About Me

Hi!  I’m Jill Barbour and I’m a student in the Master’s of Arts degree in Christian Studies at SEBTS.  I am currently in my 4^th year of part-time studies.  I live in Clayton, NC with my two children, Luke, 21, and Emme, 10, and my supportive husband, Rusty.  We have been married almost 27 years. Our oldest son, Wes, got married to a beautiful woman, Allison, this summer; they live in Chicago. 

This is not my first master’s degree!  I received my Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing from ECU and several years later, I received my Master’s in Nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill.  So why in the world would I want to return to college for another degree? Have you ever studied the Bible or listened to a sermon and knew that there was far more that you wanted to know?   Or heard of a missionary and wish that was you? I had never envisioned going back to school again and yet, I realized that God was calling me to an opportunity to study under great teachers at SEBTS.  

We have been members of Baptist Center Church in Clayton for over 40 years.  Baptist Center is a small church with only one paid pastor on staff.  The opportunities for service are abundant.  I have enjoyed working in all areas of the church but the same area that called me to my career as a women’s health nurse practitioner was the same area of ministry that I was being called to in the church: women’s ministry.   

While many of the degrees interested me- women’s studies, biblical counseling, etc- I decided to go with Christian Studies.  I liked the broad nature of the degree.  Since obtaining this degree more than likely will not change my career, I wanted the broadest education that I could receive.  My desire is to increase my knowledge so that I can better serve others in the local church.  I don’t know if there is a specific order of classes that is best but I began with Old Testament 1 with Dr. McKenzie.  It was truly a life altering class! He taught me how to properly view the Old Testament.  The OT went from a book of interesting yet disconnected stories to a beautiful grand narrative of God redeeming the world to Himself through His Son. 

I can honestly say that all of the professors I have had have been incredible examples of men who love the Lord and want to help each of us to grow in our depth of understanding of Scripture.  They live the lives that they teach.  Hermeneutics with Dr. McKinion was an incredible class that taught me how to read and understand Scripture and see the interconnectedness like never before.  I have used so much of what I have learned already in my local church.  I think I practically taught my entire hermeneutics class to our Wednesday night Bible Study group.  My Sunday School class could teach Genesis to anyone after we studied it for almost six months! 

Is school easy with a family and a busy job?  NO!!  Do I want to give up at times?  Yes!!  But I keep hanging on because of the value of what I am learning!  I don’t want to miss out on a single class.  I’m not sure how this might change my future, but do know that it is giving me a direct application within the local church every single week and for that I am very grateful!

About Me

Hi there! My name is Lacy Fairchild, and I am in my third semester here at Southeastern where I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies. I attend Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh, and I am so thankful the Lord has placed me there.

What made you choose this degree?

When I first came to Southeastern, I was going to study Missiology. However, after spending some time in prayer, I decided to switch to Intercultural Studies.  I chose this degree because of a mission trip to Turkey that I went on when I was a sophomore in college.  It was after that mission trip that I felt like God was revealing to me the call of missions on my life.  After going to Turkey, I served a summer in South Africa and I was able to serve in China with Bay Leaf this past summer.  I want to share the love of Christ with the nations.

How do you want to use this degree when you finish?

When I finish this degree, I hope to go overseas (in God's timing, of course!). My undergraduate degree is in Fitness and Wellness. Therefore, I want to work in countries where they suffer from malnutrition because of the poverty levels. Most of all, I just want to love on the people and share His Word and love with them.

How have some of the courses that you have taken benefited you already?

I have benefited from taking a lot of mission classes already, because the professors of those classes have been such an encouragement.  In each class that I have had the opportunity to attend, I have been able to see my professors’ passion for how we need to go and reach the nations.  Currently, I am taking an Evangelism course, and it has been teaching me how to get out of my comfort zone in sharing the Gospel with people around me.  This is helping prepare me for going overseas to share about the love of Christ.

Is there any advice you would give to students who are thinking of pursing this degree?

I would give the same advice to students who are thinking about pursuing any degree: set aside some time to have a quiet time with the Lord.  That is one thing that has truly helped get me through each day.  Also, get involved in a local church where you can be around a community of believers who build you up and encourage you. 

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, “Here I am! Send me." - Isaiah 6:8 

About Me

Hello! My name is Bailey Shoemaker, and I am in my third semester here at Southeastern. Originally from Mississippi, I moved to Raleigh a little over a year ago to attend seminary. Currently, I work as a graphic designer and I am pursuing an MDiv in International Church Planting. Life is crazy and awesome, but I am just taking it one day at a time, loving people and enjoying this season of learning. I am a member of the Summit Church, which is my family, and love seeing what God is doing!

I originally felt led to go Seminary in early college when God began fostering a deep love for the Scriptures in my heart; as I read more, I just needed to understand the context and the history behind the passage.  As I continued on in college, I really started to see some type of international missions as a part of my future.  God used time that I spent hanging out with a lot of international students and an opportunity to spend several summers overseas to radically change my view of the world and ministry.

To make a long story short, seminary was not what I expected.  The material didn’t just affect me academically, but spiritually as well, penetrating deep into my soul, provoking questions that I did not know the answer to.  It was quite difficult, but oh so good!  God shook me upside down that first year, challenging and refining me as questions emerged about who I was and what I believed.  I struggled a lot to figure out why God brought me here, even though I knew without a shadow of a doubt I was supposed to be here.  I slowly started to realize that my focus was too limited.  I had one idea of what I should do and how I should get there.  Throughout the last year, God has broken me and shaped in me new ways, and given me a renewed sense of joy!  He has opened my heart to a variety of ministries.  

Don’t get me wrong; I still love international missions, but in a beautiful way, God has released my grip on what I think my life should look like, and transformed my perspective into an open-minded one.  Oh, it has been a rough year wrestling with who am I and coming back to the amazing truth of my identity anchored in Christ, strengthened now with a better understanding of His gospel and dependency on Him, but I would never trade it for the world!

I am still in the same degree program, but as I tell most people, I am pretty much just winging it!  Who knows where God will lead, but I am so privileged to be a part of his perfect plan, and know that whether I end up in a hut in Africa, an ESL center in Chicago, or a coffee shop in Ukraine, He is so good!   

Southeastern has been such an amazing source of growth and theological richness.  I am so thankful for each of the professors here that have brought a new challenge and perspective of the elements of the gospel.  I am so excited to continue to sharpen my understanding of the Scriptures, grow in my knowledge of theology, and ultimately just learn as much as I can during this season.  I am so grateful for the opportunity, and we shall see what lies ahead!