[1]NOBTS Caskey Center reaches 100,000 Gospel conversations milestone
By Timothy Cockes/NOBTS
NEW ORLEANS – The Caskey Center for Church Excellence at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary recently surpassed the milestone of 100,000 student-led Gospel conversations.
The 100,000 Gospel conversations mark was officially reached when Caskey Center students turned in their weekly evangelism reports on Sunday, Feb. 1.
Caskey Center students have carried out weekly evangelism efforts since the Center’s launch in 2014. To date, these Gospel conversations have resulted in more than 11,000 professions of faith, [2] with more than 1,300 taking place in 2025 alone.
Blake Newsom, director of the Caskey Center and associate professor of expository preaching, commented on the incredible significance of this milestone.
“Often times a large number like this can almost inoculate you to the impact of that number,” Newsom said.
“But when you we stop to think about this,100,000 people heard the Good News about Jesus, and they heard it entirely because of the existence of the Caskey Center at NOBTS. That means if this Center didn’t exist, it would be reasonable to assume that a very small percentage of those 100,000 people would have heard the Gospel.”
[3]Since its launch in 2014, the Caskey Center has provided resources and training for pastors and ministry staff members through scholarships, conferences and research.
The Center, named in memory of evangelistic Louisiana pastor Steve Caskey, represents the dream of an anonymous donor family to see Louisiana churches re-engage in the task of evangelism.
One of the most notable ways the Center helps pastors is through a full-tuition scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate students at NOBTS and Leavell College who serve at normative size churches in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.
To qualify for the scholarship, students must serve as paid or bi-vocational pastors or staff members in a church with an average attendance of 250 or less (Louisiana) or in churches with an average attendance of 150 or less (Alabama and Mississippi). Many of the more than 200 yearly scholarship recipients serve as lead or senior pastors.
The Center also provides additional scholarships for some students in Indiana, Montana, and Wyoming.
Samuel G. Parkison to join MBTS faculty
By Jonathan Lumley/MBTS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrates the addition of Samuel G. Parkison to full-time faculty as assistant professor of systematic theology, church history and philosophy. He will begin teaching courses in the fall of 2026.
Parkison brings with him a deep commitment to rigorous scholarship, a passion for the global Church, and a heart for forming students who are prepared to serve Christ faithfully in ministry and mission.
“One of the clearest signs of God’s favor on Midwestern Seminary is the gifted and godly faculty that God has assembled here,” said President Jason Allen. “Along these lines, I am thrilled to announce the addition of Samuel Parkison to our faculty. We are grateful that as he comes back to Kansas City from teaching abroad, he will bring a heart for the nations with him.”
Parkison has been deeply connected to Kansas City and Midwestern Seminary for many years, having received his M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from the seminary while also serving as an adjunct instructor and associate professor of Christian studies.
Ronni Kurtz, assistant professor of systematic theology, said of Parkison’s return, “Having Dr. Parkison join the faculty at Midwestern Seminary marks not only the arrival of a faithful scholar, but also one of my closest friends joining the work God is doing in Kansas City and beyond. Our families have walked closely together for years, giving me a front-row seat to his growth as both a gifted scholar and a godly man. Students will be blessed not only by his teaching but by his life. This appointment is a deep professional and personal gift.”
Parkison likewise stated his joy at the opportunity to return to Kansas City: “Kansas City has never stopped occupying a special place in our hearts,” Parkison said. “So much of our family and so many of our friends are there. There is a kind of familiarity—in the best sense—but also a fresh and vital sense of excitement at the prospect of putting hand to plow back in the Midwest.”
Parkison shared how Midwestern Seminary played a significant role in developing his outlook on ministry, saying, “It was at Midwestern Seminary that I became convinced, down to my bones, that a seminary only deserves to exist insofar as it exists for the Church.”
He previously served on the faculty of Gulf Theological Seminary in the United Arab Emirates as associate professor of theological studies, beginning in 2022. Located in the heart of the Middle East, Gulf Seminary serves a culturally, theologically, and linguistically diverse student body from around the world.
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