By Staff
REGISTRATION TIME Shawn Minor, a licensed minister from Causeyville, right, registers for classes at the Quitman extension of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is assisted by the Revs. Shane Freeman, seated, and Robert Sanders. The Quitman extension offers religious education to ministers as well as others seeking to further their knowledge of religious matters. Photo by Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star.
By Ida Brown/The Meridian Star
Dec. 29, 2001
When licensed minister Shawn Minor considered furthering his ministerial training, the Causeyville resident was prepared for long commutes to and from a school of theology.
But while reading a church bulletin at his home church, Minor discovered an extension less than an hour away of one of the country's oldest theology schools.
Earlier this month, Minor was among 12 students who completed their first semester at the Quitman extension of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Seminary branches
The Quitman extension is one of 17 nationwide offered by the New Orleans seminary, said the Rev. Shane Freeman, Christian education director for the Clarke County Baptist Association.
Freeman, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, serves as administrator of the Quitman extension and spearheaded establishing the branch.
In addition, nearly half of the ministers in the 29 Southern Baptist churches in Clarke County do not have formal Christian education.
Ministry certification
The Quitman extension offers pastoral ministry certification; Starkville is the only other Mississippi locale to offer the designation. Certificate programs also are available.
While designed to assist ministers in their education, the program also is open to those interested in furthering their Christian knowledge, such as Sunday School teachers.
The pastoral ministry certification is a two-year program. Two courses are offered each semester; each course is 16 hours. Classes are at Clarke County Baptist Center on Tuesday nights, one hour for 16 weeks.
Instructors at the extension are graduates of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and have earned their master of divinity degrees.
And for those who plan to further their ministerial studies, courses at the Quitman extension apply as electives toward an associate degree at the New Orleans seminary
Ida Brown is special sections editor for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3224, or e-mail him at ibrown@themeridianstar.com.