Introduction

The word "seminary" comes from the Latin word seminarium, meaning "seed-bed." For centuries it has been used to designate an institution whose primary function is to train ministers. This word suggests that a seminary experience ought to be one of growth in all aspects of one's life—particularly in one's own spiritual growth.

The programs at CBTS encourage just such growth-a place for students to grow in their personal relationships with God. Calvary's balanced approach to ministry training emphasizes spiritual, practical growth no less than it does the intellectual. To effect that growth, several mechanisms are in place to challenge and exhort each student to strive for spiritual progress.

Chapel

Chapel services Wednesday through Friday each week are scheduled by the Dean. These services provide opportunities to hear preaching, missionary reports, and faculty seminars. Through this exposure to such a wide variety of different ministries, students have the opportunity to consider ministries or vocations about which they might otherwise never have heard. Chapel attendance is required of all students.

Chapel services are not considered a substitute for private prayer times. Moreover, these services do not provide the nurture and discipline of a local church. Each student, therefore, must be involved in the ministry of a local congregation.

Local church involvement

Training for the ministry involves more than the knowledge students gain in the classroom. Successful ministry depends on relating that knowledge to the problems of real people in a real ministry; the application of classroom instruction to real life settings is vital. Therefore, in seeking to offer a balanced approach in preparing servants for ministry, all students are required to actively participate (as members in good standing) in the ministry of a local church of like faith.

Students moving into the area are encouraged to become members of Calvary Baptist Church for their first year of seminary in order to facilitate the transition to seminary life, to gain guided experience, and to become familiar with churches in the area. Contemplated membership in a church not participating in the seminary's Ministry Mentor Program should be checked with the Chaplain before any step is taken toward membership.

Speaking engagements

Students are encouraged to speak and preach frequently in churches participating in the seminary Ministry Mentor program. All students are, by nature of their study at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, representatives of the school; therefore, speaking or preaching in non-participating situations should be approved in advance by the Dean or Chaplain.

Ministry Mentor Program

As an aid to connecting classroom theory with practice, Master of Divinity students enrolled in a fall or spring semester will perform their practical ministry under the supervision of a personal mentor. All students graduating from CBTS must have completed a minimum of two semesters of Ministry Mentorship. Mentoring provides students an accountable way to report on their practical work each semester, and also provides them a unique opportunity to be personally influenced by a vocational minister whom they respect and admire. This program is not a curriculum-driven or formal design, but intended to be flexible and highly personal. For more information on the program, visit the Ministry Mentorship page.

Missions

Calvary's integral missions emphasis provides an environment in which students considering missions may build their understanding of missiology and find a practical outlet for their missions burden. Challenges from missionaries are frequently integrated into the chapel program, and the student body meets for Mission Prayer Band on a bi-weekly basis.

The annual Calvary Baptist Church missions conference brings together missionaries for Seminary panel discussions and chapel challenges. Furthermore, professors teach on foreign fields every year in one of the eight foreign Bible institutes supported by the Seminary (Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Belgium, France, Peru, Canada, and South Africa). The professors' overseas experience keeps their vision and burden for missions fresh and vibrant.

Students are encouraged to consider doing a one-year internship on a foreign field in which they fulfill the established course requirements for MI830-MI833. These internships may count for one to four credits and involve working closely with a seminary-approved missionary on a foreign field to learn about evangelism, church planting, missions philosophy, and cultural studies. Students should coordinate with the Dean in the selection of a missionary mentor. The course requirements for completion of MI830-MI833 may be reviewed in the Dean's office.

Counseling

Because spiritual growth takes a different course in every person's life, students and their families are encouraged to seek out their professors for private counsel in matters related to their studies or to their personal lives. All professors have both a pastoral heart and training and are qualified to counsel students.

In particular, the Seminary Chaplain facilitates a large percentage of student counseling and focuses on the spiritual life of the student body. The chaplain's office is open to students and their families for consultation on matters relating to their personal lives, families, or vocational choices.

Standards of conduct

It is expected that a student will conduct himself in a proper manner at all times. Guidelines for appropriate conduct, detailed in the Student Handbook, will be provided to prospective students upon request and to all students during the first week of each semester. All students are expected to be familiar with the contents of the Student Handbook.

Above all, students and staff must live lives which glorify God by following the ethical principles established in Scripture. Due to the spiritual nature of seminary training, it falls upon the Seminary to guide its students in the importance of leading a God-honoring life. A combination of classroom instruction, chapel messages, personal mentoring, counseling, or administrative actions may combine to help a student understand and cultivate the high moral conduct integral to effective ministry.