This is a Guest Post by Nils Smith.
I’m a husband, new dad, and a Student Pastor from San Antonio, TX. I’m in a great church in a great city with family and friends close by. I’ve been in full-time ministry for almost 8 years and wanted to begin seminary for about 7 years.
But there was a problem.
The problem is that the seminary opportunities in my city are limited, moving did not seem to be an option, and the costs made any seminary option extremely unlikely (especially with a baby on the way).
What to do? Read more after the jump…
About a year ago I was invited to a luncheon to learn about Rockbridge where I met the president, Dr. Daryl Eldridge, and heard the vision for the seminary. I learned that not only would I not have to leave my current ministry position, but that it was mandatory for me to be in a leadership position while working my way through seminary.
I quickly began to look through the course work and class options and began getting excited about the possibilities and how Rockbridge might begin developing me as a leader. I learned that being online Rockbridge is able to have the best professors from anywhere in the country because they can choose from professors globally to be on their faculty.
Finally, I had to check the affordability and this honestly became one the biggest draws. Even on a ministry salary Rockbridge is affordable. I found out that without the expense of a building and some of the additional costs of a traditional seminary cause expenses to be high, but by having the library and all classes online, Rockbridge is able to stay affordable.
So I jumped into the intro course about a year ago and haven’t looked back.
I have fallen in love with the online format which is very similar to a blog. Each course is an 8 week focused dialogue on the subject matter between the students with guidance from our professors. I get to read books that I would have been reading anyway from authors like Reggie McNeal, Louie Giglio, Matt Redman, Dan Kimball, etc. and then talk about them with my classmates.
I have built a bond with my professors, Rockbridge administration, and with fellow students that is developing me as a leader more than I can describe.
Whether you are interested in pursuing a seminary degree or not I highly suggest you getting familiar with Rockbridge seminary as you will begin seeing more and more great leaders coming out of this incredible leadership training institution.
Consider it.
Jon Jordan says
I have been taking classes through RTS Virtual and have been loving it!
http://virtual.rts.edu
human3rror says
wow!
Jacob says
I am enrolled with RTS Virtual as well. Almost done with Greek 1.
You mentioned authors like "Reggie McNeal, Louie Giglio, Matt Redman, Dan Kimball." Nothing against these writers for contemporary reading, but I would be wary of going to an institution that uses these men as the standard as opposed to ancient church fathers.
Sure Dan Kimball has some keen insight on our culture today, but I would rather read some ancient truths shared by Augustine than him.
human3rror says
sweet!
@nilssmith says
Jacob, thanks for the reply! I hope to share a class with you soon. I haven't taken Greek yet, but I'm looking forward to it! Maybe we'll have a class together soon!
I agree with you on the value of reading books from our ancient church fathers but I also love the combination of some of the great leaders in the church today. I'm drawn to guys like Reggie McNeal, Louie Giglio, Dan Kimball, etc. and love that Rockbridge balances the new and the old.
klreed189 says
Is this accredited?
@nilssmith says
Rockbridge is not yet accredited but very close in the process. It has great backing, administration, and faculty and should be accredited very soon.
chrissulli says
You don't feel like you are missing out on some of the personal relationships doing it online?
@nilssmith says
I honestly feel more connected to my classmates and professors than I ever did in college. While I only attended a public university prior to this experience my connections have run deep. Recently, I was not able to login for about a week due to a death in the family and in that time I had contact from my professor, several of my classmates, and even the President of the seminary. If I missed a week of class in college I'm not sure anyone would have known.
I also love that the new friendships that I'm building with my classmates are from California, Florida, Missiouri, etc. It's hard to explain until you experience the interaction yourself, but Rockbridge is mastering the art of offering an online seminary experience that is rich with interpersonal connection.
RickwSmith says
I've taken some online classes, and although they "work" – and as much as I enjoy "tech" – I don't think this is an equal replacement for a "real world" classroom. Talking through (ok, debating) texts, going to lunch with a prof.,visiting a class mate when they are in the hospital, etc, etc…
Even now at Dallas Seminary (where I currently attend) I try to avoid any chance of taking an online class. I love Nils to death, he's a friend of mine, but I hate (oh I forget I'm not "supposed" to hate) I really dislike online classes.
@nilssmith says
Rick, I love you bro and have always dreamed of going to Dallas Seminary. I tried to make it work many times through the Houston branch but always wanted to be there in Dallas. The doors just were never opened for me whether it was due to location or cost. Now that I've found and experienced Rockbridge though, I have no regrets of not being able to attend DTS, Fuller, Asbury, Southwestern, or any of the other seminaries that I considered over the past few years. Rockbridge is allowing me to continue to dig in deep in ministry hear while being trained and putting that training into use right away. I love it!
It surprises me that you're not a big fan of online seminary as deeply as you're conencted to social media and online interaction. I'd love to know more about what you didn't connect with in online classes and what you might do to make it a better experience for others. I think you would probably agree that this is the going to be central in the future in education.