Seminary Training in the Local Church: Equip Network Fuels Discipleship in Mississippi Church

For Chad Hunsberger and Jerry Welch, pastors at Colonial Heights Baptist Church (CHBC) in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Southeastern’s Equip Network was exactly the kind of training partnership they were looking for.

“We had a desire to train up the next generation of ministers and missionaries, so we began looking into different programs,” recounted Hunsberger, lead pastor and elder of CHBC. “We really liked what Southeastern offered through its Equip Network. One of the things we like about Equip is that it not only offers seminary-level training but also allows us to teach and supervise the courses with our church’s DNA.”

One of the things we like about Equip is that it not only offers seminary-level training but also allows us to teach and supervise the courses with our church’s DNA.

Since becoming an Equip partner in 2019, CHBC has facilitated 8 different Equip courses to supplement their discipleship and leadership training ministry. With more than 40 CHBC members participating in these courses, Hunsberger and Welch are excited to be teaching through another cycle of the 8 Equip courses that CHBC offers.

“The Equip Network continues to provide our church a good hybrid approach to training,” noted Welch, family discipleship pastor and elder of CHBC. “We are able to teach and tailor some of the content and material to our context — all while working alongside Southeastern professors with their videos, syllabi, and material.”

When CHBC became an Equip partner in 2019, Kiley Ham, global discipleship pastor and elder at CHBC, decided it was the right time for him to pursue seminary training for ministry in the church.

“I loved that you could do a significant part of your seminary education through the Equip program in the context of your local church,” recalled Ham.

“As a pastor who did not have prior seminary education, I felt like there were a couple key elements that I needed from seminary,” Ham recounted. “I was getting asked to preach and teach more, so I knew I could benefit from hermeneutics, homiletics, Old Testament, and New Testament courses. I also knew I would enjoy the missional emphasis of Southeastern’s courses.”

As a Southeastern student, Ham was able to take several of his courses through CHBC and eventually graduated in May 2022 with his Master of Arts in Christian Ministry. As a pastor at CHBC, Ham has also seen firsthand the impact these Equip courses are having on the missionary families sent out by their church.

“One of the great benefits of our Equip partnership is that several of our missionary families have been able to take part in the Equip courses at our church as they prepare to be sent out,” noted Ham. “Our field candidates and field personnel have really seen the value of joining these courses as they prepare.”

One of the great benefits of our Equip partnership is that several of our missionary families have been able to take part in the Equip courses at our church as they prepare to be sent out.

The Equip Network’s impact at CHBC also extends beyond its missionary sending process. Many longtime members like Mike Gladney, a certified public accountant and an elder at CHBC, are taking advantage of the opportunity for in-context training to be better equipped as elders, life group teachers, and faithful church members.

For Gladney, the Equip courses enable him to gain seminary-level training as a life group teacher while continuing his job and staying rooted in his community.

“When CHBC started offering Equip courses, I remember thinking that taking seminary courses could be helpful to me as a teacher,” Mike recalled. “I also knew I was getting closer to my retirement, and I thought a seminary degree could be helpful to me in my retirement years.”

For CHBC, partnering with Southeastern allows them to offer extensive theological training that would be difficult to facilitate on their own. It also means that their church members and leaders like Ham and Gladney can more easily pursue seminary-level training, which means their teachers, leaders, and missionaries are better trained and better resourced for future ministry.

“I just love the fact that we’re able to bring seminary level education into the local church like this,” commented Welch. “I love this partnership. It serves our life group teachers, our elders, our deacons, and our people who just want to learn more. They can get this training without having to relocate, and they are also able to get in-person instruction without having to do everything online.”

I just love the fact that we’re able to bring seminary level education into the local church like this.

Because Southeastern believes theological education is best done in partnership with the local church, the Equip Network is designed to work with and for local churches to train their people to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission.