You might not know this, but Lancaster Bible College is more than just a Bible college. In fact, if you look closely at our logo, you’ll notice that tucked just underneath of LBC’s name is yet another name: Capital Seminary & Graduate School.

Collectively, we refer to the college as LBC | Capital, but one word in there might trip you up if you’re not familiar with the terminology of academia: seminary. But what is a seminary or what is a seminary school? Is it the same thing as a school of theology, a theological seminary, a Bible college or a Bible institute? What is a divinity school? And why does it matter? If you’ve every Googled, “Find a seminary near me,” and wondered what, exactly, students there are studying there, this article is for you.

DEFINE SEMINARY

Google will tell you that a seminary is a college that prepares students to become ministers. And that is true – but that definition is missing some important pieces. Yes, many of the master’s and doctoral degrees we offer through our seminary, like biblical studies, church planting and pastoral studies are directly related to “traditional” ministries. But here at LBC | Capital, we believe ministry preparation goes well beyond traditional church vocations. That’s why we also offer graduate degrees in areas like counseling and leadership – because ministry happens wherever Christians go.

SHOULD YOU STUDY AT AN ACCREDITED SEMINARY?

Here’s something you might not know: not all seminaries are created equal. There has been a recent trend where churches develop seminary programs that offer undergraduate and even graduate degrees with a ministry focus. Chances are those churches are not accredited institutions of higher education. And when it comes to higher education, institutional accreditation makes all the difference (check out our other blog post on this pressing matter here). LBC | Capital is a regionally accredited seminary and graduate school, meaning your ministry degree will be more readily recognized and accepted by those organizations looking for someone to join them in ministry. We’re accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and by the Association for Biblical Higher Education.

IS LANCASTER BIBLE COLLEGE’S SEMINARY ONLINE? 

While Capital Seminary & Graduate School does not offer any masters degree or doctoral degrees online, they are offered in a blended format. That means our seminary degrees combine the convince of online learning while incorporating face-to-face learning through short residency requirements. Typically, most of our seminary degrees online require one week of in-person class time per course – meaning you don’t have to move and uproot your life to experience the transformation of an education at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School. In fact, many of our seminary students live outside of Pennsylvania!

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A SEMINARY DEGREE?

So if you study in a seminary that means you can only work in a church, right? Wrong! Our graduates serve and work in a wide array of professional areas. Some are already pastors and teachers in Christian ministries, but others serve as CEOs, leader of non-profits (both in Christian and non-religious settings) and still others are authors, licensed professional counselors, professors and school administrators. While some may think that seminary degree limits your career outcomes, we believe it does just the opposite: it empowers you to do more than you ever imagined.