Wow, I'm going to seminary next semester. I'm 42 from Brazil, going to US with my wife and 3 kids and I have ADHD. All of this feels overwhelming. I'm counting on God's grace because I surely will have a hard time.
Thank you it is such a journey that is overwhelming. At age 51 starting this I know now more than ever that my trust must be in Christ to see me through.
Knowledge puffs up. Amen dude. I'm 25 and in Bible college right now in my third year of a 4 year degree in pastoral ministries. Some of the freshman and even 2nd year pastoral students are pretty knowledgeable, which is a great thing! My hope is that they know that the call/work of a pastor is much more than just what you know. Do you have any encouragement as I walk with them as they are younger? I want to help them know that it is much more than the books they read.
The worst students I encountered in seminary were the ones who had never been out of school... From Kindergarten thru grad school... The best students were ones who had 'lived in the real world' for a while and then returned to grad school. I even had professors who opined that grad schools shouldn't admit students until at least 5 years after their Bachelor's degree. The maturity that comes with experience is vital. You can pass all the classes without the 'real world' experience, but your understanding and maturity will suffer. The most dedicated and humble students were the older ones.. The younger students were often very arrogant and opinionated. Not a hard fast rule... but just a tendency I noticed.
I would agree with you. I saw the same thing. Going out into the real world and doing ministry before returning to finish seminary changed my perspective. I believe it helped me get even more out of my studies.
WARNING..... about electronic books. might be "easier" and cheaper, but that comes with a cost associated. you CANNOT pass those books down from generation to generation. you do NOT control if those books are magically turned off and removed. you cannot sell electronic books. If you are tight on money, you can recoup some money by selling books. Please.... buy physical books. the information studied at seminary needs to be PRESERVED and passed down. electronic doesn't do that.
Very similar story. I made the first attempt and lasted a semester. Had great grades and a dead faith. I've been in the "in between" for three years but I'm ready to return. Thanks for this list!
Hey Brandon, Wow these are awesome tips I should’ve known before I dropped seminary because of the same reasons you had. I’ve been stirred up and still have the calling to complete it. Thanks for pointing these out, this gives me more confidence in knowing that it’s possible to complete this even through the circumstances you listed.
I start my seminary journey next month, and found this video very helpful! I’ll actually be going to the exact same college and seminary you did which is pretty funny! Thanks again for great content
I am taking (free) online seminary classes (specifically the online courses from Dallas Theological Seminary). Here's my question: can all of these tips be applied to online seminary classes as well? Also, there are usually 3-4 lectures per lesson for each course plus 4-5 exams for each course, which is driving me nuts. Another thing I should have mentioned is that all of the lectures are pre-recorded. Also, great job with this video!! 👍🏻👍🏻
Would love to see a video or get some help on good note taking methods for Seminary. I just started my 1st week and I took over 8000 words of notes and my writing assignment was a minimum of 500 words I ended up writing about 1000 word response but even that didn't feel like enough. Either I am taking far too many notes or I need to expand more on my submission for my writing assignment regarding my reading and notes.
Sir, What if i can't understand the recording of our teachers? What should i do? And i already told him. What i do now is, i downloaded a another lectures from TH-cam inorder to cope up. Another advice?
Dont waste your money on an unbiblical institution. That is the answer. Not if you want to be a Episcopos Poimen in the Ecclesia of God. An academic perhaps but not a recognized office bearer of a true Ecclesia.
Wow, I'm going to seminary next semester. I'm 42 from Brazil, going to US with my wife and 3 kids and I have ADHD. All of this feels overwhelming. I'm counting on God's grace because I surely will have a hard time.
Thank you it is such a journey that is overwhelming. At age 51 starting this I know now more than ever that my trust must be in Christ to see me through.
Knowledge puffs up. Amen dude.
I'm 25 and in Bible college right now in my third year of a 4 year degree in pastoral ministries. Some of the freshman and even 2nd year pastoral students are pretty knowledgeable, which is a great thing! My hope is that they know that the call/work of a pastor is much more than just what you know.
Do you have any encouragement as I walk with them as they are younger? I want to help them know that it is much more than the books they read.
The worst students I encountered in seminary were the ones who had never been out of school... From Kindergarten thru grad school... The best students were ones who had 'lived in the real world' for a while and then returned to grad school. I even had professors who opined that grad schools shouldn't admit students until at least 5 years after their Bachelor's degree. The maturity that comes with experience is vital. You can pass all the classes without the 'real world' experience, but your understanding and maturity will suffer. The most dedicated and humble students were the older ones.. The younger students were often very arrogant and opinionated. Not a hard fast rule... but just a tendency I noticed.
I would agree with you. I saw the same thing. Going out into the real world and doing ministry before returning to finish seminary changed my perspective. I believe it helped me get even more out of my studies.
I'm still working on an AS degree and looking to seminary schools. Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely need that growth time.
I’ll be starting seminary in 5 months. I graduated college 20 years ago. Thanks for the tips!
You're welcome. Enjoy this season of studying and seeking God. It's hard, but it's a blessing.
Thank you for the encouragement. I’ll be pursuing the MATBS at Phoenix Seminary.
Logos software creating citations sounds great.
WARNING..... about electronic books. might be "easier" and cheaper, but that comes with a cost associated.
you CANNOT pass those books down from generation to generation.
you do NOT control if those books are magically turned off and removed.
you cannot sell electronic books. If you are tight on money, you can recoup some money by selling books.
Please.... buy physical books. the information studied at seminary needs to be PRESERVED and passed down. electronic doesn't do that.
Unless someone has a disability that makes electronic books necessary. Then, buy the ebook.
Very similar story. I made the first attempt and lasted a semester. Had great grades and a dead faith. I've been in the "in between" for three years but I'm ready to return. Thanks for this list!
Hey Brandon, Wow these are awesome tips I should’ve known before I dropped seminary because of the same reasons you had. I’ve been stirred up and still have the calling to complete it. Thanks for pointing these out, this gives me more confidence in knowing that it’s possible to complete this even through the circumstances you listed.
Thank you! I started my first class today! I feel terribly unqualified to get through seminary. 😢
I can see why you graduated with honors. Great job!
Love this, tips will most definitely help me. Thank You
This is such a valuable set of points. Thank you, brother!
I start my seminary journey next month, and found this video very helpful! I’ll actually be going to the exact same college and seminary you did which is pretty funny! Thanks again for great content
That's awesome. Maybe I'll see you around
Thanks for this I'm new into seminary and struggling a bit. This definitely helped put some things into perspective for me
Grammarly YES!
I always walk around the house and read! I have a lot of trouble concentrating on it if I read sitting down
I am taking (free) online seminary classes (specifically the online courses from Dallas Theological Seminary). Here's my question: can all of these tips be applied to online seminary classes as well?
Also, there are usually 3-4 lectures per lesson for each course plus 4-5 exams for each course, which is driving me nuts. Another thing I should have mentioned is that all of the lectures are pre-recorded.
Also, great job with this video!! 👍🏻👍🏻
Would love to see a video or get some help on good note taking methods for Seminary. I just started my 1st week and I took over 8000 words of notes and my writing assignment was a minimum of 500 words I ended up writing about 1000 word response but even that didn't feel like enough. Either I am taking far too many notes or I need to expand more on my submission for my writing assignment regarding my reading and notes.
Sir, What if i can't understand the recording of our teachers? What should i do? And i already told him.
What i do now is, i downloaded a another lectures from TH-cam inorder to cope up.
Another advice?
How and where do I start to study to become a pastor ? Also, what other careers I can study to work for a Churche ?
Thank you God bless you.
Dont waste your money on an unbiblical institution. That is the answer. Not if you want to be a Episcopos Poimen in the Ecclesia of God. An academic perhaps but not a recognized office bearer of a true Ecclesia.