Let me confess something: I didn’t know what a seminary was until my senior year of college! I quickly learned that I wasn’t the only one confused about seminary.

While attending seminary, co-workers in the Los Angeles area who learned that I was a seminary student would commonly respond, “So, you’re going to be a priest?” It also never helped that the words seminary and cemetery sound so similar.

Despite common confusion and ignorance, the work of a seminary has a tremendous impact not only on the lives of students and the churches they serve but on society at large. When seminaries are faithful to God’s Word and have a clear mission, God-honoring culture, and operational integrity, students are transformed, churches are enlivened, and society is blessed. When seminaries drift from God’s Word, lose their sense of mission, develop a culture that is not honoring to the Lord, or lack integrity, the results are harmful to students, churches, and society.

In other words, much is at stake. So,

What is Seminary?

A seminary is a theological school for ministry leaders. Gateway Seminary’s mission is to shape leaders who expand God’s kingdom around the world[1]. Seminaries like Gateway are traditionally graduate schools offering master’s and doctoral degrees that build upon the foundation of undergraduate education. To better serve churches, Gateway also offers unaccredited diplomas and certificates to serve those without a bachelor’s degree.  

Southern Baptists have prioritized seminary education since our inception. Today, through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptist churches are the proud owners of six seminaries[2], all of which stand unapologetically upon the truth of God’s word and serve churches by educating God-called men and women from local churches to advance the Gospel. Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention trains about 2,000 students a year in the major urban centers of the West and online.

Southern Baptist seminaries stand apart from many other divinity schools and seminaries in that we teach according to, and not contrary to, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (BFM). Southern Baptist seminaries are unique in their belief in the inerrancy, sufficiency, and inspiration of Scripture and their commitment to the doctrines that define us as Southern Baptists, as expressed in the BFM, our common statement of faith. The doctrinal fidelity and operational integrity of Southern Baptist seminaries are guarded and maintained by men and women who voluntarily serve as trustees from Southern Baptist churches.

Our doctrinal commitments unify us and free us for productive and healthy discussion, debate, and even disagreement. Students learn from world-class faculty and other students how godly and mature ministry leaders love and respect each other while being united in the clear positions expressed in our statement of faith. Seminary students learn not only truth and doctrine but gain character formation, skill development, and relational connections for life.

Why Should Someone Attend Seminary?

At seminary, students are transformed by God’s Word and learn to apply truth from God’s Word in practical ministry situations. Seminary graduates serve as ministry leaders in a variety of roles: As pastors, youth ministers, college ministers, chaplains, career missionaries, counselors, worship leaders, etc. Many seminary students are lay leaders in local churches who want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord (2 Peter 3:18) and to study to show themselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15).

What Does One Study at Seminary?

At seminary, students study the Bible! They study the Old Testament and New Testament, original languages (Greek and Hebrew), and how to properly interpret Scripture (hermeneutics). They also learn counseling skills, organizational leadership, strategic planning, methods of discipleship, evangelism, and missions. Seminary students learn about church history, systematic theology, and how the major themes of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration flow through the Bible and point us to Jesus.

Simply put, Seminary is a life-changing experience for students.

The sacred task of seminary education comes from the Bible, in such passages as 1 Timothy 4:16, where Paul instructs Timothy:

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 

Ministry leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1) and will give an account to Jesus (Hebrews 13:17). At seminary, we don’t chase fads or trends; we emphasize eternal truth and seek to contextualize education to the multicultural ministry settings of our gloriously diverse student body.

Some might ask whether seminaries are still relevant. Absolutely! Jesus is building His church, and those churches need God-called men and women who have been trained in “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26) and who can fulfill the job description of ministry leaders given by God in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Conferences and books are helpful, but they are no substitute for the sustained and comprehensive education achieved through seminary education. In fact, the speakers at those conferences and writers of helpful Christian books are often the graduates of a seminary!

Seminary embodies the oft-repeated phrase “better together.” Southern Baptists have pooled funds to provide resources, expertise, and academic credentials to train future ministry leaders in the same way they support overseas and local missions work; by working together, Southern Baptists can do more than any individual church can on its own. Through cooperation, Southern Baptists have wisely ensured that our collective work to advance the Gospel will endure through the establishment of seminaries governed by trustees from Southern Baptist churches.

A wise investment yielding eternal returns for God’s glory.

[1] To learn more about Gateway Seminary, visit https://www.gs.edu/

[2] Click here to take a deeper look into the SBC’s six seminaries, including Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.