Seminary that makes sense.
Equipping leaders. For the church. In East Tennessee.
Our mission is to glorify God by equipping competent spiritual leaders for the growth and health of Christ’s church.
If questions about the time, cost, or usefulness of a ministry degree have you wondering if seminary makes sense for you, keep reading.
This is Providence Seminary.
A fully accredited, competency-based, Gospel-centered, church-guided, theologically sound, ministry education. Affordable and flexible, providing experience and mentoring that will last a lifetime, right here in East Tennessee, the heart of Southern Appalachia.
Get a Masters of Transforming Leadership (MATL), a valuable post-graduate degree that is tailored to accentuate the needs of the student to maximize his or her competence and effectiveness in ministry. And because it is fully accredited by the ATS, this degree can be applied toward earning future degrees (e.g. M.Div or Th.M) should the student wish to continue his or her education. To read in detail about this degree program, click here.
Providence Seminary is affiliated with Providence University College and Theological Seminary in Canada. With this relationship students can be confident of full ATS (the Association of Theological Schools) accreditation, online library services and e-books, seminars and curricula, and administrative & academic services. Providence Church, located in Knoxville Tennessee is providing the location and administration for Providence Seminary until growth allows the seminary to have its own campus. Providence Seminary cooperates with all evangelical churches.
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Theological education at most seminaries is still being done like much the way it was 100 years ago, while American culture has radically changed and educational models have followed suit to meet the needs of newer generations and technology.
At Providence Seminary, we utilize a Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) model that is cutting edge, flexible, and tailored for each individual student to sharpen the gifts and knowledge students already possess, while building the areas that lack proficiency for maximum effectiveness in ministry.
The goal is to help students “become all things to all people that my all means [they] might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Competency-based education has been proven in other disciplines. Providence is utilizing this model to prepare those who take the Gospel and build the Church.
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Truth is important. And our ultimate authority and means of understanding truth matters.
Providence Seminary holds to the five “solas” of the protestant reformation: Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone is our ultimate authority), sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus (it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that we are saved), and sola deo gloria (for the glory of God alone). Therefore, we hold to the Apostles Creed as it articulates what Scripture teaches and what Christians throughout the centuries believed. A statement of essential doctrines can be found here. You can be confident that students will be affirmed in their beliefs while engaging other perspectives at Providence.
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The cost of going to seminary can be prohibitive, especially, it seems, for the people who most need it. Our desire is not to profit financially, but, God willing, to see great benefits for the Gospel and growth of the church. Our goal is to give students the opportunity to earn a fully-accredited theological master’s degree for half the price of other seminaries.
Unlike traditional tuition, our program is a monthly, subscription-based plan—no need for loans or saving up for tuition.
In addition to keeping the tuition price down for all students, we hope to offer scholarships on an as-needed basis so that no one will have student debt as they enter ministry. Church planters and ministers struggle enough financially already. As a part of the degree plan, a very practical course in financial discipleship will be offered so that struggling financially will not be a reason for strain on the minister’s family.
Flexibility meets excellence for real-world training and church-driven goals.
Because we are not bound to a traditional program of credit hours, semesters, and classes, a student can start whenever they want and can proceed as aggressively and deliberately as their own schedule and desires allow. In conjunction with the student’s mentors and the agreed-upon plan, students can pursue the training that will allow them to serve the real needs of their churches. Instead of classroom-focused learning, students work with their mentor in situations where they can demonstrate their learning.