# Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary



## jawyman (May 13, 2009)

May I please have your opinions of GPTS. I would appreciate them.


----------



## CDM (May 13, 2009)

jawyman said:


> May I please have your opinions of GPTS. I would appreciate them.



Pound for pound, no seminary has greater preachers (who are the faculty professors) than GPTS.


----------



## CharlieJ (May 13, 2009)

It is a seminary designed around the M. Div. program. It is most appropriate for people seeking ordained ministry in the US; it is less appropriate for people desiring to work in academic scholarship or in specialized cross-cultural contexts.


----------



## he beholds (May 13, 2009)

The President (Dr. Pipa) spoke to our church during the Sunday School hour a few months ago and preached during the worship service, and he was fantastic! His description of the school was very inviting. His claim was that the seminary is too conservative to join any denomination. This wasn't said arrogantly, though whether it is true I don't know.


----------



## Poimen (May 13, 2009)

By the looks of it, and having visited and heard many of their professors speak, it is a great seminary for the training of Presbyterian gospel ministers. Highly recommended.


----------



## Glenn Ferrell (May 13, 2009)

The two seminaries I would recommend today are GPTS and PRTS.


----------



## larryjf (May 13, 2009)

I think it's a great seminary.
(I also like PRTS by the way)


----------



## DMcFadden (May 13, 2009)

As a Baptist with a Fuller education, this may be damning with faint praise but . . .
GPTS and PRTS seem to have a much better grip on ministerial preparation in its manifold dimensions than most of the other American schools. I recently completed listening to the MP3s of this year's theology conference and will be attending PRTS this summer for their Calvin 500 sessions.


----------



## TheocraticMonarchist (May 13, 2009)

CharlieJ said:


> It is a seminary designed around the M. Div. program. It is most appropriate for people seeking ordained ministry in the US; it is less appropriate for people desiring to work in academic scholarship or in specialized cross-cultural contexts.



What makes GPTS "less appropriate" for those who want to work in an acedemic field?


----------



## sgtdabney (May 13, 2009)

I know some of the faculty there and we have some of them preach at our church from time to time. Their philosophy of ministry is a means of grace ministry with the greatest emphasis on preaching. Everyone I have spoken to there echoes the goal to be "We are here to train preachers," and they train outstanding preachers. they are a full-suscription seminary and their faculty are all top notch. Dr. Tony Curto preached at our particularization service when I was installed as a Ruling Elder (as well as his son Toby)and i was moved to tears. Not because of his emotionalism, but because he preached Christ. I went to one of their conferences a few years back and had the chance to hang out with Dr. Pipa and Dr. Curto and just talk to them about a wide range of issues. It was a great time of fellowship.
Well, I could blather on forever but I think you get the point. They also offer an master's of Ministry for Ruling Elders that I would enroll in if I wasn't in the Army and starting an OMFS residency this summer. i hope to attend after I'm done with Uncle Sam.


----------



## Contra_Mundum (May 13, 2009)

TheocraticMonarchist said:


> What makes GPTS "less appropriate" for those who want to work in an acedemic field?



Its not being accredited by a state-licensed (or multi-state) accreditation organization. OTOH, the church regularly ordains its graduates. That's good enough.

In addition, the VA has GPTS on its list of approved schools for VA benefits (I should know...).

But, if the U of State will only accept a man into its PhD program with a degree from a "classy" school that "we approve of, or the accreditation agency that we sponsor to do all that filtering for us," then GPTS isn't the place to get that M.A. I'm not saying you could not get into a program like that after training at GPTS, but it might not be as easy.

GPTS does have its own Th.D program, however. While not a academic degree of the same "star" caliber as the PhD. or D.Phil., it is still a research degree. Its just so professionally specialized, its equivalent more to the J.D. (highest degree in the lawyer profession).


----------

