Ryan BurnsThough this title may sound a bit cheesy, any seminary student will tell you that one of the best parts of seminary is the lifelong friendships that you form. Think about it, it is most likely the one time in your life that you will be surrounded by...
Seana ScottSo, you think God called you to seminary so you can better serve God in the world? Awesome. Your seminary time will be sure to teach you many things about God and his Word. In order to exit seminary as passionate as you are about ministry now, you...
Ryan RotzMany pastors who attend seminary find that the traditional approach to learning Greek and Hebrew does not work for them. First-year courses usually focus on memorizing charts, paradigms, vocabulary, and more. The overwhelming amount of memorization...
Paul BurkhartIt won’t take you long upon your arrival at seminary how much things may have changed from previous generations of seminary educations. One of the biggest differences is just how digital everything is. Most seminaries have some sort of online class...
In any school, especially graduate school—including seminary—one of its greatest costs is to one’s sleep. At least, I know that’s the case for me. I spent most of my adult schooling years with an average nightly sleep duration of 4 to 6 hours. And...
In your first year at seminary, you will inevitably be on either the giving or receiving end of what is probably the oldest seminary joke in existence, perhaps dating back to the time of Jesus himself. “Why do we have to buy all these textbooks? You...
My last post on this site, years ago, was a fiery little piece called “Realizing Seminary’s Not For You”. At the time, God had powerfully and clearly led me to a place of realizing that seminary was not the place He had for me at...
Guest AuthorJohn Calvin’s aim of the Genevan Academey is inspiring and should most certainly be applied, or should I say adopted, by more seminaries today: The creation of the Academy was perhaps Calvin’s crowning achievement. However, it needs to be...
If somebody asked you to sum up your seminary experience, what would you say? Two years ago I left behind my successful career in IT to attend seminary. It was a great experience—but that’s not to say it was perfect. However, I learned a...
Elliot RitzemaBefore deciding to go to seminary, prospective pastors ask themselves a number of questions: Has God called me to go? Can I afford it? One question I would encourage you to ask yourself if you are considering seminary is, “Have you thought about...
If God has called you to get a seminary education, here are some tips that might help you to go debt free or reduce your debt. 1. Get a ministry position, even if it is part-time, and serve for several years before going to seminary By doing so...
Besides adjusting to the academics and general flow of your particular school, another challenge lies in meeting all of your fellow students. It can be dizzying trying to remember so many new names and faces. This too is God’s providence. You’re at...
Every seminarian remembers visiting their seminary for the first time. Everything on the walking tour is mesmerizing. You crane to take it all in as you revere current students that pass by (secretly wondering if that could ever be you) and hang on...
Many 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...
As a volunteer leader attending seminary online, I sometimes feel out of place. I don’t have the experience or skills of many of my classmates. But as an ex-professor and someone with a PhD in Chemical Engineering, there is one thing I do...
So you’re in seminary. Your journey has included countless hours of study, late nights tucked away in seldom-visited corners of the library, and copious amounts of caffeine to keep you going. Ancient Greek draws you closer to insanity, and you feel...
Have you ever thought about going to seminary? Chances are your answer is ‘No.’ Maybe ‘No, I’m not looking to become a minister’ or ‘No, I want to do ministry, not just learn about it.’ If you had asked me two years ago if I was thinking about...
Because of the interesting combination of being a US Navy sailor and online seminary student, I’ve learned a few things about surviving in a distance learning seminary. If you’re on active duty, or even if you have an otherwise demanding civilian...
Seminary students are a transient bunch. They blow into town, spend three years too busy to do anything but study, and then they’re gone. For many of them (or, I should say, us), the whole seminary thing can seem like a hassle. If we...
One of our readers recently commented that he was in the process of deciding whether or not God was leading him towards starting studies at a seminary. He had a few friends who had already graduated or were going through seminary themselves, and was...
As a director of admissions, I believe there are two questions future seminarians should ask any seminary they are considering. Really, only two questions? More questions will certainly arise. However, two key questions will provide the quickest and...
As a librarian in a seminary, I’ve noticed that in general students can be divided into two different types. There are those who consider themselves bibliophiles, haters of all things digital, old school. They spurn the internet and electronic...
The last thing I would advise anyone to do is what I did this semester—work thirty hours per week and take eight hours of classes simultaneously. I started working in the summer because we needed some extra money, and thought that I could keep at it...
Jeff’s post Professors Are People Too, got me thinking. On my lap right now sits a stack of theology position papers—a tall stack, I might add—to grade. Jeff and I have been blessed the past three years to tag-team TA for the first year...
A couple years ago, I was humbled when I realized my professors were so caring, authentic, and well, human. This epiphany moment? I was walking across campus and two different profs, a couple minutes apart, asked us how our son was doing and how...
The other day my wife and I had some friends over for a meal after church, one of whom was an American of Hispanic background and also a seminary student. We came to discuss some of our experiences at seminary. One of the things we spent a bit of...
There are plenty of resources on the net about how to write good papers, take the right classes…you know that sort of thing. Here are is my Top 5 “secret” tips (in no particular order) that will help you out in your first semester...
In his last post Chad gave some good pointers on what to bring to seminary, and then concluded on the note: Navigating seminary is different from college. It is an immersive experience that should be taken full advantage of. I totally agree. There...
I remember when I was anxiously awaiting my first day of classes at Asbury. I had bought all of my books beforehand and had even started reading. I was really hoping that I would be able to find a Seminary 101 list of a few things that would come in...
So you think God wants you to go to seminary. Now what? How do you know you are meant to head to seminary? Especially when some in your life think it would be a waste of time and resources? So, just how does one proceed to investigate, select and...