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Student Life
A COMMUNITY OF FAITH
Westminster Seminary California is more than an academic institution built a beautiful ten-acre campus in the hills of Escondido; it is a community of faith existing to glorify God and to make the Gospel of Christ known through the church. The WSC community is a diverse one, composed of faculty, staff and students from a variety of denominations. This variety, especially among the student body, ensures an atmosphere of challenging and stimulating discussions about theology and ministry. This community is also unified under the banner of Christ and God’s revelation. The faculty and students study his Word together, believing that the church is best served by those who know and love that Word. WSC is united with a profound commitment to Christ and to his Gospel as recorded in the Scriptures and expressed in our common confessions of faith. Each student experiences a Christian community of faith not only in the classroom, but also in chapel services that promote spiritual life, faith,
and fellowship in a variety of forums.
DEVOTIONAL LIFE
The spiritual life of Westminster Seminary California is nurtured by
morning devotions on Tuesday and Thursday under the oversight of the
faculty, student-advisor prayer groups on Wednesday, and by informal
gatherings for prayer and praise. Speakers at the devotional
services include faculty, pastors, students, mission
representatives, and Christian lay people. Students also meet to
pray for missionaries around the world and the Student Association
invites missionaries as guest speakers. Faculty advisors and their
students share the burdens and blessings of serving Christ in weekly
group prayer meetings, as well as in personal conferences. One root
conviction governs all these devotional exercises—namely, that the
Word of God is the true guide in Christian worship and Christian
prayer, as well as in all other activities of the Christian life. It
is only when the believer, with the help and guidance of the Holy
Spirit, returns continually to the great scriptural doctrines of
God, of sin, and of grace, that true blessing is to be obtained.
WSC recognizes the indispensable role of the church in the growth of every believer and does not assume to itself the church’s responsibility for the nurture of the spiritual life of the student. Therefore students are urged to
associate with the life and work of a local congregation of their choice.
THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
The Student Association promotes Christian fellowship and growth
among students, faculty, staff, and their families and provides a
voice for student concerns. Activities of the Student Association,
such as WSC dinners, guest speakers, the student-faculty softball
game, BBQ lunches, sporting events, tournaments, and student lounge
events are supported through an annual student activities fee. The
officers of the Association, (president, vice president, secretary,
and treasurer,) are elected annually by all full-time students. This
association is one of the major ways WSC promotes a community of
faith.
WESTMINSTER WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP
The Westminster Women’s Fellowship (WWF) is a diverse group of women
connected to WSC – from students and administrators to faculty and
student wives. WWF provides an opportunity for new women at the
Seminary to cultivate friendships with and benefit from those who
have long associations with WSC. Activities are planned to address
both theological issues and practical concerns. These include
women’s teas, brunches, cookie exchanges, movie nights, and guest
speakers. WWF activities are supported with a portion of the annual
student activities fee.
WESTMINSTER KOREAN FELLOWSHIP
The Westminster Korean Fellowship (WKF) exists as a resource for students serving in Korean-American churches to (1) facilitate networking and (2) create forums for biblical reflection about the application of Reformed theology in the Korean-American church. WKF holds informal discussion groups about pressing issues in Korean-American ministries. In addition, WKF organizes a theological colloquium in the spring targeting the broader seminary and church communities. WKF activities are supported with a portion of the annual student activities fee.
DEN DULK LECTURES
The Robert G. and Nellie B. den Dulk Lectures on Pastoral Ministry were endowed by friends of Westminster Seminary California when Bob den Dulk resigned as the second president of the Seminary. In appreciation for the den Dulks’ 30-year service to the Westminster Seminaries in Pennsylvania and California and in recognition of their passion for the preparation of pastors to preach the word of God faithfully and powerfully, Westminster Seminary California designated the proceeds of this endowment to bring an experienced pastor to the campus each year to address students preparing for the ministry of the Word and pastors engaged in ministry. This lecture is designed to encourage students and pastors and give counsel regarding the rigor and joy of shepherding Christ’s flock.
LIBRARY
The library houses over 120,000 titles and subscribes to 260 periodicals. A substantial collection of works on Reformed theology is augmented by an excellent collection of materials in biblical studies and church history. Of special note are the microfilm editions of titles in Evans's American Bibliography and Migne's Patrologiae (Greek and Latin Fathers), Corpus Reformatorum (all the works of Calvin) and numerous 16th and 17th century Puritan texts.
The reference and periodical rooms are spacious and well lit, ideal for study and reflection. In the open stack area, individual study carrels line windows that overlook the valley. Through membership in the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium, the library affords unlimited online searching of Online Computer Library Center’s (OCLC) large book database along with nearly seventy other discipline-specific periodical databases through OCLC’s FirstSearch service (thirty-nine of these databases contain full-text documents that can be read online or printed).
The library also has online access to the premier religion and theological periodical database, ATLA, the full-text religion database in Proquest, indexing and abstracting of religion periodicals in Religious and Theological Abstracts, and the full text of seminal works from the Reformation and Post-Reformation eras through the Digital Library of Classical Protestant Texts.
Access to these online resources is a significant advance in information retrieval that faculty and students now take advantage of on and off campus. To support the new online services, the library expanded its computing resources by installing a wireless network that allows
the many laptop users in the library access to online resources from any place in the library.
CAMPUS BOOKSTORE
WSC Books is located on the central quad of the campus. The bookstore stocks course textbooks, faculty books, and other important theological and pastoral resources. In addition to books, the
seminary also sells audio lectures, magazines, and seminary apparel.
Future plans for the bookstore include an online store and an
in-store coffee bar for the seminary community.
NUZI TABLET
The Nuzi Tablet is the Seminary’s weekly newsletter (during the
academic year). It provides students, staff, and faculty with
current and upcoming information regarding events on campus,
opportunities in the community, and open positions for students or
graduates in ministry. It is available via email and on the WSC
website.
PRACTICAL SERVICE
Effective preparation for the ministry of the gospel requires training in service. WSC’s courses and the field education requirement provide opportunities for intensive study and service. The curriculum seeks to relate devout scholarship to informed ministry of the Word.
Students preparing for the pastoral ministry are urged to work under faithful church supervision from the very beginning of their seminary study, particularly during the summer months. Service projects are
included in the course work of the Practical Theology department, and special projects may be arranged for elective credit. The Director of Field Education advises students of service opportunities, and coordinates the fulfillment of field education requirements with the M.Div. students and pastoral internship supervisors. Each M.Div. student is required to register for the pastoral internship (FE691) during the Spring term of his first year.
HOUSING
The Admissions office seeks to assist students in finding suitable
accommodations by providing informative resources on housing
opportunities in the community. Students have the opportunity to
live with local families or rent houses or apartments in Escondido
and elsewhere in San Diego County. New students should plan to
arrive in the area and seek accommodations during the summer, no
later than two weeks prior to the beginning of classes. Students
enrolling in summer Greek should plan on arriving sometime in early
July.
STUDENT HEALTH
WSC strongly recommends that students carry health insurance
coverage because of the inherent financial risks in the event of
their own or a family member’s accident or illness. International
students are required to carry medical insurance. The Dean of
Students can supply information on various available health
insurance programs.
SPOUSE PRIVILEGES
Full-time students and their spouses may audit courses without charge. Auditing fees shall be paid for children of (full- or part-time) students wishing to audit a course.
Spouses of full-time students, who have also been accepted to Westminster Seminary California as students, may take courses for credit at two-thirds the standard tuition fee. If both students are full-time, the spouse taking the lesser number of units will receive the discount. Alumni and their spouses may audit courses previously taken for credit without charge.
MINISTERIAL PLACEMENT
Churches from around the country regularly contact Westminster Seminary California regarding open ministerial positions. These are made available to graduating
Seniors and alumni through our list-serve. Churches throughout San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties inform us of internship needs that current students might be able to fulfill as part of their Field Education training. Community members often advertise part-time positions for which students might qualify, through the Nuzi and the bulletin board in the Student Lounge.
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