Continuing Education for Pastors

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Pete Williamson

Pete Williamson

Puritan Board Freshman
By God's grace, I've been pastoring full-time for 12 years now. I do a lot of reading - theology, history, biography, leadership, etc. - but I feel like it would be very beneficial for me to go back to school. So I've been considering the DMin degree because it seems best suited for someone engaged in full-time ministry. I prefer spending time in an actual - as opposed to virtual - classroom, both to have opportunity to interact with the professors as well as to build relationships with the other students. I also see it as a way to strengthen my résumé for teaching opportunities, such as in short-term missions. Looking at what's out there and considering the needs of the church, I'm leaning toward a degree that includes a healthy portion of church history.

Having said all that here are my questions for you, particularly those who have pursued further education:
  1. Is the DMin program worth it or are there better degree programs for continuing ed?
  2. Aside from the big-name schools (Westminster, RTS, TEDS, et al), what are some other schools worth considering?
  3. What are my options for reducing costs? Are there scholarships or grants for pastors pursuing continuing ed?
Looking forward to your response. Thanks in advance.
pete
 
If you're interested in programs that can offer solid directed reading/writing to expand your knowledge there are some free (or very cheap) seminary programs you could look into. How important is the classroom time for you?
 
Hamalas said:
If you're interested in programs that can offer solid directed reading/writing to expand your knowledge there are some free (or very cheap) seminary programs you could look into. How important is the classroom time for you?
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I value the ability to interact in real time and face-to-face, but it's not absolutely vital. What do you have in mind?
 
Westminster Theological Seminary now has a modular ThM program, which makes a more academic focus of further study possible for pastors. This is also a better route if considering the possibility of a Ph.D. at some point in the future.
 
Following this thread.

I mostly went to a PC(USA) seminary and have always wanted to get more formal training in the form of a Th.M or something of a similar stripe. I have never been able to find something that really works (read here: ATS accredited, for the reasons Dr. Duguid notes) in time and money ways.

As an aside I've always found it kind of interesting that ministers are not required to have any kind of formal continuing education like other professions (and yes, I know ministry is not a "profession" in that sense).
 
Pete Williamson said:
Regent College
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Ok. In that case I would humbly suggest that you round out your formal education by getting a decidedly Reformed education for our DMin. The one I recommend is at RTS-Charlotte because you can do it very broadly or very focused. A very dear friend got his DMin in Reformed Theology and his dissertation/project was on the Puritan art of listening to sermons. (Some of his paper was published in the Confessional Presbyterian Journal.) RTS enables one to benefit by being able to take classes (all of which are modular) at either RTS-Charlotte or RTS-Orlando if you choose. Other schools have great programs - one not yet mentioned is The Master's Seminary which has an excellent DMin in expository preaching (headed up by Dr. Steven Lawson), but again, you'd be getting that MacArthurian form of Calvinistic-Dispensationalism. If your experience at Regent is anything like that of my friends, you could probably benefit from an explicitly Reformed education.
 
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PRTS has a modular ThM program geared specifically for pastors which would be worth a look, if you're basically thinking "post-MDiv." SBTS also recently launched a modular ThM geared similarly. Of course, each school offers doctoral programs as well.

TNARS offers both DMin and ThD options, designed to be completed under the oversight of your mentor and in the context of your church.

All 3 will provide a Calvinistic program of study in a confessional context.
 
These are very helpful, brothers, thank you.

Is there anyone on the Board who has done one of the TNARS' programs? I'd love to hear what your experience was like.
 
Pete,

I know a couple of men (one face-to-face, one via online interaction and ongoing emails) who completed doctoral programs through TNARS. Both are presbyterian pastors and are actively publishing in Puritan scholarship. Both speak well of TNARS.

Understand clearly that TNARS is not accredited; but if you're simply looking for supervised studies and ministerial theological development (i.e., you're not necessarily looking to enter academic work), TNARS may be just the ticket.

Their DMin programs are very attractive, and their ThD in Puritan studies looks excellent.
 
In addition to TNARS, are there any other free (accredited or not) institutions?

Also, are there and Reformed Baptists educations free?
 
Puritan Reformed Biblical Seminary is free, offering masters and doctoral degrees. Bathiran Samuel (a member here at PB) is their president.

On the reformed baptist/1689 side of the house, Ekklesia Theological Seminary is free and offers the MA or MDiv.

Neither school is accredited.
 
reaganmarsh said:
Puritan Reformed Biblical Seminary is free, offering masters and doctoral degrees. Bathiran Samuel (a member here at PB) is their president.

On the reformed baptist/1689 side of the house, Ekklesia Theological Seminary is free and offers the MA or MDiv.

Neither school is accredited.
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Brilliant, thank you so much!!!!!

Of all the free online seminary, what one do you most highly suggest?
 
Stope said:
Of all the free online seminary, what one do you most highly suggest?
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Of course, I am biased for obvious reasons, therefore I recommend PRBS. ;)

I am a former board member of TNARS, too, so they are worth an equal consideration. Brother Samuel of PRBS is also a current member of the Board at TNARS.

Both tuition-free programs are not for the faint of heart. Their degree offerings will require literally thousands of pages of reading and assignment production. The programs are not suitable for those that require much classroom like interaction and face-time. Both programs assume faculty mentors will interact with your local church's ordained servants, as the seminaries come along side the local church for your ongoing spiritual development.

One's studies at TNARS or PRBS are basically a solitary endeavor, working with one's faculty mentor (online and by phone) and interacting with fellow students at discussion sites. When one completes their studies at TNARS or PRBS, they will be among the most well-read and informed of Reformed literature and theological topics. Further, the graduate will have demonstrated that they can take up the seminal works of the saints of the past, interact with them, critique / synthesize their disparate views into coherent systems, and take every word captive for the glory of God. If a man is inclined towards autodidacticism, these types of programs will be quite suitable.

At a more practical level, students at either seminary are eligible for student academic discounts for Logos software offerings, too. Faculty at both seminaries (and they are needed!) also may avail themselves of the Logos faculty discount program, which is usually 40-50% off published prices. Some of the monies saved by not having to pay tuition fees can be directed to accumulating a substantial theological library that will be helpful once one moves out in service to the Kingdom.
 
Of course, the usual concerns about accreditation will apply. Only TNARS has an affiliation with ARTS but they are not going to move beyond that status. If you are seeking ordination, guidance and approval from one's local session/presbytery will be paramount. Some TNARS graduates have been ordained in the PCA. Contact TNARS for more information. If you are looking to move into academia, very few traditional brick and mortar institutions of higher learning will accept a degree from these types of institutions.
 
Thank you!

Can folks do this over a, for example, 4-5 year period? perhaps even spread over a longer period of time?

Also, have you ever heard of any credentialed schools validate what is happening at these institutions (or any scenarios where the degrees were somehow acknowledge or perhaps otherwise received)?

As for me, I have long desired to do this, but the one fear I have is that I took Greek for 2 semesters and it was extremely time consuming and was really difficult for me, and still, I didnt retain much and so need to start again
 
Stope said:
Thank you!

Can folks do this over a, for example, 4-5 year period? perhaps even spread over a longer period of time?

Also, have you ever heard of any credentialed schools validate what is happening at these institutions (or any scenarios where the degrees were somehow acknowledge or perhaps otherwise received)?

As for me, I have long desired to do this, but the one fear I have is that I took Greek for 2 semesters and it was extremely time consuming and was really difficult for me, and still, I didnt retain much and so need to start again
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There are no hard set deadlines. Most complete their studies in 2-3 years. Key is regular contact with your faculty mentor to avoid being dropped, as there is always a waiting list for others and faculty mentors are scarce, so much so that some students must seek and obtain a their own faculty mentor that must be approved by the seminary boards.

Acceptance by traditional institutions is rare, but it has happened, especially with those students already possessing advanced degrees in other domains from accredited institutions. As note earlier, some TNARS graduates have been ordained in the PCA.

Biblical Greek at PRBS is taught by Chris Engelsma of PRTS. At TNARS the course is a combination of video lectures and book studies. Review the web sites for the details.
 
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