I want to begin by thanking pastor Gregg Boll for the opportunity to share an introduction with you. My name is Lane Harrison, and I serve as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to coming on staff at Midwestern, I served as a Trustee for the last six and a half years while I pastored the church my wife and I planted in 2004, LifePoint Church in Ozark, Missouri. I have been married to Christin for almost 32 years, and we have a son, Joshua; a daughter-in-law, Holly; and a daughter, Bethany. Neither my wife nor I are native Missourians, but we have lived here for the last 26 years and raised our children here. So, for us, Missouri is home.
I am a “preacher’s kid turned preacher” who dearly loves the local church. The son of a Southern Baptist pastor, my father intentionally served smaller, now called “normative sized” churches in both full-time and bi-vocational roles evenly divided across his 60+ years of gospel ministry. He and my mother owned and operated a full-service Christian bookstore for more than 21 years as well, where he spent great amounts of time pastoring, encouraging, and training other pastors informally. He even served as the interim Director of Missions for our association in his later years. So it is of little surprise that I began serving in my first ministerial leadership role at 19 years of age and am now completing my 36th year of gospel ministry, with 23 as a senior pastor. I share all this with you because it is the legacy through which my life has been shaped with both a deep love for and a high calling to serve God’s people in the local church.
My parents prioritized the value of my education and training for ministry. Once the Lord called me to preach as a sophomore in college, completing my training was of first order. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and languages from Ouachita Baptist University in May 1993, my Master of Divinity with biblical languages from Southwestern Seminary in May 1997, and my Doctorate of Ministry in expository preaching from Southeastern Seminary in May 2015. These three degrees may be the greatest evidence of God’s grace on my life, as I have never naturally been a student of books but more a lover of people. One value my biblical and theological education has deeply embedded in me is the need for pastors to pursue as much quality training as possible for the challenges of ministry today. So, with a deep desire and calling to train young ministers to run the race of faithfulness in such a way to win, I want to be a part of training and strengthening pastors for the Church and for the Kingdom.
My role at Midwestern is Advancement, to strengthen the institution to train as many young men and women as possible. The last decade of pastoring has brought me an increasing burden for this generation to rise above the challenges they face, namely the rising costs of higher education, in preparing for ministry and earning their degrees. When Dr. Allen presented me the opportunity for this role, I was humbled and overwhelmed at the thought of being able to give my time and energy to this very work, and at such a premier institution like Midwestern. The Lord Jesus is worthy, the Church has a growing need to fulfill her commission, and the Lord is calling many in this generation to His service. I labor so that any who sense the Lord’s call can be trained, with no added hindrance or barrier of financial burden, to a lifetime of service in the local church.
May I conclude this introduction with an invitation? Would you prayerfully consider joining us in this great work? For the Church is a worthy investment of time and resource for every Christian, so that the next generation can be given a legacy of faithfulness to pass on. If you would like more information on how to support the work of Midwestern, I would love to talk with you personally. Feel free to email me at lharrison@mbts.edu or call me at (417) 844-7215.
May you know the Lord’s richest blessing in your life, home, and ministry this Easter season!
Dr. M. Lane Harrison
