Today's seminary and graduate school classrooms are filled with students from all walks of life. Indeed, the old archetype of the seminarian as a fresh-faced young man preparing for pulpit ministry is long retired.

"In the past, seminary was primarily a white-male institution to train men for the pastorate and prepare scholars for the academy. Today, most seminaries reflect a more diverse student and faculty population," says MaryKate Morse, associate professor of spiritual formation and pastoral studies at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. "Seminaries also have reformatted their curricula to take into consideration the spiritual formation of their students as they prepare them for a diverse and global ministry world."

The aspirations of today's students are just as diverse, making seminaries the training ground for ministries that range far beyond traditional vocations. While many still attend seminary to prepare for pastoral ministry, mission fields, and academic careers, students interested in service in lay ministries also find theological education attractive.

"I had six years of experience with the youth committee at my church, including several opportunities for lay counseling," says Kamla Anderson, a graduate student at Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in management, Anderson worked in the business field for a year but found it unsatisfactory. "I think counseling, or just being able to help people in their difficult times, is the 'something' that was missing," she says.

After completing her M.S. in counseling ministries, Anderson hopes to return home to Jamaica to counsel full-time. In the meantime, as the resident director of a girls' dorm at Baptist Bible College, she's already using what she's learned. "As I minister with and to them, I see the importance of being biblically grounded," she says.

"We are definitely seeing God draw men and women from all walks of life," says Ed Clavell, dean of students at Phoenix Seminary. Phoenix, he notes, draws a large number of students already established in other careers. These students "are seeking theological training to better serve their churches as elders and lay leaders, as well as to effectively minister and evangelize the communities in which they live and work."

Elias Carrero, another Baptist Bible student, was working as a bi-vocational minister— serving in a pastoral capacity in his church as well as holding down another job—when he sensed a call to seminary. "After being in ministry for a few years, I realized that I need to be a constant learner," he says. With the affirmation of his wife and the leadership of his church, he entered Baptist Bible Seminary and graduated with a master of ministry in 2006. The program, he says, "enhanced my knowledge of the Word of God, better equipped me in a practical way that is evident in my ministry and, most of all, challenged my heart as a man of God."

Classrooms also reflect diversity in students' age demographics. Today, seminarians are just as likely to be middle-aged as 22- year-old college graduates.

At Regent College, an international graduate school of Christian studies in Vancouver, British Columbia, slightly less than one-fifth of students are under the age of 25. Just a small fraction (3.5 percent) is comprised of 21 and 22-year-old college graduates. Reflecting this trend, only 37 percent of students at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky and Orlando are between the ages of 21 and 30. According to Janelle Vernon, Asbury's director of admissions, the school has witnessed steady growth in its population of second-career students.

While traditional students represent just a fraction of the students at today's theological schools, their presence appears to be growing. Reformed Theological Seminary, based in Orlando, reports an increase in this group over the last four to six years. In 2005-2006, half of all students were between the ages of 22 and 28. "One contributing factor is that students are increasingly delaying 'real life,' i.e. a career," says David Kirkendall, dean of student affairs. "The rapid rise in bachelor's degrees conferred also contributes. This lessens the relative value of a bachelor's degree for career purposes, making the master's degree more essential." Kirkendall says students "seek clarity in their calling, and they see spiritual parenting and personal growth as the source of such vocational clarity and empowerment," he says.

Phoenix Seminary has also reported a rise in students enrolling directly from college. Historically, Clavell says, "We drew older students who were already engaged in full-time ministry and were seeking training to better equip them to serve their congregations. In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of younger students who are preparing for vocational ministry."

With the recent unveiling of a master of arts in Christianity and culture, Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is receiving early indications that their population of younger students is increasing. This program aims to help students engage Western culture by integrating the classical education of the Protestant reformers and "framers of American liberty" into a comprehensive preparation for ministry. The Christianity and culture degree, says Jim Dietz, director of student services and dean of students, "is touching a chord in those students just emerging from university studies, as it addresses a level of education that will complete the preparation begun in their undergraduate work."

In addition to changing demographics, the need for leaders and students' desire for personal spiritual growth have altered the landscape of theological education.

The need for well-equipped servants and leaders in a variety of roles has increased, dramatically. "I think we've seen a tremendous number of parachurch ministries being birthed over the last fifty years," says Kirkendall, of Reformed Seminary. These organizations employ thousands of vocational ministry staff who hunger for theological education."

Schools have responded to the desire for solid preparation among lay ministers as well, and not without historical precedent. "Reformed theology has always encouraged theological education, valued and promoted all callings as equally ordained by God, and promoted theological education as valuable to a mature, healthy church," Kirkendall says.

A commitment to theological education for laity prompted the establishment of Regent College, in the mid-1960s. "The founding vision reflects some of the changes that have taken place in theological education in the last fifty years," says Susan Faehndrich- Findlay, associate director of admissions. "Today, men and women want to study side by side with students and professors from a wide range of denominations, professions and cultures. At Regent, there are doctors, nurses, teachers, businesspeople, filmmakers, artists, builders and computer programmers who see their theological studies as integral to equipping them to do a better job in their professions."

The faculties of these schools are committed to providing students with the tools to serve God effectively wherever they are. While many students come to Phoenix Seminary with church service in mind, "Others are combining theological training with their present area of expertise to reach the world in the name of Christ. Their profession is the key that allows them to enter into areas and settings not normally frequented by a professional minister," Clavell says.

After five years of computer programming at a Fortune 500 company, Tim Kimberley entered Dallas Theological Seminary, "wondering if I had wasted a college education and five years of my life." Enrolled in the master of theology program with a concentration in historical theology, he's found instead that God is using all of his experience.

After a mission trip to Kampala, Uganda, Tim felt a burden for educational needs of the new Christians and pastors he met. When he learned that the fastest-growing businesses in Kampala were Internet cafés, a new ministry was born.

Upon returning home, Tim and his wife, Patty, developed HeLives.com. "It is our passion to create something similar to a free Bible college online," he says. "We believe every person should have free access to solid biblical training."

Through HeLives.com, the Kimberleys have combined the gifts and skills they honed professionally with a passion for ministry. "My form of Internet ministry may be new, but the truths of God are never changing," he says.

In addition to training in the practice of ministry, students want theological education to shepherd their personal spiritual growth. At Asbury, spiritual formation is a priority alongside academic excellence and practical preparation. "Students testify to the spiritual formation that occurs throughout their theological education as a primary attribute of the Asbury Seminary experience," says Tina Pugel, director of communications.

"Students desire to bring a new level of significance and meaning to their lives," says Jules Glanzer, dean of George Fox Seminary. "They want to be grounded in biblical studies and church history while also understanding spiritual formation. They want their hearts enlarged toward the things of God.

"Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection are central to our curriculum and the personal experience of the faculty," he adds. "The development of Christ's image in each student is foremost in our mission."

A writer with an interest in travel, Julie Cramer came to Dallas Seminary after serving in the Peace Corps and writing for a magazine in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "I came because I needed to know Christ, and I needed my words to be his words," she says. While earning an M.A. in Media and Communication, Cramer notes that her goals haven't changed, but her faith has.

"I came to seminary because I needed to know Christ. I will leave seminary because I still need to know Christ. It's an infinite need, and God teaches us everywhere," she says. "But Dallas Seminary has given me the space and guidance to start asking the right questions about who God is and how he works.

"I still want to write. I still want to travel and be with people who are different from me. But more than before, I want people to know that Christ can bring peace in the chaos. The world isn't as it's supposed to be. But God is as he's supposed to be—and more than we can imagine."

Spiritual formation, theological educators agree, is a critical component of effective ministry. "Phoenix Seminary is committed to developing scholars with shepherd's hearts," Clavell says. "This means we invest in you as a whole so that you will be healthy and effective not just academically, but in your personal and spiritual life as well. Whether you are just beginning life after college, or you sense that God is calling you to go deeper with him to become more effective for his service, Phoenix Seminary is both a safe haven where you will be nurtured and a challenging training ground where you will be stretched."

Through the years, theological education has evolved to acknowledge the multi-faceted needs and aspirations of today's students: training that is relevant to varied contexts and applications; spiritual formation; solid academics; and accessibility with regard to scheduling, campus locations, and online study.

"The society in which our students serve is culturally diverse, postmodern, and post-denominational. The faculty understands this context and prepares students for effective ministry in a diverse world," says Glanzer, of George Fox Seminary. "Students are encouraged to confront and address the pressing issues of our world and to meet societal and personal needs in a responsively creative and culturally relevant way."

Emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to degree programs and coursework, Regent College "takes seriously the education, nurturing, and equipping of the whole people of God to live and work as servant leaders in vocations within the home, the marketplace and the church," says Faehndrich-Findlay. "Regent also encourages a vibrant Christianity that affirms the primacy of personal godliness and the importance of spiritual and intellectual integration in all walks of life."

Although the landscape of theological education has changed in significant ways over the last fifty years, seminaries and their students remain committed to two core goals: preparation for effective ministry and faithful discipleship. "In one sense, the goals haven't changed substantially," reflects Knox's Dietz. "Students still come to seminary wanting to be prepared to minister as a part of what God is doing through his church."

Kathy Furlong is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia.

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