March 31, 2003

Truett students launch mission journal
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WACO--A new theological journal will emerge from Baylor University's Truett Seminary in April, but it won't be written by the seminary's faculty.
___Instead, the Truett Journal of Church and Mission will be a product of student contributions, said Scott Bertrand, student editor.
___The idea for the mission-focused journal emerged from a meeting of seminary students with mission concentrations, Bertrand said. In discussing their written work from class, they desired to involve people outside the seminary in the conversation.
___Journal issues will focus on the structure and mission of the church and discuss mission concepts, Bertrand said. While the publication is an academic effort, the editorial board is trying to get the readership to make practical applications to ministry with discussion questions.
___"We don't view this journal as the conclusion," said Bertrand, a third-year student. "We view it as a starting point."
___Articles in the semiannual periodical are meant to "stretch" the reader slightly as the seminary students were "stretched" upon first reading them, Bertrand said. He hopes the effort will widen the conversation about mission and encourage people to re-examine their ministries.
___"The best possible outcome would be that the people who read it would begin to think in a fresh way about things they've always done," Bertrand explained. "At the end of the day, what's on our papers is irrelevant. What matters is that people are thinking, sharing and taking rejuvenated ministry into the world."
___All believers, not just church staff, can benefit from reading the periodical, Bertrand said. Editors have tried to make the articles readable for everyone and to plainly state the core issues being discussed.
___The publication provides a link between the seminary's students and the world of believers beyond the seminary, said Michael Stroope, faculty editor of the journal and associate professor at Truett. Readers, he added, will be able to give the students feedback about their work, furthering the mission dialogue and building a relationship between the seminary and ministers.
___With additional funding from churches, organizations and individuals, the editors hope to distribute a free year's subscription to as many people as possible.
___For more information, or to subscribe, contact Stroope at (254) 710-6745 or the editorial board at truettjournal@baylor.edu.

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