October 6, 2025
Ozark Christian College Receives $1 Million Lilly Grant
Ozark Christian College has been awarded a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to fund Lincoln Seminary's Lifelong Leaders Initiative.
Articles for tag: Theological Education
The Alternatives: Nontraditional Forms of Christian Education
In a world where traditional Bible colleges and universities face many challenges, what options (and opportunities) are emerging for theological and ministry training . . . and how do they stack up?
June 22, 2019
Clarifying—and Simplifying—Our Disciple-Making Efforts
By Michael C. Mack I read Robert Coleman’s book The Master Plan of Evangelism as a seminary student in 1989, when it was in only its 45th printing, with more than 925,000 copies sold. It has now sold more than 3.5 million copies and been translated into 105 languages. I’ve read the book many times over the years. It’s hard to find a page that doesn’t contain highlighting, underlining, asterisks, exclamation points, and notes in the margins. I’ve read his follow-up, The Master Plan of Discipleship, based on the book of Acts, many times as well. These books formed my
March 28, 2012
Is Seminary Worth It?
By Josh Tandy I am a statistical anomaly. I am a young minister who went to seminary almost immediately after receiving my undergraduate degree. More and more, people like me are opting to bypass seminary and go directly into full-time ministry. Some of these individuals have been spectacularly successful. The incredible stories of new churches being planted and existing ones becoming vibrant again make me think about the time, effort, and resources spent on a seminary degree, and I wonder: Was it worth it? Has a world of blogs, conferences, and books made a seminary degree obsolete? It doesn”t take
Emmanuel Offers Web-based Degree Completion
By Jennifer Taylor Last month, Emmanuel Christian Seminary (Johnson City, TN) began offering a new independent study course called “Current Trends in Theological Education” to help students complete unfinished degrees. The online course is designed for previous Emmanuel students who have been absent from course work for more than five years and have completed every degree requirement except the thesis. The new course covers each of the five academic areas studied at ECS””Old Testament, New Testament, church history, doctrine, and Christian ministries. In each area students will complete about 400 pages of reading, review lectures by various faculty members, and
Scholars in the Church”“A Practical Response
By Brian Jones After reading Fred Hansen”s article “The Local Church Needs Scholars,” I immediately thought of my first ministry internship. It was with a pastor who, by his own admission, wasn”t really into scholarly study. “Brian,” I remember him telling me, “you”ll find that the guys out there leading the big churches are pragmatic leaders. That should tell you something.” What I remember most about him however was his penchant for getting carried away with the latest church fads to try to spur church attendance.  ON YOUR KNEES! When I showed up that summer he was well into
October 7, 2007
Emerging Ministry for Emerging Churches
By Paul E. Boatman As New Vision Christian Church grew through the plateaus that stymie some churches, the emerging megachurch began to acquire a new look in its ministry staff. First, it added a minister of administration: Kevin was a successful businessman who had served as an elder in the church. The church”s need for competent financial and personnel management and the elder”s giftedness seemed a perfect match. He sold his business and focused his professional energies on the church he loved. Then an opening occurred in worship leadership. A search discovered several candidates who were recent Bible college graduates,
Why Scholarship Matters in the Church
Why does scholarship matter to the church? Robert F. Hull Jr. argues that faithful scholarship supports Bible translation, global mission, congregational health, and training future leaders—showing why “Athens and Jerusalem” need each other.
Equipping Leaders from Within: Safeguards
Hiring church staff from within can bring big benefits, but it also raises concerns about experience and theological grounding. Chuck Sackett outlines practical safeguards to equip internal hires for faithful, biblically informed ministry.
