A church-based graduate seminary that develops people for ministry — keeping costs low, allowing families to thrive, and providing the practical training that prepares you for a lifetime of faithful service.
Accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) · VA-recognized institution · Est. 2007
Faith Bible Seminary is a graduate-level training institution designed to glorify God by equipping students with a biblical education for effective Christian ministry. We exist at the intersection of the academy and the local church — not as an afterthought, but as a foundational commitment.
Founded in 2007 as a ministry of Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana, FBS was built around three core values: lower cost, so graduates remain available for ministry; valuing time, so students can balance full-time ministry with academic work; and partnerships with local churches that provide real, practical ministry experience.
Pastoral training reinvented — a better way to prepare for ministry.
Whether you are called to pastoral leadership or biblical counseling, FBS offers a rigorous, practical, and affordable graduate education rooted in the local church.
The degree for men called to pastoral ministry. The FBS M.Div. integrates three years of academic coursework with a partially-paid, part-time church internship — so you graduate with both a degree and real ministry experience.
Next cohort 2028
Faith Church internship applicants apply by September 1, 2027 · all others by July 1, 2028.
Designed to equip pastors, missionaries, and lay men and women as biblical counselors. The MABC is a hybrid, accredited graduate degree — online and residency courses with only five weeks on campus in the whole program.
Winter 2026–27 term
Apply by October 6, 2026 · Spring 2027 term: apply by March 23, 2027.
The Master of Divinity was built to answer the three biggest problems in traditional seminary education. (Looking at the M.A. in Biblical Counseling? See how the MABC works.)
Lower cost is the first of FBS's core values: minimize student debt so graduates remain available for ministry. M.Div. students in full-time ministry or a church internship pay $2,000 a year.
Learn moreThe M.Div. is a demanding three years. The FBS model — a church internship in place of outside employment, low tuition, and faculty who make room for marriage and children — is built so families can thrive through it.
Learn moreStudents don't just study ministry — they do ministry. Every M.Div. student serves in a local church three to four days per week, so what is learned in the classroom is applied in real pastoral contexts.
Learn moreAnd what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.2 Timothy 2:2
The M.Div. program's paradigm is built on a simple but powerful conviction: pastoral ministry is not simply an academic endeavor. At FBS, practical training is not an add-on — it is central to the entire educational experience.
Students are in class at FBS in Lafayette one to two days per week — usually one full day — plus four to five one-week modular courses each year.
The other three to four days, each student serves in a church internship at Faith Church or a partnering church. The internship is half of the education.
The church balances three aims: strengthening the student’s weaknesses, using his gifts, and meeting real local needs — while training him alongside the seminary.
Academics and ministry run side by side for all three years — graduating students who have already been doing the work.
What biblical counseling is, how it differs from Christian counseling and licensed therapy, and the three ways to get trained: basic training, ACBC certification, or a graduate degree.
Read the guideWhat seminary costs, what drives the total beyond tuition, where scholarships and VA benefits fit, and how Faith Bible Seminary keeps tuition at $2,000 a year for ministry students.
Read the guideWhat a Master of Divinity is, how long it takes, what you study, how it compares with an M.A., and whether you need one for the ministry you are called to.
Read the guideFBS faculty are not merely academics — they are active pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders who bring the classroom into contact with real church life.
President · M.Div. Chair
B.S. Mechanical Engineering (Oklahoma State), M.S. Engineering (Purdue), M.Div. (Central), Th.M. (Trinity), Ph.D. (Baptist Bible)
Lead Pastor · MABC Chair
B.S. Engineering Physics (Oklahoma State), M.Div. (Baptist Bible), Ph.D. New Testament (Baptist Bible)
Dean of Enrollment Management & Academics
Pastor of Faith West & International Ministries
B.S. Accounting & Management (Purdue), M.Div. (Faith Bible Seminary)
Admission is based on prior academic training, character, and intended purpose for the education. The M.Div. admits one cohort every three years — the next begins in 2028. The MABC admits new students for the winter and spring terms each year. Requirements differ between the programs, so review each carefully before applying.
Explore the M.Div. or MABC program pages to understand admission criteria, curriculum, and scheduling. Both programs require a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA.
Apply online. Application fees: $40 (M.Div.) or $50 (MABC), non-refundable.
Personal testimony, three reference letters, a pastoral reference, and official transcripts. MABC applicants also meet an admissions representative by video.
Once accepted, you’ll be integrated into the FBS community — academically, spiritually, and practically.
FBS is a ministry of Faith Church. Veterans benefits accepted. See the academic catalog for the complete fee schedule.
Apply to Faith Bible SeminaryFaith Bible Seminary is not a freestanding institution — it is a ministry of Faith Church of Lafayette, Indiana. This is not incidental to who we are; it is foundational. Faith Church was founded in 1964 with a commitment to discipleship, and the seminary grew out of a church strategic plan that saw pastoral training as a natural extension of that work.
Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries, a ministry of Faith Church, has trained over 10,000 men and women in biblical counseling over more than 30 years and provides over 2,000 hours of free counseling to the community every year. That legacy of practical, church-rooted training is the soil from which FBS grew — and it continues to shape everything we do.
Visit Faith Church Lafayette
Take the first step toward a biblical education that will shape your ministry for decades to come.