Another Seminary?

A reader responded to an earlier post in which I questioned the need for new Bible colleges by asking whether my observation should also be applied to the proliferation of seminaries. My short answer is “Yes.” Besides the six reasons that colleges get started (delineated in that post), I think there are two additional reasons for seminary start-ups: 1) established colleges or universities know that they can receive a financial boost by keeping students on campus for graduate school; 2) large churches desire to train their own men for ministry and to provide them with the opportunity to be mentored by the (usually famous) pastor of the church (see this article for more on this phenomenon).

In regard to #1, I realize that colleges which start seminaries do so for more than just financial reasons and that colleges have been doing this sort of thing since the early nineteenth century (e.g., 17 divinity schools and seminaries were begun in the United States at this time). The proliferation of seminaries in the present day, however, appears to be an unnecessary phenomenon in light of the abundance of legitimate options available to students, even in fundamentalist circles. I’m afraid that colleges starting seminaries today face the challenge of academic inbreeding in which students receive both college and graduate education from the same professors. (Again, I understand that some institutions keep their seminary and college professors separate, but this is difficult for most schools due to financial constraints, and the institutional ethos of a place is rarely confined to just the college or the seminary.) Another less-than-academic motivation for colleges starting seminaries is the need for campus staff; colleges can pay staff members low wages while offering them graduate education “free of charge.”

In regard to #2, very few churches can provide an adequate academic program while also providing a quality mentoring situation. Library facilities are often lacking (unless a good theological library is in the area), and qualified faculty are costly. Even if the pastor of the church has good academic credentials, it is the atypical church that can also provide degreed professors in all five of the typical disciplines needed for a legitimate M.Div degree. (The five areas are OT, NT, systematic theology, church history, and practical theology.) There is no question that mentoring is a key element in a seminarian’s preparation for ministry, and every good seminary recognizes this need (and hopefully requires its students to be actively pursuing a mentoring relationship with local church pastors while in seminary). But seminary provides an essential part of the pastor’s academic preparation, and it is very rare that one church can meet this academic need. By the way, several local churches across the country provide short-term internship opportunities (students often take advantage of these during the summer months or they take a semester away from seminary in order to attend), and I believe that these churches are pursuing a better model. Mentoring is vital and so is vigorous academic preparation.

I am not seeking to be self-serving in my observations here, although some may accuse me of this in light of my present employment at Central Seminary. But the commitment to accomplish the educational needs of future pastors and Christian leaders should weigh heavily upon the hearts and minds of anyone who might be considering the start-up of another seminary. May the Lord find us faithful here at Central Seminary to continue improving this institution as we get ready to start our 54^th year.