Seminary is now widely regarded as the factory for producing effective pastors. This assumption, though welcomed at Tyndale Theological Seminary, is accompanied by various warnings. One of my professors used to joke, asking: don´t you know that seminary is also called cemetery? Though this made us laugh, we quickly remembered it was a sad saying and has proved true in some people's lives! Precisely because, despite some emerging from seminary as mature believers, others have grown cold in their faith, and in some cases, have even denied the faith. Such instances make us wonder as seminarians: How can a place supposed to equip our faith be a threat to it? And what can we do to be among those who will stand still in faith while in seminary? And failing to answer these questions leaves us vulnerable to the very poison others have drunk before. As a seminary student at Tyndale Theological Seminary, I propose that it is by devoting ourselves to the means of grace that seminarians can stay alive and strong in their faith. It is with this conviction that, with my fellow colleagues, we organized a prayer day on December 28th 2025, whereby we gathered in the school’s prayer room, creating a chain of intercession where students rotated every thirty minutes to seek the Lord in prayer.
We did this first because we are convinced that God works through the means of grace to bring about growth; it is not any different for theology students than it is for all believers everywhere and in all ages. We thus refused to grow out of the Sunday school song ¨read your bible and pray every day if you want to grow”. Seminary can bring a form of imbalance between these two Christian practices, where most classes and assignments favor the written word of God over prayer, making us hearers of God´s word; however, running the risk of never saying these very words back to him in prayer. We, therefore, on this day, wanted to trust in God by committing ourselves to prayer as one of the means He has ordained for our growth.
Second, it was because we believe that we glorify God in prayer. This is evidenced by Jesus´ words in John 14:13 where he says that: ¨Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son”. Prayer brings glory to God as we look up to him in trust that he hears and provides for us. It is thus encompassed by the very chief end of man, which the Westminster divines affirm ¨ is to glorify and enjoy God forever.¨ And theology must serve this same end, as R.C. Sproul concurs, saying that ¨theology starts and ends in doxology.¨ seeking to glorify God in our studies here at Tyndale, we want not only to maintain a right doctrine of prayer but also a right practice of it. And apart from many other opportunities for prayer, on that day, we want to communicate with God, reminding ourselves that all our lives are made for him.Â
Finally, having brought awareness to the danger of growing cold in faith at seminary, we have observed that God still uses means of grace to grant growth to believers. Reflecting on a prayer activity organised on 28th December at Tyndale, we saw that this can be held only if we remember that theological pursuit does not grow us out of our need to pray, but rather theologises prayerfully to the glory of God.
Kasereka Steven (Democratic Republic of the Congo), MDiv Student - December 2025
