In the early years of Greenville Seminary, every student was awarded a “full tuition scholarship,” including men who were involved in various college ministry groups before launching their seminary studies. Today, we are pleased to announce the introduction of the Student Ministry Fellows Awards program for MDiv students with college ministry backgrounds.
“The future preachers of Christ’s Kingdom are right now announcing and demonstrating the words and work of Jesus as student leaders on college campuses around the world,” says Admissions Director Zachary Groff. “For a long time, Greenville Seminary has been a powerhouse for the worldwide reformation of the church, largely due to our supporters’ generosity to foreign students. Our Student Ministry Fellows Awards program is built to duplicate domestically what we are doing so effectively for the global Reformed church.”
Each year, twenty Student Ministry Fellows Awards will be made available to incoming MDiv students who have served as student leaders and/or interns with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) or another college ministry group for at least one academic year. Eligible candidates for these awards must be applying to enroll as full-time resident students in the MDiv program. Formal recommendations from both a campus staff person (or supervisor) and the session/consistory of a local Presbyterian or Reformed congregation are also required from all applicants.
Student Ministry Fellows must maintain full-time status through to completion of their degrees, remain in residence for at least three years of the program, maintain at least a 3.0 GPA throughout the award period, and come under-care of an approved church court within the first year of study.
The first class to be considered for the awards will matriculate in the Fall of 2018. Ten awards are reserved for applicants with a background in RUF, and will include a full tuition scholarship for recipients (an average of $6,710 per year). The remaining ten awards are available to applicants who were involved in a student ministry named in the 2010 Chicago Agreement,
and these awards will include a 50% tuition scholarship for recipients (an
average of $3,355). The total average value of the twenty Student Ministry Fellows Awards is $100,650 per class per year.
Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. commented, “Along with Mark Lowrey and Bebo Elkin, I had the privilege of being part of the origin of Reformed University Ministries (now, RUF). Our goal was to have a local congregation-based campus ministry. The ministry has multiplied throughout the nation. It is now our privilege at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to provide scholarships for men who have grown up in and through campus ministry.”
For more information about applying for or supporting the Student Ministry Fellows Awards program, please contact Mr. Zachary Groff (Director of Advancement & Admissions) at zgroff@gpts.edu, or call the Seminary at (864) 322-2717, ext. 324.
