Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is now offering a new Ph.D. in Applied Theology concentrating in Missions with a track in North American Missiology. This degree is available to church planters, pastors, and others working in the field of North American Missiology with at least three years of field experience. The successful candidate will also meet all the admission requirements for Southeastern's Ph.D. studies. Sound good? Of course it does! SEBTS is an excellent seminary that continues to grow a reputation among serious students of the word and practitioners of ministry.

Here is some of the information now available for this new degree (and note that it does not require relocation to Wake Forest).

I really enjoy teaching at seminaries, and value the interaction with students over a longer term.  I consider it a privilege to teach at schools passionate about the gospel.

I get that I am a bit of a motivational speaker (who lives in a van down by the river). Every week, I go somewhere and talk to pastors and church leaders about gospel, church and mission. When I come and speak, people want me to bring a  "dynamic message." Fair enough. But I am skeptical that a 30 minute message with Bible, humor, and illustrations can really produce the change I hope to see. (Even in those settings, I try to direct people to the blog, books, etc.)

Over the course of time these crowds have become larger, and though I know I am supposed to be glad about that, sometimes the "big program" works against the relational connection that I put a lot of value in. By teaching at a seminary, I get to connect with people bit longer and work through some deeper issues that simply require time.

Now, this is not to say that all theological education is well done. I have been in settings where professors and students hold firm positions, debate them aggressively, criticize constantly, and tell other students "how it must be," even though their theoretical ideas won't work outside the hollowed walls of the academy.

On the other hand, I have seen healthy environments. In these environments, students and faculty are on a journey of learning together-- with a common mission and purpose. 

I have thought much about seminaries having taught at more than a dozen different schools. I greatly appreciate those with a strong focus on God's global mission.  As a missiologist, I am particularly interested in and enthused about schools with a passion for mission.

I think of Columbia International University as a great example of a good learning environment driven by God's global mission. I have taught a few classes there and almost joined the faculty at Columbia Biblical Seminary.  (This was before Thom Rainer, Brad Waggoner, and LifeWay called and changed our direction.) Our draw there was because of their mission-shaped curriculum and their high view of scripture.

CIU is  serious about making God's global mission central to their ethos. The schools mission statement says "Equipping Great Commission Christians to minister in multicultural communities." And, it is obvious that mission is their passion and their passion and their ethos.  They require every course to be taught through the lens of mission.

I think such a mission-shaped ethos is both essential and (unfortunately) missing at many schools.

One school that is still thinking through how best to do this is Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA (near Philadelphia). Biblical is in the midst of a transition. Like most periods of change, it has not been without fits and starts. But, I appreciate their passion to create a "missional" focus. I had a great time there a few weeks ago teaching, "Entering the Missional Conversation."

I have loved teaching at schools like the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Indiana Wesleyan University, Reformed Theological Seminary, and some of my own denominational seminaries, but I have decided I need to focus so I can have longer interaction with students and faculty colleagues.  I am doing so be putting my focus on two schools with a high view of scripture and a focus on mission: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

A few months back, I talked about my role at Trinity.  I taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School a few weeks ago (the pic above is from that time) and I will be doing so at least twice a year. Here is the info about my most recent class and I will be teaching there again this fall, October 26-30th. Trinity is a remarkable school and I encourage you to check it out. I am honored they would invite me to teach there.

Here on the blog I also mentioned that I was joining the faculty of Southeastern. Southeastern is a great seminary with a growing influence inside, and well beyond, the SBC. If you're considering a seminary education, you should give SEBTS some serious thought. In June, I'm teaching a D. Min. course at SEBTS titled, Practical and Strategic Issues in Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth. 

So, my two schools are Trinity and Southeastern, two schools focused on God's global mission with a high view of scripture. I hope to see you there!

Here is the syllabus for my upcoming class at Southeastern: