Why Attend a Biblical Theological Seminary?

When I was 8 years old, my grandpa bought me a red Craftsman toolbox.

Every year after, he added a tool to my box: first, a hammer, then a pipe wrench, a set of sockets, a wrench, pliers, measuring tape, and so on. By the time I graduated from high school, I had a complete set of high-quality tools and a sturdy box to contain them.

Little did I know, back then, how much I would need that box and its contents. Over the years, I have learned how to use each tool and have grown my collection by acquiring new ones.

Similarly, as a Christian, you have been given a ministry toolbox. When God saved you, He gave you a new heart and supplied you with spiritual gifts. In His creativity, He crafted a blueprint of the good works that He designed you to do (Eph. 2:10), placing you in the exact time and place where you are now serving (Acts 17:26).

It’s now your responsibility to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to use the tools in your box well.

That’s where a biblical theological seminary comes in. Without attending a theologically sound seminary, it can be difficult to use your ministry toolbox well. Biblical theological seminary offers several benefits you cannot gain on your own.

For starters, a degree! Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where credentials matter. A credible master’s degree opens doors. Though degrees alone do not qualify us for ministry, they represent a toolbox of gathered knowledge, skill, and experience. Whether you need a master’s for your current ministry or not, someday you will probably wish you had invested in acquiring that toolbox of ministry resources.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul exhorts Timothy regarding his ministry toolbox: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

That commission applies to us, and a biblical theological seminary helps us in fulfilling it. Seminary provides the structure and accountability for gaining a well-rounded theological education guided by frontline leaders, ministry coaches, and academic mentors. It’s not just stocking your box with tools but learning from master craftsmen how to use them.

Grace Theological Seminary equipped me for a lifetime of faithful, effective ministry. Skilled faculty helped me discover the tools in my toolbox, and they collaborated with pastoral mentors to coach me in putting them to work. Every class provided fresh insights, greater knowledge, and new skills.

Grace offers numerous master’s degrees designed to fit your life. You can come to campus or stay where you are, gaining ministry resources while doing ministry.

Deploy, our on-site seminary degree, allows you to stay in your context and work at your own pace. It’s flexible, affordable, and accessible.

In addition to the ministry resources you will be given in your coursework and through your conversations with your professors, Grace Seminary provides every Deploy student with the Logos Bible Software, Gold 8, at no additional cost. The Logos Bible Software is a digital library application designed for electronic Bible study, allowing students to take notes, analyze translation, and explore other helpful resources that apply to the Biblical text.

Learn more about how Grace Seminary fills its students’ ministry toolbox to the brim for years to come.