Greg Bourgond, Associate Academic Dean and Director of the In-Ministry M. Div. program at Bethel Seminary, pegs the average student at 32 to 36 upon matriculation. The burden of gaining a pastoral education may be greater than most married students can bear. These demographic trends, read in an economic light, clarify the need for a new method of pastoral education. As ministry costs continue to grow, even a modest salary will strain the budget of the typical church. According to John Vawter, president of Phoenix Seminary, an M. Div.
Phoenix offers one the least expensive degree programs currently available.
Seminarians typically graduate heavily in debt. The time is ripe for distance pastoral education. Market forces have made the Internet an attractive, affordable platform for distance pastoral education. Improved video compression and secure financial transactions will make the Internet even more attractive to educators. The confluence of telephone, computer and television will make voice, text and real-time video communication as common as phone conversations.