Going to Seminary

Gordon, T. David. Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009. 108 pp. $9.99.

Homiletics will only get us so far.  Something more is necessary in order for an average preacher to rise above his peers and become a great one.  This book is Dr. T. David Gordon’s attempt to locate that “x-factor.”  I had the pleasure of taking Greek with Gordon at Grove City College in the fall of 2004, and this book is a reflection of his teaching style.  His brutal honesty comes off as winsome, even entertaining.  And his argument is persuasive.

I can safely recommend this book to seminary students for two reasons.  First, they’re probably not preaching yet (at least not on a regular basis), so they can accept Gordon’s criticism of the general quality of preaching today without offense.  Second, the subject matter makes itself suitable as secondary reading for homiletics curricula.  Preaching style is not addressed from a technical standpoint.  Rather, Gordon, who teaches media ecology as well as religion, comments that cultural changes in the West have moved society (including preachers) away from word-based media and toward picture-based media.  As a result, preachers do not know how to appreciate good writing.

The author is essentially saying that Johnny can’t preach because he also can neither read nor write.  After painting the problem as such, Gordon goes on the suggest the obvious solution: preachers should cultivate an appreciation for both practices.  I found myself able to resonate with these suggestions.  I know that I do not read enough literature.  I also know that most of what I do read is not literature, but some form of technical writing (theological or otherwise).  Gordon makes it clear that reading something for understanding is vastly different than reading something for enjoyment.  So “cultivating an appreciation” for reading means finding a style whose form you can appreciate as much as its message and taking the time to read it for enjoyment.

Writing is more or less a matter of practice.  But how much practice does a person get on average today versus 50 years ago?  When was the last time you wrote something that wasn’t an e-mail, or a required paper for class?  If we will be writing sermons, then we should enjoy writing.  This book provoked me to consider taking up paper correspondence again, just to get the practice in writing something more formal than e-mail.  I haven’t done this yet.

Is this all common sense?  Is Gordon just making a lot of noise to say something that people intuitively know?  Perhaps.  But for me, even if I didn’t learn much that was new, there was a payoff to having these thoughts moved from the back of my mind to the front.  One such payoff has been that, now more than ever, I consider all of the writing I do (required or otherwise) as service to the Church.  This is not to say that it’s a gift to the Church (as if the Church should be grateful I’m writing!).  But it is a service to the extent I might come out on the other end a better preacher.  The same goes for reading such a breadth of literature that I become more able to express myself in writing.  We learn to talk by listening to our parents.  We learn to write (sermons) by reading literature.

I said earlier that preaching is not addressed from a technical standpoint in this book.  That’s really only half-true.  The book actually contains a chapter-length parenthesis in which Gordon considers the content of a good sermon.  I imagine the author included this chapter because he sees good sermon content so rarely that he felt not saying anything on the subject would be unhelpful.  Suffice it to say that, while the chapter seems like somewhat of an extended parenthesis, I agree with Gordon’s point here as well.  Sermon’s should be Christ-centered.

In the end, as preachers, we are ministers of God’s Word.  This means that, despite the broader culture’s drift to image-based media, what we do is inherently word-based.  We need to own that, and do everything we can to cultivate our enjoyment of all kinds of literature (including Holy Scripture).  Finally, we ought to pray that we can be used to pass the enjoyment on to those who hear our sermons.  We’re not just giving people information during our sermons.  We’re teaching them to read the Bible.  Ultimately, though, we’re provoking their hearts and ours to worship.  We need to craft our sermons in such a way that they can carry that weight.  If Johnny learns to do that, then Johnny has learned how to preach.

I have a way of getting through something tough and then wishing I could go back and do it again.  It’s not that I enjoy torturing myself.  Rather, it’s that I usually learn a lot under such stress.  Because I knew more coming out of the experience than I did going in, there are some things I would do differently.

There is one lesson in particular I wanted to offer that might benefit others who are considering seminary.  When I walk into the classroom this fall, I will have a drastically different mission than I did last year.  This new mission hasn’t displaced my earlier reasons for going, but it has put them in perspective.  I’m still considering pursuing doctoral-level work after my M. Div.; and my ultimate goal is still to begin a church planting ministry in my old stomping grounds of Upstate New York.

So what’s the lesson?  What’s my new mission at seminary?  I’m going to learn about Jesus.  And I am going to learn about Jesus so that I can worship Him.

Now you’re disappointed, aren’t you?  You thought I was going to say something really important and earth shattering, didn’t you?  Here’s the thing: this is important.  I know that, by itself, it isn’t really memorable.  But it’s still important.  Yet it’s easily forgotten.  Probably because it seems so obvious.  But most of the important things I have learned recently have been things that seemed so obvious that I didn’t even think about the fact that maybe I wasn’t actually there.

If you’re like me, you run the risk of seminary being merely about preparing for ministry.  That’s important.  Or maybe you’re the type that is more tempted to think of seminary as a time to think big thoughts.  That’s important too.  But who are you preparing to serve in ministry?  And who are you hoping to think big thoughts about.  As it turns out, Jesus doesn’t want (much less need) merely our service.  And our big thoughts?  Try to imagine the big thought’s of the Divine Son as the world was created through Him.

In the introduction to this famous book, Desiring God, John Piper tweaks of the first answer to the Westminster Shorter Catechism so that it reads, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”  That’s why I was created.  And that’s why I want to be in seminary right now.  It’s also what I have been missing out on this past year.  I’ve been preparing for ministry.  I’ve been only preparing for ministry.

Tim Keller helpfully points out (though, now that I think of it, I’m sure I’ve heard it from others as well) that ministry can be a kind of moralism.  It’s possible as a pastor to think that your acceptance before God is based on the fruit borne out by your ministry.  In fact, the danger is that, even in knowing this, it’s still an easy trap to fall into.  What if seminary is the same way?  What if, rather than going to seminary to learn about God (so you can worship Him more passionately), you’re going to make yourself acceptable to God?

It’s because that danger is so subtle that I’m going to risk stating the obvious.  And I’ll even say it again.  I am going to seminary to learn about Jesus so I can worship Him.  The other stuff too (preparing for ministry and all that).  But mainly just this.  And, by the way, I’m pretty sure that in the end I might just be a better pastor for it.  So, win-win.

As I was writing my previous post, ‘Balancing Church and Seminary,’ I realized that a lot of what I was writing assumed that you were in a time in your life where you needed to choose a church.  But since not everyone in seminary is in such a season of life, it did not make sense for any of that material to be in the final cut.  Still, as I reread what I had written, I thought it might make a good post by itself.  Churchgoers (not just seminarians, but all churchgoers) need to practice wisdom in choosing which church to attend.  This is the case for several reasons:

1. Membership in a local church is necessary for growth. Our regular contact with other Christians is one of the primary ways in which God sanctifies us.  If we are not attending one church and surrounding ourselves with the same people on a weekly basis – people who know us well enough to help us grow through encouragement and, when necessary, chastisement – then we are seriously undermining this marvelous means of grace.  To be clear, I’m talking about church discipline here.  I believe that church discipline takes place, not only when church leaders confront sin in their midst (both privately and publicly), but when regular people in the church encourage the growth of one another.
2. The American church scene today is woefully consumeristic. Most thoughtful Christians I have met have a sense that this is true; but David Wells drives the point home in his book The Courage to be Protestant.  The point is that churches that are both rooted in Scripture and connected with the historic faith have much to offer American culture (or any culture, for that matter).  When we jump from church to church, we force the Church to serve our desires.  Even worse, we exchange the truth they’re hearing from the pulpit for a lie – the lie that God exists for us.  It’s as if we skewered the gospel and held it up like a white flag to the culture saying, “You’ve won!”  I can only speak from my own experience, but I would guess that this is a problem (to varying degrees) in much of the Western Church.

So, now that we’ve established to need to be part of a church, what church should you choose?  Let me begin by emphasizing my hope that these following points do not tempt anyone reading to leave any church at which they might already be members.  That would fly right in the face of point number 2 above.  But, if you are in a place where you need to find a church (having just moved to attend seminary, perhaps), then keep the following in mind:

1. Try to choose a church near where you live. This is just good advice whether or not you’re in seminary.  There is no practical way to be seriously involved in a church if you have to drive 45 minutes to get there.  If you’re in a place where there are a lot of options, proximity should be fairly high on the list of factors that helps you choose a particular church.  I sense that this is going to be a problem in younger, sprawling cities more so than in smaller communities or older cities that came of age before mass transit and the automobile.  After all, in a smaller community there may be only one church to choose from (hopefully the leadership there is faithful to the gospel!).  This is still worthy of mention, though.
2. Find a church that matches your vision of community. I like churches that encourage a close community spirit within their congregations.  The church I go to now has a lot of young, single adults.  Many of the young men are getting together to rent houses or large apartments, and likewise with the women.  This also complements my first suggestion.  It won’t make much difference if you choose to live near a church if everybody else lives 45 minutes away!  Others would prefer to sacrifice some community closeness for a more serious approach to worship, and I think that would fall under this category (worship is, after all, a community event).  You will likely find, upon reflecting here, that you have a lot of preferences about what you would like to see.  Let me encourage you to expect compromise here.  It’s not a bad thing.  Growing in grace means being able to be gracious with others, including others in the Church.
3. And finally, if you are in seminary, always avoid the temptation to replace church relationships with seminary relationships. This is not at all to say that relationships with professors and students at seminary are not important.  They will be extremely important in helping you solidify a vision for your future ministry.  This is simply to say that if you’re not engaged in a church, then you’re missing something.  Involvement in a worship community both as a participant and, where appropriate, as a leader, is paramount with respect to your growth as a Christian.

There are other things that could be said here.  If you’re in seminary, would kind of church would you like to pastor upon graduation (assuming that is your calling)?  You may want to factor that into your decision and choose a church with similar sensibilities.  That way, you can get some face time with your pastor and potentially score yourself an internship.  Even if that does not work out, it’s very likely you’ll see enough of the inner workings of that church to form a better picture of your own ministry down the road.

Keeping these points in mind, you should be better equipped to make a wise decision concerning your next church.  As seminarians, this approach will complement to approach you take toward ministry within the local church once you’re there.  Remember, our goal as ministers is to work for the good of our congregations.  As I hope I made clear in ‘Balancing Church and Seminary,’ that work ought to start now – even with choosing a church.  Let’s help build healthy, stable, faithful churches that love the gospel and love others.

Seminary students are a transient bunch.  They blow into town, spend three years too busy to do anything but study, and then they’re gone.  For many of them (or, I should say, us), the whole seminary thing can seem like a hassle.  If we didn’t need to do it, we probably wouldn’t.  But is such pessimism really warranted?  In other words, does seminary need to be something that gets in the way of our involvement in church ministry, or can the two be pursued at the same time?  I’m writing to encourage you to get involved in the ministry of your local church while pursuing your studies, and to shed some light on ways of making that happen.

Few would disagree in principle with being involved in church ministry while attending seminary.  It’s just that the actual work involved in being a student gets in the way.  The workload can be especially overwhelming when coupled with the responsibilities of family life, leaving many to feel like they have nothing left to give to the Church.  Perhaps the most subtle temptation, though, is to view the seminary as an extension of the Church.  I won’t say that view is totally wrong, but it need some qualification:

1. Seminary is a ministry to the Church, not the world. Yes, it does minister to the world, but only through the Church.  Many of the professors at my seminary have ministries (many of which are connected to churches) that they are involved in outside of the classroom.  They understand the importance of reaching out to the world directly.  Should we be following their example?
2. Seminary is an institution of learning, not the bride of Christ. In other words, if worship is important to you, then you really don’t have an option.  A good seminary will make no pretense of replacing the Church in this way, but students still need to take care not to let the chapel services and prayer meetings – not to mention the classes themselves – become a replacement for engagement in a church community.

Once we understand the need to remain involved in the Church during our time at seminary, how do we overcome the practical obstacles?  Here are some suggestions to help you choose a church in which to involve yourself:

1. If you haven’t already, get to know your church leaders. This includes pastors (of course), elders, deacons, small group leaders, music team members, and others.  As they get to know you, they’re sure to find ways you can use your gifts to get involved in the ministry of the church.  They’ll also keep you accountable (especially if you ask them to) and seek you out if you’ve fallen off their radar.
2. If you’re strapped for time, consider slowing down the pace of your studies. This one is the most likely to cause controversy.  Shouldn’t I want to graduate as quickly as possible so I can get to wherever it is that I really want to be ministering?  Consider this: Most people I have talked to who finished their M. Div. in three years would take more time if given the chance.  You learn a lot in seminary; but you’re not taking full advantage of your education if you’re not putting it into practice in a local church as you learn.  Make the effort to apply what you’re learning while it’s still fresh.  No one needs a pastor who can get through his M. Div. in three years, yet has never tried to put his education into practice.  Just stretching such a program out to four years is sufficient for many people to have time to invest in their local church community.
3. Become part of your church community. This is the core of what I’ve been hinting at.  If the church is a body, community is the expression of the wholeness and unity of that body.  There are many factors of modern society that make community avoidable: we live in spread out across sprawling cities; we (sometimes) prefer e-mail and online social networking to actually spending time together; and our multiplicity of social circles (of which the seminary community is one) make us wonder whether we need to be building relationships at church.  We absolutely need to be building relationship at church.  How else is the unity of the church body to be realized?

The importance of the Church in the Christian life is rivaled only by the importance of Christ.  After all, if you plan on going in to ministry after your time at seminary, then you plan to serve the Church. Why not start now? Offer to lead a small group. Or even just be faithful in attending a small group. There are tons of ways you can be a benefit to your church while you’re a student. In the end you’ll be better prepared for ministry, and you’ll leave the church you attended during your seminary years better than you found it.