DegreeInfo Distance Learning - online degree forum - View Single Post - Degrees and Ministerial Credibility: Church Division Releases Statement

flipkid · #8 11-18-2002, 03:10 PM

Agreed. I would rather a minster go to a quality unaccredited school than a diploma mill or no school at all. One thing that many RA schools are trying to do in that regards is to establish numerous extension centers...but not because of the minisitry sake...because they are losing to much money to all of the diploma mills and unaccredited schools that are operating in the area. But if an unaccredited school is seeking accreditation they usually have to close their extension schools. So who trains those ministers?

Usually the mills and the unaccredited schools that are not trying to be accredited.

It is just that many people do not have the true information and research that the wonderful people in these forums do. They are just trying to go somewhere that they can afford. When they come in contact with somebody that has gone somewhere "different" they want to know all about it. Especially if they do not have to travel far from home to accomplish it.

One of the things I have yet to see discussed is how some of these diploma mills dupe others to do their teach their classes/run their extensions for them. They do not reveal their hand until the "dean" has so invested himself or herself with them that they almost can not pull away with out much damage occuring to everybody concerend. Many times (like me) you would not find out until you had already invested time, effort and money...even if it was not at the same cost of a RA. While I would not reject what I have learned, I have not reccommended that anybody go to school there in many years now. While I maintain a cordial relationship with the school I am persona non grata right about now with them because of my position.

I just looked at a list of those that attended and graduated from the same extension center that I did. All are ministers...none are trying to use their degrees for secular employment...and all lived like myself at least 75 miles away from the nearest RA schools of religion of our denomination. [Virginia Union, Shaw...the others were and most still are still unaccredited even though some are free standing and fully operational campuses] (I know it seems it should not matter but in the first church I served they dismissed the former pastor because he had graduated from the wrong school...Liberty University School of Lifelong Learning)

That too is space for another thread.