Going to Seminary

Many of the posts here on GTS have pointed out that seminary students realize during their academic career just how starved they were for formal training. Even students who were reared in church all their lives have commented on how little they actually knew about the richness in God’s Word that can be discovered by learning new study methods or language principles.

That’s where leaving a legacy for someone else can be so important. Many of our young men and women coming up in our churches as the leaders of tomorrow may feel that they do not have time for seminary. Many men and women who are answering or hearing God’s call later in their lives may feel that they do not have time either. The fact is, though, that they are just as in need of solid training as those taking a more traditional academic track.

It is also worthy to note that with the multiple options available today due to technology that there is very little reason that someone can’t further their education in at least some fashion. There are classes available for little to no cost at most denominational associations. There are online studies and blogs that lend themselves to students and learners who wish to enhance and deepen their biblical knowledge. And there are a growing number of seminaries that are increasing the online availability of their content so people can take classes without uprooting their lives.

So how is this at all related to a legacy? It’s easy – we need to, as seminary students and graduates, convey to others the richness we have realized as a result of our formal training. Here are a few simple steps that will help you leave a legacy that will go beyond the degree you receive in seminary.

1. Work to dispel the myth that seminary is not needed. Sure – seminary to some may seem like a waste of time and money. And certainly I have experienced classes that seem to be less useful in ministry than others I have taken. But I have yet to take a class that offered nothing to me in light of my ministry calling. All of the classes I have taken have given me at least a portion of insight that I did not have before taking them. Your opinion of the value of seminary may be the qualifier that someone is looking for to go ahead and take the first step toward enrollment.

2. There is no such thing as “when I have time!” If we all waited until we had time to do that “next thing” in our lives – we would NEVER get to them. Ministry is just as demanding, if not more, than any other vocation. And since we are focused on matters that are spiritual, it can be easy to drop in to a belief of “I can’t spend time on my training because my ministry will suffer.” The truth of the matter is that ministry will be enhanced by further training. Helping ministers realize that they will be a more effective by pursuing training may be the gentle nudge they need to readjust their priorities and make time for seminary.

3. It doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.” Some people will know right-off-the-bat that they will not be able to complete any type of seminary degree. They will either not have all of the resources to pay for it or they will convince themselves that they just do not have the time to do it. But they can take at least one course or two every year. Be the voice of reason for someone by telling them that even though they may not be able to complete an entire degree – they can take a class or two here and there that will help them be more effective in ministry. This will allow them to focus on classes that are specific to their ministry focus and will allow them to be exposed to the seminary process. Who knows – they might even find a way to give more time to their training and pursue more creative avenues for paying for it.

4. If you can – put your money where your mouth is. It is no secret that the academic community has been just as affected by the current economic situation as other companies and institutions. The tragedy here, though, is that the value of their impact on the spiritual pulse of our nations and world is very significant as their training impacts the ministers of our nation and world. If you know of someone who needs to be pursuing seminary in some fashion and you are able to do so – offer to pay for a portion of his or her classes or for all of them. If you do not have that capability, use some of the resources you found for yourself when paying for seminary to help persons push their creative boundaries for resourcing their schooling. Your investment will leave a more significant mark on their lives and the lives they will touch for God’s Kingdom than any Greek organization.

I wonder if you have a growing list of things you are going to do “when you get time.” For most people there seems to be at least a few things that are on a project list that are waiting for the right time or resources to be implemented. Some of these have more to do with the way we structure our priorities, and others are just waiting for the right pieces to fall in place. Either way, I bet that list (for most of us) is getting longer – not shorter.

My wife and I have experienced this at a couple of times in our marriage. We tried to get the timing right for me to step into fulltime ministry from a parttime role. We tried to wait for the right time to have a child. Once our boy came on the scene we wanted to wait for the right time for her to become a stay-at-home-mom.

In these few cases and SO many more, if we had truly waited for the “perfect” time – we would still be waiting. We have found it easy to find multiple reasons for delaying some life-changing decision; everyone does. But we have also learned that once we acted on those things – God provided. In fact, it became difficult to understand why we had not acted sooner rather than later.

I have had a similar experience with seminary and it became even more evident to me as I completed my journey at Rockbridge Seminary last month. For several weeks I had been longing for (and dreading a bit) the day when I had a week with no assigned reading, with no papers due at midnight, or some other seminary-related action to complete.
I just knew that once I graduated I would have tons of time to jump into the ever-growing pile of books I want to read. I would have more quality time to spend with my family. I was looking so forward to my well-deserved break of doing whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it.

My realization, however, was found on the opposite end of my assumption of all the free time I had coming. What I found is that I have absoutley no idea how I ever completed seminary! When I look at my schedule, there is no room for classes, homework, or papers. There is no time for me to engage professors or fellow students. And defintely no time to read page after page of something that I’m certain would make even God yawn two pages into it.

My point is that if you are waiting for the perfect time to jump in to furthering your education – that time might be right now. If you are thinking that you just can’t add one more thing or that your schedule is too cluttered – just ask yourself if that situation will be better, worse, or the same a year from now. My bet is that you will be just as busy or busier later as you are right now.

Now, admittedly, there are significant reasons to delay the timing of such an important decision, and the contributing factors are much broader than the scope of this post. But waiting for life to cease its incredible demand on you physcially, emotionally, and spiritually will be a long, long wait. Why not jump in and give it a go for a semester? See if you are able to do with seminary the same thing you do with every other hurdle life throws at you – face it head-on and conquer it through Him!

When I began my online seminary degree three years ago, I was a bit hesitant because I feared that the substance that the final degree – the actual paper I would receive – might not be as “weighty” in the minds of those who had received a traditional degree from a brick and mortar institution.  I also feared that places I might have opportunity to serve would not consider my Master of Divinity degree from an online institution a “real” degree.  I must admit that even now after completing my online seminary journey, I get questions from would-be seminary students about my experience at Rockbridge and inquiries for my evaluation of the value of the experience.  I am so happy when someone opens the door for me to talk about it.

My first response to these questions is an answer that I came to when asking myself whether or not I should pursure training online.  I had to come to grips with the “why” of my desire to go to any seminary. When I enrolled in Rockbridge, my call to vocational ministry had been clearly affirmed many times and I had over 15 years of ministry experience.  But I didn’t have any formal training to support the calling that was so clear in my life.  This training was not critical for me to continue ministry as I felt confident God would open doors for me to continue to be his servant.  Rather, the larger realization for me was my desire to learn more to be a more effective agent in His Kingdom work.

The other affirmation was my assessment of other training opportunities at my disposal.  When I considered my options for training as a man with a family, serving in a ministry that I was certain God did not want me to disengage, and a budget that did not include Masters level training – my options were limited to online offerings or some other type of distance learning.  To help assess these options, I sought the counsel of someone who both valued continuing education and was a product of the traditional brick and mortar learning experience: my senior pastor who holds several degrees including two masters and a doctorate from Vanderbilt.

His encouragement to me was the value of the learning experience – no matter what the final paper might suggest to others.  We looked deeply into the mission of Rockbridge Seminary as well as other opportunities that were available to me.  Our discovery was that the quality of the learning experience at Rockbridge would fit well my learning style and my available schedule to complete my training.  But even more importantly, we found that the driving force and purpose of Rockbridge founders was not to provide a piece of paper at the end of an agreed learning cycle.  Their calling was to provide quality biblical training that would prepare and equip ministers to serve God’s Kingdom effectively and efficiently.

Over three years later, I have absolutely no regrets about the choice I made.  Had I not enrolled in Rockbridge I would still be serving at my current church and I would continue to be affirmed in my calling – but I would not be as effective as I am now as a direct result of the investment I made in seminary and that it made in me.  My experience at Rockbridge has made a significant difference in how I approach ministry in the local church and even how I engage my faith as a believer.

I am also watching other traditional universities chase the online learning model as pioneers of online learning continue to set the pace and confirm its validity.  Although I believe that their motivation is driven as much by the opportunity of another revenue stream than anything else, the result for the learner is still positive.  I am thankful that Rockbridge and other quality institutions are continuing to set the pace that will give way for opportunities for learners to get training.  But more than that, I am so thankful for what it has provided in my life as a minister.  So what value do I place on my education from Rockbridge?  Invaluable.

I grew up like a lot of guys in full-time ministry. I was in church every time the doors were open – my mom made sure of it. I did my part as a good Baptist by visiting with her and helping out in ministries that had captured her heart. She was an excellent model of a good, Christian woman and laid a godly foundation on which I could base my life choices.

After navigating through some tougher times in my late teens and early twenties, I landed in ministry as a bi-vocational youth pastor. I found quickly that due to my rearing in church I was prepared for most of the questions I received from both young people and parents, and found myself being so thankful for the background I had that well equipped me to minister to others. What I didn’t know, however, was what I didn’t know.

I had heard older ministers and laymen talk about education among “preachers” when our church was preparing to fill a staff role, and the conversation was always two-sided. Educated professionals talked about the value of an education and seminary degree while less educated men and women (who, I might add, were just as successful as their well-educated co-committee members) spoke of the need for a down-to-earth person who was educated by life experience and the church. I could best be described as the latter. In fact, I entered seminary after having served bi-vocationally for more than seven years and full-time for almost as many.

Having grown up around all kinds of ministers, I had a great deal of respect for their seminary degrees. In fact, the older I got the more cheated I felt personally for not taking the opportunity to experience the classes and seminary life I heard them speak of on multiple occasions. I felt that I had no “cool” seminary stories or experiences from which to pull. But not one time did I ever feel like I was less equipped or prepared for ministry than those guys. In fact, I considered myself their equal. I did not have their training, but I was certain that I was called and that Christ was using me effectively for advancing His Kingdom.

When I began my seminary journey, however, all of that changed. It did not take very long for me to realize just how ill-prepared I was for so great a task as training, teaching, and being a pastor of any kind. I remember having this moment of self awareness where I realized just how little I knew before I began seminary and how little I was going to know after I received my degree. It was awfully humbling.

And then my mind shifted to the gifted individuals who had received extensive seminary training but had allowed me to enter ministry without the same experience. These individuals recognized God’s call on my life and set me free to do ministry under their care. When I realized that these men knew full well what I didn’t know, it made their willingness to trust me to serve God’s Kingdom as a trusted pastor all the more humbling. And the fact that they allowed me to serve freely under their care – not as an hireling, but as an equal – helped me see that the scope of their training and calling far surpassed the paper they had hanging on their office walls. These men understood the heart of Jesus and owned the responsibility of modeling His heart to those called to serve Him.

My seminary journey is now nearing an end, but my thirst for knowledge has not been quenched. In fact, the more I learn the more I have a desire to learn more. And the greater my understanding becomes of the chance others took on me when I answered God’s call on my life, the greater responsibility I feel to nurture the same in others. I am thankful for what I have learned and for what I have yet to learn and experience. But I am so much more grateful for others who allowed me to answer God’s call on my life long before I actually knew what I didn’t know.