This past weekend I read a post by a pastor-blogger I follow that was discussing his plans to pursue a theological education. He was addressing two concerns he had: his age and finances. He confessed he was concerned because he was in his mid-30s. He was also committed to not going into debt to earn his degree, a commitment I wholeheartedly endorse.
Neither of these are issues that cannot be overcome. Obviously, he cannot do anything about his age, but what he can do is not wait until he's any older to obtain an education. I was in my mid-50s when I earned my master's, so I don't think he'll have any problems. Age is often little more than an excuse one gives for not seeking more education, but that's all it is: an excuse. It is certainly not a valid reason. Once I finished my master's degree I decided to pursue a DMin and did not complete that degree until I was 62. At our graduation it was announced that one graduate was in his 80s so I don't think I really accomplished anything special!
One of the major problems facing seminary graduates today is student loan debt. It is not uncommon for a seminary grad to leave school with $50,000 or more in student loan debt. That can be a huge drain on a pastor's salary and is one of the reasons so many leave the ministry within a few years after completing seminary. What's so sad about this is that much of that debt, if not all of it, can be avoided. I completed three degrees with no student debt, and believe me when I say that I am not a wealthy individual! I did it by taking classes as I could afford to pay for them and looking for any money that might be available for education from other sources.
I worked on my bachelor's degree while serving as a bivocational pastor and working full-time in a factory. The company for whom I worked paid the tuition of any class that would benefit the company, and that included the vast majority of the ones I took. Because I was both working full-time and pastoring a church I was limited to 2-3 classes a semester. Between a small number of classes and having my tuition paid it was an easy matter to cash flow the remainder of my expenses. Yes, it took longer, but so what? That's much preferable than spending the rest of your life paying off student loans.
The judicatory I serve in has an education fund for each of their staff, and I was able to use that money to help finance a portion of my master's and doctoral work. Once that money was gone I had to cash flow the remainder, but that certainly helped pay a lot of the cost of those degrees. Again, I spread the classes out and took them as I could afford to pay for them. Chances are, you can find some financial assistance as well if you decide to pursue education, and even if you can't, take your time and avoid student debt.
Of course, the most critical aspect of pursuing education is the why. When I first began as a bivocational pastor of a small, rural church I really didn't feel that it was necessary to go to school. However, after a few months as a pastor I decided that having some education beyond high school could only help me be a more effective minister, and that's when I began going to school. Although, the blogger mentioned above did not explain why he now feels he needs a theological education, I would guess his reasons are very similar to mine.
Interestingly enough, I read another blog article this week that addressed the importance of a pastor also being a theologian. Because of my current ministry role I am in a different church almost every week, and I can tell you there is a lot of bad theology being taught from pulpits. In most cases, I don't think the pastor is intentionally trying to mislead people. He or she just doesn't know what they are teaching is wrong because they've never been taught good theology nor have they been taught how to properly study and interpret the Scriptures.
Occasionally, I would share with my congregation that the Bible was very clear that as a teacher I would be held to a higher standard. I was responsible to teach sound doctrine. That was one of the primary reasons I made the decision to begin my education and to become a life-long learner. That was my why.
There is no doubt that going back to school as a non-traditional student has its challenges, but one who is called to the ministry must always be asking if that is something that God is asking him or her to do. I cannot answer that question for you. I can tell you that every class I took helped make me a better minister and gave me more confidence in ministry.
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