Seminary vs. the Pastorate

I get many questions about attending seminary from potential students and pastors trying to weigh out the options.  Which seminary? On campus or on-line? What courses should I take and where should I put the bulk of my attention?  In the end however, the answers all depend upon calling and circumstances.

I selected to remain in the mission field and attend seminary through distance education options, partly so I could remain in ministry where I'd be serving post-seminary.  It worked well for me, but this is not to say that it's the best answer for everybody.  I selected Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS) primarily because at the time they had the best distance education options, but this is changing at a rapid rate and now there are many good seminaries embracing the value of distance education for ministers.

Jared Jenkins, a friend I work with, went to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) on campus.  One of the earliest Salty Believer Unscripted episodes was about our seminary experiences. He had just graduated and entered the pastorate with me in Salt Lake.  At the time of the video, I had a single semester remaining and had been on staff for a little over a year (a part-time intern for about 9 months and 3 months full-time working officially on staff with Risen Life Church.) You can listen to that podcast here or watch the video below.

 

A year later, we recorded another podcast about seminary and the pastorate. After working with people, teaching, preaching, and serving in the ministry setting far removed from seminary, our thoughts were a bit different.  In what areas do we feel we were unprepared?  What might we have done differently?  What surprised us or did we not expect?  If you're in seminary or thinking about attending, or even if you're simply a "man or woman in the pew" and curious, I think this is worth listening to:  Salty Believer Unscripted - Seminary vs. the Pastorate One Year Later. 

I'm happy to chat with you about seminary.  If you're considering attending and have some questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  In addition, here are some related posts that may help you pick a seminary or guide you along your journey while in your formal studies:

Choosing a Seminary
LBTS, Post Dr. Jerry Falwell
Thinking of Enrolling in Seminary? 


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