The 5 Paths to a Career in the Ministry

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Do you dream of helping people through the power of the Christian Church? Do you want to be someone’s spiritual mentor? Do you wish to teach theology, preserving the knowledge of Christianity? Or perhaps you want to run a global outreach program that feeds thousands of the homeless?

The Church the potential to do all of this and more, but it needs people like you to take the helm. It needs people like you to make big decisions, to combat false teachings, and to reach out to the world.

But to embark on a career in the ministry, you have to build a solid foundation of theological knowledge and leadership skills. Most of the time, this is going to take the form of Christian higher education.

The world of Christian higher education can be confusing. There are so many different types of schools, and an even bigger array of theology degrees—you can figure those out with our Which Christian Degree is Right for You quiz.

But to get you started on your burgeoning career in the ministry, let’s look at 5 paths to a Christian degree, and what is unique about each.

Theological Seminary

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The main goal of a theological seminary is to educate future church leaders, and it will usually offer courses tailored to prepare students for a specific job within the Christian church. The education you’ll receive here will be geared toward practical ministry applications.

Seminaries are a little easier to pay for compared to a traditional university program, and students can apply for, and receive, federal funding.

Seminaries generally offer only graduate degrees, which means you already need your earned undergraduate degree before you can apply and be accepted.

What makes seminaries unique is that these schools are typically affiliated with a Christian denomination. For example, Methodists would go to a Methodist seminary, and Baptists to a Baptist seminary.

So if you have a specific Church role in mind, such as pastor, church planter, or missionary, and you know that you’d like to work within the framework of a certain denomination’s traditions, consider a degree from a seminary. You'll get exactly what you want at a price that's just right.

Divinity School

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A divinity school is a division of a larger university. Harvard University, to use a well-known example, has Harvard Divinity School, just as it has its other divisions, such as Harvard Law School. This comes from the traditional model of higher education, when theology was viewed as an essential part of education in general.

Like seminaries, divinity schools offer graduate degrees, and a bachelor’s is required for admission. The academics at a divinity school are generally focused on the academic study of Christian theology and religion at a theoretical level.

That being said, most divinity schools have degrees, such as the Master of Divinity program, that will prepare students with the practical tools and education they’ll need for work in the ministry, much as a seminary would.

But divinity schools, unlike seminaries, are loyal to their university rather than to a certain denominations, and so their theology, with a few notable exceptions, tends to be more moderate, and students will be exposed to a wide range of perspectives and beliefs.

If you plan on exploring the world of academic research and publishing, would like to be exposed to a variety of denominational traditions, and are excited by the idea of a well-supported university environment that will give you a well-rounded education, a divinity school might just be for you.

Bible Institute

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A Bible institute is a little different from the other options on this list. This is for people who want have a greater understanding of the Bible, and typically are not accredited and do not require a preexisting degree.

That doesn’t mean that these institutes aren’t valuable, however! They are.

If you don’t care to fill an official role within the Church, and simply want to improve your own, personal understanding of scripture, this may be the Christian education option for you. Bible institutes are inexpensive, easy to enter, and are typically very focused and conservative.

There are a few Bible institutes, such as Moody Bible Institute, that are fully accredited, and hold the power to confer degrees, just as any college would.

If you’re not worried about getting the actual piece of paper at the end, and simply want to be more well-informed in the realm of scripture, time spent at a Bible institute might be appropriate for you.

Church-based Seminary

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The church-based seminary is a fairly recent development in the world of Christian education, and is more rare than the other options on this list. Similar to Bible institutes, these programs are often unaccredited, but are wonderful avenues in which to grow as a Christian and take on roles in the ministry which do not require an accredited degree.

An example of this sort of institution would be Bethlehem College and Seminary, which was founded by Minneapolis Bethlehem Baptist Church.

At its core, this form of education puts the seminary education in the hands of the local church, while you may not be granted a true degree, you’ll still be prepared and equipped for a career in the ministry, and you’ll get to do so within the context of a living, breathing church.

Typically, these schools will offer an education that is consistent with the theology and worldview of the pastor with whom the school is related, so if you have a love for a specific figure in the church community, be sure to check out his or her church and see if they might offer an education.

If you want to stay close to a functioning church as you learn your theology, a church-based seminary might be right for you.

Bible College

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Although Bible colleges are fewer in number than they once were, they’re still great places to pursue a theologically-based education. Here, you’ll have access to entry-level courses based in the Bible, and some Bible colleges even offer more advanced fare, such as classes in Biblical languages.

Bible colleges, like Bible institutes, tend to approach theology from a faith-based perspective rather than a theoretical one, but these places of learning do provide an undergraduate education. Often, they will require a high school degree, although a Bible college is far less expensive than a typical university. Classes also tend to be small, and so it’s easier to receive the focused attention of teachers.

Bible colleges tend to teach Biblical curriculum that adheres to very specific and literal interpretations of scripture, and so if that’s the theological tradition you’d like to work in, this mode of Christian education may be worth looking into.

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