Where does Underground Seminary stand theologically?
We have a high view of God and a high view of His Word (the Bible). While Underground Seminary is not directly associated with a denomination, our founder is ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and is best described as “Confessional” (affirming the essentials of the Christian faith) and “Reformed” (affirming the “5 Solas”). If you don’t know what that means, it means we believe that Scripture is our primary authority and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. In short, we believe the Bible and know that salvation is by grace and not by works.
Why Not FREE?
We offer Underground Seminary free to everyone making disciples with Restoration Church (our home church), because we believe it is our job to equip the saints for the work of service (Ephesians 4) in the church we have been placed. Sadly, not many churches offer training like this, so we are providing it at a low cost to people in other churches. If you are a pastor or church leader and want to offer Underground Seminary in your church, contact us to find out about bulk rates.
Is it Accredited?
Underground Seminary is not accredited as an academic institution (Hence the "underground" part of our name). However, our instructors and content creators have decades of teaching experience for seminaries and Bible colleges. While you are not getting an accredited degree, you are getting the same level of knowledge (or better).
Is there a Certification?
Yes, we provide you a certificate of completion affirming that we believe you are filled with the Holy Spirit and Truth, assuming we see doctrinal accuracy and spiritual fruit in your life. Thus, certification is not guaranteed. We pay attention to your activity in the group discussion as well as in your written assignments. We also interact with you directly to ensure you are equipped.
How Long Does It Take?
Underground Seminary starts with a year long training that covers house church leadership, disciple-making, doctrine, apologetics, evangelism. However, we provide advanced apologetics and theology as well as ongoing practical ministry training and discipleship indefinitely. In other words, you can get the basics (and your certificate) in a year, but we keep giving you more for as long as you are in the program.
Are there any other costs associated?
There can be. Each section comes with all the primary materials built in, so you don’t have to buy those. There are other books to read, but most of them are available at the library. Some students like to buy the books, so they can have them long-term, but if you check ahead with your library, you can usually check out (or put on hold) the books you need. The reading is not heavy in Year 1.
Why Not Go To Bible College or Seminary?
Traditional seminary has some big hurdles. First, it costs a lot of money. This is a BIG problem if the plan is to go into vocational ministry. I know guys who can't take ministry jobs, because they can't make enough to pay for their ministry training. Second, whether you go on campus or online, you are still jumping into traditional academics. This rules out people who don't learn in traditional environments. Also, it lends itself to meeting secular accreditation standards rather than focusing on grounded theology and practical ministry training.
What If a student is Not Good At School?
That's ok. We know that some of the best Bible Scholars and theologians don't thrive in traditional academic environments. We don't believe in lowering standards of scholarship, but we do believe that traditional academia is not the best at gauging biblical scholarship. Underground Seminary will not be easy, but it will be simple. Less focus will be given to quizzes and tests; more focus will be given to thoughtful interaction and discipleship. Written assignments will be critical but formats like APA and MLA are not our primary concern. We want to help you develop sound theology and logical communication skills for the sake of the Gospel. Whether that be done through a dictation app or through typing or even writing by hand, we will accommodate your development as a scholar and theologian.
Who is Teaching?
Underground Seminary was initially developed by Daniel Samms. He has been teaching theology for Liberty University for more than 10 years and has been in ministry for the last 19 years. He has written books and done a lot of teaching. Underground Seminary is committed to hiring well equipped instructors who also have plenty of hands-on ministry experience. We don't hire "ivory tower" teachers with no connection to ministry, nor do we hire ill equipped ministers with no depth of knowledge. Underground Seminary may not be accredited, but it is staffed with qualified instructors.
