Called to follow Jesus into the world
God calls us to join him as he builds his church – to take the gospel to the whole world, to serve the least and the lost, and to practice our faith in our communities. God longs for servant-leaders who are bold enough to proclaim the gospel not only with their voices but with their lives. We long to see God make all things new and see his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
A purpose bigger than us all
Being missional means we participate in God’s mission of hope, healing, restoration, and reconciliation.
Being missional means we believe in God’s narrative of timeless and transformative truths found in the Bible.
Being missional means we respond to God’s great purpose of working through ordinary individuals to make an extraordinary difference in our neighborhoods and around the world.
Therefore, Missio Seminary trains and equips leaders to be missionally-minded and to be better prepared to serve in God’s mission of redemption and restoration—his purpose that is bigger and beyond all of us—to follow Jesus into the world.
Theology for a messy world
We believe theology is applicable beyond the classroom and best realized when its truth is embodied in the context of people, places, and in the midst of the messiness of life and culture. Our biblical training is practical and contextual, preparing leaders to serve God in today’s fast-paced and ever changing world. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, we combine theology with practical ministry training to serve those in our city and around the world.
Unity in diversity
We don’t expect our professors and students to agree on everything. We encourage diversity, dialogue, and discovery. As a non-denominational school, we welcome students of diverse denominational, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds from around the globe. We believe that the mission of Christ is strengthened through those not afraid to ask questions and inquire beyond the status quo. There are no cookie-cutter students at Missio, only committed followers of Jesus, working to authentically follow Jesus into the world.
Practical & flexible programs
Whether full-time, part-time, or bi-vocational, our programs are designed to prepare and empower you to better follow Jesus in the world. We offer a wide range of practical ministry programs with education and training that is biblical, contextual and relevant to today’s fast-paced world. Whether you’re looking to gain a counselling license, pastor a church, serve overseas, or advance your theological understanding to better serve your community, Missio has a program and class schedule that can work for you.
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Our story
What’s Happening at Missio.
Thriving in Ministry Initiative
Missio Seminary (formerly Biblical Theological Seminary) received a grant of $976,616 to help establish the Program for Urban Leaders and Pastors in Transition (PULPIT). This program is part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving in Ministry, an initiative that supports a variety of religious organizations across the nation as they create or strengthen programs that help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as mentors and guide them through key leadership challenges in congregational ministry.
Founders’ Day 2018
As the seminary moves forward in pursuit of God’s bold vision for our future we stand on the shoulders of our founders who launched this institution in 1971. We are continually grateful for the many sacrifices they made to ensure that rigorous academic excellence and passionate zeal for God’s mission were at the core of our degree programs. From the very beginning Missio has held as its founding verse 1 Thessalonians 2:4, “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (ESV).
Eugene Peterson: The Man Who Translated – and Lived – The Message
My wife called me Monday afternoon with the expected, but untimely news that my mentor and friend Eugene Peterson had passed away. “I’m sorry,” she said with a soft and warm tone, her voice trailing off into silence. I was preparing for this moment for the past few years – even more so the past week, as he was put on hospice – but the tears still flowed. Some out of sadness, most out of gratitude for his life. His son, Eric, wrote that for someone who practiced Sabbath, which he kept on Mondays, it’s only fitting Eugene experienced true rest for the first time on that particular day of the week.
Learning the How-To’s of Pastoral Ministry
Several years ago, when I graduated from Biblical Seminary, I was equipped with valuable theological, missiological and philosophical truth about God and His Mission. I learned what it meant to join God and His mission in the world by being incarnational. But looking back, I realized I had missed something: I didn’t really know how to do that specifically and practically in my day-to-day role as a pastor. I lacked the practical training for how to put into practice what I had learned.
What students are saying
“Counseling classes at Missio have helped us bring hope to those who are in this broken world.”