Q. Is the TPA program an alternative to traditional seminary?

A. Yes.

Q. With no official M. Div. granted, how is this helpful for a man pursuing vocational ministry?

A. A man who goes through the TPA instead of traditional seminary would definitely be limited. He’ll have to be aware of that from the beginning and decide if it’s worth it. However, the TPA isn’t necessarily designed to prepare guys to go pastor 200+ member established churches. Our vision is for the TPA  to churn out guys who will plant churches, take on churches in need of revitalization, or who will go plant churches and disciple people cross-culturally. The students in this program will have to share our conviction that life is short, and they’ll have to prefer the anonymity and lack of prestige in favor of doing front-lines ministry for the glory of Christ.

Q. How much does the TPA program cost a student?  A mentoring church?

A. The TPA charges no tuition or fees from students. Expenses related to the program will chiefly be books and gas. It is likely students will need to get a job concurrently to support themselves. Mentoring churches decide individually as to if they want to buy a student’s books, provide him housing, pay him, etc.

The TPA requests partner churches make a yearly or monthly contribution to help cover administrative costs of the program.

Q. Is the TPA affiliated with a particular denomination?

A. No. The TPA network includes participating churches from the North American Baptist Conference, Converge Worldwide, Southern Baptist Convention, and several that are not affiliated with a denomination. The TPA network is open to including participating churches and pastors who resonate with our convictions (see the Convictions document or the Catalog).

Q. Who are the current participating churches and pastors?

A. Check out the Partner Churches page.

Q. Who decides admission questions, who the mentor pastors and churches are, who teaches what classes, how the curriculum is set up, and if a mentor pastor or student should be removed from the program?

A. A group of mentor pastors who form a Board of Directors which meets regularly and makes consensus decisions. The current Board of Directors consists of Cory Kitch (Discovery Church, Yankton, SD), Jason Contino (Harborview Christian Church, Port Jefferson, NY), Andy Wright (RCC, Dell Rapids, SD), Zach Sommerlot (Cornerstone Church, Denver, IA), and Ryan Franchuk (RCC, Dell Rapids, SD). Ryan Franchuk currently serves as the program Administrator.

Q. What is the long-term TPA vision?

A. While we have very high hopes for every TPA student and church, we have modest aims. We’re not looking to build some kind of flagship institution. We aren't looking for buildings or land - our philosophy is built on organic connectedness among churches and pastors. We do pray that God will expand our network of churches and students to whatever extent will most serve His glory and the spread of the Gospel, perhaps even one day including regional hubs of the TPA across widespread geographical areas.