The decision to go to Seminary can be challenging. Often, we sense that God is calling us into something more, but we struggle to define it. Once we’ve made the decision to begin theological education, the next question—which program do I pursue?—can be daunting. If this is you, you’re not alone!
Thankfully, this is a question we hear quite a bit, and we can help you to discern the most appropriate step for your particular goals, interests, life season, and location.
What are my vocational goals? What am I being drawn to?
Some students starting seminary have very clear goals like seeking ordination and/or leading in a congregational setting. If this is you, you may be asking some very practical questions.
Congregational Leadership and Ordination
If you are currently, or know that you will be working, in a church setting, the Master of Divinity (MDiv) and the Master of Arts in Christian Formation (MACF) are likely the best options for you. In the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), there are two ordination tracks with educational requirements. For ordination to Word and Sacrament, the Master of Divinity (MDiv) fulfills the educational requirements. The Master of Arts in Christian Formation (MACF) fulfills the educational requirements for ordination to Word and Service. We recommend talking with your conference superintendent or administrator to discern which ordination track may be best for you and your community.
Master of Divinity
The MDiv is our longest and most comprehensive degree; it’s also considered the standard professional graduate degree for ministry and is the most recognized across contexts. The MDiv provides strong preparation for biblical interpretation, preaching, teaching, leading, and providing spiritual and pastoral care in a variety of contexts with intercultural awareness and humility. This is what makes it an ideal program for students pursuing lead pastor roles, considering church planting, chaplaincy, and leading in parachurch ministries and non-profits.
Distinctives
- Only program to require original Biblical language study (Koine Greek, with option for Biblical Hebrew)
- Only degree to require Clinical Pastoral Education, a program that includes serving populations in need such as in a hospital setting with direct supervision and group reflection.
Considerations
- The length of the program (79 credit hours plus 11 field education credits) is a significant investment and commitment, taking typically 3-5 years to complete.
Master of Arts in Christian Formation
The MACF is tailored to the teaching ministry of the church and is primarily concerned with the forming of Christ-followers during different times of life and in different contexts. The MACF maintains a strong foundation in biblical interpretation and the Christian tradition, including the worship life of the church, and allows for students to specialize in areas important to their contexts. This makes the MACF ideal for students interested or working in children, youth, and family ministry, adult formation, as worship pastors, and other associate roles.
Distinctives
- Focus on formative aspects of congregational life.
- Opportunity to specialize in particular contexts.
- Can be completed through Ignite and Equip cohort pathways with ECC conference sponsorship.
Considerations
- Offered only in the part-time format (4 years in length).
For others, the questions may be more open-ended. In his Confessions, St. Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” As you face questions of vocation, what is it that is stirring in you and how does that compare to the other programs available?
Lay Leadership and Theological Exploration
Perhaps vocational ministry isn’t your calling, but Christian leadership is. Are you asking questions of the Christian tradition and how to breathe new life into lay ministries? Are you interested in what it looks like to bring a ministry-lens to your current career path? These are some of the questions that you might answer as part of a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM). This degree is our shortest (36 credit hours) and most flexible. It maintains foundational courses in Bible, history, and theology with a generous number of electives in different ministry areas so that you can explore your areas of interest.
Teaching and Research
Is the academic life drawing you in? Do you desire a more in-depth conversation in a particular area? Do you find yourself longing to write on a particular topic? The 60 credit-hour Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) may be an appropriate program for you if these questions resonate. With the MATS, you will develop your research skills and focus your study in a concentration area within biblical studies, history, theology, or ministry. The program culminates in thesis that can be serve as a basis for further graduate study including at the doctoral level.
Justice Ministries
Are you concerned with how theology connects to real world issues of justice and reconciliation? The Master of Arts in Restorative Justice Ministries (MARJM) is a groundbreaking program that brings together free and incarcerated students in a blended classroom environment to prepare for ministries of reconciliation and transformative justice. In partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections, the program is held within a prison facility, and courses are regularly held “inside”—meaning this degree requires a background check and IDOC clearance to participate. While this program is currently paused, the ethos carries into our other programs and the wider community. We’d love to talk more of how you can explore these themes through other programs.
Spiritual Presence
Holy listening, sacred attention, soul care, and spiritual accompaniment are all terms that have been used to describe the practice of sitting with another for spiritual direction. Our Certificate in Spiritual Direction comes at this long-standing Christian practice through a Pietist lens. Students learn through practice the art of listening and discernment. The program is centered around three summer intensives, with part-time online courses running throughout in between fall and spring terms. This makes it ideal for working professionals and trained pastors who are entering spiritual direction as an added or new chapter in their ministry. While there are no academic prerequisites, our program directors are looking for those with spiritual maturity and humility to enter this special kind of ministry.
What pace works best for this season in life?
There are benefits as well as things to consider for both full and part-time study. Let’s discuss some of them.
Full-time. While full-time is defined as 8 credit hours or more per semester, most students pursuing full-time study take 10-15 credit hours depending on the requirements of their program that term. This can feel like a heavy workload, but the benefits include more financial aid options and a more focused program with a shorter time to completion, which means that you’re putting your education to work more quickly, reducing overall costs, and leaving less room for schoolwork to be interrupted by life events. Full-time options are available for the MDiv and the MATS programs.
Part-time. Most NPTS students take courses on a part-time track (fewer than 8 credit hours per term) due to working in ministry or in other sectors and other life commitments. Part-time students outnumber full-time students across the country as well! While this option is more about endurance than focus, the benefit of part-time is being able to fit seminary alongside your other commitments and being able to apply your learning to your context in real time. Part-time options are available for the MDiv, MACF, and MACM degrees.
See the Planning Your Program page for more of a breakdown between the different options.
What are the program formats? And where should I study?
All NPTS degree programs can be completed locally or from a distance, though we don’t offer a fully online program. Instead, we have a unique program design that blends the best of modern, connective tech in the classroom with relational immersion experiences.
To make life predictable and accessible, we schedule courses only on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (for Ignite and Equip, your class night is Monday) and combine an hour and a half of real-time instruction with asynchronous content on your own time. This means that you get the benefit of flexibility and the rhythm of regular discussion with your instructor.
So where should you take courses primarily? One option is our main campus, which is a beautiful, ivy-covered hub on the Northwest side of Chicago. The weekly class rhythm allows us to host a time of community worship and meal just prior to class on Thursdays. Living on campus in subsidized graduate housing makes city-living more affordable with access to great schools and offers the benefits of connecting in-person with faculty (many of whom live in the neighborhood) and using the full resources of North Park University more regularly. Commuting to campus is also an option as the campus is close to both the train and I-94 expressway. Evening classes make commuting after work possible—and Thursdays include a free meal!
But we understand that not everyone can uproot! If you are committed to living elsewhere in the country, rest assured, we will still have time together. Our weekly classes are mixed so that while some students are meeting in person, other students at a distance are joining at the same time virtually.
We think being in person with your fellow students, faculty, and the larger seminary community is critical for the spiritual growth of future ministers of the gospel, and so whether your primary location is campus or online, all students come together at set times of the year. In September, all students are required to be on campus (or for Ignite and Equip students, at their unique immersion sites) for four days of required spiritual formation classes, and in June we offer a menu of electives during an energizing week. Each immersion combines class, meals, worship, and relationship building. These are the highlights of the school year and make the rest of your class time that much more meaningful.
What will this cost?
Program tuition is on a per credit hour model. This means that each credit has a set cost, and the more credit hours (the longer the program), the higher the overall cost. It’s important to know that almost all our students receive some kind of financial aid which can mean loans but also includes funds that don’t have to be paid back like scholarships and grants. We partner with churches, ECC conferences, and individual donors to help keep your education affordable.
This page talks more about the details so you can explore your cost.
How do I begin?
To receive more information, simply submit your name and email, and we’ll be in touch. Our Admissions team is happy to set up a conversation or a visit so that you can work through all your questions together. Let’s talk!
SHARE WITH FRIENDS