10. Do not see your academic work simply as a hurdle you endure to get a credential. Rather, it is an honor and an opportunity. How marvelous that it is our vocation to wander deeply into the garden of Scripture, and to hold court with the great saints, theologians, and philosophers of the past and present! Our vocation allows us not only to listen to—but participate in—the great and ongoing conversation that is theology! The ultimate alchemy of theological scholarship is to turn rationality into something like prayer: “To think well is to serve God in the interior court.”

Professor Skip Horton-Parker
Instructor in Theology and Religious Studies

9. You will gain a more meaningful and successful seminary experience if you are willing to release certain previous understandings in order to pursue God. While traditional understandings of God, the Bible, and life are often vital to shaping students toward the call to ministry, theological education helps posture you to embrace new and innovative perspectives for where God is leading you in ministry.

Dr. Antipas L. Harris
Assistant Professor of Practical Ministry

8. Study is surely a key to having a good seminary experience. You can’t expect to achieve your educational goals without approaching study as a discipline. (I highly recommend reading Richard Foster on the spiritual discipline of study. See Celebration of Discipline.) At the same time, it is important to pace yourself for the long haul. Among other things, good pacing involves devoting quality time to family and friends. It also involves self-care, by which I mean listening to God in prayer, reflective study of the Scriptures, good nutrition, regular exercise and personal time.

Michael D. Palmer, Ph.D.
Dean of the School of Divinity

7. Here is my list of four simple, yet profoundly important nuggets of advice:

Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
Read, read, read.
Ask questions while you are reading.
Talk back to your authors while you are reading.

Dr. Amos Yong
Professor of Systematic Theology

6. You should strongly consider building an intercessory and relational support network prior to starting your seminary experience. Seminary professor and published author, C. Peter Wagner, wrote the book Prayer Shield to demonstrate how important it is for every Christian leader to have an intercessory group. Forwarding specific prayer requests and praise reports to those who will pray is so easy through e-mail and other social networking venues. Having a spiritual and relational support system will buoy students through times of rejoicing, discouragement, and during multiple commitments. Having a prayer shield is indispensable!

Dr. Diane Chandler
Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation and Leadership

5. Bring both your heart and mind to the seminary experience. It is far more than passing courses, but a process of intellectual and spiritual transformation (which includes all arenas of life).

Dr. Lyle Story
Professor of Biblical Languages and New Testament

4. Part of the seminary experience should be learning about the breadth and depth of Christianity so that you begin no longer simply to think of yourself as a Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc., but as a Christian connected to the body of Christ that spans two millenia. It means to think of yourself as part of “the communion of saints,” to borrow a phrase from the Apostles’ Creed--a communion that transcends denominational identities and national identities. It will help you to speak to the Catholic, the Orthodox, and the Protestant, and to find the common ground in Christ that will enable you to further the mission of Christ as the whole body, not simply one local church expression of it. Moreover, it will help you locate where your own particular tradition of Christianity fits as one thread of a much larger tapestry. With this in mind, I would say that you should prepare yourself to think more broadly of Christianity through your study of its traditions, knowing that with the increase in knowledge will come a new-found understanding of your own identity as a Christian that will help them become more effective in living out their calling within the one, catholic, apostolic and holy church.

Dr. Dale Coulter
Associate Professor of Historical Theology

3. Don't neglect your family. It's no use shining at your theological work if you lose connection with your family—and, over the years, I have seen plenty that have. Always remember JOY, the seemingly trite acronym that’s not so trite after all: Jesus first, others next, you last.

Dr. Peter Prosser
Professor of Christian History and Doctrine

2. Two of the most important words for anyone in ministry to remember are PRIORITIES and BALANCE. The work of the ministry, just like your studies, will never be complete. There are good things and then there are the best things. Make the best things your focus and priority. Apart from your relationship with God Himself, your spouse and children are more important than any ministry or education. They (and your effect on their lives) will be with you for years after degrees or ministry assignments are complete, and they will be the first thing God asks you about when you stand before Him some day. Determine that you will commit to long range ministry through balance in your life. Determine that you will invest in yourself as a lifelong learner. It is better to be a slow burning flame that burns for decades than a firecracker that goes off with a big bang and then is extinguished. Sabbath and rest commandments apply to ministers as well. You are laying down the patterns for future ministry now as you prepare through study –you might as well do it right! Margins built into your schedule are essential. Remember, Jesus already died for the church so He probably isn’t calling you to do so!

Dr. James Flynn
Associate Professor of Practical Theology

1. You will need to redefine success from the Kingdom of God perspective to prosper from your seminary time. That may mean choosing to do “B” work instead of “A” work if you need extra time to have a healthy family life and personal spiritual balance. Remember, God does not grade on the curve but simply calls us to be faithful to His deposit and investment in us and through us. I have never heard of a search committee asking about someone’s grade point average. But what they are interested in is his or her calling, character, chemistry, coachability and competence (preferably in that order).

Dr. Joseph Umidi
Professor of Practical Theology

Bonus! Research has proven that daily Scripture meditation, with personal application, results in measurably improved spiritual maturity, emotional stability, relational wholeness and physical health. "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99).

Preparation for the challenging process of educational formation in ministry and mission begins with a commitment to learning and living God's Word, and a willingness to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

Dr. Mara L. Crabtree
Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and Women's Studies

Still hungry for more seminary wisdom? Take a few moments to visit "From the Study," Derek Brown's blog entry entitled, 45 Ways to Waste Your Seminary Education.

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