Letters to a Young Pastor: How to Get the Most out of Seminary

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Dear ______:

Glad to hear you are enjoying orientation and the ramp-up to the new semester. I remember how exciting and important registration always felt. You want to know how to get the most out of seminary. As you put it so well,

Seminary life seems like a smorgasbord. I almost have too many choices.

Classes are not the whole picture, but they are crucial.

Of course a lot depends on the kind of seminary you go to. 

Some seminaries are like the fancy “prix fixe” restaurants: Rather than a menu they serve up one lovely meal each night. You eat what is set before you.

You’ve chosen a seminary that is more like the old “Royal Fork” buffet in the town where I grew up. You have almost infinite choices.

(The metaphors here are ironic. For a seminary to have a smorgasbord of choices it typically has to have be large and affluent–quite unlike my neighborhood buffet.)

But when you went to the buffet restaurant as a kid you didn’t get to fill your whole plate with pie and cake. Your parents insisted you choose from all the food groups, with meat, veggies, and other healthy stuff.

Your seminary is probably going to act a bit like your parents: You’ll have to get a certain number of courses in Bible, a certain number in history, and theology, and various aspects of the work of ministry.

That is probably a good thing. It may not be enough.

After graduation I was talking to one of my classmates.We had gone to the same school and gotten the same degree. He  asked me

How come you got a better education there than I did?

To get the most out of seminary, choose the long game.

Every semester you will have a rich variety of choices in front of you. Every course being offered is probably going to be stimulating. Across the disciplines, you can almost peg your classes to a timeline:

TODAY classes focus on a burning hot topic that is crucial in our culture right now.
TOMORROW classes focus on specific ministry skills you will need as you step into vocational ministry.
YESTERDAY classes focus on ancient texts, long-ago thinkers, and traditional teachings.

These are all really great. You don’t want to miss any of them.

But you can’t take all of them. And a whole lot of students are drawn to them in descending order:

Today is exciting.
Tomorrow is clearly coming.
Yesterday? Maybe. If there is time. Someday.

How to Get the Most out of Seminary

My advice? Take the opposite approach in your priorities:

Focus on Yesterday.

Make it your goal to build a solid foundation in Bible, history, and doctrinal theology.

You have to know what the faith is, and what the church is, and to discern what health and growth is like for individuals and churches.

You need to know these foundations to minister wisely for a lifetime.  If you skip these now you’ll probably never take the time to study them later.

Give solid attention to Tomorrow.

You are going to be doing ministry for a living. You need the best input you can get.

You need to learn how to stand up and preach a sermon so people grow in the faith, to lead worship so that you guide people into the presence of God to teach, and counsel and build community.

But do Tomorrow with a strong foundation in Yesterday.

Don’t go through seminary trying to collect program ideas and sermon illustrations. You’ll use up your education in a couple months.

Do enough of Today to integrate Yesterday and Tomorrow.

A lot of classes on hot issues will (often quite rightly) engage critically with the Church and its teachings in the past. You will only be equipped to participate well in that process if you actually know something first-hand about Bible, history, and doctrinal theology.

Without focusing first on Yesterday you run the risk of superficial judgments. You might reject the very resources that could have given you wisdom for Today.

Know the past and your courses on hot issues are a fantastic opportunity to think through the issues of your ministry Tomorrow.

Can’t wait to hear what you sign up for!

Blessings,

Gary

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I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Let me know about where you learned most about the “yesterday” “tomorrow” and “today” of your faith and ministry.

This post is part of a new series. To read from the beginning click here.

 

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