Covenant Seminary Regains Momentum In Training Pastors
By Megan Fowler
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When Tom Gibbs started developing a new strategic plan for Covenant Theological Seminary, the PCA denominational seminary was facing unprecedented challenges in its work to train future pastors. Gibbs became Covenant’s president in July 2021 amid a swirl of changes at the seminary, in theological education, and throughout the broader culture.

The seminary was losing students, especially male residential students enrolled in the M.Div. program. The seminary has termed these “pastor-minded students,” because most of them go on to ordained pastoral ministry.

In fall 2010 the seminary had 62 incoming residential M.Div. students. In the fall of 2021 the number of incoming pastor-minded M.Div. students had plummeted to four. Another dozen students were enrolled in the online program, but the residential program has always been a hallmark of Covenant’s educational ministry.

As the new president, Gibbs was surprised by the 2021 enrollment decline, not just for the lost revenue it represented, but for the decline in laborers equipped for the harvest.

Many factors contributed to this drop: The pandemic, the changing political landscapeCovenant being a late adopter of fully online education, and rising costs of education all contributed to a decrease in students. 

And for students interested in pastoral ministry, their educational options have multiplied over the years. Whereas a generation ago most students pursuing ministry turned to Covenant, Reformed Theological Seminary, or Westminster Theological Seminary, now those students have many other options for in-person and online theological education.

“Institutions like Covenant have to be more strategic in their mission if they are going to be effective. And that’s all happening in a world that is becoming less and less biblically literate all while needing that clarity more acutely,” Gibbs said. 

Gibbs notes that Gen Z is also not as religiously affiliated as previous generations. They are curious about spiritual matters, but not necessarily interested in spiritual coherence. “That means fewer students in Gen Z are looking for theological training in the traditional sense,” and fewer members of Gen Z sense a call to pastoral ministry.  

Connecting With Pastor-Minded Students

Now Covenant has made prioritizing pastor-minded students a pillar in its new strategic plan, and one way it hopes to recruit more of these students is by strengthening the relationship between Covenant and the PCA. Gibbs wants PCA pastors and church members to know if they send the seminary their young men to train for the pastorate, Covenant will return well-trained pastors who are ready to serve, whether in a church, campus ministry, or on the international mission field. 

Gibbs points to the relationship between Covenant and Mission to the World as one of mutual benefit. Covenant and MTW have partnered to fund the Paul Kooistra Chair of Missions. Covenant has not had a resident missiologist at the school in years, but now that the chair is fully funded, the seminary is searching to fill the position, with MTW offering its advice on missiologists. 

Covenant also offers an up-to-50% scholarship to current MTW missionaries, those preparing to enter the mission field through MTW, and internationals working with MTW. 

Covenant also wants to offer itself as a resource to pastors. Covenant has created a series of conferences to edify PCA pastors and ministry leaders. The Lifetime of Ministry conference and Francis Schaeffer Institute conference are two opportunities pastors have for further training through Covenant. 

Gibbs is also encouraging professors to be more active at the General Assembly. More than simply attending the Assembly, he wants them to teach seminars, meet with former students, and participate in the Assembly’s work. 

Gibbs summarized the seminary’s strategy as “more voices in more places with more volume.”

“We want to tell the denomination, ‘We want to be a trusted partner with you.’” Gibbs is visiting presbyteries, meeting pastors, explaining to them the value Covenant Seminary offers. He explains that Covenant is both upstream and downstream from what is happening at the local church. Upstream because Covenant sends graduates to serve the local church, and downstream because the church in turn sends its sons to Covenant for pastoral training.  

The messaging seems to be working. For the 2023-2024 academic year Covenant had 201 students in its M.Div. program, though not every student was residential or planning to become a pastor. But the numbers are trending in the right direction. 

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