This guest post was written by Terry Delaney.  You can read more from Terry at Diary of a Seminary Student and Said at Southern.

The Semester is Over!  Now what?

I don’t know about you, but it seems like I spend each semester thinking about how I need to get ahead in my classes so I do not have work piled on at the end of the semester.  And every semester I find myself piled with work at the end.  My wife once said that semesters just end whether you are ready or not.  Well, now that the semester is over, what are you going to do with yourself?

What can you do with your down time; that is, if you have any down time.  I know more than a few people who are taking summer classes.  I am not one of them.  I need the time to let my brain relax and finally digest all that I learned over the school year.  If you are one of those taking summer courses, my hat is off to you.

For those who are not taking summer courses, allow me to offer up some ideas to use your time wisely:

Honor Your Family’s Sacrifice 

First, if you are married, take your spouse out for a date night—s/he has earned it!  Your spouse has probably done much more than you realize in allowing you to focus on your schoolwork.  If you have children, take them out for a day at the park or the zoo.  Your kids miss you even if you spend a lot of time with them throughout the semester.  Spending quality time with your family ought to be priority—how much more when you actually have the time to spend?

Meditate on God’s Word 

Second, read your Bible.  If there is anything more important than spending quality time with your family, it is spending quality time with your God.  He saved your soul and He commissioned you to preach the Word.  For many seminary students, Bible reading goes out the window once the semester workload gets heavy.  It takes about an hour a day to read through the whole Bible in two-three months.  You could easily read the Bible during the summer.

Fellowship With Your Redeemer 

Third, take a day where you actually get away by yourself and get with God.  Leave your cell phone and MP3 player at home or in the car and go sit in the woods for an afternoon for a time of silence and solitude with God.  Allow the eternal spring of life to recharge your spirit.  We can all testify to how rough each semester is, why not refresh your soul with God?

Enjoy Your Mind
Fourth, read that book you have wanted to read since last summer.  Not everything needs to be deep theology or related to your field of study (for you music majors).  Personally, I plan to read a couple biographies this summer in a kind of devotional format.  Drink in the lives of those who have gone before you.  They will teach you so much more than you can imagine.

Nap to the Glory of God 

Finally, take some time off to do absolutely nothing.  Obviously you are going to be doing something, but there is nothing stopping you from taking a nap to the glory of God!  Spend a day your pajamas if you are able or just read all day.  I have found it liberating to get rid of my watch for a day (I am a slave to that thing!) and not be governed by time.

Now, I realize most of us will be working at  jobs or ministries or going on missions trips, but that does not mean you can’t do one or all of these things I have listed.  You create your own list.  The bottom line is do not waste your “time off” by doing nothing the whole time.  Be sure to fill it with what I like to call “quality down time.”  Keep everything in perspective and make sure your priorities are right and enjoy your summer break from seminary…if you have one.  God bless.

Towards the beginning of the semester a professor gave out an article written by Mike Yaconelli titled, “Getting fired for the Glory of God.” As one who has worked in a local church for over 9 years, I found his article challenging in some points and reaffirming in others. Regardless of if you agree with Mike or not, the article should make you think.

As I approach the end of the semester I’ve given much thought to my experience in various classes and have decided to modify Mike’s article for the seminarian. So, without further ado:

Failing Seminary for the Glory of God

After spending time in seminary, there is no doubt in my mind that the institution can not fully prepare a man or woman for the calling to vocational ministry.

I’m beginning to believe that if those who are in seminary follow the lead of the One who called them, bad grades are highly possiable.

Why? Because, in general, seminary is incomplete. The seminary has become a place of information and not transformation. The focus has been shifted from who you are to what you know. Spiritual formation has changed from a life lived before the cross to a 2 hour class on Thursdays. Prayer is not the air we breath but a formality to start a lecture.

You disagree? Why don’t you try these seven suggestions, and see how long you keep straight A’s.

Transformation, not information

Focus your energy on not merely getting information, but rather focus on how that information transforms you more into the image of Christ. Whether Greek, hermeneutics, Old Testament, New Testament, history, homiletics… above seeking facts, seek in that class to be transformed more into the image of Jesus.

Give the wrong answer

Don’t simply give the answer you know your professor wants to hear. Humbly give your answers out of your conviction… even on a test.

Read the important stuff

Read your bible as much as, if not more than, you read books about the bible.

Stop listening

Don’t just sit in class listening to things about God. As his splendor, glory, and goodness is revealed to you, respond to him in prayer… right then and there. Repent, give thanks, worship, praise, petition… Do not forget the King you are hearing about in class is right there in your midst. Again, do this in all your classes; from history to homiletics to Hebrew to hermeneutics.

Put your family first

Don’t let your reading list, papers, and exams rob you from your family. Say yes to your family first.

Ignore your GPA

Evaluate your seminay success by love for God, passion for the gospel, and heart for your neighbor… not numbers and letters on a piece of paper.

Love the Church

Live out your seminary experience in a local church. Find a pastor who will invest in your life and mentor you in ministry. Then, in turn, invest yourself into the lives of the church and community.

……

Note: I love seminary and I love my seminary. However, I am willing to do poorly in my classes in order that I might excel in the things listed above. These two things are not mutually exclusive, but I’d argue that focusing on the above will very likely result in lower grades (maybe not failing, but would you be willing to fail in order to do the above?)

This post was written by Jake of cafe de soiree. Jake attends Reformed Theological Seminary and, among other claims to fame, made this Going to Seminary commercial!

I took a year off after college before I started seminary, and so I thought I was ready for it. Within two weeks, I was wondering what I had gotten myself in to. Seminary consisted of the same sorts of assignments as college—papers tests, reading—but I was not at all prepared for just how much of it there would be.

I soon realized that I needed a system or a routine to make it all work. It takes a careful juggling act to get it all right. A friend of mine shared his system with me, which I implemented with good results. Here’s what I do. I try to get up between 5-5:30am each morning, and first spend some time reading my Bible and beginning the day with prayer (this is essential). My earliest class is at 8am, and so I know I can get in about a solid hour of reading or studying before I need to get ready to go. My wife usually sleeps until 7:30 or 8 anyway, and so I get some very quiet, undisturbed, and productive time.

What I do throughout each day varies depending on when classes are, but the key is to not waste time. In college I majored in wasting time, and I always had to cram for things at the last minute, which meant 4am nights fueled by the strongest coffee I could get my hands on. Unfortunately I’ve had to fall back on those methods once or twice here in seminary, but I try hard to avoid them. There is plenty of time for me to get things done during the day. My wife works a steady day job, so I am home alone. I turn on some quiet classical music, and set out a pile of books in front of me. If I need a change of scenery, I opt for going to Panera Bread (free coffee refills!) or the seminary library.

Properly using your time should allow you to free up your evenings, for the most part. If you are married, this is key. You need time with your spouse. If I make full use of the schedule I have developed, I am able to quit working at dinner time, and keep the evening free for spending time with my wife. We are usually in bed by 10, and as a result, getting up at 5 or 5:30 is not an issue. That gives me plenty of sleep.

Full time seminary studies require discipline. It is not just something you can coast through. The demands are much higher. But a working schedule can help you keep it all in check. Prioritizing and developing a solid routine are important. Make sure you buy yourself a day planner of some sort, and map things out. There will be a learning curve, but you will start to figure out how long it takes to read certain things, how much time you should allot for papers, and when you should schedule the most intense things.

And I put it in parentheses above, but here I mention it explicitly: rooting your day in prayer is essential. No schedule will work properly or be effective unless it is hemmed in by prayer.

This post was written by Jon of Live.Work.Play. Jon is married to Grete and is a small group guy.  He’s currently in Chi-town during Fuller Theological Seminary quarter break. (Hey Jon, grab a slice of this while you’re up there!)

I’ve decided that woodworking and ministry have a lot in common.

I’m serious.

Here’s the deal. My uncle is one of those jack-of-all-traits types. He decided to pick up wood carving a few years back. Now he carves everything from those wooden ducks that look just like the real thing to wooden chests and wooden bowls. You name it, and I’ll bet he could make it. But what’s interesting to me is how he got into the woodworking hobby. He didn’t go take a class or buy a book. Instead, he invested in some great tools, found some people who knew what they were doing that he could learn from, and spent a lot of time practicing.

I’m always surprised when I talk with seminary students who are frustrated with the education they’re receiving. I’ve attended two very different seminaries so far, and the complainers existed both places. So I’m guessing this is a universal thing.

Most of the time they don’t feel like their education is fully preparing them for ministry. They may say it’s too theoretical. It’s not practical enough.

But honestly, I think they’re expecting too much.

When my uncle set out to learn woodcarving, he did three things – he grabbed the right tools, he found some good mentors, and he began to practice. Seminary is an important part of ministry preparation for many people. But it’s not the entirety of ministry preparation.

Here’s what I think: Seminary can do a great job filling your toolbox, but it’s up to you to find mentors and to dive into ministry.

I definitely don’t have this thing figured out, but there’s one thing I do know. Some of the most valuable experiences I’ve had so far in seminary have been because I’m working in ministry while attending school. It’s caused more stress. It’s meant less time on a few papers. But there’s something about learning about the doctrine of the Trinity one hour and then sitting in a small groups planning meeting with a tennis coach, a pharmacist, and a retired teacher the next that puts things into perspective.

I guess what I’m learning is that sometimes we expect too much from one piece of our lives. Seminary isn’t a machine that spits out perfect ministers. It’s one part of our pursuit to know and follow God. In the end, it’s up to each student to take the box of tools we’re gathering in classes, find some great mentors who can walk through this thing with us, and dive into the messiness that is ministry.

This post was written by Chad of Outside is Better. Chad attends Asbury Theological Seminary and works 3 jobs… that’s right… THREE!

Ever since I have entered into ministry I have been a Sabbath geek. Some accuse me of just making sure I “get a day off”, but to me the idea of Sabbath is so much more than that. Spend some time in Hebrews 4 reading about rest and think about how that may affect our view of heaven. Sabbath isn’t just a time of laying around, and not doing anything. But it is the kind of rest that rejuvenates our being. Last week I spent a rainy Friday sloughing around the Abbey of Gethsemani (home to Thomas Merton), and while I am sure I lost weight, I know that my soul rested in God that day.

Sabbath is our time to put ourselves back into God’s time and rhythm. That’s why we should treat it as holy.

If you are a seminary student, you will also know how important your time is. I work three jobs and keep a full load in school (and unlike college, I do good). Sabbath rest is something we need to learn to fight for. If you are feeling burned out in school, let that serve as a warning that you can get burned out in ministry.

Time management is also something I geek about. I work in media, doing freelance and working for the seminary I attend. I also serve on a team that plans all of our chapel services at Asbury Theological. Besides those two jobs, I work as a youth minister at a small church. I can’t afford to forget things, so I had to get organized. The biggest thing was time management, because I am so good at doing nothing I could win contests. One day I added up everything I need to do each week and to my surprise found out that I still had almost 35 “surplus” hours each week. This was after adding work, school, homework, and a full 24 hours off for Sabbath.

So I got good at time management. What this allowed me to do was to set time aside each day for “mini” Sabbath, and full day each week, and some extra time to just spend with the wife. I try to get away for longer that a day every 6 weeks or so, and I am planning to start taking a week-long retreat each year as well. This time alone allows us to get ourselves back into this idea of rest as a deep, personal time with God. I don’t just go through a devotion in this time, but I try to really stop and “be still and know”.

So when I need to go for broke I do it. The thing about Sabbath is, you need to work as hard as possible for six days a week in order to full appreciate this time. I have learned by sticking to my own personal method of organization (a modified version of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done”) I can be responsible with my time in order to do the best job at everything I do and to also devote time to Sabbath and not worry about things hanging over my head.

Some times the best thing I have to say is, “hey, you should really go listen to someone besides me.” Such is the case today.

On Monday I read a post by Matt Schmucker at the 9Marks blog on things that a pastoral candidate should ask of a church before taking the position. I know that we are hitting midterms and, for some of you, this is your last semester and you are already looking for a pastoral position. I think that if you are going to be taking a position in a church that is already established then Matt’s post will be extremely helpful for you.

Here’s a teaser:

If this is the flock God is calling you to shepherd, ignorance is not your friend….

1. Statement of Faith. Is it available, used, and understood? Can I affirm each section? Does the congregation live this out? Is it an adequate statement about Scripture, God, and salvation? Does it require anything that the Bible does not require of being a Christian, i.e. abstinence?

4. Budget. Does a budget exist (you’d be surprised!)? How is it formed? Does the congregation vote to accept the budget? A church’s budget will tell you a lot about the vision and priorities (i.e. heart) of a church.

11. Membership. How many members are in the church? How many attend? Do they have an inactive list? What’s their understanding of membership? Do they live close to each other and to the church building?

15. Ambitions. Ask this question: If you could be like any church in America, which would it be?

18. Living as a pastor. Maybe you don’t take these issues on in the first interview, but eventually they need to be addressed:

(ohhhh… I left you hanging there… click the article to find out the rest) 

Through one of the numerous blogs I track on  google reader I picked up on a pretty amazing post by Timmy Brister about sharing his story on the graveyard shift.  It is pretty amazing.  I’ve worked in a warehouse before and I could see and hear everything he described.  Timmy is a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a husband, a father, and works 3rd shift for UPS.  Now, go check out the story.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
James 5:16a

Well… I feel dirty just saying it… I took my laptop to class today.

Despite my outspoken advocacy of Vintage Notes, I broke down and took the mac to campus. Now, before you break out the stones and begin tossing them at me, allow me to give my reasoning:

1. Access to the Greek and Hebrew - I’m currently taking a class on the book of Hebrews and the professor often encourages us to look at the Greek… I haven’t taken Greek yet, so looking at it does nothing for me. However, having the computer there allows me to pull of the original language and look at it and better understand what is going on… well, a little bit at least.
2. I’m a tree hugging hippie - Well, not really… but two of my professors offer their lecture outlines online and I hate wasting the paper to take them to class to write notes on them… especially when I plan on taking them home and entering them into the computer. It just doesn’t make sense.

Now, let me make a couple observations as one who was a pure Vintage Note taker until today.

1. Temptation - I never knew how INCREDIBLY tempting it was to get online, check email, set system preferences, organize my folders, download notes for other classes, set new wallpaper image, etc, while in class. It drive me crazy when I see people doing it, and yet, today I had to concentrate not to do it. It was a challenge to say the least! I think I did a good job for the most part, but I don’t know… it is HARD to not do anything but take notes and use my bible software.
2. Repentance - Paper is better! Seriously, I really do think it is better. I found myself getting a bit lazy when I had the professors notes sitting right in front of me… essentially all the important stuff was already there. So, I just sat and listened (trying not to go online). Conversely, when all I have is my notepad in front of me I am forced to think about what is said and what I need to remember. Also, I really do like being able to write all over the page and draw lines, arrows, circles, and other visual clues to my notes… but that might just be me.

Conclusion - I’ll probably continue to take my computer and use it as a support tool, however, I intend to keep Vintage Notes as my primary approach to note taking.

Whew… I feel better now that I’ve got that off my chest.

I don’t know what the deal is, but I’ve been reading a lot of research about seminary lately. This latest reading was a dissertation by Charles R. DeGroat who teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). The work (made available here) looks into expectation versus reality among male graduates of seminary who entered the ministry.

In the work, DeGroat focuses on 7 graduates of RTS who, after graduation, went into parish ministry. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between expectations formed in seminary and the relationship to the reality experienced within the pastorate. For those of us who are M.Div students or those consider the pastorate after seminary, I would HIGHLY recommend reading the dissertation. Specifically, since I know you’re busy and probably aren’t looking to add another 156 pages to your reading list, I would recommend that you focus on the meaning units expressed by the 7 participants and DeGroat’s textural and structural descriptions (p.40-123).

In this section you can hear the thoughts of men (read the limitations section for why the study only included men) who have been in our shoes (as seminarians) and have since gone on to experience the reality of what we seek (the pastorate… and yes, I know that we’re not all going into the pastorate, I’m just talking to those who are.). In studying what these men share I believe that we have the opportunity to see the weaknesses in our seminary experience and, on our own initiative, take steps necessary to ensure that we will be better prepared to serve those to whom God will call us.

As a word of warning, don’t discount the study by saying, “oh, well my seminary is not like that one.” The reality is that no seminary truly provides a holistic preparation for ministry. Hearing the experience of these pastors will help you to see where their seminary failed to prepare them and will allow you to examine your experience more critically… hopefully resulting in a more successful seminary experience for you.

For those too lazy to download and read for your self (shame on you) here are just a FEW quotes from these pastors that I found enlightening as a seminarian and future pastor:

• I had to do a funeral three weeks into my first gig in ministry and I didn’t have freaking clue what to do.
• I wish I learned more about a number of practical ministry things - Weddings. Pastoral counseling. A dude’s kid was molested at one point, and I thought “some good my class notes are for this.” I mean, are you getting the disconnect?
• I expected that I’d grow spiritually in seminary. I didn’t. And then, I expected that I’d grow spiritually after seminary. And that happened a little. But it mostly didn’t happen. Because the busyness just doesn’t stop. You move from the busyness of papers and essays and exams to the busyness of getting a job to the busyness of preparing for ordination to the busyness of phone calls and hospital visits and teachings and kids being born and interviews with guys like you.
• If I could say one thing to the seminary, I’d say it’s no use graduating pastors who know how to pass an exam but are spiritually dead.
• And now I’m realizing that, as I reflect on my seminary experience, is that it was just too much information to absorb and process. So, you scramble to perform to pass tests, and to get credentialed, and to become a preacher. My seminary experience became a means to an end.
• Nothing in seminary helped with the relational difficulties I’d experience in ministry. The bulk of it I gained in my first ministry position. I saw the level of pain, level of fragmentation, level of brokenness in people’s lives.
• I didn’t realize how much emotionally energy this (ministry) would require. It’s gigantic.
• Seminary provided important information for theological and ecclesiastical exams, but not for ministering to broken people.
• I spend far more time, for good or bad, worrying over how to deal with conflict, or help marriages on the brink of disaster or the best way to accommodate more people, or how to get a group of men who are all older than I, and whom I fear a bit, to get on the same page about something, all relational sorts of things than I do about the exegesis of particular passages of scripture.
• It is awfully tempting to give one’s time and energy to the things that make it look like you are on the job. I don’t believe I had a good sense of just how much this would be a temptation.

OK everyone, time to help someone out. I was contacted by Dan and Chris who are missionaries in Poland. They have 2 daughters and are considering going to seminary. Below is a letter explaining their situation and they have asked for our help. So, please take a moment to read it and leave a comment for them. Thanks!

Dan (my husband) talked about going to seminary back in the States a few months ago. It was suggested that we also look in Europe and see what we find here. We have everything to set up house here, etc. We found a listing of accredited Seminaries at EEAA. Through there, we found Tyndale University. For an MDiv, it costs about 3700 Euro (about $5000) per year. We went last week to visit it, talk about living expenses, and see about the programs. The program appears to be very good, and they accepted and scholarshipped him about 50%. The living expenses are fairly high, probably about the same as Chicago or LA. Our outstanding problem at this time is our daughters, aged 13 and 15. Amsterdam has some Dutch schools which teach in English but for the two of them to attend, it costs about 12,000 Euro ($19,000) per year. We thought about taking out student loans to cover their tuition and I will work to cover most of our living expenses. We possibly could continue their education with the online school we have been using, but hope that if this option is available to them, that it would make it easier for them to transition into college. (So, we would have 2 years of education expense for Brittney and 4 for Melanie) They will continue giving us some form of assistance, possibly through the Dutch government or through the school itself, but first we would have to pay the first half.

If you have any ideas/suggestions about attending seminary overseas, scholarships, loans, etc., we would welcome any help or advice, good or bad. Some people might be interested in this university as well, since it is fully accredited and somewhat cheaper, especially if it is a couple (and can possibly stomach dorm life) or for single people.

Ok everyone… thoughts?