Who We Are
Mission & Vision
Purpose
The purpose of The Expositors Seminary is to magnify the glory of God by serving the local church through training, equipping, mentoring, and affirming men who are called by the Lord Jesus Christ into the ministry of the gospel.
Mission
Our purpose is accomplished through an educational program within an environment of spiritual fellowship that emphasizes an unreserved commitment to the worship of God, the authority of Holy Scripture, the pursuit of personal holiness, the priority of the local church, and the mission of penetrating the world with God’s truth.
Vision
The vision of The Expositors Seminary is to provide a theological education based on rigorous exegesis which is presuppositionally rooted and unswervingly committed to the inerrancy, authority, sufficiency, and practicality of the Bible. Such a commitment to biblical exegesis engenders a God-centered theology and sound training methods for gospel ministry. Churches led by men trained in this manner will base their theology firmly on God’s Word, resulting in ministry philosophies that faithfully manifest Christ in the church and the world. Eschewing contemporary trends, TES trains its students with essentially the same core curriculum that historically has marked conservative, evangelical theological education in America.
Core Disciplines
Our goal is to nurture the student’s proficiency in the following four areas:
Expository Disciplines
We believe that the primary task of the pastor is to nourish the church “on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6). Therefore, we aim to develop the student’s proficiency in the following areas:
- Biblical languages
- Critical exegetical analysis and textual problem-solving
- Crafting expository sermons
- The art and passion of preaching
Theological Disciplines
Recognizing that a proper theological framework is essential to biblical ministry, the faculty labors to impart:
- A theology which is exegetically derived, methodologically inductive, and systematically expressed
- A consistently presuppositional approach to Christian apologetics
- A sound theological understanding for living the Christian life
- A doxological vision for the church through her responsibility to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the uttermost part of the earth
Practical Disciplines
Knowing that a biblical philosophy of ministry is critical to a local church’s spiritual health, we train our graduates to skillfully apply biblical truth to the needs of the body of Christ. To that end, each student will be challenged in the practice of the following:
- Pastoral virtue
- Mature leadership of family and ministry
- Church government
- Biblical counseling
- Duties of the pastoral office, including the carrying out of the ordinances
- Practical body-life and shepherding
- Critical thinking
Discipleship Disciplines
Students will be involved in personal discipleship with mentors who will help them apply biblical principles in the role of pastoral leadership. Through experience and evaluation, the students will cultivate their ability to work through pastoral challenges. Students will be encouraged in the discipline of prayer and alerted to the various dangers that arise from its neglect.
These discipleship disciplines will include discussions on:
- Leadership development
- Mentoring and training elders
- Developing and training deacons
- Administrative skills for day-to-day use in the church
- Financial and budgeting guidelines within a church context
- Strategic ministry planning
Presuppositions
The Scriptures
We provide ministry training with an unswerving commitment to the Scriptures as absolute truth which can be known with certainty. We understand that all spiritual growth occurs exclusively by the agency of the Holy Spirit through the understanding and application of God’s Word. Therefore, central to our training is the accurate and passionate explication and corresponding exhortation of Scripture.
The Church
We believe the church is best served by shepherds who are dedicated churchmen. Consequently, our training focuses upon more than mere scholasticism and leadership dynamics. We aim to produce dedicated servant leaders of the local church, laboring in the Word of God, prayer, and personal shepherding until Christ is fully formed in God’s people. Students benefit from a faculty of pastors who bring years of fruitful ministry experience and proven spiritual leadership to a classroom environment in a local church context.
The Ministry
The call to pastoral ministry, as a sacred trust and undeserved privilege given by God, is one of utmost dignity and sobriety. Therefore, it is our goal to cultivate and nurture a ministerial passion marked by purity, circumspection, excellence, vigilance, and self-sacrifice. Through close mentoring relationships and pastoral camaraderie, these ministry convictions are sharpened and refined by the example of others.
The Minister
In training men for the public ministry, our most crucial task is the formation of the spiritual character and maturity necessary for leadership in the church. The role of a pastor demands more than mere academic achievement, administrative skill, interpersonal confidence, or ministry innovation. Our goal is to train men of God for ministry by forging spiritual virtue through discipleship, accountability, and proven faithfulness.
The Glory of God
Seminary education is, in itself, an expression of worship toward God through service to His church. We strive, therefore, to cultivate a learning environment permeated by the controlling ambition to magnify the glory of God.
Our Four Pillars
I. Scholarship:
Students receive the identical high-level instruction and curriculum in every campus location
- Expository preaching based on exegetical analysis of the text in the original language
- Theological framework that is exegetically derived
- Presuppositional approach to Christian apologetics
- Practical disciplines based on skillful application of biblical truth for leading and shepherding a flock
II. Mentorship:
Students are intentionally mentored by the campus church pastors/elders
- Students are given extensive behind-the-scenes access to the inner workings of local church leadership
- Senior pastor and his staff meet regularly with students and their families outside of the classroom
- Local church leadership provides hands-on, detailed assessment of each student’s unique gifts and future ministry pursuits
III. Apprenticeship:
Students gain valuable hands-on ministry experience in the local church
- Staff meetings, elders meetings, visitation and counseling sessions are made accessible to students whenever appropriate
- Students have ministries within the church (teaching and/or serving) and are given “staff” type roles in church projects, teaching assignments, short-term missions trips, administration, programs, and corporate worship as is fitting in an apprenticeship function
- Each campus church is a healthy model of expository preaching and shepherding the flock of God
IV. Fellowship:
Students and their families are cared for by a highly committed church fellowship
- Church volunteers coordinate hospitality care teams on behalf of student families in need of relocation, housing, and employment and ongoing needs.
- The church sponsors an active Seminary Wives Fellowship
- All student families receive intimate prayer support and spiritual encouragement from the church family