By T. Patrick Hudson
Midwestern Seminary launched the website, FTC.co, today (April 22) with the goal of providing gospel-centered resources intended to engage, encourage, and equip those ministering within the local church.
The site, which will be overseen by managing editor, Jared Wilson, will host blogs, articles, practical application tools, and many other resources to assist current pastors, ministry leaders, and lay men and women in their ministry roles.
“Our primary goal in establishing FTC.co is to provide church leaders, from all walks of ministry life, with gospel-centered resources that are pastoral, practical, and devotional,” said Jason Allen, Midwestern Seminary’s president. “In doing so, we intend for the site to be relevant to the needs of the church and its leaders as well. Because the Bible is always relevant, our content will be well-sourced and grounded in God’s inerrant, authoritative Word.”
Contributing to the site’s resources will be writers and speakers from both inside the seminary and out.
“We have a variety of individuals participating as regular contributors,” said Charles Smith, Midwestern Seminary’s vice president of Institutional Relations. “We will definitely glean from the experience and research base of many of our seminary’s professors and administrators. There will also be significant contributions from people with experience in pastoral ministry positions or in other organizational ministry roles. A few will be thoughtful Christian lay leaders who write extremely well. You will find most of the contributions come from those in pastoral ministry, though.”
The primary content type will be written pieces — articles published in blog format. However, the site will also feature video resources – both short form and long form – interviews, sermons, and conference talks. The content will be featured in ways that generally represent three major categories: pastoral, practical, and devotional. There are also plans to experiment with long-form articles.
The pastoral category will feature pieces generally written by current ministry leaders that are focused toward their peers. The intent of the articles, Wilson said, is to provide gospel-centered encouragement “to those eager to see the church grow in spirit and mission, and to glorify Jesus Christ.”
Other works will focus on the practical aspects of ministry. The idea is to provide a plan for addressing problems or issues in the Christian life or ministry, Wilson said. “Our writers are seeking to diagnose the heart of the issue and root their application in the finished work of Christ,” he added.
The final general category on the site consists of the devotional aspects of ministers’ lives. “The content here is developed to help our readers treasure Christ more greatly, know Him more deeply, and orient them around His gospel more stubbornly. These biblical reflections, theological meditations, and spiritual illustrations are designed to help our readers enjoy grace and delight in God,” Wilson noted.
Additionally, great effort will be placed on keeping fresh material on the site. “The website will feature new content daily, so there will always be something new on the site for visitors and subscribers,” Smith said. “We encourage our reader base to check back in often for fresh resources to assist them in ministry.”
Wilson, who has experience both in ministry leadership and in published authorship/writing, will be responsible for the overall editorial vision of the site, to recruit writers and solicit articles, to edit submissions, and to contribute content as well.
“My primary goal moving forward is to help establish that FTC.co is a widely-read and greatly trusted resource for those seeking encouragement in the gospel,” Wilson said. “There is a lot of noise out there, especially for Christians seeking biblical nourishment. I’d love to carve out a niche for ourselves as a place where Christian leaders can always count on being fed and encouraged. I don’t think one can have enough good news.”
In addition to FTC.co going live online, Midwestern Seminary plans to host upcoming events to bring its emphasis on existing for the church to bear both locally and around the Southern Baptist Convention.
During the SBC’s annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the seminary will host an FTC regional conference luncheon, entitled “FTC at SBC.” The event will take place on Tuesday, June 16 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. The 90-minute event will feature Allen, Matt Carter, Mark Dever, Ronnie Floyd, Paige Patterson, Jared Wilson and others. To register for “FTC at SBC,” visit mbts.edu.
Additionally, on Aug. 31-Sept. 1, Midwestern Seminary will hold its second annual For the Church Conference on its Kansas City campus. The two-day event will have the theme, “For the Church & Truth,” based on 1 Timothy 3:15, and is designed to equip and encourage pastors and leaders for the Church. Joining Allen will be H.B. Charles, Russell Moore, Darrin Patrick, David Platt, Jared Wilson and worship led by August Gate. To register for this event, visit mbts.edu/for-the-church-conference.
