This concludes a three part series this week on funding a college and seminary education. The reason for the posts is that many people leave seminary with large student debt, some as much as $60,000.00 or more. This can be a tremendous burden on the minister and his or her family, and because church salaries are often lower than those of other professions this is a burden that the minister may have to carry for years. It is far better to cash flow your education and avoid this debt. The two previous posts looked into some ways to do that. Today, we want to focus primarily on pursuing a seminary education.
Studies have told us for several years now that 50 percent of seminary graduates leave the ministry within five years after graduating. As I stated in a previous post, some of these probably leave the ministry due to finances. However, I also think a strong argument could be made that perhaps some of these who leave the ministry so early should never have attended seminary in the first place. Either they were never really called into the ministry and didn't realize that until after they completed their education and spent some time leading a church, or they were not emotionally and spiritually prepared to be a spiritual leader, or their training was inadequate. A seminary education is expensive, both in dollars and time spent, and should not be pursued unless one is certain that he or she is called to do so.
Once one has determined that he or she should attend seminary the next questions have to do with which seminary and what degree to pursue. It used to be that one automatically attended a seminary connected with one's denomination, but that is not always the case today. It is far more important to me, at least, that I would attend a seminary that shared my basic theological beliefs that what historic denominational connection it might have. That is not to say that a seminary education should not challenge and stretch one's beliefs. After all, that is part of what an education is to do. But, I also would not want to attend one that stretched my belief system so tight that it snapped!
I began my education by attending a Bible school that was fairly conservative. One course I took was taught by a visiting professor who turned out to be rather liberal. My initial reaction to the first class session was to drop the class, but I'm glad I didn't. I learned a lot from that class, not so much about the content of the course, but how liberals think. The class also caused me to question some of my beliefs about the course content as well and helped solidify my thinking on the subject. Years later when I earned my master's and doctoral degrees I attended a very conservative seminary where some of my classes also challenged my thinking. However, this time the challenge came because what was being taught was even more conservative in its thinking than I was. Both schools stretched me, and I wouldn't trade my time at either school for anything.
The second thing to consider is the degree you will pursue. For many years, the Master of Divinity was the degree. Denominations based their ordination standards on having that degree. Many churches would not consider someone who did not have their MDiv. Except for those who knew they would be pursuing a ministry in music or education, the MDiv was about the only option for most people going into the ministry. That is not the case today. Many seminaries offer various master's programs in a variety of ministry related areas. Most MDiv degrees require 90 hours while these MA programs require 45-60 hours in many cases. This can result in greatly reducing the cost of a seminary degree.
As I've written elsewhere, in my opinion the MDiv is a good degree for someone planning on pursuing a PhD. I'm not sure it is the best degree for everyone going into the ministry in the 21st century. Be sure to hear me: For some people it is the best degree, but I'm not convinced it is for everyone. When I decided to earn my masters I chose a Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in leadership. As I looked at the various options this one seemed to best fit my spiritual gift mix and my ministry plans. I especially think these other options are often a better fit for someone going into bivocational ministry.
Another advantage with many of these MA programs for ministers is that many of them can be earned entirely online. The vast majority of seminaries only allow for 30 hours of an MDiv to be taken online thus requiring that the student take the other 60 hours on the campus. Again, for some students this is not a problem, but for some it creates a challenge for them if they have to leave their work and/or church where they serve, uproot their families, and move to a new city. I know that some will quickly argue that hundreds of thousands of persons who were called by God have made those sacrifices in the past, but let's also remember that some of them also traveled to seminary on horseback and in wagons. Just because something has been done in the past doesn't necessarily make it the best option today, and in the 21st century there are other options.
If one is comfortable earning their seminary degree online there can be tremendous financial savings in doing so. My MAR was a 45 hour degree program which automatically made it half the cost of the 90 hour MDiv. All my classes were online so there were no travel costs or expenses for room and board. I could take one course at a time if I wanted which made it easier to cash flow my seminary education. Yes, it takes longer that way, but for someone who has more time than money it is a good trade-off. I could do my work at times convenient for me which is another huge benefit for someone involved in bivocational ministry.
In summary, be wise when considering a seminary education. If you feel led to pursue one, choose a good accredited seminary that will be a good fit with your core theological beliefs and yet will stretch your thinking as well. Stay away from the diploma mills that will sell you a seminary degree. Your goal should not be to get a degree but to get an education. Decide which degree program is the best fit for your ministry plans and then decide whether you want to do it online or on-campus. Finally, find a way to cash flow your seminary education even if it takes you longer to graduate. Spending three or four extra years to get your education is far better than spending the next 20 years trying to pay off your student debt.
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