RECLAIMING VALUE: What I'm Learning From My Return To Covington

I'm not certain but I may be obligated to inform you that:

• The thoughts and opinions expressed here have not been formally reviewed and approved by the board of trustees of CTS.
• "Handfuls of Doxology" is in no way endorsed or officially associated with CTS.

For those who may not know me or are not familiar with my personality, that is what those closest to me will immediately recognize as sarcasm.  To be clear, Covington is in no way endorsing me, a blog, a ministry, or anything else that is offered here.  This humble and rarely utilized blog is a space that is used to record and share the thoughts that grow within me and won't relent.  I'm writing this particular blog because of a thought that is reborn every time I engage in a conversation with someone about Covington.

The conversation usually goes one of two ways:

Scenario One:

Q:  Where do you go to seminary?

A: Covington Theological Seminary.

R: Never heard of it.

I love this response.  This allows me to share the incredible gift that CTS has become to me.  I tell them how uniquely structured Covington is to minister to students where they are and without the overwhelming burdens that are often associated with other seminaries.  I tell them of their heart for equipping leaders and partnering with the local church to do that work.  I share how they have worked diligently to ensure that nothing and no one will ever dictate the directive of learning outside of the Word of God.  I speak of how they've poured their energy and efforts into making sure they have the right people in place to ensure that this common goal is reached.  I share how much I have grown and been impacted in the last two years since my return, and how God has sovereignly provided for my soul in allowing me to come back to CTS.

I love having this conversation.  I go on and on telling people the unique spiritual, academic, financial, and overall community benefit of being part of the Covington Family.  I still have these conversations from time to time and they are always a joy to have.

Scenario Two:

Q: Where do you go to seminary?

A: Covington Theological Seminary.

R: Oh... You go there?

I can't say that I have the same affection for this response as I do the previous one.  This response presents me with another opportunity.  It's the same opportunity I am taking in this post.  I'm never shocked when I hear a response like this.  In fact, I understand it.

I first attended Covington over 15 years ago.  What made Covington special then and even now, is that a person could come to a local seminary without having to take on the burdens of the larger seminaries.  There are no massive costs and you don't have to uproot your lives to attend.  That is a wonderful selling point for a seminary.  A seminary must also offer a standard of excellence in administration, instruction, student accountability, and be primarily devoted to the goal of developing leaders for the glory of God. 

When I am confronted with the scowled face and puzzled response to my choice of seminary, I am usually able to refute their criticisms before they can even begin to catalog them.  I know what they would say if given the chance, so like John Wayne, I head them off at the pass.  This tarnished reputation has come to a few by personal experience from days of old, and to others from what they have heard.  Or heaven forbid, seen online.  Some of their criticism could be deemed accurate, and some are utterly false.  Some of the information is based on facts, and some things seem to come from urban legend or bad Wikipedia entries.  I have heard things I can't speak to, things I have been able to deny absolutely, and there have been things I have agreed with and experienced myself from the past.  On more than one occasion I have said: "I know.  I had that experience as well."

No matter the reason or validity of the view, my response is always the same.  I tell the critics what I have learned.  I usually share my experience on my first night back.  I tell them that my wife felt like the Lord wanted her to go to school as well.  I tell them that some friends decided to join us as well.  I will tell them that I was nervous about my wife and friends coming.  We were all in a different place than we were all those years ago and I didn't want to expose them to some of the things I remembered.  I'll tell the critics when I decided to come back to CTS, I did so because I knew I needed to go back to school, but was not in a position to go anywhere else.  It's usually right there that I say something like: "Little did I know God had sovereignly aligned me for this place at this time."  I tell them how I started preparing and warning my wife and friends about the school.  Saying things like: "Guys, remember you get what you pay for."  I will tell these individuals about our first night of class as we were walking in the building, how I was still trying to warn them.  Before we walked in I said: "Seriously, don't expect too much tonight.  You'll be disappointed if you do."

Then, usually in tears, I tell these individuals how by the end of the first class I had already repented numerous times in my heart.  I tell them how we all sat there weeping through the class as the Spirit of God ministered to us through the professor and the lesson.  I tell them how, as we walked out of the classroom into the chapel service, I repented to them for all I had said about the school.  Then I tell these critics how I had to repent even more after chapel, and more after the second class.  Finally, I share with them what I told my wife and friends at the end of that first night.  It is the same thing I have said to them many times since that night.  It is the same thing I say to every critic and individual who has an idea about Covington that has been formed by the past.  I told my wife and friends that night: "I don't know what has happened here, but this is not the same school I attended all those years ago.  It is not the same."

Today, I am still a student.  I am a volunteer.  I am currently involved with the school in developing programs for future strategies and partnerships with churches and leaders.  I had the privilege of meeting with the Board of Directors recently and heard their heart for the school.  It is these volunteers...let me say that again for those in the back.  It is these volunteers who have shaped the Covington that I know and love today.  They have prayed and labored to raise the bar to ensure that Covington truly is committed to training leaders and impacting eternity.  I walked away from our meeting more convinced than ever that I have partnered with people who are serious about the glory of God and the good of the church.  They are working diligently to make improvements where they are still needed.  They know that there is still room for improvement, and are relentlessly committed to excellence for the sake of Christ and the good of our students.  

There is much that I am learning from my return to Covington.  Today was a reminder that the value of my education goes far beyond the academic.  I say it again.  This is not the same place I came to all those years ago.  This school is a place where my brothers and sisters have partnered with me for the sake of the Gospel.  This school is a place where I have found a resource for the mission and ministry.  This school is a place where leaders are trained for the purpose of equipping the church for the work of ministry.  This school is a place that is committed to supporting and encouraging the work of God in my life.  This school is a place that serves my church and ministries as much as it serves me and finds joy in that process.  This is not the same place I came to all those years ago.  I thank God for my time at Covington then and thank God for what Covington is today.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:3-5

Covington's Vision, Mission & Values:

It is the vision of Covington Theological Seminary to impact eternity and the church presently by training biblically equipped leaders in both national and international settings.

It is the mission of Covington Theological Seminary to meet potential students where they are in their calling and ministry motivations and to design a quality and affordable program of study that addresses their individual goals and needs.

• We are committed to the local church and its ministry settings as the prime training venue for developing church leaders.

• We are not called to build great edifices to evidence our effectiveness, but to build great lives that impact others by the Living Christ.

• We do not call our students to come away to be trained, but to remain faithful in their present assignment.

• We commit ourselves to design innovative and personalized development plans that equip leaders to be dynamic and effective servants of God.

• Our extensions, whether in the U.S. or internationally, will be founded upon a partnership with a local church or group of churches and led by those currently involved in ministry and equipping the saints.

• The ultimate call of any leader is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of Christ. Only those proven committed and effective in this assignment shall be Covington professors or leaders.

• Training and equipping is not optional for any spiritual leader, therefore we must do all within our ability to make training both accessible and affordable to any servant of God that is willing to make the commitment.

• Partnership, interdependence, and networking are kingdom principles upon which we can see our Lord do His mighty work.

To Those of Us From "Those Days"

There are many graduates, pastors, missionaries, and other servants in various aspects who attended CTS in the days that have been referred to in this opinion blog.  There are many who would discount any words of criticism regarding these days and would only celebrate their time and investment.  I would say that they are absolutely correct and affirmed in their celebration.  I look back and cherish much of the early years at Covington.  I have been shaped for the good, by much of the time spent at CTS in those early years.  I treasure them.  I also see some of the issues shared by some of our brothers and sisters.  Many I do not and will continue to refute them.  Any investment of an institution that spans nearly 43 years of training leaders is worthy of praise and honor.  An institution of that age will also gain its share of critics.  The purpose of this blog is not to give credence to any accusation or to discount anyone's efforts or labors.  My goal is to simply speak to those today, who for this reason would hesitate to consider Covington.  

Because of Christ,
Tracy Trivette - Acts 20:24