Seminary Students Considering a Pastorate

Some times the best thing I have to say is, “hey, you should really go listen to someone besides me.” Such is the case today.

On Monday I read a post by Matt Schmucker at the 9Marks blog on things that a pastoral candidate should ask of a church before taking the position. I know that we are hitting midterms and, for some of you, this is your last semester and you are already looking for a pastoral position. I think that if you are going to be taking a position in a church that is already established then Matt’s post will be extremely helpful for you.

Here’s a teaser:

If this is the flock God is calling you to shepherd, ignorance is not your friend….

1. Statement of Faith. Is it available, used, and understood? Can I affirm each section? Does the congregation live this out? Is it an adequate statement about Scripture, God, and salvation? Does it require anything that the Bible does not require of being a Christian, i.e. abstinence?

4. Budget. Does a budget exist (you’d be surprised!)? How is it formed? Does the congregation vote to accept the budget? A church’s budget will tell you a lot about the vision and priorities (i.e. heart) of a church.

11. Membership. How many members are in the church? How many attend? Do they have an inactive list? What’s their understanding of membership? Do they live close to each other and to the church building?

15. Ambitions. Ask this question: If you could be like any church in America, which would it be?

18. Living as a pastor. Maybe you don’t take these issues on in the first interview, but eventually they need to be addressed:

(ohhhh… I left you hanging there… click the article to find out the rest) 

Two Cent Tuesday - Should Seminary Be Required to Pastor

So, I’ve decided to spice things up around here and start adding some questions. I think it’ll be interesting to see how people weigh in on various seminary related questions.

Today’s question is one that I think is particularly interesting:
Should seminary be required for someone to pastor in a church?

Cast your vote and feel free to expound on your answer in the comments section.

Should seminary be required to be a pastors?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe
• I don't know

View Results

In the beginning - My Seminary Journey

So, as part of this blog I’ll be chronicling my journey to and in seminary. So, to catch you up to speed we need to go back… way back…

I’d say it was in middle school (about 18 years ago) that I first felt a “call” to ministry. I remember sitting in a youth group meeting, listening to one of the pastors preach and I thought, “I think I’d like to do that when I grow up.” Now, I’m sure that isn’t a common thought amongst lots of 12 year olds… but, none the less, there was something there inside me, drawing me.

Well, between then and my sophomore year in college my life didn’t really follow a path that would lead one to become a pastor. I lived a life that was pretty self serving in those years. I still had a seed of faith in my heart… but being a pastor was certainly not in the forefront of my mind.

Then, through some very divine circumstances God, in his mercy and grace, captured my attentions and affections as a sophomore in college. One night, at a party, with a bud light in hand I said a quite prayer of total surrender to God that went something like, “God, if you’re real and the Bible is true, then you have a plan for me and I want to live it with every fiber of my being.”

It was shortly after this that the seed planted in my heart all those years earlier began to be watered and grow. I began to realize that there was little else I truly wanted to do in this life than be a pastor (take that in a very broad sense please… being a pastor has lots of forms, not just the one guy who talks on Sunday mornings… but I’m sure you know that.)

Anyway, I began to take steps in that direction by becoming really involved in a campus ministry based out of my local church. Several fast and strange years later I found myself as the campus minster for said church and campus ministry. As a young, twenty something, in full time vocation ministry I thought I knew everything… I soon realized I knew nothing. It was during this time that seminary first started to become interesting to me. I began to realize that I have a lot to learn and my local church might not have all the depth of training I might need to be and do all I felt called to be and do. So, for the first time, I began to look intently at seminary.

So, that is how it began. In upcoming posts I’ll explain how I started to look at seminaries and how I ended up being a virtual student and, eventually, we’ll catch up to present day and where I am now in the journey.

Anyone else know early in life that this is the direction you were going? When did you first sense a call to vocational ministry?

Choosing a seminary - a pastor’s opinion

In my never ending quest to provide information that will help you decide on the right seminary for you, I occasionally find other people who have weighed in on the subject. Today I came across an older post by Mark Denver at togetherforthegospel.org.

In his post, Mark explains five factors to consider when choosing a seminary. They are:

1. Confession of Faith - “…Look to be trained at an institution which seems to be committed to a right understanding of God’s Word…“
2. Quality of Education - “…While there is no precise way to measure such quality, factors which indicate it are the school’s faculty, the required curriculum and the library facilities…“
3. Cost - “…The calling that you are following doesn’t usually pay the kind of salaries doctors, businessmen or lawyers may receive. It is part of your being a good steward to consider the cost of the education you are pursuing…“
4. Church - “…you must also consider if there is a good church nearby that could be a place of ministry and spiritual encouragement and direction while you are in the seminary…“
5. Connection for Life - “…consider what connections for the rest of life you might make by attending this seminary or that theological college…“

His points are good and certainly ones that I agree with. His points about indebtedness and the fact that pastors aren’t making the same kind of money that MBA’s will be making after they graduate is a really great and something that we’ll discuss in the paying for seminary section in the near future.