ln this episode of 101 Questions Church Planters Ask, host Danny Parmelee takes a listener question about the importance of a Seminary degree for Church Planting. Here are a few key takeaways:
Unless biblical language is your passion, consider taking a tools course for exegesis, instead of the traditional courses which require you to read directly from the text.
Consider your current life situation. Are you single and able to move to a campus to focus on your studies? Are you working 70 hours a week to make ends meet, and just trying to fit seminary into night courses? Keep in mind that speeding through a seminary education won’t get you the desired academic enrichment you may seek, and make sure you’re in the right place in life to complete the degree well if you make the commitment.
Ask yourself which learning style is most effective for you. If you’ve always excelled in the classroom or learned best in a lecture-style lesson, seminary will likely be a good fit. If however you prefer to teach yourself, or receive one-on-one tutoring, a different style of theological learning may be better for you.
Be honest about your motivations. If you’re only hoping that a Seminary degree will bring you credibility with other Christians, or perhaps disprove people in your life who doubt you, you won’t have the proper intention and therefore likely not benefit properly from a Seminary education.
Asking yourself questions like these and thinking sincerely about your willingness, availability and motivation for a Seminary degree is crucial when determining your fit for a Seminary education.
For more on this question, be sure to listen to the full episode at the link above. Have a church planting question for us? Click the submission form on the homepage to send us your question.
