A few questions about seminary schools

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

As some of you might know, I am aspiring to have a career somewhere in the theology field, preferably as a pastor.  I have been looking for some seminary schools to attend, but I am constantly running into problems.  I have three questions.  If anyone with any experience in this could help, I'd really appreciate it.

1. As someone who aspires to be an ordained minister, are my options limited to schools that are affiliated with my church?
2. Are most seminary schools exclusively for students who have attained a Bachelor's degree?
3. Are there any seminary schools in the US with a theologically progressive lean?  If so, what are they?

So far, I have one college on the list (College of the Ozarks, recommended by Tmthforu94), but I would like to have other options on the table.  Thanks in advance.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

1. No. Most Protestant denominations are fine with anyone from any established accredited seminary.
2. Yes, it's a grad school equivalent. The exceptions tend to be more informal training more comparable to a technical college and usually operated exclusively by the denomination using it (like the Vineyard does.)
3. Right here in the Twin Cities we have United Theological Seminary. I know there's plenty more, just look around.

[DC Al Fine]

1) As long as they aren't totally different, sure (Don't go to Bob Jones' U). My church is more hardass than most and even we don't care as long as they went to a conservative Calvinist school.

2) Yes, but a few schools like Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (don't go there, it's where I would go to become a minister ) offer prep programs for students for students without degrees. I'd recommend you get a solid liberal arts education with Latin & Greek.

3) Yes, but the only one I know is St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada. Ask your pastor. He'll probably be aware of some, even if he doesn't lean that way.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

1) As long as they aren't totally different, sure (Don't go to Bob Jones' U). My church is more hardass than most and even we don't care as long as they went to a conservative Calvinist school.

2) Yes, but a few schools like Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (don't go there, it's where I would go to become a minister ) offer prep programs for students for students without degrees. I'd recommend you get a solid liberal arts education with Latin & Greek.

3) Yes, but the only one I know is St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada. Ask your pastor. He'll probably be aware of some, even if he doesn't lean that way.

Crap.  Is it mandatory that I learn those languages?   I studied Latin for two years in high school and didn't do so hot.

[DC Al Fine]

1) As long as they aren't totally different, sure (Don't go to Bob Jones' U). My church is more hardass than most and even we don't care as long as they went to a conservative Calvinist school.

2) Yes, but a few schools like Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (don't go there, it's where I would go to become a minister ) offer prep programs for students for students without degrees. I'd recommend you get a solid liberal arts education with Latin & Greek.

3) Yes, but the only one I know is St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada. Ask your pastor. He'll probably be aware of some, even if he doesn't lean that way.

Crap.  Is it mandatory that I learn those languages?   I studied Latin for two years in high school and didn't do so hot.

Scratch Latin

Assuming you want to be a mainline minister, Greek & Hebrew will be mandatory in most places. My church at minimum wants you to be comfortable reading the New Testament in the original Greek. Evangelicals are less strict in this regard, but that opens a whole other can of worms.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

1) As long as they aren't totally different, sure (Don't go to Bob Jones' U). My church is more hardass than most and even we don't care as long as they went to a conservative Calvinist school.

2) Yes, but a few schools like Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (don't go there, it's where I would go to become a minister ) offer prep programs for students for students without degrees. I'd recommend you get a solid liberal arts education with Latin & Greek.

3) Yes, but the only one I know is St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada. Ask your pastor. He'll probably be aware of some, even if he doesn't lean that way.

Crap.  Is it mandatory that I learn those languages?   I studied Latin for two years in high school and didn't do so hot.

For most Christian seminaries, Greek and/or Hebrew are going to be required parts of the curriculum I would imagine.  After all, they (along with some Aramaic) are what the Bible was originally written in.  Looking over the course catalog of a local seminary here (Columbia International University) I see that all of their standard 90 semester hour M. Div. programs require taking four semesters of either Greek or Hebrew.  Latin would likely only be a requirement at a Catholic seminary.  Personally I'd recommend taking the Greek language.  After all, not only was the NT composed in Greek, its fairly evident that at least some of the NT writers used the Septuagint rather than a Hebrew version of the OT as their scriptural basis.  Of course, if you were the type to enjoy languages, there is no reason you couldn't take both.

Incidentally, I doubt CIU would be a good fit for you.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I took a look at another seminary probably more in line with your theology, Andover Newton, which caters mainly to UCC, UU, and ABCUSA.  It seems they recently revised their curriculum and dropped their language requirements. I suspect that if language is concern for you, other liberal seminaries are also likely to have dropped such requirements.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I took a look at another seminary probably more in line with your theology, Andover Newton, which caters mainly to UCC, UU, and ABCUSA.  It seems they recently revised their curriculum and dropped their language requirements. I suspect that if language is concern for you, other liberal seminaries are also likely to have dropped such requirements.

Thanks!  I'll look into that.

[© tweed]

as for (3) I'd check out Union Theological Seminary.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Is anyone familiar with Brite Divinity School?  Their curriclum mentions the study of languages, albeit no language in particular, and nothing about a language requirement.

[© tweed]

don't most seminaries require some-kind of knowledge or instruction in "Biblical Greek"?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

don't most seminaries require some-kind of knowledge or instruction in "Biblical Greek"?

Not all of them, as Ernest pointed out.

If worst comes to worst, I can mention the fact that I took Latin for two years in high school in case some kind of foreign language experience is required.  I don't know if it'll help, but it's worth a try.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Non-Catholic seminaries won't care about Latin. Hebrew and Greek are the key languages.

[afleitch]

Be prepared to hit a brick wall of orthodoxy.  It can be too much for some people.

[barfbag]

As some of you might know, I am aspiring to have a career somewhere in the theology field, preferably as a pastor.  I have been looking for some seminary schools to attend, but I am constantly running into problems.  I have three questions.  If anyone with any experience in this could help, I'd really appreciate it.

1. As someone who aspires to be an ordained minister, are my options limited to schools that are affiliated with my church?
2. Are most seminary schools exclusively for students who have attained a Bachelor's degree?
3. Are there any seminary schools in the US with a theologically progressive lean?  If so, what are they?

So far, I have one college on the list (College of the Ozarks, recommended by Tmthforu94), but I would like to have other options on the table.  Thanks in advance.

It depends on your denomination. The one I went to required a Bachelor's degree. Most seminaries do lean to the left as do most academic institutions.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I decided to apply to Texas Christian University, then work my way from there.  Thanks again for your help, everyone.

[barfbag]

I decided to apply to Texas Christian University, then work my way from there.  Thanks again for your help, everyone.

Good luck Scott!

[© tweed]

would you have any chance of getting into Union?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

would you have any chance of getting into Union?

Possibly, but I don't really want to live in NYC.   No offense.