PRACTICAL TRAINING NOBTS faculty members bring dynamic ministry experience into the classroom as well. Having served an average of 15 years in ministry before teaching, these pastors, ministers, counselors, and missionaries understand students’ callings and are prepared to address real-life concerns. Students also learn in the classroom of life, through ministrynow callings. Opportunities abound in the unique New Orleans environment – a tourist and port city thriving with diversity and energy – where 88 percent of the local population is unaffiliated with an evangelical church. Beyond the city, students earn course credit through national conferences, study abroad trips, mission trips, mentoring relationships and archaeological digs. Further, the new Entrust Mentoring Community gives students opportunities to serve in a mentored ministry position with a partnering church or parachurch organization.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT. Meet a few of the many NOBTS students answering God’s call to a life of ministry.
AN ACCESSIBLE SEMINARY EXPERIENCE With more than twenty extension centers across the Southeast, plus online programs, NOBTS meets students where they are. More than 1,700 students experience classroom education as they gather in academic centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Another 500-plus students are earning associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees online. And thanks to the generous gifts of alumni and dedicated seminary supporters, education is financially accessible as well. Tuition continues to be significantly lower than the national average, and campus housing provides affordable living options. Financial aid is available in the form of discounts, scholarships, employment opportunities, and flexible payment schedules.
URGENCY TO ANSWER THE CALL The urgency of the Great Commission continues to compel students and faculty to work passionately in their classrooms, cities, and churches. As students are answering God’s TUITION call, they are not only preparing for a life of ministry CONTINUES – they are living out ministry wherever they are now. TO BE Alumni across the world continue their commitment SIGNIFICANTLY to answer the call through their lives and vocations. LOWER THAN That’s why NOBTS is committed to excellence THE NATIONAL and innovation in a world constantly changing and AVERAGE desperately in need of the gospel.
A CALL TO OBEY The NOBTS community is a fusion of God’s people who have individually answered God’s call, each with a one-of-akind story that is part of the grand design. The idea of “Answering God’s Call” resonates with Dr. Chuck Kelley as he recalls his own story. When he heard God’s call to study at NOBTS, the only question was whether or not he would obey. Fully expecting God to lead him to seminary in his home state of Texas, he found himself surprised by God’s call to New Orleans, where the city would be his primary classroom. How would he answer? “When you answer God’s call, you find yourself in position to do the things God wants you to do, even before you fully know what He wants you to do,” Kelley said. “This is a place where God can put our willingness and obedience to the test.”
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VISION Fall 2015
NICOLE STEWART
OAK GROVE, AL Masters of Arts in Christian Education (Social Work) Master of Social Work student at the University of Southern Mississippi MACE student Nicole Stewart is a newlywed studying social work at NOBTS and the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). The University of Alabama alumnae was one of the first students to participate in a unique articulation agreement between NOBTS and USM. She was recently honored as Social Work Student of the Year at USM and recipient of the school’s Barbara Pease Memorial Social Work Scholarship. “Currently, I am following God’s call for my life in Purvis, Miss., working for Mississippi’s Department of Human Services with foster children.” “I have a desire and heart for orphans and refugees. Therefore, with both my social work and seminary background, I hope to do international social work working with one or both of these populations. I desire to connect orphans with forever families. God is currently equipping me for this later journey.”