Master of Theology

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Why I Love the ThM Degree

By Dr. Timothy Decker

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It may be a bit on the nose to hear the director of a seminary’s ThM program be a strong advocate for said program. But having earned this degree myself, I have always been a major advocate for the Master of Theology degree. Therefore, I present this opinion to you not as one who simply wants more post-MDiv students to enroll in the ThM program here at CBTS. I am speaking as one who truly believes this degree is a strategic and valuable endeavor that more men need to consider.

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What is the ThM and how is it different from an MDiv or an MA in Theology?

There is a vast difference between the ThM degree and most master’s-level seminary degrees.[1] Foremost is that the ThM degree is a post-graduate level degree for those students who have already obtained a graduate degree. Typically, this is an MDiv or some equivalent. And while the MDiv is a generalist degree, comprising a broad spectrum of subjects and fields, the ThM degree is one that is focused and specialized upon a specific area of study. Additionally, the ThM degree can also be considered a “terminal” degree in that it is considered sufficient for teaching at the undergraduate (and in some cases graduate) level.

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What are the benefits of obtaining a ThM?

This is the question I want to receive the most attention. This is why I love the ThM so much. I firmly believe that the ThM degree is fantastic for pastors in full-time ministry as well as academics who plan to pursue further education, such as a PhD. And so, I offer some benefits for both individuals: pastors and scholars.

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ThM for Pastors

For the pastors, while the MDiv is adequate training for pastoral ministry in the local church and a flagship program for most seminaries, it is a generalist degree. It includes a familiarity with theology, history, politics, denominational/associational polity, languages, social customs, and counseling. Academically, you are introduced to a plethora of subjects, but you are not trained to be a specialist in any one of them. This is perfectly reasonable for a shepherd of Christ’s sheep, for his labors in ministry are far-sweeping.

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The ThM degree is an opportunity for this MDiv graduate to specialize in a specific area of interest in order to increase his abilities and familiarities within such a field. For me, I was most interested in NT studies, and so I pursued a ThM for that very thing. I was able to work with amazing scholars who helped sharpen my understanding in all things NT-related. It has benefited me on far more than one or two occasions to have answers ready at a moment’s notice. And this is what studies in a ThM program can provide. A pastor cannot be a specialist at everything. But he can be a specialist at least at one thing. And ThM studies can assist him along the way. The research and writing process, the thesis journey, and the thesis defense will inevitably lead a pastor to have hours of content stored away in his brain and ready to be used at the drop of a hat. I can’t tell you how many times it has come in handy that, with no prompt or preparation, I have been called upon to teach or preach. Having a storehouse of resources from my ThM studies has given me biblical content that I can share at a moment’s notice. And so, my ThM helped me as a pastor to be ready in season or out of season.

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For the pastor that also enjoys intense study and mental stimulation, the ThM is a pathway to guided learning and exposure to sources, ideas, and research that he may not have been able to come across on his own. For the mental stretch that a ThM can be, it is a good practice for a pastor to constantly be honing his skills and abilities. After all, if school teachers are compelled to do “continuing education units” to keep up their teaching licensure, how much more should pastors be compelled to continue their mastery of the Word by further and constant studies? The church can only benefit from a pastor who is a student of Scripture.

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Finally, the benefits for pastors to sharpen their acumen in a given field only increases their skills and abilities. This is true especially for sermon preparation and teaching. I liken it to an axe. The sharper the axe, the quicker the tree will be felled. This analogy comes from Abraham Lincoln, who said, “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” A ThM degree will certainly sharpen your axe in that particular field of study. And sermon preparation is shortened significantly because your skillset has been honed to a very sharp edge.

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Though I am not arguing that all pastors should pursue a ThM, I am arguing that those pastors who do are often benefited by the results.

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ThM for Aspiring Scholars

But then there are those men who believe God has called them to both pastoral ministry and the academy (or maybe the academy alone). Perhaps this is what “teacher” is referring to in Ephesians 4:11? I know many men who would ask me why an MDiv graduate would bother with a ThM degree if they already know that a PhD is the final goal. My answer is very simple. The life of an academic is not for everyone, and most do not realize that until they start their studies for themselves. How many men with PhD’s do you know who are not serving in the academy? I know quite a few. Nevertheless, the PhD, as great as it is for pastors, is not a pastoral degree. It is a research degree to train up scholars. It is the entrance into a life-long pursuit of study, reading, and academic performance. The doctoral dissertation is the academic requirement for entrance in the research guild. Thus the mantra “publish or perish” is often quoted among PhD students.

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So why the ThM? For so many reasons! First of all, the ThM will expose students to post-graduate, PhD-level coursework. The load of reading, writing, and research will be tested. Not only will you receive a feel for the level of academic rigor at the post-grad level, but the ThM becomes a gauge by which you can measure if you have the abilities to do PhD studies. Indeed, you might find that you have no desire for the constant reading and writing required of academics. Not to mention that pastoral ministry can take up a lot of time for such study. If your goal is to be a full-time professor at a university or seminary, just know those jobs are few and far between, and they are extremely competitive.

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Secondly, having a ThM degree opens the doorway to PhD programs far wider than merely having an MDiv or MA. And so in a competitive market, that one more degree may be the difference between acceptance and a waitlist. It certainly prioritizes those applications first, especially when they can check your ThM thesis and observe your abilities to research and write.

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Thirdly, many believe that publication and writing cannot occur until one has “PhD” after their name. That is simply false. After my ThM, I was able to publish two chapters of my own thesis in academic journals (Neotestamentica and Andrews University Seminary Studies). With that under my belt, I was prepared for further study. Good scholarship does not require the “doctor” title.

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Fourthly, and I say this with great humility, it is easy to recognize PhD students who have a ThM from those who do not. That is because they’ve already been involved with this level of research, written a full thesis (and defended it), and they are familiar with the high-level academic setting. Many MDiv students going into a PhD program often feel “imposter syndrome,” in that they believe themselves to be ill-equipped and ill-prepared for the rigor of a PhD. Many of them can do it, of course, but the mentality is still a tall hurdle to overcome. I can speak from experience that in my PhD cohort, every single one of those men who had a ThM degree with me finished the dissertation and were robed, usually the first ones. The rest either dropped out during the coursework, struggled with their comprehensive exams, or remained A.B.D. (all but dissertation). Now of course MDiv’s eventually graduated with PhD’s, but not without long labors and much effort. This is my general experience. It is anecdotal, so I don’t make it a matter of provable data. But I suspect it is true.

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Finally, for those who seek the finish line of a PhD, I believe the ThM is a good relay point—a baton hand-off if you will. For those who, after reading and writing for a year or two at the post-grad level, come to realize that they do not enjoy having their face in a book all day long, reading pedantic arguments (and sometimes articles/books that I affectionately call “soul-sucking”), and sleepless nights thinking about your research, then there is this: At least with a ThM they can finish the program, receive a post-graduate degree, and know that they did not make the mistake of entering a PhD program that they would have likely dropped out. If we were honest, not everyone is built for such study. I still face imposter syndrome myself, and I go through ebbs and flows of research interests. But for the man who enjoys the pursuit of knowledge and understanding yet does not seek the pressure that academics may bring, the ThM is ideally suited to one’s needs.

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Final Appeal

I am grateful for CBTS’s ThM program, which launched in 2023. I am honored to be the director of the program. I only accepted this position because I am a believer in the degree. If I did not think it important, I would not support it or direct it. And if the Lord is raising you up to specialize in an area of focused research, then contact me if you desire a confessional setting where we can join you with an equipped scholar to mentor you through the process which culminates in your thesis. Email me today if you want to know more about the ThM degree at CBTS.

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[1] Some seminaries prefer to call this a Master of Sacred Theology or STM.