Why A College Degree for Mission Work?

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littlelambs33

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I have contacted many organization in reguards to mission work and have been very turned off by the responses.
The first question they are asking is what kind of College degree do you have.
If i have a zeal for the Lord a want to serve others and fellowship to people around the world what need of a degree do I need to have, i was unaware that God requires us to have college educations to serve him and preach and teach his word. I have yet to read that anywhere in the Bible.

It seems to me that God or Christ himself wouldnt say to anyone that wanted to come to his kingdom " hey, stop before you enter let me just ask you first what kind of educational background do you have?"
Oh , Harvard, Yale, a masters degree well please come right into my kingdom you are so much more worth my kingdom then the shepard who tends to a flock of sheep all day.

What message is being sent to people who have a calling to do the work of the Lord and who are being turned away by mankind ?Who is man to say if i am qualified should not the talents and abilities given to me by my creator be used for his purpose to forfill his intentions?
If anyone has any ideas on the subject i would love to hear them.
thanks.
 
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littlelambs33:
I have contacted many organization in reguards to mission work and have been very turned off by the responses.
The first question they are asking is what kind of College degree do you have.
If i have a zeal for the Lord a want to serve others and fellowship to people around the world what need of a degree do I need to have, i was unaware that God requires us to have college educations to serve him and preach and teach his word. I have yet to read that anywhere in the Bible.

It seems to me that God or Christ himself wouldnt say to anyone that wanted to come to his kingdom " hey, stop before you enter let me just ask you first what kind of educational background do you have?"
Oh , Harvard, Yale, a masters degree well please come right into my kingdom you are so much more worth my kingdom then the shepard who tends to a flock of sheep all day.

What message is being sent to people who have a calling to do the work of the Lord and who are being turned away by mankind ?Who is man to say if i am qualified should not the talents and abilities given to me by my creator be used for his purpose to forfill his intentions?
If anyone has any ideas on the subject i would love to hear them.
thanks.
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Its only a guess, but perhaps they want to see what you would be good at. If you can cook, maybe you can be the group cook, if you have a degree in architecture, maybe you can help them build things. Maybe they only want to know your skills.
 
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littlelambs33:
I have contacted many organization in reguards to mission work and have been very turned off by the responses.
The first question they are asking is what kind of College degree do you have.
If i have a zeal for the Lord a want to serve others and fellowship to people around the world what need of a degree do I need to have, i was unaware that God requires us to have college educations to serve him and preach and teach his word. I have yet to read that anywhere in the Bible.

It seems to me that God or Christ himself wouldnt say to anyone that wanted to come to his kingdom " hey, stop before you enter let me just ask you first what kind of educational background do you have?"
Oh , Harvard, Yale, a masters degree well please come right into my kingdom you are so much more worth my kingdom then the shepard who tends to a flock of sheep all day.

What message is being sent to people who have a calling to do the work of the Lord and who are being turned away by mankind ?Who is man to say if i am qualified should not the talents and abilities given to me by my creator be used for his purpose to forfill his intentions?
If anyone has any ideas on the subject i would love to hear them.
thanks.
Click to expand...
Dear littlelambs,

I’m sorry you’re encountering so much difficulty in your search for a mission field. I can share some of your frustration - I went looking for one when I was 18, and many responses were similar. I was finally accepted to work at Casa Juan Diego, The Houston Catholic Worker, where I lived and worked for the next five years - an absolutely fabulous and eye opening experience.

During that time, however, there was a fairly steady flow of other volunteers, and I began to understand why the directors preferred people with a college degree. A degree is NO guarantee of the following, but it sometimes DOES indicate that the person is bright, focused, mature, has sufficient exposure to diverse populations and viewpoints, and has a better-than-average grasp of world politics and economics, which really do tie into any mission field work. As you know, however, a zeal for the work and a love of God and the people you want to work are most crucial characteristics needed in volunteers. It sounds like you have plenty of those, so I encourage you not to give up!

After those years, I did obtain my university degree, for which I’m enormously grateful. Going to school later gave me the focus and credentials to go straight through school, without wasting a single credit, and on full scholarship. Is school something you’re still considering, or simply never did? Just curious. At any rate, I wish you courage and perserverence. Surely God would not awake the longing in you to serve Him this way without giving you the opportunity. Pray for guidance, and best wishes!
 
I know my brother had talked to a friend who is a seminarian about the seminary and he told my brother that he would need a Bachelor’s degree in anything to get in. I’'m guessing some seminaies require a degree and some of them will accpt you just with a higgh School diploma. Cuz My brother had talked to a priest and the priest had told hi,m that he can get into a seminary with a Diploma. But it would take him 9 years to get ordained a priest. He told him it prbably would be easier to get a degree before entering the seminary.
 
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Tazgurl21:
I know my brother had talked to a friend who is a seminarian about the seminary and he told my brother that he would need a Bachelor’s degree in anything to get in. I’'m guessing some seminaies require a degree and some of them will accpt you just with a higgh School diploma. Cuz My brother had talked to a priest and the priest had told hi,m that he can get into a seminary with a Diploma. But it would take him 9 years to get ordained a priest. He told him it prbably would be easier to get a degree before entering the seminary.
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Yes. If they enter without a college degree, then they will have to complete the degree while in the seminary, thus lengthening the formation time.
Oh , Harvard, Yale, a masters degree well please come right into my kingdom you are so much more worth my kingdom then the shepard who tends to a flock of sheep all day.
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But please don’t unfairly type what kind of degrees they’re looking for. I would bet they just want any degree.
 
Even Jesus spent a lot of time studying and learning! An education is a valuable thing.
 
The church has a very long tradition of preserving and fostering education. The Irish in the Dark Ages certainly maintained a level of classical education and brought it not only to England but to the European Continent. The English (e.g. Alcuin of York) brought knowledge to the court of Charlemagne. I don’t think they’re trying to spoil your missionary zeal, I think they are simply looking for concrete talents that you could apply to any given situation. A wide scope of knowledge is really desireable in missionary work - particularly since a great deal of the people of the Earth to whom our missionaries minister still live in tribal societies.
 
I would think that the short answer is that a missionary ought to in some sense be an apologist and an apologist needs to be a life-long learner. Although many are kept from a university degree for financial reasons, there are few students who are life-long learners who do not see the value of a college education.
 
Well, certainly Bill Gates is a sterling example of this but I don’t know if I would want Bill Gates (if he were Catholic) heading off to New Guinea to be a missionary to the highland tribes. The value of having a baccaluareate degree is that ostensibly you are exposed to other thought patterns, ways of social organization, etc. Maybe, I’m being oversensitive, but as an anthropology major, I have to cringe when I think what might have happened if St. Francis Xavier had been allowed to utilize his knowledge of China and adapt Catholicism to the Chinese rather than having the Chinese adapt to Catholicism.
 
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brotherhrolf:
Maybe, I’m being oversensitive, but as an anthropology major, I have to cringe when I think what might have happened if St. Francis Xavier had been allowed to utilize his knowledge of China and adapt Catholicism to the Chinese rather than having the Chinese adapt to Catholicism.
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Still, it has been a blessing when missionaries have known the difference between being Catholic and being European.

As for Mr. Gates, he has prospered by “thinking outside the box” as the cliche now goes… the difference between him and most others being the value put on being “outside the box” rather than the “thinking.” No one could interview him for 10 minutes without realizing that he is a life-long learner.

Mr. Gates is not, however, someone I would expect to conform to outside heirarchy when it he didn’t see the point of it. Perhaps those in authority use the standard university route as a means to steer clear of mavericks?
 
It depends on the mission and the nature of the work. If the work is such that a college degree would normally be required, such as teaching, medical care etc., then of course a degree would be required. Whatever the work, the worker should possess the initial qualifications. If the work involves skilled trades, then the worker should be qualified there as well. You can’t have somebody with no experience in farming go in and tell people how to grow crops or manage livestock. you can’t have somebody with no knowledge of plumbing or construction go in and tell people how to manage a safe water supply. The skills and education the missioner brings should be matched to the work, the place, and the people to be served.
 
I do have a college degree, yet i do not feel that I should have to have one to serve the Lord.

Others have pointed out the Jesus himself was a scholar I beg to differ, he was the son of God he knew all. How anyone could say that he had to learn when it came so natural to him.

Man must learn one thing we are put on this earth for GODS purpose not our own. The problem I see is man complicates everything with rules and issues of ego and control.

Christ calls us to be his disiples and to go out and preach to all the people of the world. He never said one single word about education just a right heart. The heart of the Lord in you.

Man is making these rules not God. So how can the church justify anything that is man made and not God made? This is the question. We are told not to live in the world or by the world but by Gods word and Laws.
 
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littlelambs33:
I do
Christ calls us to be his disiples and to go out and preach to all the people of the world. He never said one single word about education just a right heart. The heart of the Lord in you.

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Christ spent 3 years training, teaching, exhorting and preparing his apostles for their mission. They did not go from the fishing boat directly to preaching and healing. Even their first “training mission” occurred after several months of preparation. The Holy Spirit did not descend on the leaders of the New Church immediately, but after a period of prayer and fasting and preparation.

It is hardly a matter of “ego” and “control” when a mission organization, who is responsible legal and morally for the work and actions of any volunteer they assign, to insist that the volunteer be properly prepared for the work they are undertaking.
 
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littlelambs33:
Others have pointed out the Jesus himself was a scholar I beg to differ, he was the son of God he knew all. How anyone could say that he had to learn when it came so natural to him.
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My understanding is that b/c Christ was fully God and fully man, he had to learn things. He didn’t come out of the womb able to walk or fluent in several languages. He learned and grew just as any child learns or grows. But of course he was EXTRA special!
 
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littlelambs33:
I have contacted many organization in reguards to mission work and have been very turned off by the responses.
The first question they are asking is what kind of College degree do you have.
If i have a zeal for the Lord a want to serve others and fellowship to people around the world what need of a degree do I need to have, i was unaware that God requires us to have college educations to serve him and preach and teach his word. I have yet to read that anywhere in the Bible.

It seems to me that God or Christ himself wouldnt say to anyone that wanted to come to his kingdom " hey, stop before you enter let me just ask you first what kind of educational background do you have?"
Oh , Harvard, Yale, a masters degree well please come right into my kingdom you are so much more worth my kingdom then the shepard who tends to a flock of sheep all day.

What message is being sent to people who have a calling to do the work of the Lord and who are being turned away by mankind ?Who is man to say if i am qualified should not the talents and abilities given to me by my creator be used for his purpose to forfill his intentions?
If anyone has any ideas on the subject i would love to hear them.
thanks.
Click to expand...
I think the college degree requirement is to insure maturity and responsiblity. With our missionary community you need either college experience or work experience to demonstrate that you have the ability to be on your own away from family and friends. Serving God in a developing/third world country can be incredibly demanding both physically and emotionally.

If you are still interested in mission work, let me know. We are always open to help anyone serve with us whom the Holy Spirit sends our way!

:blessyou:
 
In today’s world there are so many things that you have to learn from books and study, true, you can not learn common sense, but everything else is learned. You would not think of opening a doctor’s office without a MD. So you are healer of the soul in Mission work, and you need the training to be effective. You have the desire, now is the time to train for the fulfillment of that dream. The more you learn, the more you will appreciate the need for learning.
 
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