RBC Alumni Spotlight: Juan Esteves
Posted On December 19, 2024
Juan Estevez is an RBC alumni who is currently enrolled in the M.Div. program at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is also currently serving at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia as the Hispanic Ministry Director.
We recently asked Juan to share how his time at RBC helped prepared him for seminary and what advice he would give current RBC students who are considering attending seminary after graduation.
What did you take away from your time at RBC that has impacted your studies in seminary?
Not unlike the things you take with you once you leave home for the first time, there were things I took with me when I left RBC. Certainly, you take with you one or a few family heirlooms: your father’s watch, your mother’s dessert recipe, a family photograph. My RBC heirlooms consist of commemorative t-shirts, a hand-written note from Dr. Nichols, signed copies of Dr. Mathisons’s books, and perhaps my favorite, Dr. Tweeddale’s personal copy of William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying (containing his annotations).
However, as special as these tangible things may be, what I have found more important, more formative, more endearing, and more lasting are those intangible things I packed into a special compartment in the deepest recesses of my heart. It’s these intangibles to which I keep coming back and whose presence continue to be a source of encouragement and an impetus to praise God from whom these blessings flow.
The first of these intangibles is the puritanical (in the good sense of the word) work ethic which must quickly be forged if one is to survive the sheer number of pages to read and the theological depth one will encounter in those pages during any given semester. Along with this work ethic comes a certain level of discipline and a heightened sense of the importance of time management. Procrastination, in light of the pressures of the semesters at RBC, tends to be akin to a highly contentious post on social media—you shouldn’t engage with it, and if you do, you’ll regret it soon after.
The second of these intangibles is the ability to find and appreciate truth, goodness, and beauty wherever it may be found—even in otherwise dark places like Mary Shelley’s macabre novel Frankenstein. The other side of this ability—the ability to detect what is false, evil, and grotesque even when subtly couched in beautiful poetic prose like The Sorrows of Young Werther—is equally helpful. This dual ability has the effect of producing within us a sophisticated mechanism by which we may accurately evaluate the world around us, enabling us to chart a path that both resists the temptation to withdraw from the culture and the temptation to mindlessly adopt the contemporary ethos without subjecting it to the light of Scripture.
The last and most important of these intangibles is the recognition that all theological learning, no matter how abstract it may appear at times, has its telos in conforming us to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and the edification of his church. This is always the case. Period. In light of this, it becomes exceedingly clear that it is humility and not hubris, that is commensurate with theological learning.
In class, Dr. Mathison would, with some reluctance, go into what he would call his “pastoral rants.” Many times, these “rants” would involve a generic “little old lady” whom we must never, as students of theology, demean because of our theological learning. This command was upon the pain of having Dr. Mathison himself tracking and finding those who would do such a thing to the hypothetical elderly saint. His admonitions worked—impressing upon me this all too important truth.
These then are my most cherished heirlooms from RBC, and they have provided a solid foundation upon which to build subsequent studies. And even greater yet, these intangible things are transferable into all areas of life including a ministry context. I like to think that while I did leave RBC a few years ago, RBC has not left me; it still lives inside the recesses of my heart, transfigured into these imperishable intangibles.
What advice would you give a student who is looking to further their studies at seminary?
To the students considering seminary, I would encourage them in this way:
Firstly, think of seminary as a cemetery. This has been frequently said before, but not in the way that I am advocating here. What I am advocating for is an understanding of seminary as a place, at least partly, where you die to self. Certainty, we are commanded to die to self as Christians in general (Matt. 16:24–25). However, what I’m referring to is the kind of thing that should characterize an aspiring minister of the gospel which yields a life that is above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2). The aspiring minister must learn to die for the sake of Christ, and die again for the sake of Christ’s people, so that he may be prepared to do all he can, even endure mistreatment, to never pose a hindrance to the proclamation of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:12).
Secondly, if the seminary that you plan to attend is out of town and requires you to find a new church, do not wait until you move to establish connections with local churches. Be proactive and be determined to commit to a local church so that your theological training occurs within a church context. Pastoral guidance and church life will be crucial at this point.
Thirdly, strive to see the entirety of your time at seminary as preparatory, not just your class attendance and assignments. The things you will learn outside of class will be incredibly useful in life and ministry. Things like building and maintaining relationships, balancing work and life, and managing stress—all of these are invaluable in ministry. Lastly, students considering seminary need to settle it in their hearts that all things, even poor grades, will inevitably work together for their good—granted that the good is conformity unto our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Are you interested in learning theology for life at RBC? You can earn a Certificate in Theology, an Associate of Arts in Theology, or a Bachelor of Arts in Theology with our affordable on-campus degree programs. Contact our Admissions team with any questions.