The Master’s Seminary welcomed 36 prospective students to Los Angeles, the campus of Grace Community Church, and the classroom for its fall Preview Weekend, October 18–21.
“Over the course of four days, prospective students had the opportunity to see what life is like in Los Angeles,” Ben Trowbridge said. Ben oversees enrollment and student services at The Master’s Seminary. “They also had the opportunity to visit Grace Community Church on Sunday and see what ministry could be like during seminary. On Tuesday, prospective students and their families attended classes, went to chapel, and joined faculty and staff for lunch.”
Along with stops at some of the city’s most iconic spots, including Griffith Observatory and lunch at In-N-Out, prospective students also visited Santa Clarita, a suburb of Los Angeles where many students live. There, they toured an apartment complex that leases to TMS students. It gave them the opportunity to see what seminary life is like outside the classroom.
“I think the prospective students not from California are a little surprised that the neighborhoods close to the seminary are safe, nice, and family-friendly,” Chase Cartmell said. Chase is an admissions counselor at The Master’s Seminary. “This weekend corrects a lot of misconceptions about life in LA. The wives, in particular, seem excited when we visit some of the housing options. It’s almost as if they can imagine themselves living there and raising a family.”
Every preview weekend, Chase particularly enjoys interacting with the men after they have visited classes on Tuesday, joined the student body for chapel, and met professors. Some of these men come to TMS thinking the education is only about head knowledge or preaching ability. But when they see the spiritual emphasis in classes and chapel, as well as the personal approach to teaching from each of the professors, they understand that TMS is primarily looking to shape and fashion the character of the men it trains. Without that, no student is truly equipped for the ministry.
For Ben and Chase, this fall’s Preview Weekend affirmed something both have experienced time and time again: those who visit the campus and see with their own eyes what it’s like to live in Los Angeles, attend Grace Community Church, and train at TMS are often convinced it’s the best institution to prepare them for pastoral ministry.
“I always tell guys to just come and see the school,” Ben says. “An in-person visit will answer all your questions and get you excited about the possibility of training here.”
“There are other good seminaries out there, but not many are as intimately tied to the local church as TMS,” Chase said. “You can’t really understand that intimate connection over the phone or in a blog post or anything like that. You need to come. Preview Weekend is uniquely set up with that Sunday being at Grace Church, Monday being in LA, then Tuesday coming to class at TMS and experiencing what life is like when seminary is integrated into the local church. That’s the biggest reason to come see it. You get the full picture of what it’s actually like to train for ministry while you participate in ministry.”
The Master’s Seminary’s next Preview Weekend is scheduled for April 2026. To learn more, or to schedule a private visit, go to tms.edu/admissions/visit.