NEW ORLEANS -- To help bridge the gap between seminaries and local churches, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has launched the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry (BCTM), Baptist Press reported.
"Theology should energize the ministries of our churches," said Stan Norman, associate professor of theology at the seminary. "The BCTM is devoted to making theology live within the practice of ministry."
Norman, author of "More Than Just a Name: Preserving Our Baptist Identity," is the center's director.
BCTM's online journal, the Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry, will be published bi-annually and address key issues in Baptist theology and polity, according to BP. The first issue covers a range of topics including evangelism, divorce and Cooperative Program issues.
While BCTM was started at New Orleans Seminary, Norman said he wants other college and seminary professors, and pastors to embrace the idea.
"I want this to be a network of all our denominational resources…drawing them all together for this collaborative effort of doing theology for the church," Norman told the news service. "I want us to address issues that really matter and can really change the local church."
The center is a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources, the resource arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
