Choosing to go to seminary does not have to mean choosing education at the expense of family. In fact, seminary can help families flourish as they grow in knowledge and the grace of God alongside a Christ-centered community.
This has been the experience of Nathan and Maya Parsons.
Maya was born and raised in Santa Clarita, California, a suburb about 45 minutes north of Los Angeles. In 2018, she married her husband Nathan right after graduating from college and the Parsons moved to Louisville to join the Southern Seminary community. They would each begin working on degrees as they started their family.
For those wondering how seminary can benefit families, Maya shared her experience as a student, seminary wife, and mother. Her story reveals that the hardships and joys of family life are best expressed and nurtured in a community rooted in the gospel.
What made you choose Southern Seminary?
When we first arrived at Southern Seminary, one of the most common questions we heard was, “What made you choose Southern?” Initially, we heard about Southern through Dr. Mohler’s various speaking and writing ministries. Ultimately, we settled on Southern because of its unwavering commitment to the truth. Whether it’s Old Testament I or Systematic Theology III, chapel services or the Fall Festival, Southern’s highest priority is that God’s Word is rightly understood and faithfully exalted. Apart from that foundation, Southern would lose its significance and purpose—because things like prestige, beauty, and success only have lasting value when they’re built on the truth of God’s Word.
How has SBTS helped you raise kids?
We have lived on campus for seven years and I often tell people that Southern Seminary is the best and safest backyard for our two kids. From the Play Center to the Bookstore to the Gym to the Pool, we are incredibly blessed to live on an expansive 88-acre campus. More importantly, the neighbors we’ve had have been an encouragement during our time here. They have become dear friends to us, even after they left to pursue pastoral ministry or missions work. It’s been fun to watch our friends fan out across the country, even the world, for the sake of the gospel.
What have been the biggest challenges?
From 2021 to 2022, we walked through a painful season of infertility and experienced two miscarriages. During that time, I was both working and studying at Southern Seminary. It was one of the most difficult periods of my life. Yet, in the midst of that suffering, classes like New Testament II with Dr. Tom Schreiner, Introduction to Biblical Counseling with Dr. Jeremy Pierre, and Systematic Theology II with Dr. Stephen Wellum were wells of refreshment for my soul.
We never outgrow our need to be shaped by God’s Word, even if you have a Bible undergraduate degree or a master’s degree in theological studies. This kind of formation is not only academic, but it begins in the classroom. What we believe about God touches every part of how we live, how we endure, and what we hold dear.
How has SBTS or being in Louisville helped you face those challenges?
Being students at Southern and members of Clifton Baptist Church helped us walk through the pain of miscarriage in ways we never could have imagined. The Lord used the Christ-centered community around us to help us process our grief in a godly way. Sound doctrine and faithful relationships pointed to and anchored us in God’s character and purposes. Though we still grieve, we do not grieve without hope. We are deeply grateful that God placed us here in this season.
What would you say to someone who doesn’t want to make the sacrifice to attend seminary because they are afraid of the cost toward their family?
There are certainly costs in attending seminary—uprooting your family, moving to a new city, finding a new church, and more. However, from our perspective, the benefits of living and studying here have far outweighed the costs. The combination of on-campus theological education and rich relationships with other families going through the same experiences has proved more than worth it, and even life-giving. With that said, the actual question of moving to Louisville for seminary is a question of wisdom for your family that should be thoughtfully discussed with pastors in your local church.
How would you summarize your experience as a student, wife, and mother at Southern Seminary?
My experience as a student, wife, and mother at Southern Seminary has been nothing short of transformative. Seminary was never just an academic pursuit for me—it was a spiritual necessity.
Being here has opened my eyes to the depth and beauty of God’s Word and shaped my heart in ways I never could have anticipated. Through rigorous study, faithful teaching, and a Christ-centered community, I’ve grown not only in knowledge but also in love—for the Lord, for His Church, and for the calling He has placed on my life.
Christian mothers have one of the most vital roles on earth. Other moms in the seminary community have helped me see that. We are given more time, more words, and more daily influence with the next generation than almost anyone else. If that’s true, shouldn’t we also be equipped, ready to give an answer to our children for the hope that is within us? Theological training is readily available for any believer who longs to know God more and faithfully pass on the truth of the gospel—especially to the ones growing up in our own homes.
How do you expect this period of seminary will shape your future?
This season of seminary has profoundly shaped not only our present, but also the course of our future. We’ve spent our entire married life here and it has formed the foundation of our family rhythms, our community, and our daily life in ministry. Living in a place where theological training is integrated into everyday life has taught us how to think biblically and live intentionally.Seminary has also taught us to slow down and embrace the process of being formed. We’ve had the privilege of learning from professors and pastors whose lives embody the very truths they teach—men marked by humility, wisdom, and a deep desire to glorify Christ, not themselves. Their example has shaped not only how we think about theology, but also how we envision ministry: not as a platform for recognition, but as a life of quiet, steady faithfulness, rooted in the reality of Christ’s work on the cross.