Memphis City Seminary

If you're looking to add some new voices to your reference shelf, President Taylor Tollison recommends checking out The New Testament in Color! Written by a team of multi-ethnic Bible scholars, this commentary combines diverse voices to illuminate the New Testament.

We are thrilled to announce Kelvin J. Washington is joining the MCS team as a Visiting Professor! 🎉

Dr. Washington is a pastor and theologian who is committed to seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ transform every area of life. Through his ministry, he desires to help believers apply the truths about Jesus to all of life. He serves as the Lead Pastor of New Valley Church, in Waynesboro, Virginia. He, alongside, his wife and a core team of eight people helped plant New Valley Church in January of 2020. Dr. Washington serves as an Adjunct Professor at Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses on Christian Theology, Culture, Social Justice, and Race Relations. His various works focus on equipping the church to understand how the gospel shapes every life, culture, and public witness. His writing often reflects on the contributions of the African American theological tradition and the witness of black evangelicals. Along with his pastoral ministry and scholarship, Dr. Washington hosts the podcast Gospel Culture, which exists to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ transform us and the world.

Join us in welcoming Claude Atcho as an official MCS Visiting Professor! We are thrilled to have him on board. 👏

Claude is the pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Charlottesville, VA. Previously, he served as a church planter in Boston, MA, and as a pastor in Memphis, TN. He's the award-winning author of Reading Black Books: How African-American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just (Brazos, 2022) and Rhythms of Faith: A Devotional Pilgrimage Through the Church Year (Waterbrook, 2025). Holding graduate degrees in both English and Theological Studies, Rev. Atcho is also a doctoral student in New Testament, studying at Trinity Bristol.

We designed our class structures with you in mind! All classes can be accessed in Memphis with no travel to other cities and vary between three convenient in-person formats to make them as accessible as possible for full-time workers:

📚 1 Evening Per Week
Courses are regularly offered on a weeknight for consecutive weeks throughout the semester.

📚 2 Weekends Per Semester
Our courses are often offered as weekend intensives, meeting twice a semester. Generally, our weekend courses meet on Friday nights from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

📚 3 Day Intensives
Typically, one or two courses are offered per semester in a 3-day intensive format.

We are honored to have graduates like Denny doing Kingdom work around the world!

The summer term is just around the corner, and it's not too late to sign up as an auditor!

Hebrew Exegesis
Three Saturdays | May 16, June 6, and July 18

Philosophy of Ministry
Three-Day Intensive | July 9-11 | Jeremy Jones, PhD & Taylor Tollison, PhD Candidate

African American Hermeneutics and Homiletics*
Three Day Intensive | May 28-May 30 | Sherelle Ducksworth, PhD & Rev. Rufus Smith IV, D.D.
*This class counts exclusively toward the four-course African American Christianity Specialized Certificate.

Addressing Community Needs in Counseling
Three Day Intensive | August 6-8 | Lou F. Martin, Ed.D., LPC-MHSP
*This class counts exclusively toward the four-course Community Counseling Specialized Certificate.

Register to audit today: https://memphiscityseminary.edu/course-audit-form.

Whether you're just dipping your toes into the world of theological research and writing or are an old hat looking for a refresher, we can't recommend From Topic to Thesis enough! This little but mighty book walks you through five clear steps to get from a research assignment to a research argument.

We are overjoyed to welcome Dr. Mark Catlin to the MCS team! 🎉

Dr. Catlin holds a PhD in OId Testament from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an MDiv and MABL from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and an undergraduate degree in Classics from Samford University. For the past seven years, Mark has served as Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Union University, where he also directed the Master of Christian Studies and Master of Arts in Bible and Theology programs. His areas of research include the book of Isaiah, biblical theology, idolatry, the image of God, and the New Testament use of the Old. Mark also serves as an elder at Midtown Baptist Church in Memphis, TN where he lives with his wife, Kimberly, and their four children Sam (16), Molly (14), Sara (11), and Andrew (9). When he is not in the classroom or the pulpit, Mark can be found cheering on his kids at tracks, theaters, baseball fields, and basketball courts around town, enjoying great food with Kimberly, and playing the occasional game of pickleball (when he isn't injured). Mark is excited to join the wonderful team at Memphis City Seminary to advance the kingdom of God by educating, equipping, and mobilizing Christ-like leaders for effective gospel ministry.

Spring has sprung, and it's a time for new beginnings! Discover if MCS might be your next chapter. Visit memphiscityseminary.edu to learn more about our seminary, or email [email protected] to schedule a meeting.

💡 Class Spotlight 💡 Last month, our Multi-Ethnic and Urban Ministry class put the pedal to the metal for a three day intesnive!