Second, you indicate that there is nothing explicit in Scripture about going to seminary and therefore it is not a requirement. This statement overlooks the fact that there weren’t any seminaries then nor did there need to be since the early church was receiving the Christian message straight from the apostles. It is also imposing a 21st century understanding and need unto a 1st century context, that moreover points to the benefits that formalized training can provide to help bridge this gap. But I will be talking more about that in my upcoming post.

I wonder about seminary, and the things that seem to necessarily accompany it…such as being hired by churches sight unseen.

Seems to me that churches should be raising, educating, discipling and mentoring their own leaders and shepherds not hiring potential hirelings from a website or hiring committee.

Does it HAVE to be that way? Theoretically no…

But I’m a minister sans a Master’s degree…

“As a side not, I cannot find any Scripture that says that a 3 year old cannot be a leader of a local church. However, there is the wise application of principles with a healthy dose of common sense that would require the denial of such a leader. ”

Seems to me the qualifications for an elder given in I Timothy 3 would very effectively eliminate all three year olds!!

(Don’t know how to do a smiley face or there would be one here!)

Good question. I don’t have any particular Scripture that says “you must go to seminary.” After all, seminaries did not exist at the time, so it would be somewhat irrelavant for the Scripture to say such. The encouragment to seminary is based on our own particular cultural situation in which we find ourselves and applies the very serious and clear principle that those in any type of teaching ministry better watch there teaching very closely and know what they are talking about. This requires training. Seminary training is the best way to accomplish this where you are taking your education seriously and there is opportunity for your mentors to have authority to say “You fail.” Otherwise, any type of personal or subjective training, anyone can pass because they are their own judge. Seminary, in this sense, while not perfect, is certianly a gift of God.

As a side not, I cannot find any Scripture that says that a 3 year old cannot be a leader of a local church. However, there is the wise application of principles with a healthy dose of common sense that would require the denial of such a leader.

Hope that makes sense. I am certianly open to your thoughts.

Anything even close?

I’m sure such a degree will help you come up with something…

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of churches that have in-house, church-based pastoral education programs. Yes, these can be done very poorly, but they can also be done extremely well, with even some advantages over traditional seminaries.”

I see this more as the “ideal” training program because it takes place within the context of the local church, however it is not always possible because of a lack of resources (people, expertise, material, etc.) I think ministry training should take place, as much as possible, within the context of the biblical community. Seminary environments tend to be too specialized and unique from normal ministry environments. Seminary students have to be proactive to put themselves in ministry situations outside of seminary and this just tends not to happen very much. Additionally, the role of accountability (both on a personal and vocational level) tends to be missing at seminaries whereas it is much more likely to be present in a local church environment.

This is not to say that I think seminaries are bad. Seminaries are still very good institutions and allow for a centralized concentration of expertise, teaching and ministry development that most local churches can never hope to obtain. However, I think greater connection to or interaction with local churches is needed to ensure the students are equipped adequately for the people they will minister to.

Ministry is about being called by God and not just about wanting to do something.