Training for Gospel Ministry
What is our purpose?
Your Sword & Trowel purchases fund training in gospel ministry. All proceeds from our brick-and-mortar location and website sales go directly toward tuition scholarships for Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. So when you shop at Sword & Trowel in-store or online, you are not just getting a great gift or resource — you are helping to fund theological training for God’s mission in the world.
Sword & Trowel
What's in a name?
Midwestern Seminary is the proud owner of the majority of Charles H. Spurgeon’s personal library and the Heritage Collection from London's Spurgeon College, so we chose a name for our bookstore that would honor his legacy. The Sword & Trowel was the name of Spurgeon’s magazine, derived from Nehemiah 4 and the builders who worked with their tools in one hand and a sword in the other. How fitting that a place which provides books and resources for the Church would be named after such an influential resource of the past.
Coffee for the Kingdom
What is the Tomlinson Cafe?
Aside from the natural pairing of good books and great coffee, the Tomlinson Cafe serves as a place to foster community, not just for Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College but for any and all who enter. Coffee tends to bring people together, and Tomlinson Cafe seeks to do this to the glory of God and His Gospel!
An Enduring Legacy
The Meaning of the Name
Dr. Alan Tomlinson served as professor of New Testament and Greek at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College for over two decades before retiring in 2016.
Known for his impassioned classroom presentations, love of freshly brewed espresso, and a humble, cheerful walk with the Lord, Dr. Tomlinson has left an indelible mark on our institution.
Coffee for the Kingdom
The Meaning of the Mark
In 2018, the grand opening of the Mathena Student Center marked the beginning of a new era on the campus of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College.
Just as Dr. Tomlinson left an enduring mark upon the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College communities, so too will the Tomlinson Cafe bear his name in honoring his diligent service both to the school and to the Kingdom of God.