Dear Seminarian Archives - Servants of Grace

Wanting to Leave and Saying Goodbye

More and more I hear voices in the evangelical world suggesting that wanting to leave your church is wrong. These voices suggest that the “right” thing for every pastor is picking a church and staying put until you retire. I know friends who are doing this. I’ve read...

Discipline Yourself for Godliness

Few issues are as important or as controversial as the role of discipline in the Christian life. When we hear the words discipline, we might first think of the soldier out preparing for battle. We might also think of the athlete training hard in the weight room or...

Getting the Most out of Seminary Classes When You’re Already Crazy Busy

It’s a great understatement to say that seminary is a very crazy time of life. The old cliché of seminary being like “drinking from a firehose” has stuck around for a reason. Trying to juggle work, family, church, and school responsibilities can leave you feeling like...

Joining Your Community

Joining Your Community A few months ago I went to eat lunch with a new pastor in town. We started with get-to-know-you small talk. Then we discussed the challenges associated with moving and settling into a new place. At some point in our conversation, my new pastor...

When Satan Tempts Me to Despair: Struggles and Seminary

It was the second week of my Old Testament Theology class. I missed my Dad's phone call a few times, and I knew something was up, so I called him back during a break. His words were, "Evan, your mom is divorcing me." After the call, I went back to class trying to...

Warnings and Encouragement for Women Attending Seminary

Dear Woman in Seminary, You are not alone. There are days in which the journey is long and wearisome, but you are seen. Your church needs you, and I am so glad that you responded to the call of seminary with a heart that says, “Here am I, send me.” In the midst of the...

Working Hard

Working Hard Pastors must prioritize family over the ministry. Period. End of story. If you’ve been around church for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the same stories repeated countless times. Some pastors fail to take care of their family because they’re...

Copying Other Churches

Copying Other Churches One of the greatest temptations a pastor faces is the temptation to copy another church. From the mouth of the pastor, this temptation comes out with these words, “At my last church, we used to do …” Don’t be the guy who always talks about how...

Dear Seminary Dad- Shepherd, Your Family

Dear Seminary Dad, If you’re reading this letter, it’s because you’ve taken steps in obedience to God’s call on your life to shepherd His people. You are aware of the many things you don’t know and are humbly seeking knowledge to step into your calling. If you are a...

Portrait of a Minister Approved by Christ

1 Timothy 4:6-16, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train...

Dear Seminarian Join a Local Church

Dear Seminarian, I am writing to you to congratulate you and encourage you on your next great adventure in life. Seminary is a blessing from God to take part in. It is something only a select few ever get to endure and appreciate. In seminary, you will hone your...

The Distraction of Seminary

Seminary in many ways can distract the Christian from his daily need to meet with God. It is easy to get sucked into studying about God, getting our theology right, and neglecting our time with God. Many authors and bloggers have written about such a subject. But what...

Ministry Resumes and Search Committees

Ministry resumes are tricky. How do you put it together? What do you include? What do you leave out? How much detail is too much? Do you include a cover letter? If so, what should it say? Do you need recommendations? Can you send resumes to strangers? These are...

What Does It Mean To Be Called?

Dear Seminarian, We have all heard the saying "If I only knew then what I know now." That saying is trustworthy and true and applies to all aspects of life. There are many things in life that we cannot know without the wisdom of hindsight. This also applies to the...

God’s Handiwork in Providing Ordinary Jobs While in Seminary

As I am looking for a job here in Kansas City, I can’t help but reflect back on a job that God put in my life to sustain my wife and me until moving to the seminary. About a month ago I worked at a factory where I operated a machine that packages panty hose. I didn’t...

How the Church Works

As you head off to a new location to attend school, or as you settle into a rigorous schedule of classes in your hometown, it is helpful to remember the importance of the local church. All the Bible classes in the world cannot take the place of what the Church is...

Seminary is Not for Slackers

1 Timothy 3:4-5, "He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" If I neglect the menial tasks of caring for my household, how...

Cramming Seminary Well

Certainly only through the Lord’s strength and grace to me, during one whole school year on-campus at Southern Seminary, I took a whopping 61 credit hours of class! How is this possible? Still, now, I have no idea how all that happened. God’s mercy pulled me through....

Love the Church, Serve the Church

I was excited when Dave Jenkins, the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries informed the contributor team that he wanted to shift the focus of Servants of Grace toward the seminarian for a season in order to produce articles that were full of God-centered...

11 Ways to Reignite Your Passion for the Bible

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** I graduated from seminary...

Three Traps to Avoid in Seminary

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** When God called me into...

Embrace Suffering

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** 2 Timothy 2:3, “Share in...

Pursue Purity

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** God opened my eyes to the...

Cultivate Humility

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** There is a saying that...

Advice to Married Seminary Students

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** When I arrived at...

Love God’s People and His Church

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** Throughout the “Dear...

Six Ways to Contribute to Your Theological Education

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** I've spent my fair share...

Five Lessons from a Father to His Son as He Enters Seminary

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** Dear (son) Seminarian,...

Three Helpful Tips for Seminary Students

Editor’s Note: The purpose of this series is to help students whether they are preparing for, attending, or have graduated from seminary to grow in the God’s grace. To read the rest of the articles in this series click here. ***************** I began my formal...

Four Temptations of a Bible College Student

In May of 2016, I will be graduating with a M.A in Biblical and Theological Studies. Ask me about Greek paradigms or eschatological views, and I can fill your head with information. I mean, it’s been my “job” for the last four years to learn the ins and outs of...