Ministerial Training: To Learn or Not to Learn?
To learn or not to learn? That is
the question. Or is it? Perhaps the question should be quite different. By “learning,”
most people mean formal training. The question then should be, “To go to school
or not go to school?” This might not be as black and white as it seems though.
There are many instances where God clearly leads one serving in the gospel
ministry to pursue formal training. This is not always the case though. Each
person is different, and so is each calling. I would like to explore this
question and, in answering it, I want to provide some thoughts.
Christians Should Strive to Always Learn
As
believers, we should always be learning. This is true for all humans. If we are
not moving forward, we are moving backward. There is no maintaining. Part of
loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength and doing all to the glory
of God is continuously learning. Look for all opportunities to learn. The
trouble with learning is that often is requires work and many times hard work.
This is why most people do not want to learn. We should take every available
opportunity to learn though, particularly those of us who are leaders in the
local church.
Formal Education Is Not Always Necessary
Learning
does not constitute formal education though. While some churches may have a
standard of some type of formal training, it is not absolutely necessary for
the broad spectrum of serving God. The truth is that we should do what God
leads us to do and learn in the ways he sets in front of us, but to pursue
formal training when he is perhaps leading us in another direction is nothing
other than sin.
Sometimes Formal Education Is Necessary
Having said
that formal education is not always necessary, there are times when it is. There
are particular fields that require a certain type and level of education.
Christians should determine what the Lord is leading them to do and pursue the
educational requirements of that field. Even in more specific circumstances
such as ministry positions in a particular church, sometimes specific training
is required. There are churches, for example, that require their pastor to hold
a Master of Divinity or their worship pastor to hold a bachelor’s or master’s
degree in music or worship. This does not necessarily mean that these churches
are wrong (although it could if the Lord desires someone without those particular
credentials to serve there); it does mean, however, that the person(s) God
desires to serve there should seek that kind of training.
There Is Not a “Cookie Cutter” Ministerial Training
We often
have an idea that there is a single path all ministers take and then end up in
varying roles. This is ludicrous and illogical though. To think that all
pastors should possess a Master of Divinity or any type of degree at all with
the same training as other pastors is to say that God has not uniquely called
individuals to a particular place and time. Just as all people are different,
all churches and ministries are different and should embrace those differences
might I add. Therefore, training for ministry should not look the same. Not
only that, but we should consider experiences as training from God himself. We
learn better through experiences than we do through formal education. God has
uniquely qualified his called people for a specific time and place.
Walk by the Spirit
In all of
our worldly pursuits and strivings to give undeserved credit to humankind, we
must be careful that we never lose sight of the fact that we are people who are
to walk by the faith and not by sight; we are to walk by the Spirit. Just as
God’s Spirit might lead someone to pursue a seminary master’s or doctorate, he
might also lead someone specifically to not do so. He also might lead someone
else to pursue a law degree yet become a pastor. I once heard someone say that
God does not call the qualified, but he qualifies the called. When we are led
by the Spirit, we cannot go wrong because God is with us at all times. Trust
him.
Conclusion
The conclusion
of the matter is this: trust God and lean not on your own understanding. Sounds
familiar doesn’t it? There is a reason Proverbs 3:5 tells us to do this. When
we rely on our own understanding, we will fail. It is always a guarantee. But
with God, we will never fail. Even when it seems that we are failing, we are
not, and it is, in fact, during those times that we must continue to trust him.
Whatever training God has in store for his chosen ones, we must all trust his
leadership and follow him.
