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Surviving and Thriving in Seminary: An Academic and Spiritual Handbook
Seminary can be rich and rewarding, but also disorienting.
In addition to the typical challenges of doing graduate studies, your experiences in seminary affect how you see God, other people, and yourself. The stakes are high, but the good news is that you're not alone on this journey.
In Surviving and Thriving in Seminary, two experienced professors (and former seminary students) guide you through what to expect and how to navigate your years in seminary. They tell you what they tell their own students--and what they wish they'd heard themselves. You'll get practical advice on how to prepare your own heart and relationships, how to manage your time and energy, and how to acquire the study skills you need. This essential book encourages and equips current and soon-to-be students to get the most out of their time in seminary.
In addition to the typical challenges of doing graduate studies, your experiences in seminary affect how you see God, other people, and yourself. The stakes are high, but the good news is that you're not alone on this journey.
In Surviving and Thriving in Seminary, two experienced professors (and former seminary students) guide you through what to expect and how to navigate your years in seminary. They tell you what they tell their own students--and what they wish they'd heard themselves. You'll get practical advice on how to prepare your own heart and relationships, how to manage your time and energy, and how to acquire the study skills you need. This essential book encourages and equips current and soon-to-be students to get the most out of their time in seminary.
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2017
68 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 9, 2022
This was an easy read that was so full of practical advice that at times it felt obvious. I'm from another country and am doing seminary fully online and so there was a point or two that did not directly fit my circumstances, but I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone starting or considering seminary.
I know another idiot reviewer wrote that this book is only for white males from another time. I'm sorry, but that is just stupid. Some people are so desperate to be angry that they will try as hard as possible to take offense at everything they can. You would have to try really hard to find offense with this book. Any sane person would easily see that this book is loaded with nothing but good advice and good intentions from cover to cover.
I know another idiot reviewer wrote that this book is only for white males from another time. I'm sorry, but that is just stupid. Some people are so desperate to be angry that they will try as hard as possible to take offense at everything they can. You would have to try really hard to find offense with this book. Any sane person would easily see that this book is loaded with nothing but good advice and good intentions from cover to cover.
September 23, 2022
I had to read this books as an assignment, and it was time well spent.
The book is succinct, practical, and pleasantly readable. Each chapter covers different aspect to think through as one embarks on a journey through seminary. There are many resources given that will effectively make my seminary experience more beneficial and efficient.
I gave the book 4 stars because some of the resources given were a bit out of date, but it was a useful read over all!
The book is succinct, practical, and pleasantly readable. Each chapter covers different aspect to think through as one embarks on a journey through seminary. There are many resources given that will effectively make my seminary experience more beneficial and efficient.
I gave the book 4 stars because some of the resources given were a bit out of date, but it was a useful read over all!
August 4, 2023
Good book
September 25, 2024
Such a nice, easy read to encourage seminary students! I really enjoyed this book. There were several sections that were extremely helpful for some practical steps. Other sections were very challenging to me. Great read!
March 17, 2021
Very helpful in preparing your heart for seminary.
February 6, 2024
Favorite Quotes:
Seminary will ask you to take a step back and look critically at what you believe—not because your professors want to destroy your beliefs, but because they want you to think about whether they are the best way to understand the world, and whether they truly are in line with the Scriptures and not just a folk theology. 1 They want you to expand your thoughts on certain issues. Be willing to entertain another perspective, even if you do not ultimately agree. This challenge is great for you—but can at times be a painful process.
Change is uncomfortable, but discomfort can be good for you. More than that, it is essential if you want to keep growing as a human being. You can be refined into a better person through every trial you face, big or small.
In short, you are now the one being asked to sort through arguments on all sorts of topics and to think through which argument is best and which aligns best with Scripture. You are now being trained to be the funnel. It is a daunting and overwhelming task. And it is absolutely worth it!
Refusing to entertain another perspective, refusing to be open-minded on certain issues, stubbornly planting your flag on certain things—this is the way of the cow! Instead of evading the issues or reluctantly engaging the issues because you have to, charge right in like a buffalo!
Very often, we read about concepts and different opinions with the intent of finding the holes in their arguments and to re-entrench ourselves in our previously held opinions. This is not an honest look. You don’t need to change your opinion, but entering into respectful dialogue in order to better understand issues is the path of wisdom.
As a pastor, you are the main spiritual educator in your congregation. Pop psychology, Christian best sellers, or the latest sermon series that has trickled down from a megachurch will not be the catalyst that drives your congregation toward growth or maturity. It will be a combination of things, one of which is you as you model serious study of God’s Word, as you actively strive toward a life that conforms to God’s will revealed in the Scriptures, and as you genuinely delight in learning more and more about God and his word. The main reason for becoming proficient in biblical languages is that you need to be challenged in your study of God’s Word so that you can, in turn, challenge those whom you educate and to whom you minister.
If ever there was a time to slow down and resist the mentality of instant gratification that prevails in modern society, your time with God and engagement with the word is that time.
Once you begin to understand the biblical languages, you will be equipped to understand at a far higher level the intricacies of interpretation and translation. Every English translation of the Scriptures is an interpretation.
There are three ways to proceed through seminary (and ministry) with a family. The first is to lead them on mission, the second is to drag them on mission, and the third is to abandon them for the mission.
The key component for discipling [your kids] (while in school or out of school) is the level of your intentionality. If you make this your goal and build it into your day and your conversations, it will happen. This is how all plants are cultivated and how all lives mature—slowly and over time.
Our bodies, minds, and spirits are connected. While in seminary we may be tempted to neglect our bodies in favor of spending more time studying; that would be a mistake. We are whole people, and healthiness in one area of life produces fruit in the other domains of life.
A regular exercise routine also naturally encourages you to make healthier choices in other areas of life. We still wrestle with old habits, but we have noticed that discipline in one area begets discipline in other areas.
The most productive people hit their work hard for chunks of time, and then take breaks in between.
If you are unsure how to go about this, find a high-school or college student who needs a friend, find a first-year student who needs a prayer partner, find an elderly widow in your church, or even find an outspoken atheist on the campus of the local college. Ask them if you can talk to them about Jesus on a weekly basis if you buy them coffee. Find someone to pour into so that you are using the life-giving water that you are taking in. As you pour this water out, you will find that you are personally being refreshed. When you store up the water without pouring it out, you will build up stale water that becomes lukewarm and even bitter (or cynical).
Your professor will want to see evidence that you are working with both primary and secondary sources. Very often, student essays become unbalanced. One student may focus almost solely on the primary sources, quoting a lot of primary material and recording their own interpretation on those sources, without going to the secondary sources to see what other researchers have thought. Another student may quote and cite secondary sources at length without consulting and working through the primary sources. Both of these students are making use of sources in an unbalanced way.
No matter how well you write, your professor will spot poor research and grade accordingly.
Because of this, we recommend that you try to start the research process for every paper you write by reading dictionary articles. Reading a dictionary article will provide you with a quick and comprehensive overview of your subject. After reading several dictionary articles, you will begin to feel you have a general understanding of the topic, and this will provide you with a solid base from which to begin reading further.
It is at these moments that remembering is most important, because it is here that you may wonder why you are putting yourself through the hardship that is seminary. You need to remember. Remember how God saved you, how you felt the strong presence of the Almighty, when you saw his hand powerfully working in your life. Remember the people and circumstances that brought you here in the first place. Remember the call that God has placed on your life. During times of stress or doubt, let these memories draw you back to your purpose and the reasons that you want to endeavor.
Seminary will ask you to take a step back and look critically at what you believe—not because your professors want to destroy your beliefs, but because they want you to think about whether they are the best way to understand the world, and whether they truly are in line with the Scriptures and not just a folk theology. 1 They want you to expand your thoughts on certain issues. Be willing to entertain another perspective, even if you do not ultimately agree. This challenge is great for you—but can at times be a painful process.
Change is uncomfortable, but discomfort can be good for you. More than that, it is essential if you want to keep growing as a human being. You can be refined into a better person through every trial you face, big or small.
In short, you are now the one being asked to sort through arguments on all sorts of topics and to think through which argument is best and which aligns best with Scripture. You are now being trained to be the funnel. It is a daunting and overwhelming task. And it is absolutely worth it!
Refusing to entertain another perspective, refusing to be open-minded on certain issues, stubbornly planting your flag on certain things—this is the way of the cow! Instead of evading the issues or reluctantly engaging the issues because you have to, charge right in like a buffalo!
Very often, we read about concepts and different opinions with the intent of finding the holes in their arguments and to re-entrench ourselves in our previously held opinions. This is not an honest look. You don’t need to change your opinion, but entering into respectful dialogue in order to better understand issues is the path of wisdom.
As a pastor, you are the main spiritual educator in your congregation. Pop psychology, Christian best sellers, or the latest sermon series that has trickled down from a megachurch will not be the catalyst that drives your congregation toward growth or maturity. It will be a combination of things, one of which is you as you model serious study of God’s Word, as you actively strive toward a life that conforms to God’s will revealed in the Scriptures, and as you genuinely delight in learning more and more about God and his word. The main reason for becoming proficient in biblical languages is that you need to be challenged in your study of God’s Word so that you can, in turn, challenge those whom you educate and to whom you minister.
If ever there was a time to slow down and resist the mentality of instant gratification that prevails in modern society, your time with God and engagement with the word is that time.
Once you begin to understand the biblical languages, you will be equipped to understand at a far higher level the intricacies of interpretation and translation. Every English translation of the Scriptures is an interpretation.
There are three ways to proceed through seminary (and ministry) with a family. The first is to lead them on mission, the second is to drag them on mission, and the third is to abandon them for the mission.
The key component for discipling [your kids] (while in school or out of school) is the level of your intentionality. If you make this your goal and build it into your day and your conversations, it will happen. This is how all plants are cultivated and how all lives mature—slowly and over time.
Our bodies, minds, and spirits are connected. While in seminary we may be tempted to neglect our bodies in favor of spending more time studying; that would be a mistake. We are whole people, and healthiness in one area of life produces fruit in the other domains of life.
A regular exercise routine also naturally encourages you to make healthier choices in other areas of life. We still wrestle with old habits, but we have noticed that discipline in one area begets discipline in other areas.
The most productive people hit their work hard for chunks of time, and then take breaks in between.
If you are unsure how to go about this, find a high-school or college student who needs a friend, find a first-year student who needs a prayer partner, find an elderly widow in your church, or even find an outspoken atheist on the campus of the local college. Ask them if you can talk to them about Jesus on a weekly basis if you buy them coffee. Find someone to pour into so that you are using the life-giving water that you are taking in. As you pour this water out, you will find that you are personally being refreshed. When you store up the water without pouring it out, you will build up stale water that becomes lukewarm and even bitter (or cynical).
Your professor will want to see evidence that you are working with both primary and secondary sources. Very often, student essays become unbalanced. One student may focus almost solely on the primary sources, quoting a lot of primary material and recording their own interpretation on those sources, without going to the secondary sources to see what other researchers have thought. Another student may quote and cite secondary sources at length without consulting and working through the primary sources. Both of these students are making use of sources in an unbalanced way.
No matter how well you write, your professor will spot poor research and grade accordingly.
Because of this, we recommend that you try to start the research process for every paper you write by reading dictionary articles. Reading a dictionary article will provide you with a quick and comprehensive overview of your subject. After reading several dictionary articles, you will begin to feel you have a general understanding of the topic, and this will provide you with a solid base from which to begin reading further.
It is at these moments that remembering is most important, because it is here that you may wonder why you are putting yourself through the hardship that is seminary. You need to remember. Remember how God saved you, how you felt the strong presence of the Almighty, when you saw his hand powerfully working in your life. Remember the people and circumstances that brought you here in the first place. Remember the call that God has placed on your life. During times of stress or doubt, let these memories draw you back to your purpose and the reasons that you want to endeavor.
Read
August 4, 2024Great book on bringing your family into your studies. Imagine Frodo explaining his journey to Mt Doom to a distant cousin who has no clue of the transpired events. The frustration could be immense in the loss of understanding. Yet, Frodo is forever changed. Seminary dissonance is like this in relationships. Steward your resources well, take care of your body, devotionally follow after God, keep serving in the church, manage your time, build schedules, plan your work, communicate your learnings with your friends and family, and even teach the things you are learning to others. DON'T GO TO SEMINARY IN A VACUUM, YOU WILL BECOME STALE, MOLDY, AND STAGNANT.
December 12, 2025
Surviving and Thriving in Seminary offers practical and timely guidance for navigating the academic and spiritual challenges of seminary life. I appreciated the book’s focus on maintaining spiritual discipline, humility, and personal faith while engaging rigorous theological study. It serves as a helpful reminder that academic success without spiritual health ultimately undermines ministry. While not a theological work, it provides important guardrails for protecting one’s calling and integrity during formal training. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for seminary students who want to grow in knowledge without losing their walk with Christ.
June 20, 2023
Helpful and practical guide to incorporating beneficial practices—personal, academic, and ministerial—during seminary education. Covers basic life areas from eating and sleeping habits to research strategies. I found helpful their suggestions for requesting feedback from professors. Key areas also highlighted were the importance of viewing family as your first ministry and the necessity of placing boundaries to protect study time (but within reason—it’s ok to be a C student if it means having a healthy marriage).
September 9, 2019
I am currently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Christian Studies at Acadia Divity College and as part of the first step Orientation, two texts need to be read and assignments completed. This is the first of the two texts and an excellent resource from two professors currenty teaching in seminary based on their research and personal experiences as student. They tell it like it was for them!!
January 8, 2020
This book is broken down into 3 parts: preparation (both heart and mind), managing your time and energy, and study skills/tools. All three sections had pieces that I could take away despite already having a Master's degree. It is specific enough to seminary to be applicable to the study of God's Word, but also broad enough to apply to other research based degrees. Well worth the read for those intending or already attending Seminary education.
July 29, 2022
This book was basic, but packed with practical advice for a new seminary student. Four stars because the research and tools section at the end was super helpful. My only frustration with this book is that it was clearly written to men and the parts to “spouses” were clearly written to moms at home. I would love to see an edit of this book that was intentional to include women in the audience of students.
September 18, 2023
Lots of basic but solid advice for students beginning seminary. I wish they had included information that included women students - all of my married gal friends in grad school agree that who makes dinner, folds the laundry, and does "women's work" are a significant issue that often goes unaddressed in these types of materials. Also, it is awfully white, Western-centric. Who is to say whether an international fellow student might not become someone your church needs support from?
July 30, 2024
Surviving and Thriving in Seminary is full of valuable information. If you are a seminary student or considering going down that path, I would say that this is a must-read book. However, I also believe that anyone who is involved in ministry could benefit from it in many ways. There are a couple of theological points that I would quibble with but, other than that, it is definitely a worthwhile read.
October 1, 2024
It was really encouraging and while some parts I wanted to role my eyes because I’m not a man and not a married one at that, the rest of it was super helpful.
Especially how to study and do well academically.
I loved the stories at the end and they reminded me that even people you might assume know Jesus and have a relationship with him, might not. Stay active in sharing your faith and praying for those around you.
Especially how to study and do well academically.
I loved the stories at the end and they reminded me that even people you might assume know Jesus and have a relationship with him, might not. Stay active in sharing your faith and praying for those around you.
August 20, 2022
Super helpful for anyone feeling called to ministry and is pursuing this by studying in a seminary context. The authors speak into many aspects of life in a theological institution in a straight-talking way yet brotherly way. This books covers both the devotional and practical aspects of life as a student. Highly recommended
February 12, 2023
Some good practical pointers, but I worry about its sink or swim mentality for seminarians.
I often waiver between worried that seminary can be too light, letting untrained and unproven pastors take office, but this volume also doesn't seem to factor in a level of grace that seems healthy for our pastor-professors.
I often waiver between worried that seminary can be too light, letting untrained and unproven pastors take office, but this volume also doesn't seem to factor in a level of grace that seems healthy for our pastor-professors.
July 10, 2018
A very good book to prepare your heart and mind to not just survive but also thrive in Seminary. The book is very insightful and practical at the same time. A highly recommended book for those thinking to pursue Seminary or already started!
May 5, 2021
A wonderful resource for getting one’s head around all the intricacies of contemplating, applying to, and attending seminary. It delves into the concerns one must consider, strategies for how to go about them, and best practice anecdotes (often for the authors’ personal point of view).
June 23, 2024
Informative
The resources I received from this lecture are golden, It is worth the a listen. I recommend this material for those you need to be acquainted with their preparation for success for seminary.
The resources I received from this lecture are golden, It is worth the a listen. I recommend this material for those you need to be acquainted with their preparation for success for seminary.
May 19, 2025
Very very practical, and also helpful! I would say that this book accomplishes exactly what it is set out to do, which is to tell the student what they need to do to get through seminary. I honestly wish I read this before I started. Also I now want a Livescribe smart pen.
August 18, 2025
Wanted this to be better. Some of the content is very helpful but the writing style is condescending and exaggerations abound. It was difficult to separate the author’s suggestions from more formal biblical wisdom.
December 7, 2017
Great book!
This is an excellent book for any student. The authors helpful lay out the habits that should be formed for a successful educational experience.
This is an excellent book for any student. The authors helpful lay out the habits that should be formed for a successful educational experience.
December 30, 2017
A lot of great information even if you don’t plan on going to Seminary.
September 22, 2019
Great book. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s starting seminary or has started seminary. I’m glad Western assigned it.
October 24, 2019
For white males going to seminary in a different time.
September 9, 2020
A necessary read for anybody in Seminary or considering Seminary! Extremely Helpful!
Read
September 18, 2020Acadia Orientation September 2020
September 22, 2020
Practical and insightful.
January 29, 2021
Excellent. Anyone even thinking of beginning seminary must read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews