In a recent Relevant Magazine article, pastor Kris Beckert authored a provocative article titled “When Risking it All for God Means Staying Where You Are.” In this article, Beckert explores the temptation to assume that we should reach for the next best thing or listen for the call of God to go to the furthest reaches of the earth. She counters the impulse with a convicting question: “What if … God might be wanting to use us right where we are?”

Beckert’s proposal is counter-cultural and noteworthy, to say the least. As she grapples with these questions in Maryland, Calvin’s own community wrestles with similar callings.

In the midst of Calvin’s institutional reaches around the globe, both the college and the seminary host high numbers of students who call West Michigan home. A fairly significant portion of the 291 degree-seeking seminarians called Calvin College their home during their undergraduate studies. Knowing that Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary share not only a beautiful plot of land, but also minds in the making, begs an explanation of both why and how this calling occurs. Three factors play into the idea of staying right where one is planted: depth, programming and renown.

When asked about large draws to the seminary, Aaron Einfield, director of admissions and enrollment management and a 2005 Calvin College alumnus, addresses the first component by commenting on the quality of Calvin Theological Seminary’s deeply thoughtful education:

“Calvin Seminary offers an education that has the necessary depth and breadth to prepare students for a life of ministry in a range of settings.” This education, distinctly Reformed in its approach, Einfeld said, provides practical, thoughtful and holistic engagement with the surrounding community and broader world.

Einfield notes that the motivation behind the complex lies in the seminary’s proclivity for shaping graduates who “become leaders of seminaries around the world.” Equipping students by paying attention to spiritual disciplines, spiritual development and classroom learning is the core of what is offered at the seminary.

As Calvin seeks to promote depth of learning, its programs also demonstrate a point of appeal. Recently, Calvin has added to its repertoire by ratifying two key arrangements. One is the gap-year program, which provides opportunity for Calvin College Jubilee Fellows to gain additional ministry experiences and course credit at Calvin Theological Seminary for their year spent in service. The second is the partnership with Handlon Prison, which allows opportunity for inmates to work toward an accredited degree from both the college and the seminary.

For Grant Hoffman, a 2013 Calvin College alumnus and 2nd-year M.Div. student, the prison partnership is something that gives him hope. “This is an opportunity for Calvin Seminary to be seen as a sort of a prison seminary … not only to minister to brothers and sisters but with these brothers and sisters in Christ. And that is an exciting thought!” To Hoffman, the seminary is breaking ground as it seeks to institutionally bear God’s kingdom.

Along with its depth and programming, Calvin Theological Seminary is respected around the world. Over 20 nations are represented in its relatively small student body, with just under half of its attending students coming from outside the United States. One of these students is Joella Ranaivoson, a 2013 Calvin College graduate and current 2nd-year M.Div. student. Falling into a unique category, Ranaivoson, who is a native of Madagascar, now calls the Calvin community her home. She does so despite frustrations or preconceived notions.

“Before attending Calvin Seminary, I had the impression folks were very serious,” said Ranaivoson. But over time, by God’s prompting, this place that holds a mix of blind spots and affirmations that encourage her has become the place where she knows she is supposed to be.

As the world continues to speed up and opportunities to experience the furthest reaches of our world become increasingly accessible, several students in the Calvin community find God’s blessing in the things near them, and for some, Calvin Seminary is one of those things. In the end, Hoffman’s words ring true for everyone endeavoring to follow God’s calling whether near or far:

“Feel called, stick around and actually work with what [you] see.”