Protestant Preachers - What Kind of Training Do They Receive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter koda
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
John Paul III:
The Reverened Al Sharpton said last night in an interview that he was ordained at age 10. Now I am not sure which denomination he is with but in todays age, age 10 seems a little too quick, unfortunatley many of these Reverends get it for tax reasons.
Click to expand...
Pope John XII was 18…

The ordinary United Methodist educational requirements for ordination are:
  • candidacy studies
  • a bachelor degree
  • a master of divinity degree
  • three year probationary period post-seminary
  • psychological/physiological testing during candidacy, seminary, and final examination
  • approval after examination from the Board of Ordained Ministry in these areas: psychological/sociological; biblical teaching, worship/liturgics, and homiletical evaluation; theology and doctrinal examination
A 1-2 year candidacy period, a minimum of 7-8 years educational component, and 3 years mandatory probation/examination period are pretty high standards; most mainlines require similar standards. Presbyterian candidates have to have a working knowlege of both biblical languages, not just one. I believe Episcopalian candidates have to show proof of ownership of a Volvo…

O+
 
40.png
jim1130:
How do you view the Elders of a church, those people designated as special ministers who may not receive any special training?
Click to expand...
That’s another problem alltogether isn’t it? If I’m teaching a Sunday School class or RCIA I need to know what I’m talking about and be able to field those questions that come along with accuracy and charity. Fortunately I have had mostly good experiences with such classes with only some n-C ones that left something to be desired in retrospect.

Personally I think that no one should teach within the church without having been trained by someone better trained than they are. That means that parishes should take advantage of the good Catechist courses that are out there (InterMirifica used to offer a GREAT one by Fr. John Hardon that I took that absolutely ROCKED. It was SUPER hard!).

I would honestly have issues with any church that ordained a guy who had no training in theology. I had a pastor at one time (A/G) who had his degrees in counseling, and as a result his preaching was less interesting to me. He was a good speaker, and downright showy sometimes, with a flair for the dramatic, but it often left me hollow. 😦
Pax vobsicum,
 
40.png
koda:
Anybody know what kind schooling these guys get (any domination - I’m curious about all of them)? How long they have to go? That sort of thing…
Click to expand...
Some have none at all. Most in the bigger churches have formal seminary training.

Here’s how it worked in Southern Baptist churches I attended:

If a man (only men) wanted to simply “preach” - that is, perform evangelistic services (something akin to John the Baptist) then he must obtain a license to preach by the elected deacons. He cannot simply say that he wants to preach and then do it. That would be more personal witnessing. Formal training is not obligatory since he is simply preaching the gospel to “win souls”.

If, however, a man wants to be ordained, that is - become a pastor of a church, he must be questioned about his learning and abilities (by the deacons) and it requires the deacons and congregation to agree to have him as pastor (through a vote).

So, there’s a difference. There’s a license to preach and there is ordination to pastor. The license is fairly easy to attain as it is based on only the deacons approval. Pastoring requires the consent of the deacons and congregation. And, it usually requires seminary degrees irrespective of what many believe.

Yes, there are some country bumpkin preachers out there who have churches full of 10 people and are basically self-appointed. However, that is not the majority in my own experience. All the churches I attended were pastored by men who had seminary training and some had college and/or seminary.

That has been my experience.

Peace…
 
40.png
ReflectHim:
love how its so funny. i see why no one would come to the boards to chat unless catholic. you want to boast about being so right that you forget that not everyone thinks as you do, and that you are so closed minded that you don’t even seek to see why others differ from you. judgemental in my opinion. its always said WWJD? in this case i’m sure he wouldn’t do as some have…IMHO. but its fine…you catch more with honey than you do with vinegar.

just as you think you are so right in your conviction ever think that others feel the same…of course not. but at least i am here learning, even if just for research so that i can get an understanding, and not judge.
Click to expand...
Sorry your feelings were hurt.

But the idea that Scripture is written to be easy to understand is incomprehensible considering the history of Christianity. Wasn’t the Ethiopian eunuch reading scripture when he said to Philip the Deacon: “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” – Philip understood because as a deacon, he was *trained. *

The point is, you can’t just open the book and figure it out for yourself. All of us learn from our tradition (oops, hope that word doesn’t offend you).

Yes: preaching the Gospel is “easy” if all you have to do is tell people that Christ is risen, believe in him, accept him as your personal Lord and Savior and – voila!

But when you get up in your Dad’s league – or even on these mid-level apologetics boards – the questions get tough, and the answers get tougher. The Gospel may be accessible to a child but it is also deep enough to drown an elephant. You can’t just wing it if you are going to be responsible to it. If it were that easy, your dad would be out of work!
 
40.png
mercygate:
Sorry your feelings were hurt.

But the idea that Scripture is written to be easy to understand is incomprehensible considering the history of Christianity. Wasn’t the Ethiopian eunuch reading scripture when he said to Philip the Deacon: “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” – Philip understood because as a deacon, he was *trained. *

The point is, you can’t just open the book and figure it out for yourself. All of us learn from our tradition (oops, hope that word doesn’t offend you).

Yes: preaching the Gospel is “easy” if all you have to do is tell people that Christ is risen, believe in him, accept him as your personal Lord and Savior and – voila!

But when you get up in your Dad’s league – or even on these mid-level apologetics boards – the questions get tough, and the answers get tougher. The Gospel may be accessible to a child but it is also deep enough to drown an elephant. You can’t just wing it if you are going to be responsible to it. If it were that easy, your dad would be out of work!
Click to expand...
I used to think the Bible was fairly easy to understand. I mean, it was written in English, wasn’t it? 😃

But then when I started to study the Hebrew and Greek words and their English equivalents and delved into complex views of salvation, sanctification, glorification, election, predestination, baptism, etc, I found I knew very little and understood a minimal amount of actual Bible teaching.

When the Bible is viewed as “relatively easy” to decipher, that usually means only that I can read the Book! Not necessarily that I understand what I read. I have realized in the 10+ years of reading/studying the Bible that I know a lot less than I thought I would know at this point.

I have read some passages 20 times and still come away with heightened reflection. I say to myself - “Hey, I never thought of it that way before”. It’s really incredible. I am officially humbled at this point by the depth of Christian thought contained in the Scriptures.

Good to see you Mercygate!

Peace…
 
The possession of a seminary degree or the lack of a seminary degree has never been the cause for success or failure in the ministry. Neither is it a guarantee that a person knows the Scripture or doesn’t know the Scripture. Neither does it mean that a person will be a good priest or a bad priest.

A man who is called by God to the ministry owes it to himself to get as much theological, pastoral, and Scriptural education as possible. Some of the best preachers and pastors I know did not have a degree. Some of the worst preachers and pastors I know had several degrees.

When you look at what is taught in many seminaries and Christian colleges today, it is pure heresy. Add when you look at the methods of Scripture interpretation and criticism that have been taught to seminarians, it is no wonder that so many Protestant mainline churches are dying and that so many Catholic laity are revolting against the Magisterium of the Church.

Look at how uneducated the people in the pews are and then look at the person in the pulpit delivering the homily. The people in the pews are most likely a reflection of the preacher or teacher.

It is a fact that there are many men who are preaching and teaching today who have no business doing so.

Would you rather be taught by a man of God who is holy, faithful to the teachings of the Church, and who is filled with the Spirit of wisdom and power, and who maybe is not quite educated “enough” or by someone with several degrees after his name but who cannot rightly divide the Word of Truth?

One of the requirements for a presbyter according to the Scripture is that he be able to teach. This is so overlooked these days.

+Abp Mark
 
The pastors of my church has received the following:

Senior pastor: Bachelor of Arts Degree at Maranatha Baptist Bible College; Masters in Religious Education at Temple Baptist Theological Seminary; Doctorate in Education at Temple Baptist Theological Seminary.

Executive pastor: University of Michigan B.A. Psychology and Philosophy. I’ve done post graduate study at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary and most recently Michigan Theological Seminary where I am working to complete a masters degree in theological studies.

Worship arts pastor: Bachelor of Science in Music Education with Choral emphasis from Liberty University Currently working on a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting at Oakland University.

Children’s pastor: Bachelor of Science Degree (Secondary Education) from Tennessee Temple College; Master of Religious Education Degree (Christian School Administration)

All of these folks (as well as the other pastors on staff) have received educations that were appropriate, given the responsibilities to which they’ve been assigned in the church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top