The New Seminary

Last night, I was leading our adults through the beginning of Chapter 5 in Paul's massive theological treatise - the Book of Romans. Back in the days of dot matrix printers and floppy disks, I first taught through the book. In those days I printed out my notes and took them with me. Not sure why I decided to go back to that method for this time through (my fourth), but I have. When I flipped through the blue notebook, I found that my notes began in September 1994. Almost 14 years ago. I'd like to think I know more now than I did then.

A friend and I were talking about seminary education earlier in the week, and I asked him about where he was in the process. He and I had attended New Orleans Theological Seminary together for a while at the beginning of his ministry career. He left a very successful career and a position as a vice president of our most prominent local bank to follow God's call. Good guy.

"I'm having trouble finding a seminary that will accept my credits. Most of them won't accept any credits that are over five years old," he said.

I expect he's learned a lot since then too, having gone on to interim at his home church, and pastor two other churches. God has used him in each place he's served. I guess God's not as high on formal theological education.

In my case, it has been time and money that caused me to not finish my New Orleans degree yet. All I need are a few on campus courses. Apparently the organization who accredits the seminary requires a certain number of courses to be taught on campus. Unless it doesn't. You see some classes have always given on campus credit even if you weren't on campus. In years past, NOBTS held workshops in N GA which you could receive that credit for. And if you were a NO student but traveled elsewhere to pick up a class, you'd get on campus credit. Thinking back, I can remember that when I started in 1991 you received on campus credit for the languages. Well, I'm stuck until I reapply and pick up those few remaining courses. Taking a week or two out of my life at one chunk, dropping a $1000 each week - just wasn't going to happen.

So I began the pursuit of a Masters in Ministry Leadership with Rockbridge Seminary. RS was begun for people like me who wanted a quality education but who couldn't move to seminary or afford to "commute". The list of the leadership looked like a who's who of online theological education, was very SBC heavy, and idea of competency based education was appealing. I'll finish that degree at the end of the October term. RS has been a blessing and I'd recommend it to anyone.

But I want to humbly suggest that the "New Seminary" goes on with and without places like New Orleans and Rockbridge. The pastors I talk to are constantly reading, constantly asking questions and taking what they learn and applying it to ministry and to life. I'll read over 150 books every year, thousands of articles in print and online, listen to podcasts, watch online videos, and discuss via email everything from funeral sermons to postmodernism.

The "New Seminary" classrooms are as close as the laptop in front of me. The professors aren't stuck in a classroom but on the front lines of ministry. Many have been failures multiple times, and kept pressing on using what they learned and become successful pastors. They share their knowledge with the rest of us as we do with them. Does a particular evangelism program have merit? In days past we would ask our Director of Mission or Lifeway rep. Now through the networks we can hear the straight scoop from another pastor.

Or we can email the author.

I have been able to ask questions of authors such as Reggie McNeal (The Present Future), Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus, But Not the Church), Mark Taylor of Tyndale House (The New Living Translation) and others. When I email them, they are so kind and generous that I am often amazed. I had quoted a Ray Prichard sermon as an example of what I had hoped one I had written would be, and he wrote me an email of encouragement and counsel. Not name dropping here by any means, just trying to help you who read this understand that we are most exceedingly blessed today with access far beyond what previous generations of seminarians could have dreamed.

So I'm sitting here with 123 hours of post graduate work in the can, yet possessing no single Masters degree recognizing them, and having learned more from those outside the seminary gates than within. Yes the seminary degree from a denomination's institution is still the good housekeeping seal of approval. But that too is going to change as churches see how God is using and will use those who got their education through other means.

In the future, my hope is that education will be pushed outside seminaries and back into the churches where it should always have been. That using a combination of online courses, internships, and mentoring - pastors will be better educated and more effective immediately than ever before.