By Shelby Peck | Staff Writer
The religion department hosted its annual Seminary Day Wednesday, offering students of all majors interested in attending seminary a chance to network with seminaries from around the country.
“We bring in a diverse group of places so that they can meet the needs of our students who are pursuing ministry,” Mandy McMichael, associate director of ministry guidance, said. “Our hope is that our students who are interested in ministry of whatever type will stop by and get to meet some of the people who are here and have productive conversations.”
In the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, students conversed with representatives from a variety of graduate programs, such as Duke, Princeton, Vanderbilt and Asbury.
“Seminary is not required if you want to go into ministry … but I have a unique desire to further my education in that way because it’s such a cool experience to get to be further equipped to be a minister by understanding the Bible in a deeper way,” Keller senior Savanna Dean said.
To supplement her religion major, Dean works in the religion department as one of the few student workers assisting faculty. After graduating in August, she said she plans to move to Plano and complete a 10-month women’s ministry residency at City Bridge Community Church.
“That’s kind of why I’ve been in the religion department, training up for that and discerning what my specific call to ministry is, which you don’t exactly get to know,” Dean said. “It’s cool to get a little more clarification to what I’m passionate about and what I think I might be gifted in.”
Dean has attended the annual Seminary Day event since her freshman year. In her early years of college, she said she briefly floated to most of the seminaries in attendance. However, this year, she said she prepared in advance and visited the specific degree programs and schools she is most interested in.
“Baylor does a really good job of inviting seminaries that are really diverse in terms of theological dispositions,” Dean said. “In my conversations with the different representatives, realizing and getting to understand more of the heart behind each individual seminary — they all have, yes, one central mission, but also unique missions to their seminary, to their institutions.”
Also in attendance were representatives from Baylor’s own Truett Theological Seminary. All faculty at Truett have previously served in some aspect of ministry in their careers, and they offer support and learning opportunities for students, whether their interest lies in traditional ministry, academics or elsewhere.
“I hope that students continue to invest their time here in Waco,” Emma Beaird, manager of recruitment at Truett, said. “I hope there are students who decide to stay here in Waco and attend Truett — not just because they love Baylor and they love Truett, but because they love Waco and they love the chance to get to stay plugged in here.”
Schools outside the Baylor community and Texas state lines offered resources and support for students to make the transition from their undergraduate to graduate careers in a new city.
Rev. Ashley Cross, senior admissions recruiter at Duke Divinity School, said students considering ministry shouldn’t “discount the value of visiting” any school they are interested in.
“Take a look at the faculty at any school that you are thinking about, especially Duke,” Cross said. “We’ve got a wonderful cadre of folks who are doing similar work in their respective fields. … It matters you feel good about the folks who are going to help you build whatever tool kit you’re going to have as you pursue your vocational dreams, and matters you feel good about the mentorship you’re going to receive.”
Whether exploring schools with a special focus — such as Vanderbilt, which emphasizes the relationship between religion and justice — or schools of varied interests — such as Asbury, which is multi-denominational — students were able to network and receive a sense of direction as to the next phase in their education.
McMichael said she encourages students who may feel uncertain about a call to ministry or their next steps to turn to the Ministry Guidance program. The program provides hands-on experience in several areas of ministry and offers scholarship programs for students to attend seminary.
“It’s also cool to be educated on your options and [have] my ‘yes’ on the table to whatever God calls me to in the future, and right now, I think that looks like seminary,” Dean said. “It might not look like seminary, but ultimately, even going to a fair and getting to talk to people is really encouraging to hear what God is doing through further education.”
