Churches Limiting Themselves

[DiscipleOfIAm]

In my search for where God wants me to serve and glorify Him, I have seen a lot of churches limit themselves by placing minimum qualifications on applicants. I know we must ensure we are choosing correctly and having guidelines such as 1 Timothy 3 are great. I'm talking about education and experience. I have seen churches that have Youth Pastor positions that require an applicant to have a seminary degree and 3-5 years experience. Why? Why limit yourself. Why not say you will consider each and every applicant individually? By placing these minimums on applicants you may be eliminating the very same person God wants to serve in your ministry. A lot of great teachers, preachers, and leaders in ministry started with little or no formal training. C.H. Spurgeon comes to mind as the most famous, but more recently there are a lot more. Why do churches do this? Do they feel if they have a Children's Pastor with a Doctorate in Theology or a MDiv, they will weed out the "undeserved" applicants.

This also brings to me another rant I would like to vent out. Why is it when someone comes forward and tells their pastor or a church that they feel the call to ministry that sometimes those pastors or church leaders act as if they are in some elite club that no one else can join unless they are born into it? I have seen where a sincere person has stated they feel a call to ministry and the pastors or leaders say that's great. That's it. Then, they smile and walk off on their way as if they are better than this person and that person could in no way join their elite club. I say grab that person and take them under your wing. Guide them, teach them, mentor them. Show them what to do next. Help them take the next step!

I have never understood these two things and thought I'd vent them here!

Blessings all!

 

[BereanTodd]

We had this same discussion in the baptist section, so you know that I understand and symptathize and even agree that churches are limiting themselves and frankly in my opinion even using secular principles in how they are now guiding the work of God. Yes that is sad.

But I really feel it laid on my heart right now to encourage you - and I don't know where you are right now in your life - to seek out either Bible college or seminary training. I think it is wrong of churches to use it as a disqualifier - and i have a much bigger problem with the countless churches now requiring experience at a church of over 1000 members. But the training is invaluable, and you will be a much better trained and prepared pastor with it.

I just want to encourage you - I though I couldn't do it, I thought I shouldn't have to do it, and so I put off that schooling when I first felt my call to ministry. But now that I've sought it out, and gone through Bible College and now working on seminary I can't express how much it has helped me to mature and transformed my ministry.

So again, keep seeking where God would have you. If He has a position for you in the church right now then I pray that He would guide you to it. But I can't encourage you enough to get into a good school and start preparing yourself also. A call to ministry is a call to prepare.

 

[DiscipleOfIAm]

We had this same discussion in the baptist section, so you know that I understand and symptathize and even agree that churches are limiting themselves and frankly in my opinion even using secular principles in how they are now guiding the work of God. Yes that is sad.

But I really feel it laid on my heart right now to encourage you - and I don't know where you are right now in your life - to seek out either Bible college or seminary training. I think it is wrong of churches to use it as a disqualifier - and i have a much bigger problem with the countless churches now requiring experience at a church of over 1000 members. But the training is invaluable, and you will be a much better trained and prepared pastor with it.

I just want to encourage you - I though I couldn't do it, I thought I shouldn't have to do it, and so I put off that schooling when I first felt my call to ministry. But now that I've sought it out, and gone through Bible College and now working on seminary I can't express how much it has helped me to mature and transformed my ministry.

So again, keep seeking where God would have you. If He has a position for you in the church right now then I pray that He would guide you to it. But I can't encourage you enough to get into a good school and start preparing yourself also. A call to ministry is a call to prepare.

Thank you for that!

Actually, I am already in Bible College. I attend Liberty University and will have my degree completed in about 12 months.

My main quarrel was with those churches as you mentioned that required a lot of experience or a degree. I have most of my degree completed, more than half. Actually, I would see someone who is still in school as valuable asset. That person can immediately apply their knowledge instead of having to wait until their degree is completed.

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. I have sent out several resumes and have been receiving positive feedback. I believe I will be more likely to find a position with a smaller church, less than 250 members or so. Which, actually, would be more my style anyway.

Best wishes to you as well! Perhaps, some day, we will team together in ministry. You never know where you'll end up, i's all up to Him!

God Bless!

 

[Father Rick]

As someone who has ministered in both small (less than 50) and large (4000+) churches, let me throw in my 2 cents.

There is much more to ministry than just "sharing your Bible knowledge" on a Sunday morning. In fact, what takes place out of the pulpit will consume much more time and energy-- and in actually be of greater impact-- that the Sunday morning sermon will ever be. A huge portion of ministry involves counseling, administration, etc. And a small church and a large church are two totally different "animals" as to the role in which a pastor will play. These are skills that don't come naturally for most people-- and even those for whom they do, they need to be refined via both education/training and experience. With this in mind, most churches want someone who they know can actually "do the job". Yes, one can develop these skills without the "degree", but it would take 15-20 years to learn what one can learn in 4-6 years in college.