WHY I’M ATTENDING A NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL
Many people are disappointed in me. I think that’s a test from God; I had lessons recently on not caring so much about what people think of me, so I should have been expecting this. (That’s the trouble with his tests though — they aren’t calendared months in advance. You walk into class five minutes late, and discover the exam is already in progress, and on the very subject you put off studying for.)
I won’t say I suspect it’s because of my school. I know it is. It’s a 100% online school, no physical campus, limited accreditation, with a non-traditional educational model.
“Well, you can hardly blame them,” you’re thinking secretly. “A lot of people have invested in you, and you were attending a perfectly respectable institution. Why switch?”
I’m training to be a pastor. That means my working life will be full of prayer, study, reading, writing, preaching, teaching, counselling, and then about two dozen responsibilities you can never predict. Education is useless unless it makes me better in those areas. Are there any benefits to a degree stamped with multiple layers of accreditation?
There are two. First, it gives an individual the authority and prestige associated with those institutions. (There is a recognised standard you must attain to get the degree.) Second, it gives the individual the content of education within the degree. Are either of these worth it for the pastor?
Isn’t the authority of a degree worth something?
The first benefit is obviously useless. A pastor’s office and authority flows from the content of his character, not any letters that precede his name. The title “Master of Divinity” might be a deficit, inflating my pride (which every pastor I’ve met needs to watch) and making me rely on a man-made standard rather than God’s word.
Imagine I’m in a controversy over baptism — would it be effective to tell the paedobaptist in my congregation that I’m right and she’s wrong because I’ve got a shiny MDiv? Clearly not. The title is valuable only in proportion to the actual knowledge a person has. (Let’s say it plainly — it means nothing.)
“Now hold on,” you object. “Accreditation is useful because the Academy has a high standard. If a pastor has a thoroughly accredited degree we know he’s reached that standard. That must count for something.”
My vanity is upset that this isn’t true. Capitalism has infected universities even in the Christian sphere — we cater to students’ preferences, not a rigorous standard. (I’m a capitalist! But that means I know it doesn’t have exclusively positive effects.) Some of you are laughing — here I am, talking as if I’ve inspected every seminary and Bible college in the world. I haven’t. I haven’t even tasted the 300-level classes at the extensively accredited college I used to attend. But I’ve been disappointed at every level of my education since grade 9. Largely, it’s been boring and redundant. Please, give me a scary program.
Okay, but the actual content of the degree must be worth something.
It is. But I want a school in which I’m confident that every class will push me to my limit. No slight to any teachers — but not every school is like that. I don’t think some schools even value that any more. The title “University” doesn’t guarantee excellence, only degrees. I prefer excellence.
Why I’m attending my school.
Okay, so why Okanagan Bible College (the school I’ve transferred to)?
The profs are world-class scholars (Bill Mounce, Craig Blomberg, John Piper, Greg Beale, Daniel Wallace — I could go on).
Lectures are pre-recorded and everything is 100% online. I can work, host the podcast, keep up with friends and family, and fit school into my mornings.
The educational model isn’t simply non-traditional — I predict it’s the model of the future. You take one class at a time. Your allotted time is the first day of a month to the last day. On the first day of the next month, your new class starts. Rinse and repeat as many months out of the year as you choose. From my POV, this is more effective than 5 classes at once.
OBC pushes students to be involved in their local churches, especially by requiring an educational mentor within your church whom you meet with once a week.
OBC doesn’t have multiple layers of accreditation (ATS is probably the most sought-after accreditation; OBC lacks it). However, its degrees are official and government-recognised. These aren’t cobbled together YouTube classes. But the model is not traditional and so doesn’t get the recognition it should (even though the quality of education is considerably higher than some thoroughly accredited schools).
In the end, the quality of the education drove my transfer. OBC sets me up to excel in studying, writing, preaching, and all areas outlined above. When a future congregant of mine is having a faith crisis over the historical reliability of the Old Testament, I think he will appreciate a pastor who can confidently walk through that issue with him, rather than one who says, “I’m not sure — but ATS recognises my degree, did you hear?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHASE HALL is a student at OBC, doing his Bachelor's in Biblical Studies, and a Ministry Intern at Central Community Church. He is the host of Revolution Podcast.
