What is the Level of Education that a Pastor has?

[woobadooba]

Doctorate in Theology

Not necessary.

 

[GraceInHim]

someone can study and know a lot, what matters more is what is truly inside them.. do they teach in Jesus name and truly feel a need to guide students, members to truth, or they can be blind guides who study the scriptures but did not know who Jesus was.. example: Pharisees.. they did not know Jesus before he came.. asked him questions to trick him, to see if he was truly the Christ, but inside were white washed tombs full of dead mans bones..

 

[jinkazama]

The more the pastor knows, the more he able to construct a holistic argument. I prefer someone has a PhD. in theology, counseling, and in science.

 

[catlover]

Nor does well educated mean capable.

No kidding. People who worship education should meet some of my family. My then 7 year old daughter had an extremely nasty rash on her body.

Because my family members were these super educated walking "Gods" I asked for some advice. One family member (masters degree in molecular biology) claimed the rash was do to "red bugs" and instructed me to paint the rash with nail polish.

That sounded a little fishy to me. So, I promptly got my daughter ready for Dr's office. As I went out the door super educated "Godess" #2, who has a masters degree in children's development, told me I was wasting my money, and to put nail polish on the nasty rash.

The doctor informed me my daughter had poison sumac. What do you think would have happened had I listened to the "educated" "Gods"?

 

[Peaceful Dove]

I expected as much, and you are entitled to think.
Is this a written law somewhere? This 3 hour limit? What if they can only pray 2:59:59? Does that count?
Anyway, I've been a nurse for more than 16 years. Experiance takes over after a fashion. I had a few Catholic Priest friends, and a few Pastor friends. I find that scholarly education counts for little if you're not in God's will. And squat if you do nothing but profile with it. As I've seem some pompus "went to Hebrew school" church leaders do. More commonly known as Religiously Lost Gas Bags. Or tinkling cymbols as Paul so aptly put it.
Peace be unto you.

Oh come on. You are not only missing the point but also putting words in my mouth.
Of course experience is important. At my age, it would be ridiculous to think it wasn't.
I said my friend spent a minimum of 3 hours in prayer not that that was a number cast in stone. I was simply saying that it was balanced, education along with Spiriituality.
Another poster mentioned "calling".
My friend was totally called by God and knew it as young as 6 years old.
In spite of the fact that there have been men entering the Priesthood who went for reasons other than a "calling", it is hard to believe that many would sacrafice so much without it.

 

[mesue]

I don't think I missed the point at all. I think it was you that had missed the point. But that's okay. I don't have issue with it. Far more people seemed to have gotten my point than hadn't. And even if it weren't so, in the bigger picture, it just doesn't matter who got what point. It doesn't matter to God who has a bigger better education. He used "uneducated" fishermen to bring more people to a personal relationship with Him than any Hebrew School Tinkling Cymbol could ever hope to. And isn't that the goal? To bring the lost to the Lord? To show the saved how to walk, as the fishermen did?
Peace be unto you

 

[OnTheWay]

In OBOB we were discussing the level of eduction a priest has before becoming ordained. Education level of Catholic Priests.

Then I started wondering what level of educations non-catholic pastors have.

So here it goes. What level of education do non-catholic pastors?

Peace

Outside of the RCC and EOC I think it would highly depend on the church in question. For example, when I was in high school friends that I had who were Lutheran had pastors that had to meet more or less the same qualifications an RCC or EOC priest would have to meet. Among the evangelicals, some had pastors that had the traditional education and others had pastors with no post-high school education whatsoever.
Does it make a difference? Well, I can't say that I'm for sure it does. I do think at least some theological education would be helpful.

 

[lmnop9876]

my dad is a protestant pastor, and prior to his ordination, he completed a diploma in theology, a bachelor of theology, 2 years of a BA, and is half-way through his masters' thesis. all through his bachelor's degree, he preached regularly in different churches. he then had to wait 6 years before he could be ordained, not through any regulation, but just through necessity. when he was finally ordained, he had been preaching at our church for 2 1/2 years, as well as having conducted the weekly bible study at another church prior to that. so i guess that made him pretty experienced when he was ordained.

 

[tall73]

The typical Adventist minister will likely have a 4 years bachelor of arts in theology, and a 3 year masters of divinity degree. They frequently have an internship and serve in one or two districts before ordination.

However, there are some minsters who are hired with no formal schooling. I have seen them do quite well too. God indicates strongly that they should enter the ministry, so they do. They take two years of Greek in college, one year of Hebrew, and then are tested at the seminary to see if they know it sufficiently to avoid taking more

There are others who have only a 4 year bachelors without the masters, and some do a more practical in-service masters through an intensive program. It bestows a masters in pastoral ministry.

I am ordained, and I only have a bachelors degree in theology. We were scheduled to go to seminary earlier, but declined because it would mean my wife would have to work and my kids would go into day-care. We decided I could get that masters later. I didn't want my kids away from mom.

In general in evangelical churches ,and in our church ,the emphasis is going away from doctrine and towards practics as taught in seminars by those in the field. And a lot of churches promote from within after a lay-member shows that he is dedicated and capable.

 

[catlover]

I expected as much, and you are entitled to think.
Is this a written law somewhere? This 3 hour limit? What if they can only pray 2:59:59? Does that count?
Anyway, I've been a nurse for more than 16 years. Experiance takes over after a fashion. I had a few Catholic Priest friends, and a few Pastor friends. I find that scholarly education counts for little if you're not in God's will. And squat if you do nothing but profile with it. As I've seem some pompus "went to Hebrew school" church leaders do. More commonly known as Religiously Lost Gas Bags. Or tinkling cymbols as Paul so aptly put it.
Peace be unto you.

Amen, Sister!!

 

[Lynn73]

I once was a member of a church where we had what we called a lay pastor. In other words, he had no formal training at a seminary. Does it really take going to a seminary or college for however many years to preach the gospel? I've read stories about a lot of young men's faith being destroyed by professors at some of these Bible colleges who don't even believe the Bible. I really hope that's not true.

 

[Peaceful Dove]

I don't think I missed the point at all. I think it was you that had missed the point. But that's okay. I don't have issue with it. Far more people seemed to have gotten my point than hadn't. And even if it weren't so, in the bigger picture, it just doesn't matter who got what point. It doesn't matter to God who has a bigger better education. He used "uneducated" fishermen to bring more people to a personal relationship with Him than any Hebrew School Tinkling Cymbol could ever hope to. And isn't that the goal? To bring the lost to the Lord? To show the saved how to walk, as the fishermen did?
Peace be unto you

Hi
If I seemed to be snippy with you, I am terribly sorry, please forgive me.
I had thought you had missed the point of what I was saying.
I have had so many direct hits from a few on this forum that I may have sounded defensive about you putting words in my mouth.
I am relieved to know that you were not.

I absolutely do agree that a Pastor must be operating in the Gifts of the Spirit (whichever ones he has been blessed with), must have a close relationship with the Lord and a heart for the ministry.

That being said, may I refer to your analogy of nursing.
I believe that nursing is a "calling" as well and that many folks have a very natural ability. My grandmother did but she was never a nurse. She was a nurturer with an uncanny instinct when it came to tending sick people. (Strangely enough, she did have a college degree but not in that field, and a farm lady at that).

I am sure you have all the same gifts by nature she did. Aren't there many ways your vocation has been improved by your education?

I worked for many years within the field of veterinary medicine. I was not a Vet, but being a Professional Horse breeder for 35 years, our local horse vets made use of my expertise and often asked me to accompany them on their rounds or for unusual cases. They also made much use of my own education in research. I respected the knowledge they had and they, in turn respected mine.

That is all I was trying to say.

Surely pastors have sometimes been spoiled in seminary. I wonder how many of these, if any had a true calling to begin with.

Again, if I offended you in any way, I do apologize and beg your forgiveness.

 

[mesue]

Hi
If I seemed to be snippy with you, I am terribly sorry, please forgive me.
I had thought you had missed the point of what I was saying.
I have had so many direct hits from a few on this forum that I may have sounded defensive about you putting words in my mouth.
I am relieved to know that you were not.

Not a problem

... I worked for many years within the field of veterinary medicine. I was not a Vet, but being a Professional Horse breeder for 35 years, our local horse vets made use of my expertise and often asked me to accompany them on their rounds or for unusual cases. They also made much use of my own education in research. I respected the knowledge they had and they, in turn respected mine.

...

This was exactly the point I was trying to make. Your experience was a far greater teacher than any education could offer. Which was my point when I said that there are some LPN's that would rival the the talents of some RN's. There are some LPN's I know that I would let treat me before some RN's I know. Why? Because of their gifts and experience. The same goes with being a Pastor.
Peace be unto you.

 

[lionroar0]

I once was a member of a church where we had what we called a lay pastor. In other words, he had no formal training at a seminary. Does it really take going to a seminary or college for however many years to preach the gospel?

Depends on the definition of preaching. There are many that preach the gospel through ministry. They feed the hungry, clothe the poors, visit prisoners, help at abuse centers. The list is long and they probably never went to a bible college and seminary.

If preahing means from a pulpit. I think they should have some training.

I've read stories about a lot of young men's faith being destroyed by professors at some of these Bible colleges who don't even believe the Bible. I really hope that's not true.

I'm appalled that teachers which are supposed to be teaching christian values would desetroy the faith of others.

One of my teachers in college told us about a teacher that he had that was out to just do that destroy peoples faiths. He also pointed out that many people had their faith tested some left and some stayed in the class and all of them were changed by that professor.

Peace

 

[Justin The Baptist]

I once was a member of a church where we had what we called a lay pastor. In other words, he had no formal training at a seminary. Does it really take going to a seminary or college for however many years to preach the gospel? I've read stories about a lot of young men's faith being destroyed by professors at some of these Bible colleges who don't even believe the Bible. I really hope that's not true.

If their faith could be broken by one professor, in Bible College it could have been more easily broken by a congregation in their church. Having said that, I don't advocate liberal teaching in Bible colleges, at all.

 

[FriarTuck]

I reemember when my Western Civ teacher taught us about early religion and the Jews weren't monotheistic until well after the Mosaic period. And even then they believed in other gods. That shook a lot of peoples faith. When they confronted him about it, he told them that if they're faith was really week enough that history could shake it they should examine their beliefs a little more closely.

 

[JimfromOhio]

Let's see, for 3 years, Jesus taught His Disciples who became Apostles after His death. What kind of education did Jesus gave them? Reading all of the New Testament, I have come to conclusion that Jesus taught them Spiritual matters. The only Apostle that didn't follow Jesus was Paul however, Paul did have extensive education background regarding Jewish Laws that were very useful for God to use Paul when He wrote the letters of the New Testament.

 

[woobadooba]

The more the pastor knows, the more he able to construct a holistic argument. I prefer someone has a PhD. in theology, counseling, and in science.

I would be satisfied by someone who is just simply moved by the Holy Spirit. And even if it were a child that would be a grand thing indeed!

From my experience, those who have a PhD can't relate to the common folk.

Now, they may be able to give a great sermon(if you can even understand them), but when it comes to sharing their love with others, for the most part, I've found that they can be very cold.

 

[eladoni]

I once was a member of a church where we had what we called a lay pastor. In other words, he had no formal training at a seminary. Does it really take going to a seminary or college for however many years to preach the gospel? I've read stories about a lot of young men's faith being destroyed by professors at some of these Bible colleges who don't even believe the Bible. I really hope that's not true.

I've heard about that happening.

But the problem is that people get full of them selfs, and they start promoting their version of christianity, instead of what the bible says.

 

[dalej42]

In the United States, I believe that the freedom of religion would allow anyone who desires to be able to pastor a church.

There are many gifted pastors with a variety of educational backgrounds. However, I've found for me, I relate better to a pastor who has been to seminary or who has a Phd in theology.

In Dallas, I've been impressed with graduates of the Perkins School of Theology although I am not a Methodist.