Feature Article #1
Ministry Is For Broken People
The true reasons people go into ministry are manifold. We’ve written at length about the need for divine calling. But not surprisingly, there are human factors as well.
One major human factor that is widely unacknowledged is personal brokenness. I’ve never met anyone in ministry who didn’t have some level of emotional wounding in their [...]
Popularity: 39% [?]
Feature Article #2
Deciding Where You Stand At Seminary
There is a huge range of debatable issues in theology and in the practice of ministry that a person could take sides on. An average church member generally isn’t required to have fully developed theological opinions. They are often asked to agree with and support the theological and philosophical stance their church, but aren’t [...]
Popularity: 45% [?]
Feature Article #3
Your Seminary Isn’t Responsible For Your Education
Your seminary isn’t responsible for your education. You are.
In the past week, I’ve had the chance to visit with a few current and just-graduated seminarians, and some of their observations have been strikingly similar:
The seminary environment is too academic.
The assigned readings are too long, and not really related to the subject matter.
If I do [...]
Popularity: 50% [?]
Feature Article #4
Stumbling at Seminary: Laziness
In the face of all the multiple demands at seminary, the temptation to laziness can be acute. I’ve spoken with a number of students who succumb to laziness, to their own hurt. They have much to get done, but cannot get themselves to do it.
Often laziness will show up as procrastination; or choosing to [...]
Popularity: 71% [?]
Feature Article #5
Supply Preaching during Seminary
I’ve had more than my share of preaching, teaching, and speaking opportunities since I began seminary studies. A lot of these have been repeat visits– during seminary, I preached 94 times in 23 different places. So I’ve been blessed to get some invitations to go back to places I’ve preached before. (I always appreciate the [...]
Popularity: 69% [?]
About this Site
My name is Mark, and I’m the general editor for Seminary Survival Guide. I’m a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div, 1995) and I’m serving as associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Columbia, Illinois.
I got the idea for this lying in bed praying one morning. Our church has several seminary students, [...]
Popularity: unranked [?]


