RTS Charlotte

Earlier this week I drove down to North Carolina to see the Charlotte campus of Reformed Theological Seminary.


I was initially disappointed by the campus. I guess I expected it to look like a regular undergrad campus, with multiple buildings, dorms, and paths. Instead it was a renovated church, with the classes being held in the old Sunday School building. In reflection, I realize my disappointment is related to my faulty expectations. Most seminaries are probably similar.

That said, there were many things I appreciated about RTS.

• Biblical focus. The students and the professors spoke often of using the Bible as a foundation. The curriculum includes three semesters each of biblical Greek and Hebrew as well as plenty of exposition classes. The Scriptures are central: RTS wishes to teach "ministers of the Word" first and foremost.
• Pastor-scholar focus. RTS's motto is "A mind for truth, a heart for God." They want to create pastors who know their bible, their history, and their theology, but at the same time have a heart for God and their congregations.
• Preaching focus. The curriculum includes something like 7 semesters of preaching labs and classes. Solid biblical preaching is missing in lots of churches, and I appreciate RTS's commitment to training up pastors who will hold fast to the teachings of the Bible and communicate them in a meaningful way.
• Professors are pastors. I love when my professors can tell me the pastoral implications of my current studies. Professors that are active in their churches always have an eye towards how the theology can be applied to their ministry. This perspective is very important to me.
• Approachable professors. The students and professors clearly knew each other very well. The professors take a personal interest in each of their students, always ready to mentor and encourage.
• Academics. The academics are top-notch. The professors certainly know their stuff: most have written numerous commentaries, articles, and books.
• Friendly students. In the classes that I sat in, students came up to me and introduced themselves. They asked about my life and encouraged me in my decision making process.
• Admissions staff really went the extra distance. I had a personal tour, 3 meetings with professors, sat in on 2 classes, had lunch with 3 students, and met another for coffee. This really reflected well on the institution.
• Location. Charlotte is a nice city. It has plenty of churches. Students remarked that it's very easy to find a solid church to join. Internships and jobs are not terribly difficult to come by. There are cheap apartments nearby.

All in all, I'm pretty sold on RTS Charlotte. I think I could do very well there. They seem to have everything I'm looking for. I'm still going to check out a few other schools for comparison (probably Pittsburg Theological Seminary and/or Westminster Theological Seminary), but I wouldn’t be surprised to wind up at RTS.