“CENTRAL Wisconsin is committed to the education and development of 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.”
This inspiring mission statement can be found in older versions of seminary literature. I return to it frequently as a reminder of the seminary’s reason for being in this place and in this time. Fundamentally, we exist to aid in the preparation for ministry of those called by God.
But in carrying out that mission (and ministry), I do believe that our work extends out through those students to the churches and pastors in our region, particularly in our unique location here in Wisconsin as partners with American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. I also like to say that part of that mission includes helping make CENTRAL Wisconsin a “safe place” for faithful, rigorous theological reflection – something that is going on all the time in our churches. We do that in small ways through various programmatic offerings and gatherings of alumni as well as partnerships with the Ministers Council and other ministry partners.
Another way that CENTRAL Wisconsin encourages theological reflection and scholarship is through writing and sharing. American Baptist Quarterly, the journal of the American Baptist Historical Society, has been a great resource for reflection on American Baptist theological, ecclesial, and historical life for some time. Several CBTS and CENTRAL Wisconsin faculty have contributed to this peer-reviewed journal. For this and many other reasons, we wish to endorse and extend the “Call for Papers” from ABQ on upcoming themes:
| UPCOMING THEMES | Submit by: |
| The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. | September 1, 2018 |
| Reception of Evangelical Mission in India | December 1, 2018 |
| Celebrating Women in Ministry | March 1, 2019 |
I’m confident that these themes appeal to many thoughtful and qualified persons in ABC/WI life. I encourage you to submit a paper written from original research.
Articles and essays should be between 6,000 and 10,000 words. If you are interested in submitting a paper for one of the upcoming issues, please contact the editors Curtis Freeman (CFreeman@div.duke.edu) and Laura Levens (Laura.Levens@bsk.edu) as soon as possible.
May we all continue to write and to share, creating and tending to a “safe place” for faithful reflection.