What’s your education worth to you?

“Oh, you’re going to seminary? Do you know which one?”

“Yeah, I’m checking out either ‘Seminary A’ or ‘Seminary B’.”

“Did you ever consider ‘Seminary C’?”

“No, it’s too expensive. Seminary A/B is super cheap plus I hear it’s easier…. you know, not as serious academically.”

——

So goes not one but several conversations I’ve had over the past couple of years.

I get it—a few conversations doesn’t translate into “everyone’s doing it.” But doesn’t the fact that a notion is accepted by different people from different lifestyles in different parts of the country give credence to its popularity?

It makes me sad to hear conversations like this. Not because I have a vendetta against the seminaries they’re choosing (sometimes I don’t even know anything about those schools), but because the deciding factor about the seminary is the financial aspect. 

Shouldn’t it be the quality of the education? 

I think so, but it’s not usually the case. For a lot of people I come across, getting a seminary degree is about jumping through the right hoop. You’ll hear things like:

“I want to be a senior pastor, so I at least need an M.Div.”

“If I want to preach, I need a seminary degree.”

“Such-and-such church has two stacks of applicants: one of people with M.Divs from well-known seminaries, and one with everyone else.” 

Now, hear me say this: People in ministry should probably go to seminary. They should get a seminary degree…

For the same reason people who are going to be doctors should go to medical school.

You go to medical school to learn the information that makes you a better doctor. Could you write a prescription without having gone to medical school? Hmmm…. I don’t know, can you read and write?

Of course you can. Otherwise you wouldn’t be looking at this blog. But you don’t have the proper knowledge to be a well-rounded doctor.

Church staff/leaders/pastors/ministers/directors are well-served to have spent time in a seminary because it benefits them to learn about church history, theology, pastoral studies, leadership, and ecclesiology. The degree doesn’t make them “qualified,” but the studying of the proper subjects is beneficial to the longevity and effectiveness of their career.

You can attempt to be a courtroom lawyer without ever having been to law school (though I’d say watching Rainmaker would help), but you will not have learned all the things necessary to proceed properly. In the same way, you can do a lot of things in ministry without an education. You can do a lot of things well without a theological education. And if you’re not going to seminary to get an education, but rather to get the proper notch on your belt, I’d say you’re better off not going. 

Don’t go to seminary because it’s necessary to get a better paying position, or because it validates you as a minister, or because you “can’t preach without it.” You can do all those things without a seminary degree. 

Go to seminary to get further educated in theology, church history, etc. 

I don’t believe those things are necessary to be an effective minister, but I do believe those are the things you need to care about to spend your money (no matter how much it costs) on a Master’s degree.

School starts soon

A few things on this beautiful Saturday night:

• How do I integrate a Twitter badge into my basic wordpress page? If anyone has the answer to this and will be in Dallas soon, I’ll gladly buy them dinner. Yes, Twitter is that important to me… Also, if you know how to link Twitter and Facebook Status, same thing…
• I start school again on Monday. Our summer class at George Fox Seminary is Essentials of Christian Theology and I’ve got 4 books to work through over the coming weeks. The bad part is that only 1 of the 4 has arrived and class starts on Monday, and our professor expects us to read all 4 throughout the week. I was frustrated by this because I was thinking that reading 4 books at once would seem like overkill and keep me from learning anything. But then I thought about Jason Clark’s comment that “if you’re reading every word, you’re wasting your time.” Perhaps there’s wisdom in that. Rather than getting caught up in the individual styles and tales of the authors, I could actually start to find myself focusing more on the concepts and ideas laid out in the book. This would lead me to become a more critical reader/researcher, which would be a great thing! School is cool!
• Jaime was very gracious towards me for putting his mullet picture on the blog earlier today. He took it as a compliment, which is how it was meant. I’m trying to make the mullet famous! He wanted me to let my friends know that he’s compiling The Book of Mullets and it will be for sale soon. So… friends… keep your eyes open.
• The last couple of mornings I’ve gotten to read a Sports page for a major-market newspaper that’s talking about professional teams that are actually in the town where I’m reading the paper. Go Mavs, Stars, Rangers, Cowboys, and FC Dallas!

Good laughs in Bible class

My OT professor posted, among others, this question to be answered in regards to our study of Ruth and Esther:

Is it possible that the Bible contains some texts in which the social
values are culturally conditioned and should not be interpreted as timeless?

Here’s my response:

Jacob = Israel, the name by which God’s chosen people are called.

Jacob + Leah + Rachel = polygamy?

Paul = Israelite (and a well-learned one at that)

Paul: If anyone desires to be an overseer…he must be…the husband of one wife.

It’ll be a wonder if the seminary actually gives me a degree… haha..