A few weeks ago, I got back on Instagram and watched woman after woman talk about their seminary journey. One is a year into a D.Min. A couple more are in the middle of a MA. One woman is just starting a new cohort and listed all the incredible women attending with her. I have metaphorically fist-pumped every single one of them because for a long time women weren’t allowed to go to seminary. The majority of the official theological thought and writing has been done by white men.1 Hear me, I’m glad white men have done theology. Eugene Peterson and Tim Mackie have been enormous influences on my own formation and theological development. I’m grateful for them.
However, white men on their own are not enough. No one group by themselves is all we need. We need the whole diversity of the church coming together, wrestling with ideas, learning to live congruently with our beliefs. That’s why I’m glad to see women, particularly women of color, most of whom are already doing ministry and theological work, going to seminary, getting the credentials, and changing the theological landscape for the next generation.
I don’t know what you think about seminary. Maybe you’re considering seminary. Maybe you are well-established in a field of work and seminary is not in the plan but you’re curious about theological growth and education. Maybe you’re tired of people talking about seminary.2 But if you’re curious, here are four places to start to see if seminary might be for you. These will also help if you never want to go but you’d like to further your own study.
This isn’t one of the tips but this will make a big difference. Do this work with someone else or a small group of people. The work and the “cohort” that you make up will be even more beneficial if the group is diverse. Discuss everything. Read each other’s work. Challenge one another’s perspectives. Cheer each other on. I wouldn’t be making it through seminary without Kristin. On to the ideas.
1. Assign yourself reading. Seminary is a part-time job reading. Theology is a very written field (though Bible Project is adjusting that) and when you go to seminary, you have to ingest a lot of the work that’s already been done. You need to understand the Trinity, how theology has been shaped in Asia, what healthy, faithful church models look like, and the background of the Old Testament. You’re going to get that by reading the work of the theologians who have come before you. So if you’re interested in seminary, start reading. You can make your own list or I’ll offer some options.
-Adoptive Church- churches + youth
-The Color of Compromise + Brown Church + Women in the Mission of the Church- church history (most other church history books won’t cover this content)
-Reading While Black- hermeneutics
-The Vulnerable Pastor- pastoral ministry
-Practicing Christian Doctrine + Plain Theology- theology
-Disability and the Church-disability theology
-The Unseen Realm-spiritual realms
-The Way Up is Down + The Deeply Formed Life- spiritual formation
Learn to intentionally work your way through books because seminary will require you to do it. Might as well be in practice.
2. Practice writing. The only thing seminary likes more than reading is writing. Seminary is a seemingly endless list of essays, book reviews, theological reflections, and research papers. This one is slightly harder to do on your own because it’s harder to work without feedback.3 Maybe you start a blog or a private substack. The writing doesn’t have to have an audience but your thinking will be better if you commit to this part of the process. Don’t panic if you don’t learn best that way. Since you’re making the rules here, organize your thoughts and present on camera. Start a private YouTube challenge or Instagram account and record your thoughts. Seminary does cater to certain styles of learning; it’s a real shortcoming.
Write book reviews.
Write a rebuttal or a dissent to an opinion you sharply disagree with.
Reflect on your own context (you can start with this model)
Trace a theme through Scripture.
Write sermons.
Back up a stance with Scripture and research.
Writing is a great way to learn to organize your thoughts and see gaps in what you know. It also helps you own what you are learning.
3. Get practical ministry experience. All the knowledge in the world means little without context and practice. The church and the world really doesn’t need more people who just know things; we need people who can do something with what they know. The knowledge should be to the benefit of the people you serve. The learning that will happen here (how to work with people, how to handle conflict, how to help a group of people pay attention to God at work in the world) is just as important as anything you learn in a book.
Lead a Bible study.
Serve in the children’s ministry.
Volunteer on a weeknight with the youth.
Help park cars or greet people.
Work with an outreach team.
Commit to something and do it long enough to be bored and do it anyway. Get good at it.
4. Develop discernment and clarify your why. Ask trusted people to weigh in on your desire to go to seminary. Ask God to give clear direction. Give words to your desire. Do you want to go to seminary to serve the church and the world? Do you feel called to teach? To pastor? To plant a church or go overseas? Or do you want to be impressive? Do you need a degree so you feel worthwhile? Seminary is a ton of work and it’s hard to stick with it without a compelling vision for why.
Two final thoughts.
There are things I didn’t put on this list, such as practicing spiritual disciplines, because they have nothing to do with seminary. If you never want to go to seminary, if you never want to teach the Bible, if you are fully settled in a career, you should be practicing spiritual disciplines if you follow Jesus. Following Jesus isn’t about a one-time prayer but about knowing and enjoying God and learning to be a different person in this world.
I don’t think going to seminary or working in “full-time ministry”4 is any more important than any other calling a person might have. We need doctors and artists and plumbers and technicians and power plant workers and teachers and baristas. I wrote a little about that here.
If you want to go to seminary, these are great starting points. See how the works feels. Give it a trial run. Make space in your life for God to direct you and for you to be paying attention. If you’re in seminary or serving in ministry, share it in the comments. If you aren’t and don’t plan to, tell us what you do with your time. I’d love to know and to pray over your work!
Church history can even read as if men were the only one engaging with Scripture and the world but it’s not true. That’s why we are doing our The Stories of Women series.
Sorry, not sorry—we’ll be back to something else next week.
Writing is also enough work that it’s not easy to convince yourself that it’s necessary.
There has to be a better way to phrase that. All believers do ministry in some way or another all the time.
Totally agree with all of this. I don't have anyone else to do the work with, and it's lonely. Definitely one thing that is missing from Fuller's 100% online degree programs. I saw the cohort starting at Denver Theological Seminary and am so envious of the community they'll have as they move through their program.
I've noticed more women beginning seminary this semester than ever before and I love it so much!
There are other organizations providing video content along with The Bible Project that could be helpful for people as well. Third Millennium Ministries has some great theologically rigorous content and even offers some seminary certificates online. Some seminaries will post free lectures online. The one I know for sure does this is Covenant Theological Seminary.