Featured Alternatives to seminary education

No thoughts, merely observation. The professional minister today is being shunned because if they ever had, they have lost touch with people in the street.....so (now my conclusions) are that there is very little desire for the "professional" minister anymore. In my area, it has sunk into a secular society. Now with all these highly educated professional seminarians walking around, why is it that there is very little need for them (in my community)?

 

Are you called to preach? If so, consider what God's will is for your training. At your age it may be an internship rather than actual seminary. If you are not called, this thread doesn't apply to you.

Elijah had a school for the "sons of the prophets," Jesus trained the 12 for three whole years, and God sent Paul into the wilderness for three years to directly train him (as Jesus had directly called him). The Spurgeons in God's service are precious few. The rest of us need training, whatever that training might be.

 

Nice to read your posts again brother. I trust you are doing well. We are back in the US now after 33 years in Japan. I mostly teach Bible and Greek, but it's a small college so I was shanghied into your field and also taught the Survey of Church History course. Fun!

I was looking at an online seminary the other day and it said I could have 6 credits--free--for every year of ministry. I figured out that would give me 234 credits. That should be enough for another master's and maybe a couple of doctorates, don't you think? :laugh:

Amen, brother well said.

 

There are many academicians who get out among the people. Having a seminary degree does not force one to stay in the ivory tower.

When I was in seminary I went on visitation with my Hebrew prof, a well-known scholar. My son the PhD prof was a bus captain for VBS last week and reveled in it. His mentor for the PhD, Dr. David Alan Black, calls himself a missionary first and a prof second, and goes regularly on missions trips to Ethiopia, China, etc.

 

Whats that got to do with my community?

 

Internship by whom?

But the point, that you would be hard pressed to ignore is that Spurgeon had no formal training in ministry, but was called into pastor-ship at age 17....and look at his accomplishments! So do you just ignore that mans ability to serve?
No you don't. Do you poo poo the"Spurgeon Experience" as an anomaly....I certainly hope not. God could raise up stones if He wishes.

 

This standard is not itself found in the Bible, and thus is self-refuting.

 

There are some low cost or free alternatives. Such as Alaska Bible Institute in Homer Alaska. That is where I met my wife back in 2008. There is also one in Montana, but forgot the name and location.

Edit: However, they are usually unaccredited, but there are some seminary's that do accept their credits.

 

Hi, Rhet. The work on the bio has been kind of slow, since the last semester was hectic. I don't have as big a load this semester, so I'm hoping to get a lot done and finish it this summer. And I may have to do a volume 2 on the theology of JRR. He had an interesting mix, Christological and historic premil.

Amen to that.

I've never understood why some Christians think less formal study of the Bible is a good thing.

God bless.

 

You've got a lot of good low cost options, what John of Japan is saying is on point, and philosophically I think we need to be incorporating local church - pastor mentoring in the process.

http://www.churchleaders.com/pastor...is-surber-training-lay-preachers-why-not.html

http://www.sermoncentral.com/pastor...hy-you-should-train-others-to-preach-1515.asp

 

I have a Bible Cirriculuum for those interested

Costs are $125-150 per 3 hour class

Classes include
NT
OT
Doctrine of God
Doctrine of Church
Pastoral Ministry
Preaching
Evangelism
Missions

Others as well