REV. DR. JIM BLAND – MNA Cordinator

“I do not believe that there is a more effective way to train men for the gospel ministry than through LAMP. I have been impressed by the men I have met who have graduated from LAMP and been ordained in the PCA. The genius of the system is the mentoring they receive in the context of the local church. I am thankful for Rev. Brian Kelso’s leadership of LAMP and his zeal to advance the gospel through qualified preacher-teachers ”

 

REV. DR. JOHN FRAME -RTS Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy

“I have taught for forty years in traditional seminaries, and I absolutely love the one in which I teach today. But theological education is not “one size fits all.” Many whom God calls to ministry cannot move to another location for three years of academic study, and for many this would not be desirable or advantageous. For many, the costs of traditional seminary education are out of reach. And there are educational disadvantages in traditional seminaries: (1) inadequate integration of study with the work of the church, and (2) a stress on academic study at the expense of the character, skills, and knowledge that Scripture declares to be qualifications for ministry (1 Tim. 3:1-13). So over many years I have also encouraged non-traditional means of theological education. Today’s technology offers us great opportunities for rethinking and restructuring the work of theological education. We are blessed with a great wealth of books, audiotapes, internet resources, and pastors willing to mentor students in a church context. LAMP is one of the best examples today of this kind of instruction. Agencies of the Presbyterian Church in America have encouraged the work of LAMP, which has spread to fourteen learning sites around the US. LAMP is not for people considering careers in theological scholarship, or who want to immerse themselves for three years in an academic theological community. But many who sense God’s call to prepare for ministry and church leadership would do well to consider LAMP. ”