How Not to Lose Your Faith in Seminary

I was visiting with a first year seminary student at church on Sunday who asked my thoughts on how to keep one's relationship with God strong and growing, not letting the Bible to simply become just another academic text, while going to seminary. It is a great question.

I have had many friends over the years share how their experience in seminary was a very dry one, spiritually. It seems crazy...you are studying the Bible, theology, church history, etc. day by day...how could this be a spiritually dry experience for anyone? And yet, I totally get it. In seminary, it is easy to let your heart and your soul suffer if you aren't intentional to care for them. To this student on Sunday, I offered three priorities that I believe are vital to help with this. These were the three main things God used during my seminary years to keep my love and devotion to Him growing in the midst of my studies:

#1. Prioritize your devotional time ("quiet time") with the Lord. It was at a church camp in high school that I was taught how to have a daily quiet time with the Lord. Simply put, this is a time each day that I set aside just to be with God...to pray, to read the Word, to worship Him. It is the sweetest part of my day, everyday. I am so thankful this simple spiritual discipline had been so ingrained into me by the time I went to seminary. This time with Jesus each day was a lifeline for me, especially in seasons where my studies felt overwhelming. Time with God cannot be neglected.

#2. Prioritize your local church. Sadly, I have seen some students neglect their involvement in the life and community of a local church during their years at seminary, and it always has negative effects on their soul. As Christians, we desperately need to be connected to a faithful local congregation. This is particularly true if you are a seminary student. Weekly worship with God's people...sitting under the preached Word, celebrating the Lord's supper, singing praises to our great God, praying for and with one another, serving other brothers and sisters in Christ...a seminary classroom simply cannot provide these needed means of God's grace for our spiritual health and growth. The local church must be a top priority.

#3. Prioritize friendships that encourage your joy in the Lord. During my seminary years, I was blessed to make many new friends both at seminary, and at the church I was part of at the time. These friends helped me grow in a variety of different ways. Some challenged me intellectually, some I could just laugh and goof off with, and some really fueled my joy in the Lord. Looking back, I thank God for each of these friends. They each played a unique role in that season of my life. However, I realize now just how important it was for me to have people in my life who strengthened me spiritually, who helped me grow in childlike love and devotion to Christ. These were individuals who fueled my joy in God even as I studied Him day after day. They helped me to prioritize knowing Jesus, not simply knowing about Jesus. Every seminarian needs friends like this.

So, I shared these three things with my young seminary friend on Sunday...

#1. Prioritize your devotional time ("quiet time") with the Lord.

#2. Prioritize your local church.

#3. Prioritize friendships that encourage your joy in the Lord.

If you are a seminary student, or are preparing to be, I pray you will remember these three things. And I pray that God will use them to keep your love for Him fresh and growing as you enjoy the great blessing of a seminary education.