Institute

News

LAMP Makeover full story...

MNA Multiply newsletter on LAMP full story...

LAMP Graduate making a change in Chicago full story...

LAMP, a partner ministry of MNA full story...

LAMP End of Year Report 2007 full story...

LAMP Graduate feature in MNA Mercy Brochure full story...

LAMP and MNA

LAMP was founded in 1995 and a partnership with MNA began in 2001 as MNA recognized that LAMP offers comprehensive graduate level training for future PCA pastors and is especially effective for church planters. For men who are called to ministry, but who find the traditional seminary route impractical, LAMP is an alternative means of pursuing a theological education. Students do most of the coursework on their own time, and attend interactive, mentor-guided classes at their local church once a week led by pastors and elders. Currently, there are 18 LAMP learning sites across the nation with over 135 students enrolled in the program.

Why should I choose LAMP?

"Are you looking to fulfill God's Calling in your life?" Recognizing that adult students have competing priorities between work, family and church, LAMP is a training program that provides standardized and complete training to equip candidates with practical life application & theological education at an affordable price. LAMP opens doors for leaders from a wide variety of economic and ethnic backgrounds to pursue an education. LAMP will teach student how to understand, apply, and communicate the truth of God's Word in today's world. Our goal at LAMP is to bring a solid knowledge of God's Word with its practical application for today's communities. When knowledge, understanding and practical experiences come together, they are expressed through the student's life creating a brighter future.

LAMP Endorsements

"I do not believe that there is a more effective way to train men for the gospel ministry than through LAMP. I have been impressed by the men I have met who have graduated from LAMP and been ordained in the PCA. The genius of the system is the mentoring they receive in the context of the local church. I am thankful for Rev. Brian Kelso’s leadership of LAMP and his zeal to advance the gospel through qualified preacher-teachers "
Jim Bland - Mission to North America, National Coordinator - Presbyterian Church in America

"I have taught for forty years in traditional seminaries, and I absolutely love the one in which I teach today. But theological education is not “one size fits all.” Many whom God calls to ministry cannot move to another location for three years of academic study, and for many this would not be desirable or advantageous. For many, the costs of traditional seminary education are out of reach. And there are educational disadvantages in traditional seminaries: (1) inadequate integration of study with the work of the church, and (2) a stress on academic study at the expense of the character, skills, and knowledge that Scripture declares to be qualifications for ministry (1 Tim. 3:1-13). So over many years I have also encouraged non-traditional means of theological education. Today’s technology offers us great opportunities for rethinking and restructuring the work of theological education. We are blessed with a great wealth of books, audiotapes, internet resources, and pastors willing to mentor students in a church context. LAMP is one of the best examples today of this kind of instruction. Agencies of the Presbyterian Church in America have encouraged the work of LAMP, which has spread to fourteen learning sites around the US. LAMP is not for people considering careers in theological scholarship, or who want to immerse themselves for three years in an academic theological community. But many who sense God’s call to prepare for ministry and church leadership would do well to consider LAMP. "
Dr. John Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy - Reformed Theological Seminary