What are some good reasons for going to seminary? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
I had said no more till next week when WordPress ate my blog I wrote a few hours ago, but I couldn’t resist so here I am writing again. Today, I’m going to be listing some good reasons for going to seminary. If you’re wondering if you’re a candidate, find out.
I have said I don’t think a subjective experience is required. If anything, I get more suspicious of someone who claims such an experience. I have seen of too many pastors that are “called to preach” and they’re really just awful preachers.
Consider what it’s like when you hear someone who thinks they’re a gifted singer. Unfortunately, their biggest critics will be the neighborhood cats who go crazy hearing them sing. They may have a great desire to sing and really think they have a gift, but everyone around them can tell that they don’t.
So let’s get some better criteria.
The first one is simply desire. You want to go. That’s not a bad thing. Paul says in 1 Tim. 3 that if anyone desires to be an overseer, he desires a good thing. Then he lists some criteria. None are a subjective call.
If you want to go to seminary, that’s one of the first reasons. You have a deep desire to serve God in a ministry capacity. However, the bad singer can want to sing so more than that is needed.
Next is ability. Do you have what it takes to make it in seminary? This will depend on the field that you want to go into. If your friends tell you regularly you have wisdom in listening to their problems and a good ear and a good heart, then you might want to consider counseling. If you are good at evangelism, then you should consider going to seminary.
You might want to try if you want to preach to go to your pastor and ask if you can do a Sunday night sometime. See how you do and get some pointers at it. See what people say about your ministry. Listen in any case always to the ones who are older and wiser than you are.
The last is opportunity. A lot of this will be dealt with hopefully in tomorrow’s podcast about how to choose a seminary. For this, you have to ask if you have the resources to make it or if you’re willing to do the work necessary to get the resources to do what you need to go. Very few people will go to seminary with enough money on hand to cover the whole of the experience. However, they can go with enough to get started and find a job to get the rest while they’re there.
The next part will be trying to decide what seminary you want to go to. That’s a different situation altogether. If you meet these criteria and are really thinking of going, then be here to hear what comes next.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)