Western Theological Seminary has been a pioneer in Distance Learning. We have leading programs that are perfect for those already working in professional or ministry settings.
Aspects of the program include:
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- A strong sense of community. You’ll form relationships with peers and faculty, all of whom are deeply committed to helping to nurture you for effective pastoral ministry. You will have easy access to peers and faculty through our online learning platform, Canvas, as well as meeting face to face for a weeklong “intensive” twice a year in Holland, Michigan.
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- Academic rigor. Our online learning programs contain the same course curriculum as residential ones, simply designed in a different format for students living at a distance. The three-year full-time residential curriculum has been sequenced out over five years in order that working adults can take on a part-time academic load. Faculty teach the same courses in the distance program as they do in the residential programs.
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Brady Nemmers, DL student
“ The DL program at WTS continues to be an incredible gift to me. My path to ministry was highly unusual, and a traditional seminary experience would have been impossible.
I had completed more than 75 credits at another seminary and promised myself that I would someday return. For over a decade, my wife would look at me and say, ‘This is the year you should finish seminary.’
In the spring of 2013, I was hired to be the lead teaching pastor at a church. Along with my offer came the opportunity to complete my seminary studies. I made a few phone calls and learned that my credits had formally “expired” despite the fact that I had been working full time as a pastor during the intervening years. I mentioned this fact to my friend (himself a current WTS student) and he told me to call admissions representative Jill English. I did and learned that there was a way for me to finish my degree online and, perhaps, to receive credit for my work at the other seminary.
I met with Jill and sent my transcripts to the registrar. In the fall of 2015, I joined the WTS community as a student.
I have found the staff, administration, and culture at WTS to be exceptional. There is a strong sense of community, a fact that surprised me due to the fact that most coursework is completed online. I can honestly say that I feel more known at WTS than I did as an in-residence student at the other seminary. I see WTS as significantly “ahead of the curve” with regard to what it takes to train future pastors. “
