It has been a week since I sent in my final papers for my first masters class, and I am looking forward to my next class that starts in October. This might sound crazy, but I have really grown to enjoy school. Maybe it is a new level of maturity, but I think it has more to do with the format of this last class and my desire to really deepen my knowledge and grow in my faith. I am currently doing seminary studies through an extension site of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) at North Way Christian Community (NWCC), and I don’t think the experience could be much better.
Unlike working on your degree through online courses, TEDS sends professors to Pittsburgh to teach in person. My wife is currently working on her masters degree through an entirely online process, and the experience does not seem to be as fulfilling as meeting the class and professor in person and having live discussions about the materials. I am so thankful that my church has partnered with Trinity to bring this level of evangelical seminary studies to Pittsburgh.
Introduction to Theology (or Systematic Theology I) is the class that I just finished, and while there was a lot of reading and information to ingest, it was not overwhelming. I always left class satisfied with what I had learned yet wanting even more. That tends to be a problem with me though because I often want more than I can actually handle. Each time we met we started with prayer and an exegetical study of a passage of Scripture. We started with Bible studies because a seminary studies should be about deepening your own faith rather than just gaining knowledge to regurgitate for others. I probably learned more from those exegetical studies than any other part of the class.
Trinity classes have been happening at North Way for a few years now, and I am surprised that more people are not taking advantage of this great opportunity. If you want to work towards a ministerial graduate degree, this is a great place to do it. If you want to deepen your own faith and have a greater understanding of what you believe, try auditing a few classes. It is well worth it. Potential students can register for classes as visiting students or they can enroll in the Master of Arts / Theological Studies program. There is also the option to audit classes at a reduced cost. You can find out more on at northway.org/trinity.