1.      What is the history of the Northeast School of Theology and Ministry?

NSTM came into existence as a result of discussions initiated by Dr. Jim Vogel in 2016 with the Network Leadership Team (Trustees) of the Northeast Fellowship.  Together they recognized the increasing challenge of finding qualified men to recommend to churches to fill pastoral vacancies across the region. They began praying about a training solution. Specific action to form the school was affirmed in 2019. . . and announced to the churches at the NF Fall Conference that same year in Preble, NY.

2.      Is there really a need for another school to train pastors?

We believe there is. In recent decades many Bible Colleges have closed across the country – and many others have shifted their primary focus in a liberal arts direction. And we are not alone, as independent Baptists, regarding this pressing need for more pastoral training options. Most American church groups have witnessed a diminishing “pool” of potential pastors in recent years.

3.      Whom are you seeking to train?

Our mission is to train pastors for local church ministry roles. A secondary purpose is to make our Bible and Theology classes available to non-pastoral leaders who serve in and are recommended by their local churches.

4.      What makes NSTM unique?

Some of our uniqueness is related to (1) Our low costs (about 1/3 of the tuition cost per hour of many schools – and we have no fees). (2) Our instructional model that offers convenient weekend modular classes. (3) Our faculty variety (we have over 20 qualified teachers on our faculty) (4) Our curricular balance between a strong bible/theology preparation and practical pastoral ministry skills preparation. (5) Our connection to a network of churches (the Northeast Fellowship) that provides a constituency of supportive churches across the region, a doctrinal/convictional foundation, and natural church ministry placement options upon course completion. (6) Our intentional connection to local churches through our faculty of local church pastors, our local church centered curriculum, and our commitment to mentoring connections between home church pastors and their students throughout our program of study. 

5.      Is NSTM a seminary?

No. Our focus is upon a Bible College level training.  

6.      How are you able to make it so affordable?

The simple answer is that we do not have - nor plan to have - a physical campus (we utilize local church teaching sites across our region) nor do we have any full-time faculty. All of our teachers are pastors (or educators with pastoral experience), who already have full time ministries. Our administrators are serving without salaries as well – and already have commitments to other ministries in which they serve.

7.      Will NSTM be academically rigorous?

The short answer is, yes. Our faculty is made up of people with strong academic credentials (Masters or Doctoral degrees) and we follow the normally accepted rules for academic integrity concerning the number of face time hours required per credit hour.

8.      Will NSTM grant degrees?

We are not a degree granting school since we do not include classes in history, science, English, etc. We will, however, grant the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry to all who finish our 48-hour program of study.  We will be working on establishing connections with other schools where NSTM graduates can get ongoing academic work done toward a degree. 

9.      Is NSTM accredited?

We are not accredited at this point – and we likely will not be in the future because we believe that secular accreditation will become a non-starter for Christian schools that take a stand for Scriptural morality and identity . . .  In the future, we anticipate that conservative evangelicals will accredit their own institutions based on biblical fidelity and strength of instruction. At NSTM we fully intend to be marked by excellent academic preparation along with scrupulous attention to the practical equipment every pastor needs to minister in today’s church. Here’s what we believe. . . If God blesses this effort and we do an effective job in training pastors – it will speak for itself and in time its reputation of such blessing from God will be its primary accreditation. 

10.  Will women be able to attend?

In keeping with our secondary purpose. . .we are offering our Bible and theology classes to women as space allows. And we have a special interest in supporting pastor’s wives who want to take classes alongside their husbands (without charge!). Additionally, NSTM is offering two courses for pastors’ wives on Ministry Communication for Women and Local Church Women’s Ministry Strategies.

11.  Can I take classes on line?

We are not offering on line instruction as we launch the school – but will likely have some on line classes in the future. However, it will always be somewhat limited because it is our conviction – along with some others involved in pastoral educational training – that pastors are best trained for ministry through interaction with professors who can personally model, mentor and motivate them toward effective pastoral ministry.

12.  What steps do I take to begin?

The simple process is to: (1) Complete the Student Application Form (on this web site) and send it to us along with the Pastor’s Reference Form (also on this website). (2) When you are ready to take a class - fill out the Course Registration Form for specific classes and send it to us along with your payment to our address:  NSTM, 2293 Grand Central Ave., Horseheads, NY  14845