Seminary education

["Lil" Possum Preacher man]

Are there alternatives to Seminary education? I ask because of the cost of going to seminary and was wondering if there any alternatives to seminary education.

 

["Lil" Possum Preacher man]

I think I put this in the wrong section my bad

 

[Van]

Sure there are alternatives, but...

All the people who went to Seminary expect colleagues to have the same or better credentials.

Some of the "diploma mills" provide nearly worthless instruction.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Are there alternatives to Seminary education? I ask because of the cost of going to seminary and was wondering if there any alternatives to seminary education.

I think Pennco Tech offers theological training now.

Honestly, everything I learned in seminary, I could have learned (and was already learning) in the real world.

The biggest benefit of seminary for me was other people to challenge me and push back.

I think it depends on what you're looking for and what your goal is. I think seminary is necessary only because more and more people are convinced that it's the only way to go.

When I was a social worker up in the hills and hollers of Kentucky, I met some of the Godliest and Biblically knowledgeable men I've ever met in my life and most of them didn't even finish high school.

 

[go2church]

Wave of the future is online education. Not those ridiculous diploma mills, but honest to goodness schools that teach online. Saves lots of money

 

[preachinjesus]

Are there alternatives to Seminary education? I ask because of the cost of going to seminary and was wondering if there any alternatives to seminary education.

I would encourage anyone to consider taking seminary courses online with an accredited, validated seminary. Even if it just one or two a semester (or year) you'll gain valuable insights and be helpfully trained.

That said, if that is still out of your reach, my first encouragement would be to link up with a solid pastor in your area and begin serving as an apprentice under him. Approach the local church and him and ask if you can do this. After a number of years you'll have a solid ministry background that is, in practical senses, as good as some parts of seminary education.

I would always encourage folks to attend seminary. If your calling is definite, part of that calling is being willing to take the necessary steps to be trained accordingly. One of the reasons why seminaries exist is so individuals who are called by God to vocational ministry will take the first major step in fulfilling that calling by going and being on that campus. Your calling has a cost, it may be your current life and lifestyle. The reward is greater than anything you can imagine.

 

[revmwc]

The Trinity River Baptist Association of which my church is affiliated has this going on:

How can our 41 churches reach the 70,000 people in the area covered by Trinity River Baptist Association? Those 41 churches must start new churches that will start new churches. We are in the process of "building" a Church Planting Pipeline which will produce new church starts.

Some of these new churches will eventually have buildings and a full-time pastor. But many will be small groups of people who meet in borrowed or rented space and are led by a bivocational or volunteer pastor. Some may last only a few years or even a few months. But during their existence those churches will reach, win, baptize and disciple people. And they will also start other new churches.

In order for new church starts to come out of the Pipeline, there are three things that need to go into the Pipeline: Men Called by God; Churches Led by God; and People Loved by God.
How will we prepare men called by God to plant churches?

We are calling out the called, men who live in our area, already have a means of earning a living, but are called by God to plant a new church here, or perhaps become pastor of one of our exisitng churches. The association's responsibility is to prepare them.

Rather than send these men away for training, we offer local, excellent and culturally relevant training through the one-year Pastor Essentials course taught by our own pastoral leadership on Monday evenings. The course is taught continuously so men called by God may begin at any time.

We also offer them a six-month internship in one of our churches. And, as they begin to pastor, we continue to help them by providing ongoing coaching.


How will we equip churches led by God to plant new churches?

We are asking each of our 41 churches to seek God's will about starting one or more new churches. The association's responsibility is to equip the churches.

We provide a one-day Church Planting 101 event for each church that feels led to start a new work. As they move forward with their plans, we provide guidance and assistance. In those cases where financial suport is required, we partner with the sponsor church, the new church plant, and the state convention.


How will we discover people loved by God who need churches?

Where do we plant a new church? What people are we seeking to reach? The association's responsibility is to help discover those people loved by God who could be reached by a new church.

The phrase "people loved by God" is motivational. When we remember that all around us are people whom God so loved that He sent His Son to die for their sins, then we are compelled to find ways to reach them. If they are not being reached by our existing churches, then we need to plant a new church to reach them.

Those people loved by God may be a community, a neighborhood, a language or ethnic group, a socio-economic classification, or some people connected by common careers, interests or backgrounds. As we pray, survey our community, and open our eyes to see the darkness, Jesus will enable us to discover people loved by God.

 

["Lil" Possum Preacher man]

Okay thank you everybody for your in put. I am planning to go to Seminary at some point it's just the cost. I am also 17 and homeschooled. I think the apprenticeship idea sounds great.

 

[quantumfaith]

Okay thank you everybody for your in put. I am planning to go to Seminary at some point it's just the cost. I am also 17 and homeschooled. I think the apprenticeship idea sounds great.

You are still quite young with lots of time opportunity ahead of you. If you do pursue education, please be very wise and prudent with Student Loans. Do all you can to seek grants, scholarships and employment to pay for your education as you go. I would also recommend that as for your undergraduate education you pursue some major that can be quite marketable in the work force.... You never know....bivocational ministry might be where you land.