Seeing as how I’m a seminary student I’m sure that many will find my answer to this question ‘biased.’ I think, however, that if you read this honestly you will see that I have tried to keep any biases out. In fact, at the end I will spell out my biggest problem with seminary.

The short answer to this may also come as a surprise. If I had to answer with simply a “yes” or “no,” I would answer “no.” Of course, this no would be very very nuanced and incomplete. It would also be an answer to the question as asked- do pastors need to go to seminary. C. H. Spurgeon, arguably one of the greatest preachers to have lived, did not go to seminary. I also personally know a lot of pastors who have not been professionally trained at a seminary who are also incredibly gifted, biblically faithful pastors. It is telling, however, that what these men have in common is that they spend large amounts of time in prayer- for their congregations and for their sermons. They also are incredibly well read, both in the Scriptures and in books by sound preachers and theologians. In other words, they are training for their calling, just not in a formally academic setting. It is also telling, I think, that one of the things Spurgeon set out to do, and did, was to build a school for the training of pastors- what we would today call a “seminary.”

So while it is possible for pastors to not go to seminary and have faithful, rich ministries, they do so through doing the same things- sitting under other faithful teachers of the Bible, reading many books and meditating on what they have to say, prayer, and personal bible study. Obviously, there are certain differences between the two (other than money of course), but suffice it to say that the root of the issue is the same.

The question now must shift- from need to should. Should pastors get training in seminary? Ultimately, that’s between them and God. But let us consider that a lot of, or even maybe most, pastors should. The reason a lot of people scoff at the idea of seminary is because they take the office of pastor as some sort of mystical calling, different from other vocational callings, and that all they need is the holy spirit. After making some sort of statement like the previous one, they say “look at the Apostles!” Unfortunately for this line of arguing, however, is that even the Apostles had three years of training under a masterful theologian (that would be Jesus, by the way). Let me see if I can show how absurd this argument is by switching roles and asking a question. Would you let a surgeon who had no training operate on you? You might say that it is a different case, because a pastor is called by God to that position, but would a surgeon not also be called to his vocation? Let me assure you that you don’t want me performing your surgery. Of course, you might also not want me to preach a sermon, but that’s another matter.

The two are not really as at odds at it may first seem. In fact, if it makes you feel better, let’s say that the surgeon is a Christian. He feels that it is calling to be a surgeon. Surely, we would say that the Holy Spirit is guiding that person, yet he also should have the necessary training. To say that one should rely on the Holy Spirit only (in the way that most people mean when referring to being a pastor) is to remove the means which the Holy Spirit uses to reach the ends. As with everything else in life, including the Christian life, nothing is achieved without means. In other words, things don’t magically happen- e.g. evangelism, sanctification, etc. Neither does one become a good pastor without training (which itself lasts a lifetime). One option for this training is, of course, seminary.

That being said, we must realize that seminary is not the end-all of pastoral training. It serves its purpose, and serves it well, but it is not a holistic experience. By that I mean that it doesn’t cover everything a pastor must know. The biggest issue that comes up is application. Seminary is highly academic, but usually light on practicality. Most seminaries try to have some sort of mandatory applied ministry course, but it is limited at best. This means that many seminary graduates are going into churches with no practical experience, that is, no idea how to deal with real issues in the church. If someone goes to seminary, they must remember that it must be married to serving in a local church. This does not mean that you must pastor. In fact, it might be better for you to start serving in other ways. Either way, it is a necessity that the seminary student not coast in their local church, and get their hands dirty in actual service to their local congregation.

So, to sum up, seminary is not necessary for being a pastor, but training is. Seminary is certainly a great option for such training. At the same time, the seminary student must realize that it is only part of the equation, and the academic side must be married to actual ministry.

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