I always wondered..How my skills in real life would be of use to Him in ministry life.Like the Lord when He called Peter he commissioned him to be “Fishers” of Men..God calls,God equips with whatever we have in hand.I am excited to know what is in my hand first of all! and how is it be going to be used for His kingdom!

@Josh Garrington—I have found the pitfall to part time seminary to be a loss of urgency and excitement. I have gone part time the past two semesters and have found it to be radically different from the full time experience I had the year before. The same was true when I took an on-line course many years ago.

@Gina—first, congrats on the marriage! Second, I will be honest, the balance is very difficult. What I have discovered is that there are seasons while in seminary where studies must come first (see mid-terms and final exams) and there are times when family must be first (see anniversaries, birthdays, and other important dates). However, what must never fall out of the ultimate first is God. This may seem like a “duh” statement, but it is extremely hard to keep God first when the pressures of seminary, family, and work start coming in.

@Justin Schell—great call on the accountability groups. The seminary I attend has shepherding groups where you can meet with four other students and a professor once a month during the semester. Another thing I have discovered is that the Lord will provide you with brothers/sisters in Christ who will naturally gravitate towards you and you towards them. This leads to exactly what you are talking about.

@Chris Wells—I agree with what Brian said, but would take it one step further. I would ask your admissions counselor for a list of churches (preferably of your denomination) that are in the area and begin to look around. You could ask your pastor at the church you are leaving if he knows of any churches as well. The best advice is to just attend and allow the Lord to show you where you are to serve. SOAP BOX MOMENT: If you are going to seminary, do not attend a church and not serve! You are attending seminary to be a leader of some sort in the church. Use this time to serve with the help of a mentor so that when you “get out on your own” you will not be completely lost!

@Tim—I attend the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and have already been greeted by the “fact” that I must be a Calvinist because I attend a certain seminary. Whether or not that is true, it is what many churches automatically think in my denomination of anyone attending SBTS. Is it fair? Absolutely not! However, I did not attend SBTS because of a certain doctrine. I attended SBTS because 1) God called me here and 2) the faculty and education I would receive was, in my opinion, second to none and if I were to get accepted, I was going to jump at the opportunity. Truth be told, I do not regret my decision even if people want to label me even if the label may be true. We serve a sovereign God and He will place us in the church that He wants us to be in.

@Mickey—academics should play a roll in your decision of which seminary to attend. However, it is not necessarily a deal breaker. If you are married and your wife is not for your attending a particular seminary, then I would not move. Your personal health is very significant in your decision. Yes, if God is calling you to seminary, He will sustain you. However, when you are in seminary, your health will more than likely take a hit especially if you are working and a husband and a father. Pray through it and be sure you talk with your family about your thoughts and where you see God leading you.

@Kevin—You should be able to attend Westminster Theological Seminary and still serve in a Baptist Church. I know many pastors who attended Covenant in St. Louis and either pastor or teach in SBC churches, schools, universities, etc. The only reason I did not attend Covenant is because I was accepted to SBTS and my wife was willing to relocate.

@David Stember—we are in the same boat! I have a 5, 3, 1 year old and one more on the way. The best advice I can give is to go day-by-day. Some days will require that you spend more time on studies and some days you will find yourself skipping class because of your family. My wife stays at home with our kids. Yes, there is hope for you. The Lord will sustain you if He has called you to seminary. He will also sustain your family as He always does.

@Rowan—change has occurred—I don’t know why I added the question mark? ?

@Walt—I wrestled with this when I was looking at Covenant and a seminary in the SBC. On one hand, if the doctrinal differences are non-essential, and you are mature in your faith, then there should not be much of a problem. More than likely, what will happen is that you will be able to better articulate your own beliefs. However, if it is an essential doctrinal issue, then steer clear. Believe me, even if you attend a seminary where you agree with them, you will still find areas where you disagree. Professors are more quirky than you think!

@Aaron R.—check out one of our sponsor links on our home page. It is from Dallas Theological Seminary and they will compare just about any seminary you want.

@David D—I was actually kicked out of one denomination about a year after the Lord graciously saved my soul. What I did after that was to look at all the “major” denominations and looked at their doctrines and creeds that they adhered too. I then compared all of that to what the Bible teaches as well as much more study and research throughout history. For me, it came down to issues of Baptism and Lord’s Supper as well as what their view of Scripture was. There were some other issues, but those were the main three.

@Ben–yes, there is plenty of financial aid available at most seminaries.