How vital is seminary?

[Johnnz]

As a matter of fact, look at the 12 disciples. They were fishermen and tax collectors. God will use whoever He wants! It's a shame so many churches put such a huge emphasis on the education of their minister rather than the passion they have to serve the Lord. Who's the best teacher other than the Holy Spirit?

Comments like this are somewhat naive. In Jesus' time learning was discipleship under a recognised teacher (rabbi or philosopher). Paul was an outstanding intellect and highly educated. The leaders of the early church were drawn from the well educated sector of society. the young community needed their skills to address the many heresies that soon arose. It was from such a conflict that the Nicene Creed and our understanding of the Trinity arose, largely through the efforts of Athanasius, an outstanding scholar and Christian.

John
NZ

 

[Future Preacher]

Comments like this are somewhat naive. In Jesus' time learning was discipleship under a recognised teacher (rabbi or philosopher). Paul was an outstanding intellect and highly educated. The leaders of the early church were drawn from the well educated sector of society. the young community needed their skills to address the many heresies that soon arose. It was from such a conflict that the Nicene Creed and our understanding of the Trinity arose, largely through the efforts of Athanasius, an outstanding scholar and Christian.

John
NZ

I apologize if my comment appears to be naive. However, my question is this. Does God only use people who have an education? The answer is no. There are other ways to learn, such as working directly under a preacher and learning, with the Holy Spirit as the guide of course. If you feel the call to ministry but don't have money for education, that shouldn't stop you from pursuing the call. There are always other ways! I rest my case.

 

[Johnnz]

I apologize if my comment appears to be naive. However, my question is this. Does God only use people who have an education? The answer is no. There are other ways to learn, such as working directly under a preacher and learning, with the Holy Spirit as the guide of course. If you feel the call to ministry but don't have money for education, that shouldn't stop you from pursuing the call. There are always other ways! I rest my case.

I don't disagree with you. However, the gift of teachers to the church does require an influential section of that group to be well studied. Where this is not the case we are impoverished and can also be at risk.

John
NZ

 

[Future Preacher]

I don't disagree with you. However, the gift of teachers to the church does require an influential section of that group to be well studied. Where this is not the case we are impoverished and cam also be at risk.

John
NZ

Agreed! Thanks, God bless!

 

[pastorkevin73]

I'm kind of in the middle of this topic. Seminary is vital if you go to a good school which really teaches two important things. 1) How to properly study the Scriptures and teach the scriptures; 2) Has a good to excellent homoletics focus.
The rest that is taught in seminary I find to be a waste of time (may just be the school I attended). I found that outside of learning how to study the scriptures that the rest was a waste, especially when it comes to leadership and conflict resolution. Most of what you will learn about ministry will be learnt while in minstry and being mentored by a good seasoned and respected pastor.
I would encourage you to attend Seminary for at least learning how to properly study the scriptures; then teach your people how to study the scriptures. If all of us pastors really taught people how to study the scriptures there would be little to no need for seminaries.

 

[saved_for_life]

Dude, I do not know you situation. But I humbly offer this.
Peter was an uneducated fisher-man, but He was choosen by God to minister to the Jews who were educated in 'seminary".
Paul was educated in "seminary", but he was choosen by God to minster to the Gentiles who were pagan.
So, what does that tell us? The same thing as His Word tells us.

Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
What are your plans? And what has God revealed to you? For any good any man does in His Service is done by His Spirit, it is done by Him.
Who are you little man that may think God needs you?

Job 7:17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
I am not saying that seminary is wrong or a bad thing, but have you continued on or turned back.

Jn 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Jn 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jn 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Jn 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Jn 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Jn 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Jn 6:59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

Jn 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

And this is a hard teaching, one that only those choosen by God can understand and see. I ask this question, will seminary give you bread and water to live on? Is that where Jesus will provide.
I urge you to take this in prayer to Him. The bread, His Body that He is speaking of is the Word. He is the Word, from the beginning of the Bible until the end. Are you hungry? Must you read the Word or feel like you will die if you don't, do you substain yourself on the Word coming into your mind through out the day. The Bread of His Body, it is given by Him to those who hunger.

Dt 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Have you been straving and needed God to speak the Word into you?
Drink of the Blood,

Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
We drink of the Blood for remission of our sins, that we are fallen. But through the Blood of Jesus we have peace with God.

Lk 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And we drink the Blood everyday because the Blood is the New Covenant. That our sins are covered by the Blood and this Blood will keep us reconcilded with God for eternity. Not just today, but tomorrow and forever.
So, if you didn't turn back and it is His Will that you go to seminary then the way shall be made.
I must admit that your post seems to be indicative of someone looking for a career instead of life. Looking to see what dipolmas you can put on the wall instead of of just eating of His Flesh and His Blood.
Just saying. You know better than I what He wants for you.
Donny

 

[Chaplain David]

I'm entering my third year of Bible college now, and I've come to the stark realization that I may never have the money to attend seminary. At first I thought to get a degree in business or education, then work for the money to earn my MDIV, but for so many reasons, this just isn't working for me. So let me ask, how important is attending seminary? Is a bachelor's in pastoral ministries worth anything at all?

It depends on what you want to do and who you want to do it with. So, let me ask you, what would you like to do in ministry and in what denomination would you like to be ordained?

 

[Johnnz]

Dude, I do not know you situation. But I humbly offer this.
Peter was an uneducated fisher-man, but He was choosen by God to minister to the Jews who were educated in 'seminary".
Paul was educated in "seminary", but he was choosen by God to minster to the Gentiles who were pagan.
So, what does that tell us? The same thing as His Word tells us.
Donny

Peter was 'educated' in the Jewish system of his day and would have known much of the scriptures from teaching and memorisation. Then he spent three years with the Master Teacher.

Many Gentiles were highly educated, far beyond most church folk today, although they were a minority. But those in authority were well educated and Paul's interaction with them shows very obvious signs of a deep appreciation of their worldviews, literature and education. Much of his writings are complex in their thought and structure.

There is a strong emphasis on the mind in Scripture, whole sections dedicated to teaching in wisdom, and in NT times Christians taught women and children to read, unlike other groups where education was limited to a select group of males.

John
NZ

 

[papaJP]

As a person who went to seminary and got a masters of theology, I believe that what I learned was very useful. I can tell you that most who go have an experience that is described by the following: I went to seminary and they ask to see my God, I pulled out the box I had Him in and they smashed the box; then they ask me to find God again. Many never do that is why it is jokingly known as cemetary.

I can say I learned of many things that I should not seek and many what I call bunny trails that I should avoid. The greatest thing that I can give you is the statement by the President of the Seminary when I graduated. He said we have learned from this student as much about how to walk with God as we taught him about God.

The reason I think I gained a great deal from seminary was I was a spirit filled Christian who would not allow the teaching of man made or church doctrines to interfer with my learning Scriptures and about God.

 

[saved_for_life]

Comments like this are somewhat naive. In Jesus' time learning was discipleship under a recognised teacher (rabbi or philosopher). Paul was an outstanding intellect and highly educated. The leaders of the early church were drawn from the well educated sector of society. the young community needed their skills to address the many heresies that soon arose. It was from such a conflict that the Nicene Creed and our understanding of the Trinity arose, largely through the efforts of Athanasius, an outstanding scholar and Christian.

John
NZ

With respect I ask you to consider this. Paul was an outstanding intellect and was taught under the best Jewish teachers that there were during these times.
And what did the Lord do with all that training? He sent Paul to the Gentiles, not the Jews.
He sent Paul to a people that all of Paul's training under Gamiel (sp?) would be worthless, to a people that Paul would have to rely upon Jesus Christ and the training that Jesus had given him in Arabia.
Paul's prior training would have better fitted him to be sent to the Jews, but Peter was sent there. Peter,lol, a fisherman, who knew nothing of Jewish customs.
But the Lord sent each of them to a place where they would realize, when I am weak, then I am strong.

BTW, the early leaders of the church were those who walked with Jesus. Just as we can do today in the Spirit. Peter, Paul (after Damascas), Philip, all of them were those who walked with Jesus, not those educated in the "system".

I don't mean to offend here, but I am just stating my understanding of the Scriptures.

 

[saved_for_life]

With respect I ask you to consider this. Paul was an outstanding intellect and was taught under the best Jewish teachers that there were during these times.
And what did the Lord do with all that training? He sent Paul to the Gentiles, not the Jews.
He sent Paul to a people that all of Paul's training under Gamiel (sp?) would be worthless, to a people that Paul would have to rely upon Jesus Christ and the training that Jesus had given him in Arabia.
Paul's prior training would have better fitted him to be sent to the Jews, but Peter was sent there. Peter,lol, a fisherman, who knew nothing of Jewish customs.
But the Lord sent each of them to a place where they would realize, when I am weak, then I am strong.

BTW, the early leaders of the church were those who walked with Jesus. Just as we can do today in the Spirit. Peter, Paul (after Damascas), Philip, all of them were those who walked with Jesus, not those educated in the "system".

I don't mean to offend here, but I am just stating my understanding of the Scriptures.

Sorry to repeat myself here here, I haven't been to this post in a while.
Peter was a fisherman, he had not been to any of the great schools of Jewish theology. Or at least the Bible doesn't say he had been.
But on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit decended, Peter preached with boldness and confidence. A man who said that he would follow Jesus unto Prison and Death and then later denied Jesus three times, all of a sudden had a boldness and confidence and spoke to a large audience about Jesus Christ.
This is a work of God, and it happens today.

I don't know dude, but it just seems like so many Christians are just like Peter beofre Pentecost. Leaning on their teachings and leaning on their own power. So many Christians say this, "I will never deny Christ, I am ready to go to Prison and to Death."
But they don't realize that before the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] crows, they will deny Him. Because they still stand upon their understanding, their strength, their will, instead of doing what Peter did after the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] crowed. He went outside and wept bitterly.
And this weeping bitterly is so important. It is what we pour forth when we look to God and look to Him.
I pray that every Seminary student will deny Christ and hear the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] crow and have our Savior look into his eyes and then may this man go outside and wept bitterly.
For then this man is ready for ministry, this man has seen his strength and seen his strength broken down and is ready for Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Seminary will not teach a man this, only the Lord will teach a man this.