For students who are discerning a call to Christian ministry, Randolph-Macon offers an enriching program to explore how you might answer your unique call from God. The pre-ministerial program is supplemental to your work in the classroom, and pre-ministerial students may major in any subject. In our weekly group meetings, students participate in experiences carefully designed to help you prepare for seminary and/or life as a pastor or priest, youth minister, missionary, faith-based non-profit leader, music minister, and more. Significant financial support is available to many pre-ministerial students, through the selective A. Purnell Bailey Scholarship or Randolph-Macon’s pre-ministerial grants.
Advising Track Pre-Ministerial
The path
to ministry In and Beyond the Classroom
advising and mentorship
You’ll meet weekly with a group of like-minded peers with Chaplain Kendra Grimes as your guide. These meetings offer regular, meaningful discussion and fellowship as you journey together on your path to ministry. The group welcomes guests including seminary representatives, church leaders, and ministers working in a variety of settings.
Scholarship and Grant Opportunities
Pre-ministerial students are encouraged to apply to the Bailey Scholars program, which awards generous half-tuition scholarships for your freshman/sophomore years and full tuition scholarships for your junior/senior years.
As part of this scholarship program, Bailey Scholars commit to earning a master’s degree from an ATS accredited theology school after graduation. The College also offers additional pre-ministerial grants, which cover half-tuition scholarships for all four years.
Seminary/Theology School Admissions
As a pre-ministerial student, you are eligible for RMC’s Guaranteed Admission Agreement with both Candler School of Theology at Emory University and Wesley Theological Seminary. RMC graduates have gone on to pursue additional study at other seminaries/theology schools including:
- Duke Divinity School
- Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
- Perkins School of Theology
- Union Presbyterian Seminary
High-Impact Internships
Bailey Scholars complete two internships; one in a congregational setting and the other in a ministry setting beyond the local church. You are encouraged to select a site that you feel called to and a second site that is unfamiliar. Pre-ministerial students have completed internships in many capacities and locations including:
- Highland Support Project (Guatemala)
- The Virginia Conference Office of the United Methodist Church
- Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s “Student.Church” program
- All God’s Children Camp (camp for children of incarcerated parents)
- The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
courses of interest Students pursue a variety of majors.
(And we like it that way!)
RELS 273
Women in the Bible
Study the women in Jewish and Christian Scriptures and learn about ways literature moves readers to adopt various ideas about women.
RELS 215
The Bible and Film
Investigate the use of the Bible in film. Study and critique movies in light of their corresponding biblical texts in order to determine ways the Bible may be appropriated in modern cultures.
SOCI 212
Sociology of the Family
Analyze the structure and functions of the family, with emphasis on the changing nature of the family in our society.
From Here To Where are our Pre-Ministerial students now?
Anita Laffoon ’08
Senior Pastor
Ginter Park Baptist Church
“Being a part of the A. Purnell Bailey Pre-ministerial Program at RMC helped me lay a foundation for my ministerial career. It was there that I met a female pastor for the first time, and the impact that had on me cannot be understated. Watching her preach and teach, hearing others call her “Pastor” or “Reverend,” helped me believe in myself and my calling.”
Adam Kelchner ’09
Pastor
Camden First United Methodist Church
Devon Maust Earle ’12
Campus Minister and Director
The Wesley Foundation at United Methodist Student Ministry
Anne West Kesner ’09
Chaplain and Family/Staff Support Coordinator Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
Andrew Ware ’11
Pastor
Beech Grove United Methodist Church
More to explore 55+ areas of study to discover at RMC
Get Ready Discover Pre-Ministerial at RMC.
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