By Kristi Smith, Director of Children’s, Youth and Family Ministry, Milwaukie Covenant Church
For years I had been praying about seminary. Should I enroll? Can I afford it? Will I need to move? Lord, if this is what you’re calling me to, please show me the path forward. The first step toward that path came for me this past year through opportunities for continued discernment regarding God’s call upon my life. Then, as I moved into more certainty about God’s call, suddenly a seminary path opened up to me. That path was Ignite.
Ignite is a program developed in cooperation between the Pacific Southwest Conference and North Park Seminary. For someone who is already invested in a ministry context, Ignite provides an accessible degree path with financial partnerships and a hybrid format combining the flexibility of distance learning with the community experience of in-person learning. Ignite students take four classes per year, doing class readings and assignments on their own, but meeting together for a week of in-class instruction. Within four years, Ignite participants can achieve an ordainable seminary degree. This meant I could earn my degree at a lower cost, without having to relocate, while also getting the benefit of in-person instruction.
Sometimes I am slow in deliberating significant decisions, but when I was offered the opportunity to enroll in Ignite, I didn’t hesitate; it seemed tailor-made for me and was an answer to prayer!
My first class was New Testament Texts and Their World. I spent the first half of the fall reading books and writing papers about society and culture in New Testament times, and how that affects my understanding of Scripture. While I learned a lot reading on my own, I was eager for the added perspective that comes with learning in community.
In early November, the 36 members of my cohort all met together for the first time at Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center, nestled into the hills near Santa Cruz. Only five of us are from the Pacific Northwest, but we felt quite cared for by conference leaders Greg Yee and Erik Cave who flew down to support us and pray for us as we began our seminary journey.
Our first week of class was intense, but amazing! In 40 hours of class, Dr. David Nystrom walked us through the history and culture of Jesus’ time and then through each book of the New Testament. The insights and thoughtful questions of my classmates were inspiring and illuminating. I’m looking forward to learning more from them in the coming years.
One of the things that encouraged me the most was that I was reminded of something about myself that has been dormant now for 15 years: I love formal education! I had expected to walk away from the week-long class feeling tired and brain-weary, but instead I returned home excited and energetic from the information, discussions and dialogue. I am looking forward to this journey; I know it won’t be easy, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn, grow and be better equipped as a minister of God’s Word.