Who Are We? Where Are We?

Lincoln Christian Seminary is an evangelical, non-denominational seminary of 400 students located in central Illinois.  Our Seminary enrolls students from more than thirty different faith groups, though it is most strongly associated with independent ChristianChurches and Churches of Christ, part of the Stone-Campbell Movement or Restoration Movement.  These churches comprise some 6,000 autonomous congregations nationwide with more than a million members in this country and at least that many more across the globe.

Lincoln Christian Seminary offers five degree programs and enrolls students from more than a dozen different countries.  It places more than 95% of its graduates in a variety of ministries, ranging from preaching to teaching to counseling.  Nearly one in five graduates serves cross-culturally.  The Seminary has fifteen full-time faculty and a low student/faculty ratio of only nine to one.  Our graduates consistently rate Lincoln’s faculty and academic programs well above national norms for accredited seminaries.

Lincoln Christian Seminary is part of a larger institution, LincolnChristianCollege and Seminary, which enrolls more than a thousand students and enjoys a 227-acre campus with more than a dozen major buildings.  The Seminary is located on the north edge of campus in Restoration Hall in the town of Lincoln, Illinois, a community of 16,000 within an hour’s driving distance of the larger cities of Springfield, Decatur, Champaign, Bloomington, and Peoria.  Lincoln is located along the historic old Route 66.

What Is Our Mission ?

The overall mission of LincolnChristianCollege and Seminary is to “nurture and equip Christians with a Biblical worldview to serve and lead in the church and the world.”  The specific goal of the Seminary is to “develop servant leaders to equip churches and church-related organizations to carry out Christ’s Great Commission in the world.”

What Do We Mean by Servant Leaders?  

Lincoln Christian Seminary’s primary goal is to develop servant leaders.  We define servant leaders as those who humbly follow the call of God, the life of Christ, and the leading of the Holy Spirit to serve and equip others.  We believe servant leaders are characterized by the following seven images:

Shepherd          Servant leaders care for people sacrificially, guiding them and nurturing them as needed out of love and concern.

Shaper              Servant leaders influence others appropriately through example and exhortation so that God is honored.

Steward            Servant leaders exercise their gifts responsibly in order to help others exercise their God-given gifts.

Strategist          Servant leaders mobilize others strategically in ways that help achieve shared vision, values, and goals.

Seer                 Servant leaders watch the world perceptively to help others make appropriate application of God’s will in changing cultural circumstances.

Synergist           Servant leaders work together creatively to energize people to work toward a common goal.

Sage                  Servant leaders live wisely and share well God’s wisdom so that others will also live wisely and share well God’s wisdom.

You will find no “major” in servant leadership at Lincoln Christian Seminary because all of us—students and faculty alike—seek to lead lives of humble servant leadership in all we do.  It’s not a part of what we do.  It is what we do, and who we strive to be.

What Are Our Objectives?  

The Seminary’s focus is on developing “servant leaders,” which we define above.  From that overarching goal, the Seminary has developed six objectives that portray what a Lincoln graduate “looks like.” 

Servant leaders who live wisely .  Graduates will be mature Christians who seek a Biblical wisdom that begins with worshiping God and is demonstrated daily through deepening spirituality, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and personal accountability.

Servant leaders who engage Scripture responsibly .  Graduates will value God’s Word, interpret it knowledgeably, articulate its major themes clearly, obey it faithfully, and share its truths appropriately in various ministry settings.

Servant leaders who think theologically .  Graduates will articulate a Christian worldview, understand key theological issues, appreciate our Seminary’s theological tradition, demonstrate a well-reasoned theology of ministry, and assess ministry situations theologically.

Servant leaders who grow intellectually .  Graduates will love God with all their minds by learning key information and concepts from the past and present that are related to ministry, making appropriate correlations and applications of these to ministry, and utilizing lifelong learning skills in ministry.

Servant leaders who minister capably .  Graduates will lead a ministry skillfully and passionately, work well in team-based ministry settings, and communicate clearly, especially in the preaching, teaching, and caring ministries of the Church.

Servant leaders who engage the world compassionately .  Graduates will demonstrate appropriate concern for all of God’s creation, giving due attention to ministry’s cultural contexts, its global character, its social justice implications, its pastoral nature, and its disciple-making demands.

 
What Is Our Accreditation? 

Lincoln Christian Seminary is dually accredited.  It is accredited professionally by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the primary accrediting body for seminaries and graduate theological schools in North America.  It is also accredited regionally by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.  The Seminary is also approved by the State Approving Agency, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, for the training of military veterans and is authorized under federal law to enroll international students.