Inexpensive seminaries offering partially online M.Div.'s?

Hello,

I feel like I have exhausted my search for Wesleyan-accessible (non-reformed, non-fundamentalist, etc) seminaries that offer M.Div. programs that are partially online (no accredited M.Div. program can be fully online). So I'm turning to the CF Community for help.

I'm looking for schools under $350/credit hour with partial online M.Div. programs. They don't have to be Wesleyan/Methodist/Nazarene, but it would be nice. They *do* need to be accessible to someone who participates in a Wesleyan tradition, though. (For example, Fuller is not Wesleyan AFAIK, but is perfectly accessible to a Wesleyan. Dallas Theological Seminary, on the other hand, won't be).

Location doesn't matter.

Thanks!

I keep getting advertising emails from this company
http://eteacherbiblical.com/
Whether they are any good or not, I don't know. I've been interested in a couple of their offerings and thought about taking a class for continuing education. But,I, too, would like to find out if they are legit and offer something of value or are just a scam to get a couple of quick bucks from those of us gullible enough to buy a pig in a poke through the internet.

What about Duke University in NC? I know that they have a theological seminary that is Methodist friendly and a program that is distance-friendly, but i don't know much more about them.
If memory serves Southern CA also has a Methodist-friendly seminary at Claremont College.

Are you looking to enter an ordination track in some Wesleyan denomination? If so you also want to check that the seminary is acceptable to your denomination as well. For example United Methodists have to attend a seminary on an approved list.

GivingMyAll4Him, I don't know of an option for You, but if You would have known Swedish there's a decent uni over here where I live and it basically costs nothing to enter. Much of the litterature is in English, but the classes are mostly in Swedish.



GraceSeeker, have a look in the Classical Hebrew subforum first before You take the plunge - I would be cautious:

GraceSeeker said:

I keep getting advertising emails from this company
http://eteacherbiblical.com/
Whether they are any good or not, I don't know. I've been interested in a couple of their offerings and thought about taking a class for continuing education. But,I, too, would like to find out if they are legit and offer something of value or are just a scam to get a couple of quick bucks from those of us gullible enough to buy a pig in a poke through the internet.

Click to expand...

circuitrider said:

Are you looking to enter an ordination track in some Wesleyan denomination? If so you also want to check that the seminary is acceptable to your denomination as well. For example United Methodists have to attend a seminary on an approved list.

Click to expand...

+1

If you're looking at more congregational (aka the church hires the Pastor) churches, then chances are it won't matter as much. They'll probably want an M. Div., but they may not go beyond that. But if you intend to 'show up' at a United Methodist (as one example) District Committee on Ministry with an M.Div. in hand you might be surprised to find that it came from an unapproved seminary. Sometimes that's nothing more than needing to take two classes (UM Polity and UM Doctrine); sometimes it's as severe as not being able to continue in the process because of the quality or incompatibility of your education with UM doctrines.

I would encourage ANYONE going to seminary, though, to get connected with your denomination FIRST. I know as a UM, the denomination is a big help. Both in mentorship, but even financial resources and the experience of serving a church before completing my M. Div.! (As a Local Pastor)

But, hey, they DID let circuitwriter in, so.. anything can happen

RomandFiveEight,

My seminary was on the approved list for the University Senate when I attended though.

Good advice to check with your denomination. The United Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the American Baptists, while congregational, also have steps you have to follow from their denomination to get ordained so even in congregationalist denominations you don't want to get off track by going to a school that doesn't meet their standards.

circuitrider said:

RomandFiveEight,

My seminary was on the approved list for the University Senate when I attended though.

Good advice to check with your denomination. The United Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the American Baptists, while congregational, also have steps you have to follow from their denomination to get ordained so even in congregationalist denominations you don't want to get off track by going to a school that doesn't meet their standards.

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I HAVE heard of examples where an individual made it through after an unapproved seminary. One example I know of the BoOM worked with him and managed to come up with a list of classes that he needed to take in order to be 'kosher' (beyond just UM Polity and Doctrine). And I know of another case where the individual had to start all over and get a second M.Div.! Though the seminary did transfer ONE class from his previous M. Div.! LOL (But he did it!)

RomansFiveEight said:

I HAVE heard of examples where an individual made it through after an unapproved seminary.

Click to expand...

It depends upon the conference. It depends upon the seminary. And quite often, it depends on the student!!

In the United Methodist system, the final Yea/Nay vote will be taken by the clergy membership of the particular conference one is wishing to serve in, most likely in accordance with the recommendation of that particular conferences Board of Ordained Ministry.

As membership on these BOMs change annually, it is possible for the views of what is and isn't acceptable to change annually as well. E.g., can you imagine me, a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary, ever believing that Asbury doesn't sufficiently prepare people to serve as Unite Methodist pastors just because it is not an official UM seminary? So, unless there was some "red flag" that was noticed in your psychological evaluations or the personal interview, the likelihood is that I would fight for you even if the Senate didn't continue Asbury on the approved list. On the other hand, what if there were no Asbury grads on the BOM one year? Well, then it might make it more difficult for a candidate if for some reason the Senate saw fit to remove it from the approved list. (And it has been threatened with that for not having sufficient female professors in the faculty.)

So, if one is really concerned about this, a part of the candidating process is to be in conversation with one's BOM to ascertain from it not just what are the official UM seminaries or what are those that are on the list of approved seminaries by the University Senate, but also what seminaries are seen most favorably and what are not by the people who actually make up your BOM. If you ask, they will likely tell you, and once they have told you, that will actually be a note entered into your record. You attend one of those they named, graduate from it, and don't raise any "red flags" in some other area, and you should be golden.

Great info! And OP; it sounds like that's another vote for "Talk to your denomination". I know folks who have done it, but frankly, I don't understand why someone would undertake a graduate level seminary education without first talking with their denomination. Finding out what the processes are. Heck, I know of one UM in my conference who went to Asbury (which GraceSeeker mentioned); and graduated before entering the candidacy! Putting him significantly behind. And what if he found out that the UMC wasn't as great a fit as he thought it was and didn't make it through? What ELSE can you do with an M. Div. anyway? (Though folks in that situation I know have traditionally gone to congregationalist Wesleyan churches, or Wesley-leaning non-denoms)

My grandmother went to a UCC Seminary (Eden in St. Louis). Mostly because she was working full-time (back then the licensing system was very different and it was very uncommon to receive an appointment before the end of Seminary. At lest in this conference, according to my grandma), AND she had three kids. So she went to the closest Seminary. To echo the sentiment that "things change", back then it was no big deal. She went right on through and was Ordained quickly. I know other grads from that same school who have had a really hard time getting through the BoOM certain years, and then skated right on through in a following year after some "shift changes" in the BoOM.

Sure is apprehension-causing for a guy going into this process... (St. Paul is my school of choice, by the way. I resolved to pick a UM Seminary rather than an approved non-UM Seminary.)