We Need More Pastors, Where Are They?
The aging status of the collective group of pastors leading independent Baptist Churches is alarming. This problem is impacting all of broader evangelicalism. Most of our pastors are in their late 50’s and above. A new generation of committed church leaders must rise up and not only carry on the work already established but also pioneer new mission fields. We have not been producing enough young leaders to fill the gap and I think I know some of the reasons why.
“If you can do anything other than the ministry, you should.”
I think I understand why many have given this advice over the last 20 years. They wanted to discourage men from entering the ministry who are not truly called. However, this is not how God recruits His servants. 1 Timothy 3:1 says that if someone desires to be in the ministry, he desires something good. God calls people to ministry in different ways. Sometimes he puts the desire in their hearts. To some, this advice comes across as “if you are skilled or talented enough to do something else, then do that.” I have no doubt that many of the fine pastors I know would have excelled in the business world or some other pursuit. After all, pastoral ministry makes use of all sorts of skills, intelligence, and ability. Our best and brightest must be challenged with the idea of dedicating their talents to serving God full-time should God call them.
“You have to have a seminary education to go into ministry.”
At the other end of the spectrum, the ideal of ministry preparation sets unrealistic universal expectations. A typical seminary education includes an undergrad degree plus an additional three years of grad school. When I was in seminary, this meant 96 credit hours of post-graduate study (three years full-time). It takes most students four years or more to complete a seminary program.
The difference between then and now is the cost of education. A young man graduating from high school today and seeking to enter pastoral ministry is facing a potential investment of $200,000 in education costs and 7-9 years of his life for the privilege of pastoring (or going to the mission field or teaching in a Christian School). Often, these churches cannot even pay a full-time salary. How can a church, in good conscience, place this expectation on its future pastor? No one should expect to get rich in a ministry, but it is equally wrong to demand that young people sink themselves in overwhelming debt to enter the ministry. We need to lower our educational expectations, lower the cost of education, or find a way to help those preparing to pay for it. Our goal should be to provide a way for young pastors to enter the ministry without school debt—none. The ministry is a faith journey and trusting God to meet needs is part of that, but debt historically prevents people from stepping out on faith to serve God.
I do believe there are some potential solutions to these problems. It is time to pray desperately for harvesters in our own fields just like we used to pray for the foreign mission fields. Every generation is a new mission field to reach. Jesus called disciples to follow Him, and He is certainly calling a new generation of leaders today—they need encouragement.
Churches should consider hiring pastors with undergrad educations and help them get their seminary degrees WHILE they are serving in the ministry. This is not only financially advantageous, but it also puts a student in an active ministry that enhances the value of the education he receives in the classroom. With all the distance learning options available today, this can be accomplished from almost any location.
Churches must consider providing educational scholarships for their future pastors. Your next pastor will probably need to be developed within your own congregation—or you might not get one at all. As an alternative, Churches might need to plan to help their new pastor pay off his educational debt, but piling up debt in the hope of having a church help pay it off down the road is going to be a tough sell to a conscientious young person.
This might be the time to rethink what a Christian college should look like—especially at the seminary level. Schools with large campuses, extensive programs, and other amenities, are very costly to operate. It seems that only small schools on shared campuses or big schools with other income streams are surviving. Jesus used the rabbinical model to train His disciples and it worked quite effectively. Our ministry preparation box is collapsing. It is time to start thinking outside of it.
if you want to help.. there are lots of young filipinos who are studying right now in a small & remote bible school but unfortunately without full financial support, lack of facilities and lot lot more…. can you help this kind of situation. thanks
Another solution to the cost of seminary training would be to offer seminary training in local churches using resources online, with pastors being the facilitators of the online courses—like the TEAM online seminary my husband has started in Spanish for Latin American countries. That would provide quality seminary training at a fraction of the price, but you would have to get good Christian colleges on board with it in order to provide the online classes.
I believe the truth of the matter is we’re not building, training, equipping young would-be pastors in the local church. The biblical model is this, but the modern vehicle is something else. We hire qualified men from internet job boards, and we send (or rather point) men who are interested in ministry to seminary or to another church campus who is equipped to raise men up to lead. We do not largely think that it is practical anymore for us to do it in-house, and for a very long time, to disciple men in the local church in order that we have qualified men at hand at all times, for deacons, elders and pastors, and more. You mention Jesus’s rabbinical model. What happened to that? That seems the model he chose for us to follow, a close relationship model in the local church, which we should have used and never stopped using.
I am that conscientious man like your example, now in my 30s, who is finally out of debt with a BA, unrelated to ministry, and cant imagine going into debt all over again for a MDiv. As you say, only to probably find pt work in ministry in a local church, at least at first. Unfortunately, if you are someone who hasn’t been taken under the wing of a pastor, mentored, discipled, raised up, thoroughly equipped in the local church, it seems you’re otherwise simply turned away. No encouragement whatsoever, no examining of the man to see if what he says is God’s leading him towards ministry is so. And yes, told to do something else for a career. What a shame.
I often ask, How many others have asked for your guidance in this matter? So far, the men I’ve spoken with seem to answer unanimously, None others. So nobody else is asking to be mentored, to be used in ministry, and yet one comes to you with at least the faith, heart and will to, and you say wistfully, No? Basically, we hear sermons address a call for men to step up – but when they actually do, tell them to sit back down. I remember clearly going to see a visiting missionary speak and he told the story of how he was began in ministry. Another missionary had come to his church and said they’d lost one of their helpers, was there anyone willing to join them, the man asked. Well this young man stood up and offered to go. They were elated, God answered their prayers. So after the missionary spoke, I went to him and said, If you need a helper, I am also willing to go. And his reply was, Go to seminary. I did point out that hos own example was not like that. And he said, Well that was some time ago, times have changed. I felt rejected of course.
Times haven’t changed, attitudes and commitment to our brothers in Christ have perhaps changed. Division of Labor has entered the Church, and we leave the equipping of men for ministry to specialists in seminaries. Sure there is a need for new ministers of a variety gifts and skill sets, many acknowledge this, yet the problem rests largely on the individual to figure it out on their own. I haven’t the faintest idea what to do next, and have been praying about it for years. Saddle a great deal of debt and get a seminary education online? Does a successfully completed seminary degree actually prove a man is led by God and qualified for ministry?
[Edited for paragraphing and one or two typos.]
Will, thank you for your comment. I don’t know your specific situation, but the only thing I can suggest is to get involved in your local church and trust the Lord to lead as you go along. I am sure you’ve heard that before! However, it is the only way I know to get started. The Lord is in charge of the church, ultimately. He will put you where he wants you. You will have to wait on him and his timing.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
The American Church will be driven underground within the next fifteen years or so. The equality act and hate crime laws will be a reality. The day’s of charging Men a 100K or more for seminary education will be long gone.
I don’t share your pessimism, but I agree that very difficult challenges loom on the horizon. Time will tell how all that works out.
In the meantime, we need to think about ministry now and act and plan within the parameters of our current situation. We also need to remember the Lord is on his throne, we need to be faithful and trust him. He knows what he is doing, he doesn’t need us, particularly, to accomplish his purposes. Nevertheless, I’d like to be useful to him in the available ministry we have today.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Ya, I try not to be so discouraged. It just seems that the battle rages on every front and drag quean story hour is the order of the day. The social justice comprise in the SBC etc.
Seminary must be local Church based. I think Chaffer Theological Seminary and Detroit Baptist Seminary are very affordable and centered on the original languages.
Are there any you recommend?
The times are bleak, no doubt, but we need to look to Jesus, not the times.
As for seminary, I don’t know Chafer at all, so can’t comment. Among those involved at Detroit are many friends of the FBFI, although my own view of theology is not exactly the same as theirs. (I suppose that is true of almost every school, to one degree or another.) I also like Maranatha Baptist Seminary, International Baptist Seminary (Chandler, Arizona), and Faith Seminary in Ankeny Iowa. Central Seminary in Minnesota as well, but again prospective students should learn what they can of the general strengths and weaknesses of the various schools and their general theological disposition.
Also, while education is costly (and in more ways than mere tuition), it is possible for young people to mitigate their costs in various ways. Part-timing it while working is one option (a tried and true method many of us experienced). There are other innovations available, such as distance learning and summer block classes. Students would have to decide which option fit them best.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3