“What do you want to do when you graduate?” I hated that question.

I didn’t know much about myself, about the world, what I was good at, or what I enjoyed. I just knew that I loved Jesus, I wanted to follow Him more closely, and I was the healthiest when surrounded by good friends. So I enrolled in a one-year program very similar to Logos.

Over the coming years, I watched one friend after another lose the faith. And many more who didn’t totally walk away carry deep regrets from their time at college. I have often wondered if I would have been the same. Honestly…probably.

Instead, my first year away from home was marked by life-long friendships, taking long walks with God along some abandoned railroad lines, reading the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time, and getting clarity on my calling: a calling that remains intact over ten years later. For me, the choice to take a gap year is easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. So if you’re not sure what to do next, maybe consider taking one step back in order to take the next step forward with purpose and conviction.

Congratulations! You finished college, or maybe you’re just about to. Now you have some useful skills and are eager to put them to work. But you want to use these skills to build the Kingdom, not just earn a paycheck. You have bills, but you also long for fulfilling work that has eternal purpose. Many of our students feel the same way. Some are considering missions. Others are excited to raise a family. Still more want to work full-time and serve their church after hours.

Perhaps you’re not interested in any more school, but you would like to round out your Christian education and lay a strong foundation moving forward. Lucky for you, Logos isn’t like any school you’ve attended before. It’s the bridge between the sacred and secular that you’ve been looking for.

Go for it! Seminary opens all kinds of doors into ministry…especially Baptist ministry. It will take you deep into Scripture, theology, methods of ministry, and more. Not to mention, most full-time ministry jobs in the Baptist world require a seminary degree.

But also, let me tell you about my friend. As a high schooler, he was mostly sure that he wanted to do vocational ministry. But he didn’t have enough experience to know if committing to a four-year program was actually a good idea. So instead he went to a gap year program much like Logos. The program was very hands-on and allowed him to build relationships with local pastors. One of them was looking for a youth pastor. Because my friend already knew the students and the pastor, they hired him on the condition that he continued his seminary education online. They also offered to pay half of his tuition. Consequently, my friend was able to work and study simultaneously, graduate debt free, and accrue four years of ministry experience by the age of 23. Smart man.

Not to mention that Logos and seminary are totally different. We have an entirely different approach to education. Seminaries are scalable, reputable, well-organized, and scholarly. Logos is not even accredited, which I see as our greatest strength. It means that we are not constrained to syllabi, mid-term exams, capstone projects, required readings, and GPA standards. We are bound by one thing and one thing only: a relentless search for the things that foster real spiritual growth. We are free to adapt to the unique learning styles of today’s students. We talk through our thoughts rather than writing essays. Our measure of success is life change, not courses completed. And outreach is integrated into our weekly rhythms.

So yes, seminary is a great idea. But doing both is not redundant. I think you’ll find them to be complimentary and clarifying.

I know this seems like a side-step. And in many ways, it is. It’s a deviation. A detour from the standard track: college, career, marriage, kids, mortgage. But the world isn’t what it used to be.

Have you ever noticed that what was called “counter-cultural” in the 60s and 70s is now just “culture”? America used to be Christian. And some of the older generations still are, but your child’s generation is not. Our kids are living a shared experience with Daniel: exiles in a land that will not deal kindly with their faith. And I’m afraid that youth group and college ministries are not always enough to prepare them for that kind of a world.

Learning to discern God’s voice, discovering their calling, and forming their own beliefs is a delicate thing. It takes time. And space to experiment. And godly mentors who know them in various contexts. A gap year is not the end of the road; it is just a step back so your son or daughter can step forward with purpose and conviction.