Should Church Be a Seminary? | A Forum with JT English

In this Global Campus Forum, Dr. Travis Montgomery interviews Dr. JT English—Lead Pastor of Storyline Church, co-founder of Training the Church, co-host of the Knowing Faith podcast, and author of *Deep Discipleship*—about the growing movement of church-based theological education. JT shares his story of coming to faith, discovering theological formation in seminary rather than the local church, and why he has devoted his life to bringing robust discipleship back into the heart of congregational life. Their conversation covers the value of theological education, why churches are reclaiming discipleship, how seminaries and churches partner well, and how ordinary believers can discern next steps toward deeper training and ministry involvement.

About the Podcast

Local Theologians is a podcast for everyday Christians and ministry leaders from Midwestern Seminary's Global Campus. Learn more about online theological education at mbts.edu/global.

Keywords

church-based theological education, discipleship, seminary partnership, deep discipleship, JT English, Training the Church, Knowing Faith podcast, ministry preparation, local church leadership

Takeaways

• Every Christian is called to deep discipleship—not just pastors or academics.

• Theological education was historically centered in the local church and is returning there today.

• Seminaries provide expertise, structure, and formation that local churches cannot fully replicate.

• Church-based training keeps developing leaders embedded in their congregations while they grow.

• The rise in online learning and delivery platforms has opened new hybrid models of formation.

• Pastors should invite hungry members into deeper study and help them discern calling.

• Churches can begin by asking key questions: What is a disciple? How do disciples grow? How will we send them?

• Programs like Deep Discipleship and local institutes help churches start without building everything from scratch.

• Preaching and classroom-style teaching complement one another—neither replaces the other.

• All Christians need theological formation, even if they do not pursue formal academic degrees.