In this third article in this series of denominational challenges I want to address the need to look at the education and training we use to prepare persons for pastoral ministry. In the past we have relied on our seminaries to address these training needs. We had our denominational seminaries and we trusted them to equip our pastors according to the theological beliefs and polities of our denomination. That worked OK for a long time until people started seeking theological education and training from outside our denominational seminaries. It also didn't work very well when smaller churches called individuals who had no theological or ministry training at all.
A few years ago I was amused when one of the churches in the region I served called to complain about their new pastor. Although I had given them names of some people who might have been interested in serving their church, they called a person from outside our denomination who, according to my knowledge, had no theological training at all. I attended a meeting of some of the leaders in the church who told me their new pastor didn't do things "like Baptists." I shrugged my shoulders and responded that was because he wasn't a Baptist, a fact they knew when they asked him to be their pastor. I also reminded them they did not get his name from me.
I was licensed to preach by my church in 1979. I contacted our denominational leader and offered to fill in for vacationing pastors or to fill the pulpit for churches who might need someone to speak. I received a letter a couple of weeks later saying as soon as I finished seminary he would be glad to help me find a church. I had never attended college much less seminary. He was telling me to put my life on hold for seven years to go to school and then he would see what he could do. That didn't happen! I found a church myself where I spent the next 20 years serving as a bivocational pastor. During that time I did graduate from a Bible college and earned a bachelor degree from a nearby university, but I wasn't going to jump through his hoops before I began to fulfill my calling from God.
As smaller churches struggle to find trained pastors to lead their churches denominations need to step in and offer the training these individuals need. Many regions and denominations now do offer such training, but too many still do not. The quality of the training varies widely from area to area as well. If we want our churches to be healthy and strong denominations and regions need to provide the training for their pastoral and lay leaders to help them.
Improved education is not needed just for our smaller churches. As a denominational leader I saw plenty of pastors with MDiv degrees who were not equipped for pastoral ministry. Some may have been well prepared to do theological research, but they were inadequately prepared for pastoral ministry. Some had limited social skills, some struggled to preach coherent messages, some lacked adequate theological understanding, and others needed more training in other areas.
I began my pastoral ministry in 1981. Now in 2021 I am serving as a Transitional Pastor. Believe me when I say ministry has changed much in the past 40 years. The challenges I see facing pastors today are much different than they were when I began my ministry. I can only imagine what changes we'll see in the next 40 years. Yet, much of the seminary education being offered hasn't changed much. The church often lags behind the rest of society when it comes to change, and I'm concerned that our preparation of ministers is also lagging behind.
I would encourage denominations to begin serious conversations with leading seminaries to discuss how they can work together to better prepare persons for the ministry challenges the 21st century will bring. It is not going to be healthy for denominations to work in one area of the church world and seminaries work in another area. They need to come together to develop the best possible education for their future leaders. By doing this they will best serve tomorrow's churches.
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