Pastors Training Pastors in Action at WSC

The primary impact of having pastors prepare the next generation of pastors occurs in the classroom. WSC’s rigorous curriculum is designed thoughtfully to form a solid foundation of biblical languages, church history, preaching and other practical theology courses, and courses in Old Testament, New Testament, and systematic theology that utilize the biblical languages. But a myriad of cocurricular and extra-curricular activities provide ample opportunities for further academic and spiritual formation.

The spiritual life of Westminster Seminary California is nurtured in part by morning devotions in the WSC chapel Tuesdays and Thursdays. Morning devotions speakers include faculty, local pastors, missionaries, and Christian lay people. These chapels provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to join together in singing praises to the Lord and enjoying devotional messages. All devotional exercises are governed by the Word of God, which remains the true guide in Christian worship and prayer, as well as in all other activities of the Christian life and life on campus. WSC recognizes the indispensable role of the church in the growth of every believer and does not assume to itself the church’s primary responsibility for the nurture of the spiritual life of the students. Therefore, students are urged to commit to the life and work of a local congregation of their choice.

Every Wednesday during the academic year, campus activities pause for a time of prayer. Professors and students divide into small groups around campus to share their praises, life developments, struggles, and other prayer requests. Then they turn together to the Lord in prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. These weekly prayer sessions serve a critical role in the life of the seminary, providing an opportunity for faculty-student mentorship, fellowship, and support.

A number of regular lectures and seminars complement the WSC curriculum throughout the academic calendar. Each fall, the Dennis and Jane Johnson Lectures on Missions honor the life and work of Dennis and Jane Johnson. Remembering their decades of ministry to WSC and in recognition of the Johnsons’ heart and commitment to missions, this annual lecture series was established in partnership with New Life Presbyterian Church (Escondido) in order to invite distinguished and experienced missionaries on campus to teach, challenge, and encourage the seminary and local church communities on the church’s witness to the world. The Robert G. and Nellie B. den Dulk Lectures on Pastoral Ministry were endowed by friends of WSC in appreciation of the den Dulks’ decades of service to the seminary. Each spring, WSC brings an experienced pastor to campus to address students preparing for the ministry of the Word, as well as pastors engaged in ministry. Finally, the Warfield Seminar is an opportunity for students to engage in informal conversation with professors on their current research. Multiple times each semester, a professor makes available a paper from a current research project, presents his argument, and engages in discussion with students and professors over lunch.

WSC acknowledges that it is impossible for any seminary curriculum to address every aspect of pastoral ministry preparation. The WSC Field Education Program is designed to integrate on-campus studies with part-time ministry in local churches. Field Education involves supervised hands-on ministry experience and opportunities for evaluation and reflection with mentors, peers, and professors, in which students are given opportunities to develop the skills and gifts necessary for effective ministry. The Field Education Program at WSC provides an opportunity for Master of Divinity students to gain practical ministry experience to which they can apply the information learned in the classroom. Students preparing for the pastoral ministry are urged to work under the supervision of a local church throughout the course of their seminary education. This program requires 700 hours of supervised ministry experience, which is nearly two times the number of hours required at some other Reformed seminaries. WSC students often serve summer-long internships throughout the nation in partial fulfillment of this requirement.

Each week during the academic year, organized ministry-related lunches occur on campus. Local Presbyterian and Reformed churches cater weekly lunches on campus for their current interns and any other students interested in internship opportunities at the church or learning more about that denomination. Pastors often utilize these lunches to discuss various topics related to pastoral ministry, such as managing congregational budgets, interacting with sessions/consistories, and conducting biblical church discipline. Other ministries, such as Reformed University Fellowship and military chaplains, frequently offer informational lunches for students interested in learning more about ministry opportunities in their organizations. Finally, guest speakers, including experienced pastors and scholars from other institutions, often hold questionand-answer lunches with students.

In addition to these various formal opportunities for students to interact with WSC faculty and other pastors and scholars, informal faculty-student interactions are a regular feature of life at WSC. This takes many forms, including one-on-one conversations in offices and around campus, as well as time off campus at restaurants, coffee shops, golf courses, hiking trails, and the beach. One professor is known for organizing surf trips where students and families from around the country and world can learn the joy of surfing at one of San Diego’s beautiful beaches. Other professors have organized book and film clubs for WSC students hosted at the professor’s home. Westminster Seminary California faculty view this informal interaction with students as a fundamental component of the seminary’s characteristic face-to-face learning model. Faculty wives often invest in the lives of women students and student wives as well, either formally through the Westminster Women’s Association or informally over coffee and meals.