“It depends in part on what you hope to do with your degree.”
We are blessed with many great seminaries, and thus, you have many choices. The selection will be determined in part on what you hope to do with that degree. For example, if you hope to do linguistics work, then select a seminary that has a strong program in the biblical languages and linguistics. If you hope to work with university students, then select a seminary that offers apologetics training.
If you hope to teach at a Christian training institute, then a Masters of Theology or a Masters of Divinity might be more appropriate. If you hope to work with a people group who follow a major religion, then select a seminary that offers courses in that area.
Another possibility is to attend a seminary in a different country. If you want to work in Africa, then you might consider attending a graduate seminary in Kenya. The advantages are that you will be learning about culture and even language, gaining experience in local churches, and reducing the cost of a graduate degree.
Answer from Ed Klotz, who served with SIM in Nigeria, Liberia, and Eritrea for 22 years.
“Consider these.”
Good question. Now, where should we begin! I have a list of more than fifty before me that I could recommend! At the risk of offending good friends whose schools I won’t mention, here are a few, with emphasis on geographical diversity:
Asbury Theological Seminary, in Kentucky, is Evangelical, theologically Methodist, well known and respected. They have both a college and theological seminary.
Columbia International University is in South Carolina, and has a strong emphasis on missions.
Eastern College, in Pennsylvania, is particularly holistic in their mission vision, with special concern for the inner city and problems of poverty.
Fuller Theological Seminary, in California, has both a post college seminary (large) and a smaller School of World Missions with the largest missions faculty in the U.S. Their theological posture is basically reformed.
Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Seminary, in Massachusetts, have a strong center of mission interest with a Reformed orientation.
Trinity International University, in Illinois, has a strong graduate program in missions.
Answer from Jack Voelkel, missionary-in-residence with the Urbana Student Mission Convention; originally published on the Urbana website. Previously, Jack served thirty years with Latin America Mission in Peru and Colombia. Find other answers and articles from Jack and others on the Urbana blog.
Editor’s note: Also look at distance learning through World Christian Foundations, which came out of the U.S. Center for World Mission in California.
Missionary Training Schools
Some people who want to serve cross-culturally go to Bible school and/or seminary first, though this is not always necessary. For various perspectives on what kind of training missionaries need, see the training section of AskaMissionary.
Graduate or undergraduate degrees in missions (sometimes known as intercultural, international, or global studies) are available from schools such as these:
- Bethany College of Missions
- Biola University
- Columbia International University
- John Brown University
- Moody Bible Institute
- Multnomah University
- Wheaton University
- Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics
Answer from AskaMissionary.com staff.