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Is Liberty University Alone?

Discussion in 'Baptist Colleges & Seminaries' started by Martin, Jun 8, 2010.

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  1. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    A friend's husband is interested in earning a graduate religion degree so he can teach some classes at local colleges (community and christian). He is going to be attending Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary via their online program and most likely will be earning an MA in Theological Studies or an MA in Religion (not sure which yet).

    Anyway, after answering some of her questions this afternoon, I got to thinking :eek:. Other than Liberty University, are there any regionally accredited, fully online, graduate programs being offered by any seminary? The only other program I could think of was at Regent University (which is sinfully expensive imo). I must confess that I thought and thought and those are the only two I could think of. Am I missing something here? I could have bet there were others.

    I have no doubt that he will benefit greatly from a Liberty University education. He is a bi-vocational, interim pastor, and wants to do some part-time college teaching on the side. He is the poster guy for why we need programs like Liberty University.
     
    #1 Martin, Jun 8, 2010
  2. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    MBTS is going to be offering a fully-online MATS starting this fall through their affiliated college.
     
    #2 StefanM, Jun 8, 2010
  3. Havensdad

    Havensdad New Member

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    #3 Havensdad, Jun 8, 2010
  4. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

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    There are many more. Check out Baker's Guide to Christian Distance Education. They list the ones that are all or partially online.
    http://www.bakersguide.com/
    Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, in partnership with Campbellsville Univ., is offering a MTh but I'm not sure it's all online.

    As an aside, were I him and looking for a degree to teach to help with my livlihood, I'd also earn 18 hrs in another field. Religious studies is a narrow field, and at the community college field it's even narrower. Scant few positions.
     
    #4 TomVols, Jun 9, 2010
  5. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    Mid Western Baptist Seminary MABS Degree

    StefanM Response,

    Hello dear brother. I thought I would add this to the mix. Here is the link to the Mid Western MABS degree. It is very, very general. It would probably be equivalent to Liberty's degrees that are 45 sem hours.

    http://www.mbts.edu/academics/distance_learning/online_courses/ :smilewinkgrin:

    One reason they did that, IMHO, is so that they did not have to deal with the ATS accreditation. But, not to worry! It is still a Master's degree, from a Baptist tradition school, on line, and reasonable.

    Check it out.

    "That is all!" :thumbsup:
     
    #5 Rhetorician, Jun 9, 2010
  6. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    Amen to Tom Vols Response

    To whomever is considering teaching on the College or Seminary levels:

    What Tom has told you is "yes and amen!" I would look long and hard about wanting to teach college of seminary full time. There is an absolute glut of "degeed people" to fill all of the schools around the country. To teach at all, even on the comm college level, you need graduate work in two areas. Also in my case the doctorate was not even needed. In fact my dean told me that I did not have to get one if I did not want to pursue it.

    I am living proof of that. I had grad work, two degrees in religion M.Div/MA (R). And the only reason I found a place to teach is because one degree was in religion and I had 39 PhD hours in Rhetoric, Communication Theory and could teach in both disciplines.

    Do beware, there are literally 1000s of newly minted PhDs in religion and its cognates coming out of the top schools every June who cannot find a job. You must "do" or "be" something different to set yourself apart in order to be chosen. Now, all of this does not interfere with a Sovereign God's will for our lives.

    Just a small "word to the wise."

    "That is all!" :smilewinkgrin:
     
    #6 Rhetorician, Jun 9, 2010
  7. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor Member
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    I think their accreditation may actually be wrapped up in not educating any who have been divorced... very unique circumstances... :thumbs:
     
    #7 PilgrimPastor, Jun 9, 2010
  8. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    "Glut" of ministers, even for seminary grads; applies to all who would want to teach

    Hello all:

    Here is an article I ran across as I scanned the SBC blogs this morning. I know it might be a stretch, but I do nor believe it is for the discussion at hand.

    If there is a "glut" of ministers for the parish ministry, could this not be more true for one trying to find a place to teach on the college or seminary levels. I think you can argue from the greater to the lesser in this case. I hope the link adds to the discussion. Let me hear from you.

    Here you are:

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-06-08-onlineministers08_ST_N.htm

    I think this is very appropriate for this thread. :thumbs:

    "That is all!"
     
    #8 Rhetorician, Jun 9, 2010
  9. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    I'm not as well read as others on this, but I don't know of another program with the criterion of "regionally accredited, fully online, graduate" programs with the level of accreditation similar to LU.

    Several SBC seminaries had some things going but have been mostly shutdown because of ATS grumbling. That said I think SBTS might have something, but I think that is primarily in their doctoral level.

    LU got way out in front of this and has really done things well. Its a cash cow for them and I believe they have deep penetration into military and civil service sectors with individuals getting undergrad and graduate degrees. Its a great thing imho.
     
    #9 preachinjesus, Jun 9, 2010
  10. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor Member
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    That's how I started with Liberty in 2000. They have marketed heavily to the military.
     
    #10 PilgrimPastor, Jun 9, 2010
  11. Siberian

    Siberian New Member

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    If only there were a "glut" of missionaries wanting to go to tribal, atheist and Muslim peoples!
     
    #11 Siberian, Jun 9, 2010
  12. PreachTREE

    PreachTREE New Member

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    #12 PreachTREE, Jun 9, 2010
  13. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

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    This is very similar to another discussion in this forum. The glut is very real, especially in academia. Churches have a different sort of issue thanks to the graying, straying, and fraying of the clergy.

    God bless all the PhD grads from seminary. But my first advice to them when I advised students is be prepared for church based ministry first. There are 40,000 SB churches. There are only a handful of teaching posts at SBC seminaries.
     
    #13 TomVols, Jun 9, 2010
  14. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

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    You said a mouthful.
     
    #14 TomVols, Jun 9, 2010
  15. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    Thanks for all the links (etc). My mind just went blank the other day and the only one I could think of, other than Regent, was Liberty.
     
    #15 Martin, Jun 13, 2010
  16. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    Very, very true. Most people don't realize that community colleges usually want someone who can teach at least two subjects. That means having a Masters degree in one subject and at least 18 graduate hours in another. I have a Masters in History and a Masters in Religion. Therefore I teach history, humanities, and I can teach religion (though I don't at this time). Also I know of no fulltime religion positions in the community college system. I'm sure there are a few, but most are either adjuncts or fulltime faculty who teach another subject as well. People looking into community colleges should also understand that it is not like university teaching at all. Most faculty teach between six and eight classes every semester (18-24hrs) and very few community colleges offer any form of tenure or job security. Fulltime and parttime faculty work contract to contract (9 month or 12 month). Don't get me wrong, I love teaching at the community college level. It is really rewarding and fun. But you have to be something of a workaholic.

    O, and btw, it is very hard to get a fulltime faculty position in most community colleges unless you have worked there as an adjunct and/or you have personal connections. This is mainly true in hard economic times when colleges get far too many applications for advertised positions.

    Believe me, your advice is right on target.

    I consider myself greatly blessed in my current position and I never take it for granted.
     
    #16 Martin, Jun 13, 2010
  17. Paul33

    Paul33 New Member

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    You mean like being a converted ex-Muslim trained in terrorism in the Muslim Youth Jihad Christian! Would that get me a teaching position in a seminary?
     
    #17 Paul33, Jun 14, 2010
  18. Peggy

    Peggy New Member

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    Unfortunately, missionaries are generally banned in Muslim countries.
     
    #18 Peggy, Jun 15, 2010
  19. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor Member
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    Out of sheer curiosity, what about Bible College / University / Seminary Librarians? How hard are those positions to come by?
     
    #19 PilgrimPastor, Jun 16, 2010
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