Supporting a family while in seminary

[ChristGraceText]

My family and I recently moved to Louisville, KY to attend SBTS. I'm a transferring 21 credits from some M.A. work at another place and look to have atleast 3 more years here as I seek to complete my M.DIV. I'm currently taking one summer course with the goal of starting full time come August, I've already registered for 12 credits. I've started work at UPS in the area and I've also been hired at Chic Fil A. I also do some handyman work for a lady down the street once a week. God graciously has provided work in the 3 short weeks we've been in the area, praise God!

While I am thankful for God's kindness, my income is still projected to be roughly $500 a month less than my expenses, and that doesn't include school costs come the fall. I have a measure of confidence knowing that the Will of God will not take us where the Grace of God cannot uphold us. We also have a savings we moved down with to aid our early months. I am married and have 4 beautiful little girls, and I know there are many families at the seminary who are in my same position.

Will you men please share how God provided through your seminary experience? The desire of most men, I think, would to be serve in a local church during their seminary training. I also have a strong desire to have my seminary experience be through the lenses of pastoral ministry. (Churches train and send out pastors, not seminaries, in my opinion) However, the area seems to be flooded with seminary students and opportunities, I would imagine, are limited. I talked to one individual who suggested food stamps. This was not the encouragement I had anticipated. How are you men doing it currently? How have some of you older men done it in the past? Thank you.

 

[N. Eshelman]

When I was in seminary I was able, by the grace of God, to work full time as well as go to seminary full time. My wife and I did not think that it was her job to support the family during this time of our life as some (many?) seminary families do. We also were growing as a family- we had one on the way when I started seminary.

God was very gracious to us in those days (and he still is, of course), my wife was able to work a bit from home to bring in some extra income, my internship at the RP Church plant in Grand Rapids helped us some financially, and we strived to live within our means. It is a time that we look back on and know that it is only by God's grace that I was able to graduate with good grades from a rigorous seminary as well as work to pay bills, support my family, and invest in a growing family (we had 3 and one on the way when I finished).

As you consider this endeavor for your own life, I would encourage you to learn a principle that will you will have to take into the pastorate- your family cannot be sacrificed for the sake of ministry. If you are $500 short and you are living within your means (ditch the cable TV, extras, car loans, and all that jazz), see that as God's call to slow down at school and increase your work to support your family. If and when you serve a congregation, that faithfulness will prove to be beneficial. We cannot set aside principles that we would place on men in our congregation if we were not able to walk in them ourselves.

 

[Pergamum]

Matthew,

Can your home church sponsor you? Churches sponsor missionaries even before they land on the foreign field. It seems logical that some churches would sponsor seminary students who are highly endorsed by their home churches and who feel a lifelong call to ministry.

 

[ChristGraceText]

Thank you sirs for your reply.

Pastor Nathan, we have no debt or extra spending. By God's grace we are debt free. Thank you for that reminder on my family. I know I am young. But at 28 with a wife and 4 children I struggle to not be anxious to train, (Lord willing, quickly and deeply) and finish because of the strain full time seminary is on a family. Also I, like many I assume, have a great burden of urgency to serve. I do, however, affirm your challenge and my ministry to my family is very important to me. I will pray and think carefully on what you have shared.

Pergamum, the short answer is no. I come from an Dispensational, Independent, Fundamental background and the local church I was saved in has some disappointment that I did not stay in the area to attend a Dispensational seminary. I will say however that they have been very loving and the pastor has been very gracious despite his disappointment with me leaving the area. His issues with SBTS are Calvinism and Reformed Hermeneutics, which I embrace. I was surprised that when we left a love offering was taken up on our behalf and after we moved to Louisville we received a check for $1400 from the church body, praise God. I don't think the pastor is willing to support me financially and the church, sadly, has a great deal amount of debt and I know that money is tight.

 

[ChristGraceText]

I was hoping for some more testimony of some seminary men here. Care to share?

 

[reaganmarsh]

Matthew, I graduated from SBTS and am presently serving in the SBC. Are you Southern Baptist? There is a substantial difference in SBC tuition vs. non-SBC tuition. There are also some limited scholarships and grants available through the State Baptist Conventions -- check the Financial Aid page on eCampus for more details (or stop by their office). UPS has a tuition reimbursement program (a good friend worked there and ended up paying barely anything in tuition) and excellent benefits. I worked for Frito-Lay's warehouse for about a year and made decent money ($14 or $15 an hour, I think). I also worked in cell phones for a while; things may have changed in that regard, but it was really good part-time money at the time! Prior to SBTS (that is, prior to becoming a Calvinist) I studied at NOBTS (Pensacola extension) for 3 semesters. During that time I was teaching, and serving p/t at a local church.

God was gracious to us and we don't have any debt. Of course, up until my last semester at SBTS we didn't have kids (my wife has had health problems). I had several friends who sent out support letters. Might be something there...

 

[mhseal]

Matthew,

I have worked full-time since my first semester of seminary. The original plan (since we didn't have children) was that my wife would work while I went to seminary. However, she got pregnant the summer before I started seminary and I realized that I would need to work full-time so that she could take care of our son. We had some financial difficulties and I dropped out of the seminary I was attending for a year and a half before resuming classes. During that period I went from being on the fence about dispensationalism, and a five point baptist, to being a confessional Presbyterian. I realized that the dispensational Arminian school I was attending would not be the best choice, and began to look for a new school. Over the course of the next year I continued at my original school, taking church history classes that would transfer without a problem. I moved up to GR in 2011 and God graciously provided me a new full-time job, and I was unemployed for less than 30 days. It has been very difficult to work full-time (3rd shift, no less), take classes, be active in church, and give my wife and children (three now) the attention they need. Seminary has been very slow going. By the grace of God I have continued to go part-time to school, and have not incurred any debt for seminary.

 

[ChristGraceText]

Gentlemen, thank you for sharing. It's an encouragement to read how God has provided for other men in similar circumstances.

Reagan, I am not a Southern Baptist, well not yet. I come from a Independent, Fundamental, Dispensational background and am disappointing some as I recently moved to Louisville to attend Southern. Being a Calvinist and embracing Reformed hermeneutics, the school seemed like the next logical step. God lead very clearly, and here we are. We are currently visiting SBC churches in the area with hopes to find a good local body to serve in as well as take advantage of the tuition discount. I currently am employed at UPS, but the pay isn't much. I checked Frito Lay, but they are not hiring currently. We are prayerfully searching and working, trusting that God will provide. Thanks for sharing a bit of your story.

Michael, thanks for sharing. How far are you from completing your seminary training? Thanks for sharing a bit of your background. Some from (what it seems) a similar background it is interesting to hear how God has worked in your life. Thanks for sharing, you are an encouragement.

 

[mhseal]

Matthew,

I am in the MAR program here, which is 67 hours. If memory serves me I'll actually graduate with 72ish hours, including classes I took prior to coming to PRTS. Lord willing, I'll finish up next spring, though I possibly may have one class left next summer. If I do graduate next year it will have taken me 7 years to finish (including two years total of not being in class). If I were going to do the MDiv I have no clue how long it would take me, as I'd need another 60 credits or so

I plan to take a year off after I finish the MAR, and then I hope to start a PhD. As I've worked third shift for five years now, my first goal is to find a day job, whether before or after I graduate.