As the crow flies, it is about 9,000 miles from Coffs Harbour, Australia to Deerfield, Illinois.

Coffs Harbour is located roughly halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. The pastor of nearby Sandy Beach Baptist Church, Terry Allen, has never set foot on the campus of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

But graduation records for May 2019 show Allen receiving a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MA/TS) from TEDS, earned completely online from his small office in Coffs Harbour.

Allen’s interest in TEDS dates back more than 25 years, when now-Emeritus professor of New Testament Don Carson’s writings first captured his attention.

“I noted on the dust jackets of professor Carson’s books that he taught at TEDS,” Allen says. “When I discovered Ravi Zacharias studied there in the 1970s, I thought ‘wow, this has to be some Bible seminary!’”

Years later when he discovered TEDS offered a fully online MA/TS degree Allen applied immediately. TEDS director of masters programs John Simons took on the challenge of bridging the cultural gaps. Allen had difficulty understanding the TEDS class schedule.

“In the first year, I had no clue as to how it all worked,” Allen recalls. “For example, Australians do not celebrate Thanksgiving, but TEDS almost seems to shut down for a week during that time.

“John kept me in the loop with deadlines for each semester and guided me through course selection,” says Allen. “Without John, I would have messed up so many important things.”

Some would question the need for such efforts, given the options for theological education available in his native land.

“There are Bible seminaries in Australia offering equivalent courses now,” Allen says, “but I wanted to study through the organization which had fed me all those wonderful books.

“It was one of the best decisions of my life.”

As he was working on his MA/TS degree online, Allen also embraced a ministry opportunity in Nepal. Pastors there were leading midsized congregations with no training. Many of these pastors had converted to Christianity themselves only a year or two earlier.

“It lit a fire within me,” Allen says. “I could see the opportunity.”

The congregation at Sandy Beach Baptist raised money for his trip to Nepal, which came as Allen had just completed an online TEDS class in homiletics. He immediately applied that training to the preparation of 200 pastors in Nepal.

“They desperately needed to know how to prepare Bible studies and sermons,” Allen recalls. The need he observed prompted plans for a second Nepal trip.

“I had them preach to me, and attempted to give them feedback through my interpreter,” Allen says.

Faculty members in Deerfield were impressed.

“Terry was a delight to have in class,” says James Moore, TEDS associate professor of educational ministries. “He evidenced immediate application of his online educational ministry classes both into the life of his local church and his cross-cultural mission context in Nepal.”

“I have always felt frustrated that I have not been able to attend Bible seminary in person,” Allen says. “Now I am in contact with another group of Christians who cannot attend Bible seminary and I know I can help them.”

Allen never planned to attend his own graduation ceremonies in Deerfield. One day, perhaps, he will visit the campus where he earned is MA/TS degree. For now, Allen’s travel plans point to Nepal.

“I believe it is a calling on my life to go to them and to give them, free of charge, what I have been so fortunate to receive from TEDS,” says Allen.

“Like never before, I am aware of how great the harvest is, but also, how few the number of available workers.”

Kirsten King leads a busy life.

In addition to holding down a staff position as director of youth discipleship and training at First Evangelical Free Church in Maplewood, Minnesota, she serves as a retreat speaker and Bible teacher at conferences and other events. She also produces the Good Story podcast.

Her life is so full that putting everything on hold to attend divinity school was not an option. She discovered the Master of Arts in Theological Studies program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and wound up taking only one short modular class on the Deerfield campus. Everything else she completed from her home in Minnesota, and she graduated in May 2018.

But at the start, Kirsten worried about the online format. As a student, she always enjoyed interaction with classmates and instructors. Would classes be reduced to an impersonal grind of reading and writing assignments carried out in solitude?

“I was so wrong,” Kirsten says.  “I am convinced that I had even deeper and more significant interactions along the way.  I shared courses with colleagues across the United States from Maryland to Nevada and Minnesota to Arizona.  I had courses with people from Brazil, various places throughout Asia, Russia and Australia.”

She made close connections with Terry Allen, an online student from Australia, who wound up registered for many of Kirsten’s classes. They established a bond that went beyond classroom assignments. One semester, both of them faced difficult health situations within their families.

“My father-in-law and Terry’s father both experienced health crises,” Kirsten recalls.  “My father-in-law passed away and Terry’s dad recovered, but the reality of heaven and the reality of the body of Christ that crosses 9,000 miles was evident on a very practical level.”

Kirsten says the wide array of perspectives based on geographical location in the online MA/TS program proved to be of great benefit.

“Ethical Theory course was likely the most diverse,” Kirsten says, “with pastors and surgeons, palliative care doctors and computer engineers.  We looked at the study of ethics and the medical, theological and practical implications.  Each (student) added a layer to the deeply rich conversation.”

Kirsten observes that in a traditional classroom, a few talkative students dominate many discussions. Those who are more reserved might not contribute much to the class. But that problem is greatly reduced in the online classroom.

“We were often required to post original discussion comments and questions, and were required to respond to three of our colleagues’ posts,” Kirsten says. “We were also required to answer any questions that were posed to us in the discussion forum.  My experience in a classroom setting did not make room for each person’s comments.”

Those early concerns about working in an online program at TEDS vanished quickly.

“I enjoyed every course, and have maintained contact with a number of my professors as well as some of the students I met along the way,” Kirsten concludes. “I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity!”