Advice from others
Was doing some research and saw this advice…thoughtful and a great perspective on what is important:
“It is vital to have your priorities straight when in seminary. …Do not forget that when you are in seminary, your primary job is to support your family. I mean that from two perspectives: the first and most important is that … spiritual well-being of your family; the second is that you are charged to “put food on the table.” Too many seminarians are more concerned with whether they get an A- instead of a B+ than they are with whether their wife has to work.
Let me say this straight: God cares more that you provide for your family and give them as normal a life as possible that he does about your GPA. If you can’t support your family on a part-time job, get a full-time job. If you can’t find a full-time job, get two part-time jobs. When I was in seminary, I worked three jobs. I retained some of the work that I had before I went to seminary as a lawyer, and I was full-time pulpit supply for a small church, and I also worked as a teaching assistant for one of the professors. This meant that I had less time for study, it also meant that my grades weren’t as good as some of my compatriots, but to be honest with you, I really could care less. In less you are going to do Ph.D. work, no ecclesiastical institution (Presbyterian or Baptist) is going to care about your grades, unless they are abominable (like a D average).
A second critical factor for seminarians, is that they find a good church to be in. By that, I do not mean a church in which you can earn the most money, or which will provide you the most opportunities to teach or preach. I mean, a church that will support your family in their own Christian walk, and be a place where your wife can find friends to confide in, help with the kids, and develop relationships with. I mean a place where your children enjoy going to, because they like their Sunday school teachers, because there are friends for them to play with, and because they know that they are loved. Seminary is not a “break from life.” It is a part-time occupation for three to four years of your life. You must not sacrifice anything for your family’s spiritual and relational well being that you would not sacrifice, where you are living right now.
A third critical thing for seminarians to remember, is that they must develop relationships with pastors, ministers, professors, and upper-level students. You want to learn from their mistakes, their successes, and their experiences. This is not a race that you are running alone, the Lord has given you others to help and guide you. Some of the best relationships that I carried with me from seminary. Are those with some professors. There are several that I still call to get advice from. Seminary is not primarily an academic exercise. It is a place where you go to be grounded more in the truth of God’s Word and were you learn to minister to others”
I found this on a google search…gotta love google. Here’s the link I found it at
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