What Happens When Seminary Meets the Global Church Through Competency-Based Education?

When seminary meets the local church on a global level, ministry leaders can receive theological training without leaving the people they are called to serve. Through Deploy, a theological competency-based education program, pastors are equipped globally as they continue to serve in their local churches. The result is biblical training that is immediately applicable to their current ministry context.

With flexible seminary training, online learning, and mentorship inside the local church, practical ministry training can happen without leaving your current ministry behind.

A pastor in Serbia, Riste Micev, now a seminary student soon to graduate, once thought Grace Theological Seminary’s Deploy program sounded too good to be true. He said it felt like “a lot of hype.” But in just one semester of participating in the competency-based education program, everything changed.

As Micev progressed through the program, the impact became so visible in his ministry and leadership that his co-pastor, Igor Mudri, enrolled as well. He had seen the transformation the Lord had brought about in his fellow pastor through the Deploy program, and he wanted to receive the same training!

Stories of transformation in people and communities are becoming increasingly common as Grace Theological Seminary’s Deploy program expands its partnership across the globe!

The Need for Accessible, Online Seminary Degrees

Around the world, many pastors and ministry leaders are faithfully serving churches without access to formal training in theological education.

Some cannot relocate to attend seminary. Others can’t afford traditional residential education. In many countries, there are few trusted seminary options available.

Churches need trained, biblically-grounded leaders who can faithfully shepherd congregations. Congregations need those who will preach God’s Word, disciple believers, and navigate ministry challenges wisely. Online seminary degrees effectively equip ministry leaders to do just that with excellence.

Grace Theological Seminary recognized this need years ago and developed the Deploy program, becoming the third competency-based theological education model approved by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

As a competency-based education model, Deploy was designed to remove barriers that often keep ministry leaders from pursuing theological education. Rather than asking pastors to leave their churches behind, Deploy brings seminary training directly into the local ministry context.

Guided by mentors, students remain active in their ministry while completing their online seminary degrees, focusing on demonstrated ministry skills rather than classroom hours.

“We believe the seminary is a servant of the church,” shared Gabe Tribbett, Director of Deploy. “We want to ask churches, ‘What do you need, and how can we help provide it?’”

That philosophy has shaped Deploy’s work in the United States as well as its growing global partnerships.

How Deploy Provides Seminary Training in Serbia

Grace Theological Seminary started a Deploy partnership called Akademija in Serbia, with ties to Grace-connected missionaries.

In Serbia, several ministry leaders were graduating from their undergraduate ministry programs, but there were no accessible seminary pathways for them to continue their training while remaining in ministry. That’s when Akademija began. It created a pathway for students to pursue theological training at a deeper level.

What began with a small group of students in Serbia has now expanded to include ministry leaders across southeastern Europe, including Albania, Kosovo, and Sicily. These students are connected to Grace’s Deploy program through a ministry called Akademia.

The Deploy program has been converted to fit the specific cultural needs of Serbia. In many Balkan countries, leadership has traditionally been shaped more by authority and control than by servant leadership. Through Deploy’s competency-based education model, students learn how biblical leadership differs from cultural expectations.

“We’ve seen students learn how to navigate conflict, leadership, and ministry in healthier and more biblical ways,” said Tribbett.

How Deploy Provides Seminary Training in Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, Deploy’s partnership has equipped pastors and ministry leaders who often serve in extremely challenging ministry environments.

Chad Shively, Associate Director of Deploy, recently visited this area and participated in the dedication of the Grace Bible Institute of Sierra Leone’s new seminary building. The building will support theological education and ministry training for local pastors.

The impact of Grace’s partnership in Sierra Leone has reached the community. Competency-based education focused on biblical leadership and loving one’s wife as Christ loves the church deeply impacted pastors and their families in a culture where unhealthy leadership patterns had often gone unchallenged.

As Sierra Leone’s culture is heavily shaped by folk religion, spiritism, and fear, the director of GIBSL, Jerry McIntosh, taught a Deploy competency that exposed demonology and highlighted the authority of Christ. Not long after, Shively taught on the storyline of Scripture and how the Old and New Testaments should shape our view of God, humanity, and His mission in the world. This tailor-made education has helped students understand biblical truth within the context of their culture.

The Vision Moving Forward

What is happening in Serbia and Sierra Leone is only the beginning!

Grace Theological Seminary is actively exploring additional global partnerships throughout the world in places such as Cuba, Costa Rica, Peru, Nepal, Hong Kong, and more. The vision is to expand these programs and strengthen churches by equipping faithful ministry leaders worldwide.

“We want every student and every church we interact with to be healthier on the other side,” Tribbett said. “After the program, they should be more faithful, more effective, and more resilient.”

As more and more pastors across the globe gain access to ministry training where they already live and serve, Grace Theological Seminary remains committed to partnering with churches for the sake of the Gospel worldwide.

Are you interested in competency-based theological education through Grace’s Deploy program? Become equipped with the skills and knowledge for effective ministry.