It is advisable for students in college to take courses that will prepare them specifically for their seminary course of study and for their future ministry. For this reason the faculty of the School of Theology has adopted the following statement which is an adaptation of guidelines issued by the Association of Theological Schools:
“It is no longer possible to prescribe one pattern as normative for all pre-seminary education. Church bodies vary in their expectations. Individuals may seek to develop parachurch ministries in which theological study will complement work in other professions. Different ministries demand a variety of patterns of pre-theological studies. The Association therefore finds it increasingly difficult to prescribe or even advise a single pre-seminary curricular model as the ideal.
“One useful approach to designing pre-theological studies is to envisage a number of categories of learning in which it is desired that a student will have developed some in-depth understanding:
“It is desirable to have a reading knowledge of one of the biblical languages and of one classical or modern language. Decisions about additional language skills should be related to their future utility for the individual. Thus, French or German should be included for a person contemplating possible graduate study in academic theology. Spanish or a language of the Third World might be of value for another type of ministry.
"In general, the student should seek to have developed high competence in at least one of areas 1, a, b, or c and moderate competence in one of the other general categories and one of the theological categories. The student should possess a moderate acquaintance broadly across areas 1, a to 3, b. The student should communicate easily, i.e., have the ability to write and speak clear and correct English prose."