Resource: List of Seminaries

For my money I hope the schools don’t merge if they can stay afloat without it. I want to find the school with the closest positions to my own as I can.

Yes, there would be some advantages to having fewer, bigger, better seminaries. We tried that for a number of years, remember? We had two gigantic dispensational seminaries: Dallas and Grace. Both drifted doctrinally to the point that they have become almost irrelevant to this discussion. Twenty-five or so years later, we have this situation of many different, smaller graduate and seminary programs that more or less agree on the fundamentals and hold one another in check. All in all, that may be a healthier situation, while also presenting a different set of problems.

For one thing, many of them may not offer the quality of experience that students at DTS or GTS received in the heyday of those schools. For another, I do believe that the number of schools we have is unsustainable, especially in the age of online programs we have today. But I am not convinced that simply promoting the merging of schools is a viable answer. Most of these schools came into being for Biblical reasons, not just with the hope of being a money-maker. They are not likely to close up shop in the vague hope of contributing to the greater good.

Also, with all of this talk about online programs being the secret to success for seminaries, it is interesting that The Master’s Seminary, probably the closest thing we have today to what DTS or GTS once were, seems to be going and growing strong without any emphasis on online or satellite programs. Perhaps the real issue is quality, not format.

Long term, A/L consolidation has resulted in lower fares. There are peculiarities in the industry that hamper pure competition … like when one airline dominates a hub. Southwest is a great ‘buster’ of this trend and it works well in Chicago that has a 2nd airport (Midway) and Dallas (Love Field)

The major consolidation started in the mid 2000s and if you look at your chart, that is where fares started rising again. I think the general consensus is that deregulation in 1978 caused the previous decline in airfare, while consolidation of the legacy carriers has caused a rise in the last 5-10 years because a lack of competition and price wars.

However, I think seminaries are a completely different issue. So long as a seminary is viable and offering a real education, it matters little how many there are, it seems to me.

As a Grace Theological Seminary grad I was surprised that it didn’t make your list. Though it is way down in classroom attendance these days they are doing pretty well with their on-line program. Grace also has a number of Koreans who attend the school primarily in May in a seminar-style program.

During my time in the “holy city” of Winona Lake, Indiana I had several discussions with two professors about relocation. The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches has three major concentrations: Philadelphia and Lancaster County, PA, and Columbus, Ohio. It made sense ten to fifteen years ago for Grace to move to Columbus. It is a major city and, of course, home to the largest single campus in the country, (an) Ohio State University. There are plenty of places to live and work and numerous Grace Brethren churches available for training opportunities. Interestingly, one prof’s concern was the library. A library is the major resource of an educational institution, to be sure. This is no longer an issue because of the Internet.

Masters Seminary is a key school because it has “star power” in John MacArthur. Southern is also a “hot” seminary these days because of Al Mohler’s reputation. Neither will be around forever. It will be interesting to see what happens to Masters when MacArthur finally retires.

One more (I was going to mention Shepherd’s - with many of my former professor’s from Pillsbury and Central Baptist [Plymouth] but someone beat me to it).

Capital Seminary in Greenbelt, MD (where I teach). It almost shut down last year - so I can feel the pain the Calvary folks are going through). The seminary was acquired by Lancaster Bible College but remains centered on the DC region. Has sites in Greenbelt, MD and Springfield, VA. Regionally accredited (Middle States). M.A., M. Min., M.Div., M.A.C.C.D. and Ph.D. in leadership. Traditional and hybrid courses. Some of the key data, anyway.

A hidden gem in the nation’s capital in my view! But I am biased.

And perhaps the best web address (for the whole LBC world, now):

www.bible.edu

Direct to the seminary at:

http://www.bible.edu/CBSAcademics/Home

Also left off: The Baptist College of Ministry Theological Seminary

http://www.bcmedu.org/index.php/academics/theological-seminary

S/I often uses their blog for filings

Tyndale is a very good option. They’re closely affiliated with Dallas, completely online and inexpensive. They have good instructors, most of whom I believe are affiliated with Dallas Seminary. They’re not accredited, and I don’t think they are going for it. Haven’t heard anything negative about them, and their president, Christopher Cone, regularly contributes front page articles for SI. Seems like a good school.