How to "market" a ministry degree

[evangelist6589]

I got a BA in Church Education from a University in 05 and attended seminary up till 09 at BJU of which I did not finish. Been looking for a job in Denver but it has not been easy. I lack a Teachers certificate and I have thought about getting one, but that will require more student loans. I looked at a Chaplain job near me, however they wanted someone with a MA degree which I lack. Since 09 I have worked in the shipping business, but maybe I can switch careers if the right opportunity came along as personally I want to work in a area that I love, rather than manual labor type work in warehouses. So many of my friends whom also went to school are not even working in their ministry field as a profession but many as tent makers. Some whom have family in churches or in the ministry are, but many are not.

Anyone know how to market a Ministry education? There are some Christian schools around here, however I have not seen any openings in a area where I am qualified. However perhaps I may need to continue to check.


Thanks..

 

[Mexdeaf]

You should emphasize transferable skills, not education. I have parlayed a BA in Bible into several secular jobs by emphasizing my experience at leading people (pastor), beginning and managing projects (church planter and missionary), and fund-raising (missionary).

I am currently working on a MS in Counseling, but in the meantime I am gaining valuable experience by working p/t at a college as a counselor.

 

[evangelist6589]

You should emphasize transferable skills, not education. I have parlayed a BA in Bible into several secular jobs by emphasizing my experience at leading people (pastor), beginning and managing projects (church planter and missionary), and fund-raising (missionary).

I am currently working on a MS in Counseling, but in the meantime I am gaining valuable experience by working p/t at a college as a counselor.

But what do I do about jobs that say I need to have 2-3 years experience in a particular industry or at a particular job? What would b a target vocation for someone with a degree in Church Education? Can you be more specific?

I have applied for some supervisor positions, but I know some of my key strengths are teaching, public speaking, attention with details, administrative, and the like. Maybe its not me, but its the job market in my area.

Perhaps you could post or email me a sample of your resume (no contact info) so I could see.

 

[gb93433]

Make disciples while you do manual labor. Paul did. Many an effective ministry started with someone doing manual labor. Ask about Scum of the Earth Church in your area and how it began. I was at a church in which the pastor started the church while working at a gas station. I know another pastor who worked at Starbucks. Working a job gives you about twice as many contacts.

 

[evangelist6589]

Make disciples while you do manual labor. Paul did. Many an effective ministry started with someone doing manual labor. Ask about Scum of the Earth Church in your area and how it began. I was at a church in which the pastor started the church while working at a gas station. I know another pastor who worked at Starbucks. Working a job gives you about twice as many contacts.

Well the magical formulas and resumes that some whom claim to have good advice give are just not working. They are often very vague and my specific questions are not answered. I just need to do what I need to do. Maybe these so called "career experts" whom have blogs, and are all wise and powerful are just not as wise as they claim to be.

 

[evangelist6589]

http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html

You call this church a role model??????? Explain the open cuss words, and advertising.

 

[gb93433]

http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html

You call this church a role model??????? Explain the open cuss words, and advertising.

Look likes things have changed a lot recently.

 

[gb93433]

http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html

You call this church a role model??????? Explain the open cuss words, and advertising.

Look likes things have changed a lot recently. I know some great people who went there a few years ago and spoke highly of it. I had not noticed that before when I went to their website. WOW!!! I am shocked.

Anyway my point is that many a ministry has been started by doing the mundane and God using them right where the are. I know a man (who has since died) that started a large church by working at a gas station years ago.

One has to have a passion with fire and not degrees only.

One can have degrees and no temperature. It is impossible to build a fire without a spark.

Forget the resumes and the nonsense that some experts give you. The proof is in making disciples.

Years ago I had a professor tell me that I would never be a very good teacher. It was because what she was asking me to do was not me. When I was teaching high school the state visited me because they found out about how successful I was. The following year the state adopted the same standards I had. My students won every competition every year.

A few months ago a man I knew from college contacted me and told me he was surprised that I was following Jesus because of what I talked about years ago. The problem was that he did not know my heart and struggles. When he knew me I knew almost nothing about trusting God.

Do not let people get in the way of what God gives you. If you do that then an antagonist in the church will kill you.

Ask God to give you one man you can meet with and disciple. Why would God entrust you with two until you have proven yourself faithful with one. That is the best preparation for any ministry of reaching people.

The man who taught me carpentry had reached many many people. In fact during his funeral the city officials showed and the local lumber yard closed. The funeral lasted for three hours because people one after another told of how God used him in their lives. He was a pastor to many but not a church pastor. There are many walking with god today whom he met with over the years. It was not unusual for him to invite 25 young people over to his home on a Sunday. I had the privilege of living in his home for the year before I got married. The man had incredible fire and passion for Christ.

 

[saturneptune]

Look likes things have changed a lot recently.

Yes they have changed, as curse words have no business on the lips of any of us as Christians, but most especially those in a leadership position, like pastor, missionary, youth leaders, and numerous others. A degree really has nothing to do with any of this. That is a matter of the heart.

Repeated in another thread, think about the language right here. Not so much direct curse words, but mean, hateful and disrespectful speech from posters who claim to be pastors of a local New Testament church, or other vital leaders. If one wants to express a curse word, then it is quite common to see a couple of letters in the word filled in by symbols.

I would like to see a screen above every pastor's podium that scrolled their posts on Baptist Board for all the congregation to see while they preached their sermons.

 

[Don]

But what do I do about jobs that say I need to have 2-3 years experience in a particular industry or at a particular job? What would b a target vocation for someone with a degree in Church Education? Can you be more specific?

I have applied for some supervisor positions, but I know some of my key strengths are teaching, public speaking, attention with details, administrative, and the like. Maybe its not me, but its the job market in my area.

Perhaps you could post or email me a sample of your resume (no contact info) so I could see.

Your key strengths:
Teaching - how much? How many hours/days/years? How many students? What was the "graduation rate" of your students? How did your students translate your teaching into a beneficial return on investment?
Public speaking - how many times? Size of the audiences? Results of the public speaking? (i.e., testimonies can be provided of how people's lives were changed, they used your information to better themselves and/or their situations, etc.).
Attention to details - easy to say. Give specific examples, and specific results (i.e., how your attention to a particular detail in a process saved the company a specific amount of money).
Administrative - again, give specifics, such as how proficient you are with Microsoft Word or Excel, how many words per minute you can type, etc.

Read the job description carefully, and ensure your resume targets key skills identified in the resume. If one of the required or preferred skills is budgeting, then you need to identify in your resume your experience dealing with budgets.

Focus on results, not just skills. Show accomplishments based on your skills. For example, if you're applying for a loader position, identify your skill and certification (forklift, for example), but also identify how skillful you are (able to load 50 1,000 pound pallets per hour within OSHA, union, and company guidelines and regulations).

Don't throw away all the blogs and opinions; just remember that opinions are like armpits: everyone's got at least two, and some smell a lot worse than others.

And whatever you do, do NOT create a "My Little Pony Resume" and refer to yourself as "this little pony" throughout like the nimrod I found an example of last week....

 

[Winman]

Check out sites like this in your area. Look for jobs that appeal to you and fit your skills.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/Denver,+CO?siteidppc_g_5060_kw659913&siteid=ppc_g_5060_kw659913

 

[evangelist6589]

Check out sites like this in your area. Look for jobs that appeal to you and fit your skills.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/Denver,+CO?siteidppc_g_5060_kw659913&siteid=ppc_g_5060_kw659913

Thats what I do all day! It looks as if I just will need to be patient and wait on the Lord.

 

[Don]

While those sites are good for a lot of typical jobs - take a look around where you live. Is there a company that you might be interested in? Find their website, and see if they have a "Careers" or "Employment" section, and see what jobs they're advertising -- that they might not be advertising on those websites.

For example, the place where I currently work - when I advertised earlier this year for someone with Accounting experience, the cost for advertising came out of my department budget. It was cheaper to go with the institution's website section for employment and with the local newspapers than it was to pay for an advertisement to go into Monster, Indeed, and CareerBuilder; so the job didn't show up on those websites.

 

[evangelist6589]

Your key strengths:
Teaching - how much? How many hours/days/years? How many students? What was the "graduation rate" of your students? How did your students translate your teaching into a beneficial return on investment?
Public speaking - how many times? Size of the audiences? Results of the public speaking? (i.e., testimonies can be provided of how people's lives were changed, they used your information to better themselves and/or their situations, etc.).
Attention to details - easy to say. Give specific examples, and specific results (i.e., how your attention to a particular detail in a process saved the company a specific amount of money).
Administrative - again, give specifics, such as how proficient you are with Microsoft Word or Excel, how many words per minute you can type, etc.

Read the job description carefully, and ensure your resume targets key skills identified in the resume. If one of the required or preferred skills is budgeting, then you need to identify in your resume your experience dealing with budgets.

Focus on results, not just skills. Show accomplishments based on your skills. For example, if you're applying for a loader position, identify your skill and certification (forklift, for example), but also identify how skillful you are (able to load 50 1,000 pound pallets per hour within OSHA, union, and company guidelines and regulations).

Don't throw away all the blogs and opinions; just remember that opinions are like armpits: everyone's got at least two, and some smell a lot worse than others.

And whatever you do, do NOT create a "My Little Pony Resume" and refer to yourself as "this little pony" throughout like the nimrod I found an example of last week....

Well I have taken career tests, personality assessments and the like and they have give me my top strengths. But to word them in a resume will be a challenge, and what I have started to do on my latest resume.

Teaching- I taught everyweek at my last FT job in SC as I led safety meetings. As a result of my teaching not a single accident nor Osha recordable occurred during the 14 months that I taught safety meetings there.

I also got to teach when I was street evangelism extension leader at BJU. And I got to teach at a small Baptist Church in SS in SC. As a result of my teaching I did notice that after that summer the church changed from a lecture only based education program to a discussion based format and what I desired as lecture only based Sunday schools are lame. One needs discussion and a live environment and not just dead lecture.

At my present church I got to teach one lesson last sunday and the discussion was very live and interactive as a result and people seemed to have learned a bit.

Public Speaking- I open air on the streets and have done so since 2009, and when I was in SC I preached at a Nursing Home for 2 years at my last SC church. Not sure of the number of times but I estimate close to a 100 times combined. I cant give any results because God brings the converts and elects His own to salvation.

However I remember one time giving a testimony at a small REFORMED Baptist Church earlier this year and a dozen people came after and thanked me and appreciated the message. I also remember preaching in their Nursing Home and getting the same results. The REFORMED people appreciated my messages, while the Arminian people in the IFB church ignored me!

Attention to Detail

Last Job
Handled between 100-350 invoices per shift taking 2-4 hours with near 100% efficiency.
• Received 70-300 pallets per shift, counted, entered into MS Dynamics with less than a 1% error rate, and located product to proper locations on warehouse floor.

Previous Jobs
• Exceeded desired production, quality, safety and attendance goals. Shipped 30-300 orders per day with less than a 2% error rate
• Did 10-30 restocks a day with less than a 2% error rate

Administrative

I have a business degree. Not sure of my typing word count as I have not taken a test in awhile.

I will work on those later. I thank you for this assignment. Should I add these in a Cover Letter? Employer want RESULTS and this assignment will help. Thank you so very much!

 

[evangelist6589]

While those sites are good for a lot of typical jobs - take a look around where you live. Is there a company that you might be interested in? Find their website, and see if they have a "Careers" or "Employment" section, and see what jobs they're advertising -- that they might not be advertising on those websites.

For example, the place where I currently work - when I advertised earlier this year for someone with Accounting experience, the cost for advertising came out of my department budget. It was cheaper to go with the institution's website section for employment and with the local newspapers than it was to pay for an advertisement to go into Monster, Indeed, and CareerBuilder; so the job didn't show up on those websites.

I do also get a paper everyweek, however not as many employers use it these days, at least in Denver which is not as large as the SF Bay Area or another larger city. However I have noticed that some employers only use the paper and not the internet.

I have seen a few companies I am interested in, however positions are only PT, or I lack the skills for the FT positions. For example I was interested in working for Centura Hospital and have connected with many of the administrators on Linked-In. However most of the jobs there require certain skills that I lack. On the job training would be nice if they had any. But perhaps I need to continue my search for companies...

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

http://www.scumoftheearth.net/SOTEC/Welcome.html

You call this church a role model??????? Explain the open cuss words, and advertising.

More entertainment value...typical

 

[Rippon]

think about the language right here. Not so much direct curse words, but mean, hateful and disrespectful speech from posters

Yeah, think about that S/N. Your constant corrupt communication using words like fat slob, stupid, idiot, clown, dolt, nitwit, crawl back in the hole you came from, shut your fat mouth and on and on and on can only be called super-hypocritical on your part. You use hateful and disrespectful speech to a degree that is well-nigh unthinkable for a Christian.

 

[gb93433]

Yes they have changed, as curse words have no business on the lips of any of us as Christians, but most especially those in a leadership position, like pastor, missionary, youth leaders, and numerous others. A degree really has nothing to do with any of this. That is a matter of the heart.

All believers are an example to the world whether it be good or bad.

I think a lot of the nonsense today is a reaction to what some see how church is done in some dead churches. In doing that they are creating their own way of doing church with its own set of rules. The problem is that their measurement of growth is nickles and noses and not those who make disciples. No cattle farmer would consider himself successful if he had a herd of cows who never reproduced when they were bred.

 

[gb93433]

Thats what I do all day! It looks as if I just will need to be patient and wait on the Lord.

In Denver there should be temporary services. When I was a manager we often used a temp service to see how prospective employees performed without having to hire and then possibly fire them. In most cases it worked well. A lot of employers do not want to deal with terminating employees. They want some way of seeing them first.

 

[evangelist6589]

In Denver there should be temporary services. When I was a manager we often used a temp service to see how prospective employees performed without having to hire and then possibly fire them. In most cases it worked well. A lot of employers do not want to deal with terminating employees. They want some way of seeing them first.

Temp agencies also take a big portion of your hourly pay, and they are also dishonest. I have had several call me and tell me they had a good job and to wait and they will send me a email, but I never heard a peep back even after several calls and emails. Unfortunately many employers use them these days, however I have had interviews at places whom do direct hires and avoid the temp agency.

My last job was with a temp agency and I got axed and never was told why. I asked for specifics and was given none. However in the meeting the person doing the terminating finally admitted that the environment may not have been the best fit for me and I agreed that it was not. Lots of cussing, talking about alcohol, sex, and the like. I never condemned anyone, but I did not fit in. ON breaks I would often be reading a Christian book and that may have set-off some flags. Being a direct hire as I was for my last FT jobs and avoiding any temp agency was better. I was given performance feedback and they normally would not terminate anyone without a good cause. Not just axing someone because they did not fit in, but because of performance, or something of the sort.

Yes indeed my last job in SC was a hard one as they expected one to work very hard and I saw lots of slackers come in and get axed because of sloth, attendance, or the like. I stuck around and gained more responsibilities such as leading safety meetings, invoicing and the like. I was successful because of hard-work! Not because I "fit in" or that I cussed, drank, and sang the bosses praises.

Its okay God has another place for me but if possible avoid the temp agency.