Resources on Tips for RTS Students
1.Don’t procrastinate. Become a candidate for ministry in your denomination as early as possible. Follow your Candidates and Credentials Committee’s instructions to a tee. Don’t put off candidacy and its prerequisites until the end of your seminary career. If you do, you will complete your degree, but be unable to accept a call because you’ve failed to follow your denomination’s requirements. That may mean you are months away from accepting a call. Show respect for your denomination and love for your family by staying on track. PCA students need to keep in mind the following: You must be a member for at least six months of a church in the presbytery where you want to come under care. You must…
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Course syllabi in a moment. But first a word about calendars. Calendars do more than remind you about upcoming events. They are an essential part of planning and the effective use of time. At RTS, I want you to learn how to make your calendar an ally in completing your studies. A good place to begin is your course syllabi. When you access a syllabus for the first time, review it carefully. Then go to your calendar. Add each class session to your calendar. For example, last spring my Classics of Personal Devotion class of met on these dates: 2/3, 3/2, 3/23, and 4/20. Add all work due on the date it’s due. That includes all quizzes, tests, and…
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Welcome to RTS Jackson! A seminary education is challenging. It’s important that you get off to a good start. Here are five strategies for approaching life and work: 1. Find a church home quickly. Sanctification of the Lord’s day, sitting under God’s word preached, receiving the Lord’s supper, and caring for and being cared for by God’s people is indispensable to your spiritual well-being and (if married) your family’s. Don’t prolong your search. Your adjustment may be tough. Don’t be discouraged. It’s part of your preparation for ministry. All pastors work with people who struggle to fit into new church homes. A few years from now, you will too. Therefore, right now, you and your family’s struggles to fit…
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We all need mentors. With so many voices telling us what to do, it’s vitally important that we have godly, thoughtful, experienced people showing us what to do. Preparing for a life in ministry is demanding work—and I’m not just talking about your seminary workload. You need real-life pastoral experience under the direction of a mentor. I serve as director of field education at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Much of my work involves talking to students about their relationships with their pastoral mentors. Since 1987, I’ve mentored men preparing for ordination. While serving on Boston’s North Shore, I mentored many men in the Gordon-Conwell field education program. Before coming to RTS, I employed men pursuing ordination. Mentoring has been a key part…
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I require my RTS Jackson students to memorize large amounts of scripture. My hope is that they will make scripture memorization a lifelong discipline. In preaching, teaching, counseling, and leading congregational prayer, pastors must have the ability to recall scripture. A few months ago, my friends Jonah and C.L. recommended the Verses app. I have used it for two months and found it a valuable help. For example, my Personal Sanctification class is memorizing Romans 6:1-14. In the Verses app, users will find memory games to assist them. Tracking progress on Verses is easy. Verses can be downloaded from the App Store. I highly recommend this app.
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Summer orientation at Reformed Theological Seminary Jackson is this Friday, June 14. To our new Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Counseling students, welcome to our campus! I serve as RTS Jackson’s Dean of Students. You should know that any time my door is open you are welcome to come in and talk. My office is located on the second floor of the Dean Center. If it is an emergency, I can be reached on my cell at any time. My number is posted at the foot of the stairs to my office and in the student handbook. New and returning students are invited to dinner at Patterson’s Porch on Friday June 14 at 6 p.m. My wife,…
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