If you’ve been in ministry for any length of time then you’ve probably heard or said that oft repeated refrain, “There are so many things that they don’t teach you in seminary to prepare you for the challenges in ministry.” While one could easily lay the blame at the feet of seminary professors, we must remember that the main purpose of seminary is to give men the theological instruction necessary for them to faithfully minister God’s word on a week in and week out basis. Four years of seminary is barely enough time for men to learn the basics of Greek, Hebrew, Homiletics, Hermeneutics, Missiology, Old and New Testament Introduction, Systematic Theology, Biblical Theology, Exegetical Theology and Historical Theology, etc. The best theological institutions tend to hire professors who have been in a pastorate or who are currently pastoring a church—men who will begin to prepare men for the daily challenges that they will likely face in the pastorate.
Additionally, any seminary worth its salt will require students to take courses in pastoral theology and biblical counseling. However, given the heavy load of theological courses necessary, the average seminary only offers two or three courses in pastoral theology and counseling. In short, seminary only scratches the surface of the challenges they young men will face in pastoral ministry.
There are many things that can only be learned on the frontline of the battlefield of the pastorate. So, what can young ministers do to glean the wisdom and counsel necessary to face the pastoral situations for which they were not fully prepared in seminary? Here are five things every young pastor should seek to incorporate into his life and ministry.... Read more
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