Generally, seminary students aren’t all that different from their secular school counterparts. They struggle with grades. They spend hours crafting essays and thesis papers. Some even have to divide their time between in-class learning and residency programs with churches and other Christian-based organizations. It can be tough, but for many, earning a seminary degree is a crucial first step in walking with Christ and helping others do the same.
But because of that rewarding spiritual component, surviving seminary is about more than chugging gallons of coffee and taking detailed notes. It’s about taking care of yourself and your relationship with God. Here are three seminary survival tips that can help you tackle the unique challenges seminary students face every year.
A Complete Guide to Surviving Seminary School
1. Remember That a Christian Education Is About More Than Grades
Seminaries are usually graduate schools. So by default, seminary students are likely to be high achievers: people who crave a good challenge and don’t accept anything less than the best when it comes to their own efforts.
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That kind of discipline can be a key ingredient to success, but it can also be a mental trap.
Consider the case of a student who breezed through undergraduate studies. He or she maintained a stellar GPA, led student Christian ministry programs, and still found time to be social, healthy, and happy. In fact, all of that hard work was instrumental to being accepted at their seminary of choice.
But then that same student gets to seminary and the first semester is, to say the least, more than a little challenging. That GPA slips below a 4.0. Once cherished ministry programs become chores that get in the way of cramming for exams. Maybe the student isn’t cut out for this level of theological education. Maybe seminary was a huge mistake.
If that describes your seminary experience so far (or an experience you’re afraid of encountering), remember that seminary is supposed to be challenging. You’re pursuing not just an academic Master’s degree, but a Master’s degree in helping others come to know the Lord. Your struggles may one day be the foundation for strengthening a whole community’s faith.
That may not seem immediately comforting, so if you’re struggling in seminary, ask yourself a few questions:
- Are in-depth Christian philosophy, history, and theology classes engaging your mind and spirit in new ways?
- Does struggling academically keep you in close contact with God through prayer?
- Has adversity helped you open up to others and find greater comfort in Christian fellowship?
- Are you learning how to listen better? To others? To God when He speaks in unexpected ways?
If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then you may be surviving seminary better than you give yourself credit for. You’re already growing spiritually — give yourself time to grow academically.
2. Take Advantage of Faculty Office Hours and Student Life Programs
Though Biblical studies keep students’ noses in books, the seminary experience isn’t meant to be solitary. Any given seminary community is made up of devout scholars, emerging Christian learners, and other people wholly dedicated to different aspects of ministry. Seeking out these people can make surviving seminary easier and more fulfilling spiritually, academically, and personally.
Visiting Professors Outside of Class Fosters Strong Bonds and Creates New Opportunities
Like other types of graduate-level institutions, seminaries typically require professors to hold regular open office hours. On the surface, this is a great opportunity for struggling students to get help with difficult courses and conducting research. But approaching professors on an individual basis can also be a great move professionally and spiritually.
For example, think about how tough the field of Christian counseling can be. It’s a sensitive balance of spiritual fitness and psychological know-how. On top of that, the American Psychological Association estimates that up to 61% of therapists and counselors deal with emotional burnout. A person attending seminary to enter this field may have all sorts of doubts and questions in-class lectures don’t quite answer.
In that case, a professor with real-world pastoral counseling experience could become a great mentor. During office hours, the professor can help students find resources for emotionally-exhausted counselors, discover residency opportunities that could open doors professionally, and offer the kind of Scripture-based advice someone struggling with self-care often needs.
This can apply to anyone who needs help either clarifying their post-seminary career goals or is struggling with surviving seminary itself. Professors have likely already been there, done that, and done it again while maintaining a strong relationship with God. Many would be happy to let students benefit from their years wisdom. All students have to do is ask.
Student Life Programs Give Students Invaluable Perspective and Balance
At the graduate level, students generally stick to their chosen courses of study. Business students don’t typically dabble in literature. Fledgling physicists don’t have time to see what the psychology students are up to. However, that doesn’t have to be true of seminary students.
As you focus on surviving seminary, consider how participating in common student life programs can allow you enrich your academic and spiritual life:
Bible Studies
Bible studies are a quintessential part of almost every Christian community. But at seminary, students from different programs can come together over Scripture to enlighten each other. For instance, a Biblical languages student can help other students understand Bible verses in new, historically-rich ways they’ve never considered.
Volunteer Programs
Master of Christian Ministry degree programs often require students to do some volunteer work, but seminary students of all kinds can benefit from student-run volunteer programs. By working shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Christians in the community, even more academically-focused Christian scholars can find spiritual motivation when studies get tough.
Cultural Clubs
Some seminaries have diverse student populations. When students come together to talk about how their cultures see and interact with faith, everyone involved can experience how the Word of God transcends borders and human-made boundaries. Cultural events and clubs can also be a great way to forge new bonds with Christians from all over the world.
While it may seem like a given that seminary students would take part in these activities, seminary gets busy. There are deadlines to meet and schedules to keep. But taking time out of one’s schedule to talk with fellow students and members of the surrounding community can break up the monotony. It creates fellowship, dissolves isolation, and sheds new light on aspects of faith that can easily fade into the background when students get stuck in the busy student lifestyle.
3. Stay Focused on Your Own Christian Identity But Be Prepared For It To Change
When seminary students tell their loved ones that they’re heading off to seminary, they might get mixed opinions. Some will see it as a blessing. Others may say Christian leadership is more about the heart than the mind. They may even have some stories about people who lost their faith entirely after seminary.
While that is certainly a reality some seminary students face, it doesn’t have to be part of your story.
ChristianWeek columnist Stephen J. Bedard shares his experience with this in an editorial entitled “Is Theological Education a Faith Killer?” He acknowledges that there have been cases of seminary students becoming outspoken critics of Christianity, but in his experience (one that includes four theological degrees), seminary changed his faith in a very positive way.
“I can honestly say that my faith is stronger now than it has ever been. Yes, there was some initial pain with the loss of the Sunday school faith but what has replaced it is much more fulfilling.”
In that sense, seminary education isn’t solely an academic or spiritual matter. It’s a unique combination of both that gives believers the tools to become leaders and tackle questions of faith directly. When it’s approached with a strong spirit and an open mind, seminary graduates can re-enter the world with a deeper understanding of divinity and use that knowledge to help others know God in their own ways.
And isn’t that the goal of seminary? To hone one’s faith so that it can embolden other’s trust in the Lord? But like sharpening a knife, sharpening one’s faith must often be deliberate and delicate. Every now and then, the whetstone of seminary may put a nick in your blade, but trusting God’s plan can keep it straight, sharp, and true.
Ready To Put These Seminary Survival Tips To Use?
Seminary can be spiritually uplifting, build fellowship, and deepen one’s understanding of how God has touched the world with grace. It’s OK to feel apprehensive about being called to seminary, but remember God’s promise in Isaiah 41:10: “I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Surviving seminary often means keeping that promise close to your heart.
If you feel called to share that promise with others, explore different kinds of Christian Master’s degree programs open to everyone from potential pastors to missionaries to scholarly Biblical experts. You might choose to pursue your seminary degree online, on-campus, full-time, or part-time, but whatever you choose, your seminary education could help you become the kind of well-rounded Christian leader communities across the world need.
