Should you go to seminary if you want to be a pastor? Or should you pass on it and just learn as you do ministry? Is seminary strategically important in ministry preparation . . . for you? Ah, yes. A crucial question. Let me give the short answer: it depends.
I know. Not so helpful. I will try to be more helpful, though you should adjust your expectations if you're seeking a final answer by reading this 9Marks article. The fog when trying to answer "should I go to seminary?" is real. We have the church, the Bible, pastors, and a plethora of online resources. And they're free! Is it necessary to go to seminary if I'm pursuing pastoral ministry and not the academy?
To go or not to go? That is the question. I feel the fog you're in. The uncertainty can lead to fear: what if I make the wrong decision here and it ruins my ministry? A lot is at stake in this decision for you and it can be difficult to see your way forward clearly. I get it. The good news is that you can trust God to lead you every step of the way as long as you are not disobeying him step by step in your journey and as you make your decision prayerfully and thoughtfully (Psalm 32:8-9).
I understand the dilemma since I’ve pastored and regularly help aspiring pastors. I've done seminary and have been pastoring for 22 years to perceive more clearly what was more and less beneficial in my experience. We train others through our pastoral internship and our on-campus seminary partnered with Union School of Theology. Let me share with you my story, my reasons for seminary, my ignorance, my warnings, and my advice. I pray these brief thoughts help you move toward clarity as you follow Jesus.
My Story
At the age of 12 I subjectively thought that God was calling me to be a pastor when my pastor gave an altar call asking any in the congregation to come forward if they were willing to give their lives to God in full time vocational ministry. I experienced a certain freedom in willingness to go if (and that was a big if) God was actually leading me to be a pastor. Though I loved God and wanted to follow him wherever he led I fought the idea of being a pastor because I didn't want to be poor. The only pastor I knew at the time wasn't well off financially.
The summer after graduating high school God poured gasoline on my spiritual fire for him. Every quiet time with him was filled with joy in God's goodness. I started to have an overwhelming burden for other high school students to know this joy in God and to see his goodness in the Bible passages I read. The burden was so heavy that my love of money broke. I didn't care how much money I didn't have as long as God stayed this close to me and gave me the opportunity to help others know this joy in him that I was experiencing. All I wanted to do was grow with Christ, read his Bible, explain his Bible, and see others experience that same joy. I wanted to be a pastor.
My Reasons for going to Seminary
I saw a handful of men become pastors at my church and they all went to seminary. So I wanted to go to seminary too if that was the path to being a pastor. I went to seminary to learn. At that time I didn’t know what I needed to learn and so I hoped the seminary would help me out with that. Though I did an undergraduate degree in biblical studies with an emphasis on biblical languages I wanted to learn the Bible better, sharpen my use of Greek and Hebrew, and refine my systematic theology. I needed to learn how to serve others as a pastor. The goal was to serve my church and preach the Word more faithfully and effectively. Those were things I wanted to learn. But there were many things I did not know that I did not know.
My Ignorance Regarding my Seminary Training
I didn’t know how central the local church is to my Christian life, spiritual growth, ministry training, and potential pastoral formation. I did not know training in a church is possible (keep in mind I graduated with my MDiv in 2006 before the online options were viable). Seminary is optional. The local church is essential. I did not know (nor learn in seminary) how important church polity was and did not devote the proper time to learn (1) what a local church is, (2) what makes it healthy, (3) what a member is, (4) what pastors are, and (5) how members and pastors help or hurt a church’s health.
Furthermore, I did not know how strategic my competence in the biblical languages and church history are to my every day pastoral ministry. Now that I’m in the ministry trenches I don’t have the same time and freedom to develop the skill and competency that I did when I was in seminary. I didn’t know theological triage and how it applied to church membership, the eldership, and cooperation with other churches and teachers. Pastoral friendships and networking from the place of doctrinal discernment and deep friendship was not modeled for me in a way that I found compelling. I wish I invested more intentionally in more friendships in those days.
My advice
If you decide to go to seminary then go to grow primarily in biblical/theological conviction and ministerial competence through the languages and theology. Go to seminary to spend concentrated time filling up and setting a foundation and framework for your theology and ministry practice that will guide your subsequent Christian growth and service. Go to seminary to learn how to keep developing theologically and how to watch your teaching (1 Timothy 4:16). Go to seminary to learn the biblical languages so that you use them effectively for the rest of your life. Go to seminary to learn from experts in biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, church history, social ethics, and apologetics/philosophy (not so much practical theology) with other students who are learning and discussing the content in constant conversation with you (that is way better than doing seminary on your own online isolated from regular conversation partners; I advise you against that). Go to seminary to learn the Bible. Go to seminary to make friends and connections with professors. Of course, you can learn many of these things online for free processing what you’re learning with your church and solid pastors. But if you do go to seminary I advise you go for these purposes.
My Warnings
I know the Bible calls us to grow in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). But that knowledge is not merely intellectual (or academic) but spiritual (cf. Jeremiah 9:23-24). Character is more important than expert knowledge of the Bible and theology. Paul writes, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). You will grow in knowledge if you keep living. As you grow in knowledge you will either grow in pride or in love. You will inevitably grow in one of the two. So I want to warn you against pride. In all your learning grow in love. Worship Christ in everything. Your local church is more important than seminary so love your fellow church members and your church as a whole. Love your neighbors to the same degree of thoughtful love you have for yourself. Love the nations who need Christ’s Word. Love Christ’s kingdom. And whether you go to seminary or not, always work to tremble at God’s Word (Isaiah 66:2).
Seminary was a special and strategic season for my life and pastoral development from age 22 to 26. I don’t regret going even though there are some things I would do differently if I could go back. God used my season in seminary to refine, challenge, fill, equip, and prepare me for pastoral ministry. God could have used other means for this preparation and he has done so for other pastors I know who are far more effective in pastoral ministry than I am. May the Lord give you a spirit of prayer and dependence on him as you thoughtfully consider whether God would have you go (or recommend another to go) to seminary.
Grace and ✌🏾
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If you’re looking for good theological education that is affordable, local, and God-centered, check out Union School of Theology. We host the Graduate Diploma in Theology (GDip) learning community at Bellflower Baptist Church
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