Thinking of Going to Seminary?
From Kevin DeYoung...Here are a few questions to ask before you go, as you decide where to go, and while you are there.
Three Questions Before You Go
1. Might you benefit from more experience in the “real world” first? Many students will graduate from college and head off to seminary. This is what I did, so far be it from me to suggest you have to work a “real job” for three years before going. But for many students, seminary will be richer and more helpful with a little more life experience.
2. Will your seminary education be going toward some end which requires such a seminary degree? Graduate school costs money, money you probably don’t have. With so many Christian books, conferences, and online resources these days, you can learn a whole lot on your own. If you are going to seminary because you love Jesus and love the Bible, that’s wonderful, but you may want to consider if there are less costly, less time-consuming, less disruptive ways to keep learning and growing.
3. Are you prepared for a largely academic approach to learning? I am all for academics. I think seminary course work should be challenging. But writing long papers, taking tests, listening to lectures, and reading thousands of pages is not for everyone. Seminary is not like a three year Passion Conference. It is like graduate school. Know what you’re getting in to.
Three Questions as You Decide Where to Go
1. Have you thought about the tradition you want to be a part of? Seminary does not set your trajectory for life, but it will immerse you in a certain culture and tradition. Southern is a good seminary; so is Westminster, so is Trinity. But one will put you in the middle of SBC life, another into the Presbyterian and Reformed world, and another more broadly into evangelicalism (and the Evangelical Free Church). Think about where you’re from and where you want to end up.
2. What is the community like? No seminary aims for lousy community, but some schools are largely commuter campuses while others have a dorm atmosphere that feels like an extension of college. Know what you’re looking for.
3. Are there certain professors you want to learn from? It’s hard for seminaries to be much better (or much worse) than the faculty they employ. One of the reasons I went to Gordon-Conwell was to take classes from David Wells. I was not disappointed. Think about whom you respect and want to be with for 3-5 years.
Three Questions While You’re at Seminary
1. Have I found a good local church? I loved seminary, but without a ground in the local church, you can lose your bearing. You’ll run the risk of being over-intellectual and disconnected from life-on-life ministry. Plus, if you aren’t actively involved in a church you won’t be able to discern whether pastoral ministry is really for you.
2. Are you expecting for seminary to be something it’s not? Most seminaries try hard to provide hands-on learning and make the coursework useful for pastoral ministry. But it can’t replace an internship or on the job training. Don’t get down on seminary because it’s a lot of note taking and paper writing. What did you expect?
3. Are you ok being yourself? Not every student can be the star student. Not every student can be the guitar hero. Not every student can be the guy with experience in 15 countries who speaks 4 languages. That’s ok. Be yourself. Beware of pride, unhealthy competition, and jealousy. Say with Paul, by the grace of God I am what I am.
HT: Kevin DeYoung
God is Faithful
"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9
HT: Adam Kring
But What About You, Who Do You Say I am?
Mark 8:27-9:1
Everyone who reads the book of Mark is confronted with the same question, "But what about you, who do you say that I am?" Our answer to this question reveals our understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ. A proper understanding therefore leads to an appropriate reponse to the call to follow Jesus. We are often tempted in this age of postmodernism to minimize both the call and the work of Christ, and believe what we want to be true, rather than what the Bible says is true in order to safeguard lives of ease and comfort. R.C. Sproul comments on this topic in his book Chosen by God, "You are required to believe, to preach and to teach what the Bible says is true, not what you want the Bible to say is true" (p.12).
Responding to the call of Jesus is three-fold: deny oneself, take up your cross, and following Jesus.
The Call to Study
As we complete our study of hermeneutics, pray that the we as a community will have an increased hunger for the word of God, not being intimidated by the word 'study', but instead having deep life-changing, unquenchable thirst for the word of God.
"If I had only three years to serve the Lord, I would spend two of them studying and preparing" - Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse
Minister to Your Shepherd
"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves." - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Ever thought of the need to minister to your pastor? This is something we often times forget to do or think it not necessary because of their "profession", but it is quite the opposite that is actually true. Because of their work, we must minister to them all the more. Please be encouraged of our responsibility to minister to our shepherds that the Lord has entrusted over us. Paul said in Galatians 4:19 that he was in anguish as in childbirth over the church at Galatia. After giving a long list of his struggles and daily dangers, as if that were not enough, he states that "apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." (2 Cor 11:28). Knowing our shepherds have this same heart, I urge our members to encourage them often through our faith (Rom 1:11-12), by living lives marked with unity, knowing nothing of each other except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2), and also through prayer and service.
Here a few ways to minister to our shepherds:
Pray for them daily. (Pray specifics: health, family, faithfulness to the Word, that we would know how to encourage them, etc)
Go above and beyond to offer words of encouragement (as well as acts of service)
Take some of the burden off of them by offering to do some of the admin responsibilities
Ask the Lord to help you determine your spiritual gifts and use them in service to the church
Arrive early on Sundays and assist with the setup
Stay a little later on Sundays and assist with the tear down
(These are just a few - there are thousands more, but most importantly know that there can never be a time that we minister to them enough.)
Tempted to doubt God's love for you?
When you're tempted to doubt God's love for you, stand before the cross and look at the wounded, dying, disfigured Savior, and realize why He is there. I believe His Father would whsper to us, 'Isn't this sufficient? I haven't spared My own Son; I deformed and disfigured and crushed Him - for you. What more could I do to persuade you that I love you?'
-C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life (Sisters, Oregon: Mulnomah Books, 2006), 56.