Seminary education is challenging, and it is critical that you get off to a good start. As you begin your seminary studies, here are my six strategies for approaching life and work.
1. Find a church home quickly.
The sanctification of the Lord’s Day, sitting under God’s Word preached, receiving the Lord’s supper, caring for and being cared for by God’s people – these are vital to your and (if married) your family’s spiritual well-being. Do not prolong your search.
The adjustment may be tough; you might miss your old church home and feel discouraged. This is part of your preparation for ministry. All pastors work with people who struggle to fit into a new church. A few years from now, you will be working with such people, so right now, you and your family’s struggles to fit in are equipping you for ministry. It is one of many ways God is at work to make you a sympathetic shepherd of your flock.
2. Don’t pit your studies against your devotional life.
During my first year at Princeton, I stumbled upon a copy of B.B. Warfield’s “The Religious Life of Theological Students” and received perhaps the most helpful counsel of my seminary career: Make your turning to the books a turning to God. He asks, “Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must turn from your books in order to turn to God?”
Before you open a text, ask the Lord to give you an increased knowledge of his character and your need for grace. Seek from him a deeper understanding of his Word and world. Fill your time in the books with prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, repentance, and renewal. If you do, you’ll establish enduring and godly study habits to the glory of God.
3. Guard your study time.
Most of us only get one shot at seminary; misuse the time, and you’ll finish your studies inadequately prepared for ministry. Even if it were possible to learn later what you miss now, the forfeited opportunity costs are steep. For years you will labor without the benefit of what could have been yours from the start.
While at seminary you will be asked to volunteer your time in many worthy ways both on campus and in church. But before you say “yes,” make sure that your studies are squared away. Take this adage to heart: “Do what you have to do, then do what you want to do.”
Resist the temptation to see your studies in competition with service to the Lord. Right now, your time reading, writing, and in the lecture hall is your primary field of service. Should you serve in other ways? Most definitely, but not before you are sure you can meet your academic requirements.
4. Watch your spending.
Most of the time, family conflict about money has its roots not in scarcity, but in negligence. Many students and their spouses don’t think carefully about their finances. The consequences can be dire: strained relationships, overwork, and, sometimes, withdrawing from seminary and abandoning plans for ministry.
Do not let that be your story. Spend less than you earn. Make a budget, and stick to it. Put on paper where your money will go. If you do not know how, ask for help, and the sooner the better.
5. Eliminate distractions when you are studying, at home, and with the Lord.
When you set aside time to study, be fully engaged. Turn off email and all notifications. Silence your cell phone. Refuse to scroll.
When you get home, give your wife and children your full attention; put your phone, books, and computer away.
During your personal devotions, be fully engaged with the Lord and his Word.
When you eliminate distractions and concentrate on the task before you, you will be surprised at how much you accomplish and grow in your work and relationships.
6. Your calendar is your ally.
Course syllabi in a moment, but first a word about calendars.
Calendars do more than remind you about upcoming events. They are an essential part of planning and the effective use of time.
Learn how to make your calendar an ally in completing your studies. A good place to begin is your course syllabi. When you access a syllabus for the first time, review it carefully. Then go to your calendar.
- Add each class session to your calendar.
- Add all assignments on the date they are due. That includes all quizzes, tests, papers, and reading.
- You will need to plan time for reading assignments. If you find the amount of required reading challenging, build a daily reading schedule into your calendar. Break down your readings into manageable portions. Do this for all your readings in every course; every day, have a reading goal and meet it.
- If you have access to your course syllabi before classes begin, start reading now! Read as much as you can before the semester starts.
- Use spring break as a reading and writing week. A seminary semester is 15 weeks of intense work. Keep the Sabbath. Build in times of rest and refreshment, but be careful with time off – taking a complete break from your studies in the middle of the semester may not be wise.
- Do not wait until classes begin to work on assignments. Think about your term papers and book reviews. I assign several of them each semester. Some students turn in their term papers and book reviews before classes start.
Long before your first class, coordinate your calendar and your syllabi.
Seminary has its share of opportunities and trials. The habits you form while pursuing your theological studies will follow you to your first church and remain with you throughout your ministry. Right now, resolve to establish good ones that will put you on the path to a long and fruitful ministry.
Charles Malcolm Wingard is minister of shepherding at the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi, and professor of pastoral theology at Reformed Theological Seminary Jackson.