruit of a long-standing conviction that the consecrated Christian
   womanhood of the Middle West should be given an opportunity to fit itself
   specifically for Christian work amid the surroundings and influences of the
   section in which, aside from the foreign field, it is chiefly to do its
   work. It was also felt that nowhere could the effective and helpful
   training required be so well obtained as under the shadow of a theological
   seminary, whose teaching, library, and other facilities could be freely
   available and would give the high scholarship and broad outlook so
   necessary. In this thought the Seminary was stimulated by the example of
   the two great Seminaries of the South, the Southern and Southwestern, which
   had felt that in no other way could the needs of their section be met, and
   had established such schools for the training both of ministers' wives and
   other workers. (Statement in 1917 catalogue, 39). In 1956, the seminary
   board voted to eliminate this school of Christian training.

(20.) Board minutes, May 4, 1956.

(21.) Central Seminary, 1957-58 Catalogue, 12.

(22.) ATS/NCA Self-Study, April 1996, 11.

(23.) Central Seminary, 1979-80 Catalogue, 5.

(24.) Central Seminary, 1998-2000 Catalogue, 6.

(25.) "Seminaries and the Ecology of Faith: An interview with Daniel Aleshire," The Christian Century, February 3-10, 1999, 111.

(26.) Central Seminary, 1998-2000 Catalogue, 3.

Molly T. Marshall is professor of theology and spiritual formation, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Kansas.