# TNARS v. PRBS



## Romans678 (May 9, 2019)

Good afternoon everyone,

I am in a bit of a conundrum. Both TNARS And PRBS are excellent seminaries per the reviews I've seen on this site. I am praying and constantly consulting Godly counsel on the one that is the best out of the two choices. I would like to know your opinions on them both. Which online seminary do you prefer out of the two? Which curriculum is greater? Thanks in advance!


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## Timotheos (May 9, 2019)

You're RB; why not RBS or CBTS?

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## Romans678 (May 9, 2019)

Timotheos said:


> You're RB; why not RBS or CBTS?


Hmm...I'll check them out. Are they free?

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## Scott Bushey (May 9, 2019)

PRBS is led by my TNARS mentor, Dr. Bathiran Samuel. I have nothing but good things to say of Dr. Samuel.

https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/dmin-for-practical-exegetical-study.94813/#post-1157267

https://www.facebook.com/bathiran.samuel

https://www.facebook.com/prbseminar..._context_item_source=100001924651466&fref=tag

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## Romans678 (May 9, 2019)

Scott Bushey said:


> PRBS is led by my TNARS mentor, Dr. Bathiran Samuel. I have nothing but good things to say of Dr. Samuel.


Amen brother! I am leaning more towards PRBS, because they have mentors available. TNARS is great too but I have to provide my own mentor and that may not be possible at the moment. Glory be to God for these institutions, in equipping the saints for the work of ministry and for building up the body of Christ!

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## Romans678 (May 9, 2019)

Scott Bushey said:


> PRBS is led by my TNARS mentor, Dr. Bathiran Samuel. I have nothing but good things to say of Dr. Samuel.
> 
> https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/dmin-for-practical-exegetical-study.94813/#post-1157267
> 
> ...


May I ask how you gained him as your mentor? Is there a way that I could get a mentor as well?

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## Scott Bushey (May 9, 2019)

Initially, I had a different mentor; He left the school and I was automatically transitioned to Dr. Samuel.You can contact Dr. Samuel and ask. I didn't have a choice, but am grateful that I did get him as a replacement mentor.

You may contact him and see who is available.


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## Peter Bell (May 9, 2019)

Anthony W. Brown II said:


> Good afternoon everyone,
> 
> I am in a bit of a conundrum. Both TNARS And PRBS are excellent seminaries per the reviews I've seen on this site. I am praying and constantly consulting Godly counsel on the one that is the best out of the two choices. I would like to know your opinions on them both. Which online seminary do you prefer out of the two? Which curriculum is greater? Thanks in advance!



Hello, Brother Anthony!

What is your purpose for seminary training?


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## Romans678 (May 10, 2019)

Peter Bell said:


> Hello, Brother Anthony!
> 
> What is your purpose for seminary training?


Good afternoon Peter,

My purpose for Seminary training is to be equipped for the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ. In short, I want to mine the depths of the Gospel to better understand and preach to the world.

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## Peter Bell (May 10, 2019)

Anthony W. Brown II said:


> Good afternoon Peter,
> 
> My purpose for Seminary training is to be equipped for the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ. In short, I want to mine the depths of the Gospel to better understand and preach to the world.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk



Praise God he’s calling you into the ministry of his Word.

Have you ruled out residential theological training?


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## Romans678 (May 10, 2019)

Peter Bell said:


> Praise God he’s calling you into the ministry of his Word.
> 
> Have you ruled out residential theological training?


Hmm...I'm not familiar with residential theological training. How does that work?

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## Peter Bell (May 10, 2019)

Anthony W. Brown II said:


> Hmm...I'm not familiar with residential theological training. How does that work?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk



As in attending a “residential” seminary. Reformed, Westminster, Puritan, etc.


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## Romans678 (May 10, 2019)

Peter Bell said:


> As in attending a “residential” seminary. Reformed, Westminster, Puritan, etc.


Like a traditional brick-and'mortar school? I would love to but it costs too much. Online seminary would better suit my work schedule.

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## Peter Bell (May 11, 2019)

Anthony W. Brown II said:


> Like a traditional brick-and'mortar school? I would love to but it costs too much. Online seminary would better suit my work schedule.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk



I very much believe you’d be surprised by how affordable it is, God’s people are very generous.

I’ve looked into both TNARS and PRBS, and a confessional “brick-and-mortar” school will prepare you for the ministry in a far more comprehensive manner.

Lord willing, assuming you’re in your 20’s or 30’s, you’ve got 40-50 years of Ministry in the Lord’s Church. Invest as well as you can (financially, time commitment, faculty and student interaction, church internships) to prepare as well as possible for the Lord’s call on your life.


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## Romans678 (May 11, 2019)

Peter Bell said:


> I very much believe you’d be surprised by how affordable it is, God’s people are very generous.
> 
> I’ve looked into both TNARS and PRBS, and a confessional “brick-and-mortar” school will prepare you for the ministry in a far more comprehensive manner.
> 
> Lord willing, assuming you’re in your 20’s or 30’s, you’ve got 40-50 years of Ministry in the Lord’s Church. Invest as well as you can (financially, time commitment, faculty and student interaction, church internships) to prepare as well as possible for the Lord’s call on your life.


This...this is good! It's some of the best advice I've recieved regarding the subject. I'll look into it more and I'll post an update on my findings!

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## Alan D. Strange (May 11, 2019)

Residential training is preferable for so many reasons, not the least being that you are being trained to minister comprehensively to actual, not virtual, people. 

It is also commonly assumed that every seminary will bankrupt you. Every particular seminary needs to answer for itself in this regard, but it is the case that Mid-America typically adds no debt to its students. Between the support of students' churches and our donors (we are able to offer generous student aid), a student can do work/study or other work (if necessary), study, and graduate with no additional debt.

PM me, Anthony (or anyone else), if you have further questions. 

Peace,
Alan

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## ArminianOnceWas (May 11, 2019)

Peter Bell said:


> Lord willing, assuming you’re in your 20’s or 30’s, you’ve got 40-50 years of Ministry in the Lord’s Church. Invest as well as you can (financially, time commitment, faculty and student interaction, church internships) to prepare as well as possible for the Lord’s call on your life.



I encourage you to pay attention to this wisdom, especially if the assumption of your youth is correct. Practically speaking, you don't want to spend the rest of your ministry explaining the identity of the schools you attend and why you chose them. However, if you are past midlife, then I could understand a little better your dilemma.

I see you are in Missouri, and Covenant now has a bulk of online classes and the residential requirement is minimal. GPTS is a highly reputable school offering a lot of online/independent classes at low cost. Even Puritan Seminary in Mi offers ATS level of education at relatively low cost.

Among other things, one concern I have with TNARS and PRTS is if they will prepare you for ministry. There is a difference in being prepared theologically and practically, and my concern is with the latter.

I believe that Whitefield Theological Seminary may offer a balanced lower cost option that offers an M.Div. program aligned with the needs of a preparing pastor.

Of course, if the appeal is simply the free tuition then it will be hard to dissuade yourself. However, the unfortunate reality is that we do get what we pay for, and while I respect what TNARS does, I'm concerned that free will be more costly in the longer term for your vocational needs.

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## TheInquirer (May 11, 2019)

Realize that traditionally, the biggest weakness of the seminary has been the ability to train a man practically and in spiritual maturity. There is a reason we have the church. Each institution can typically do things the other cannot. That is why I often advocate solutions that take advantage of the strengths of each. There are a number of ways you can do this but I get pretty skeptical when people try to sell a seminary as the "be all end all" solution to training a man for ministry. But maybe someone somewhere has found the silver bullet...


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## ArminianOnceWas (May 11, 2019)

TheInquirer said:


> Realize that traditionally, the biggest weakness of the seminary has been the ability to train a man practically and in spiritual maturity. There is a reason we have the church. Each institution can typically do things the other cannot. That is why I often advocate solutions that take advantage of the strengths of each. There are a number of ways you can do this but I get pretty skeptical when people try to sell a seminary as the "be all end all" solution to training a man for ministry. But maybe someone somewhere has found the silver bullet...



If you are responding to any statement(s) in this group, I believe you are reading an extreme and unnatural interpretation of the context that I and others are responding with. I also wonder if your non-denominational status may carry some anti-establishment type of transference into this discussion,


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## Peter Bell (May 11, 2019)

TheInquirer said:


> Realize that traditionally, the biggest weakness of the seminary has been the ability to train a man practically and in spiritual maturity. There is a reason we have the church. Each institution can typically do things the other cannot. That is why I often advocate solutions that take advantage of the strengths of each. There are a number of ways you can do this but I get pretty skeptical when people try to sell a seminary as the "be all end all" solution to training a man for ministry. But maybe someone somewhere has found the silver bullet...



No silver bullet, but Machen himself (founder of WTS-Philly) showed the responsibilities of both. The Church feeds the flock, and the Seminary more specifically prepares the shepherds. This does not separate the two institutions, but strengthens both.


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## TheInquirer (May 11, 2019)

> If you are responding to any statement(s) in this group, I believe you are reading an extreme and unnatural interpretation of the context that I and others are responding with. I also wonder if your non-denominational status may carry some anti-establishment type of transference into this discussion,



Uh, no and I'm not quite sure how you got that out of my comment. I will state my point more simply:

1) The church does things a seminary cannot
2) The seminary does things most churches cannot

Therefore, realize that when making a decision on your training for ministry.



> The Church feeds the flock, and the Seminary more specifically prepares the shepherds.



The church also prepares the shepherds.

Look, I have 24 years of lay ministry experience including 6 years as an elder and have been through seminary. I think I am somewhat qualified to speak slightly from what I have seen in the roles both the local church and the seminary play in preparing shepherds for the church. 

If you have never had to shepherd a church or a portion of it, its difficult to speak on which institution prepares you better for the task. As I said, both are important and compliment one another.


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## Peter Bell (May 12, 2019)

TheInquirer said:


> The church also prepares the shepherds.



100% agreed! We need both institutions. Most ministers simply do not have the time to devote full time to teaching future ministers the original languages, systematics, historical theology, biblical studies, and practical theology.

The seminary is not the bearer of the sacraments, or the proper Matthew 18 disciplinarian, not even the affirmer of Pastoral calling. Additionally, it doesn’t directly feed the sheep the goodness of God’s word.

Hence, why I said the seminary “more specifically” trains the shepherds, not outside the purview of the church, but through an implicit and explicit relationship with.

Seminary is not vital to church life, but does and can tremendously bless it with well prepared pastors, as long as the partnership throughout is there!

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## ArminianOnceWas (May 12, 2019)

TheInquirer said:


> Look, I have 24 years of lay ministry experience including 6 years as an elder and have been through seminary. I think I am somewhat qualified to speak slightly from what I have seen in the roles both the local church and the seminary play in preparing shepherds for the church.
> 
> If you have never had to shepherd a church or a portion of it, its difficult to speak on which institution prepares you better for the task.



There are others here with experience as well, and I'm not certain that your experience has come under question. However, I am concerned that you having seminary experience but yet remaining outside of vocational ministry may have skewed some perception here. I understand that there is much about your situation that I'm not aware of and don't intend to overly project, but I can't help but wonder if you have had some bad experiences.

When it comes to vocational ministry, especially those in Reformed denominations that require a certain minimum education having presbyteries that will examine candidates and inquire regarding theological education and the institutions that provide them, then I think that it is essential to weigh the seminary choice extremely heavily. This is a calling, and frankly, the examining body will discern how seriously one committed himself to ministerial training.


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## TheInquirer (May 13, 2019)

ArminianOnceWas said:


> I understand that there is much about your situation that I'm not aware of and don't intend to overly project, but I can't help but wonder if you have had some bad experiences.



No, I haven't had bad experiences and unfortunately you are making assumptions about me and my perspective that are simply not true.



> When it comes to vocational ministry, especially those in Reformed denominations that require a certain minimum education having presbyteries that will examine candidates and inquire regarding theological education and the institutions that provide them, then I think that it is essential to weigh the seminary choice extremely heavily. This is a calling, and frankly, the examining body will discern how seriously one committed himself to ministerial training.



I don't disagree with anything you said here at all, I believe in high standards for ministers. I am simply saying there is more than one way to achieve that. I really wish you would simply understand that is the point I am trying to make and stop reading into my views more than what I am saying or intending because it is not only unfair, it is untruthful.


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## jawyman (May 14, 2019)

I cannot recommend Puritan any stronger. It is a great seminary and very affordable. It is only $250.00/credit hour and they offer very generous scholarships and financial aid.

https://prts.edu/academics-aid/tuition/

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## Romans678 (May 15, 2019)

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you all for the wisdom and insight regarding Seminary training. I will take all of the info provided and continue to pray. God bless!

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## Peter Bell (May 15, 2019)

jawyman said:


> I cannot recommend Puritan any stronger. It is a great seminary and very affordable. It is only $250.00/credit hour and they offer very generous scholarships and financial aid.
> 
> https://prts.edu/academics-aid/tuition/



Agreed with this!

My two choices were Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and Westminster Seminary California.


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