Seminary in the modern world: why it matters
There is a crucial value to seminary far beyond mere knowledge acquisition
Several years ago a seasoned pastor, someone I respected, told me he believed that a seminary education does more harm than good. Surprised, I decided to hear him out.
“Seminary is overly academic,” he told me, “and detached from anything like real ministry. A seminary takes eager would-be servants of God and ruins them.” This pastor, in fact, asked me to name even one seminary graduate who was actually doing any good for the Kingdom (I was able to name several).
“So what would be the alternative to seminary?” I asked him. My critic favoured a program of in-church mentoring that would take key lay people and shape them as effective ministry leaders. He pointed to the fact that there are many such in-ministry training centres in North America, and I had to agree that they probably did at least some good.
So why should we continue to promote seminary education? My initial response would be to debunk the absolutely false notion that a seminary is an ivory tower of academia that ruins its students for real ministry. If such a model of seminary ever existed, it has been gone for decades.
Today’s seminary is all about ministry, and its students are deeply involved in churches and other ministry situations throughout their education. Half or more entering seminarians these days are second career people who already have deep church roots and are not about to have those roots damaged by elitist or irrelevant instruction.
I could argue that the knowledge a seminary student receives is necessary in today’s church, where the congregation is better educated than ever before and expects its pastor to share a similar level of knowledge. Other professions, after all, demand credentials at the masters level.
But there is a crucial value to seminary far beyond mere knowledge acquisition. It lies in expertise, the ability to translate knowledge into action. Seminary students develop expertise that empowers them to marshal their knowledge to serve people wisely. Today’s seminary professor helps students connect knowledge with expertise. Students develop their knowledge in such a way that it is intimately connected with expertise in the real life world in which they live.
Critical thinking, problem solving and wise application of biblical and theological truth to the challenges real people encounter are key to what it means to be seminary-educated today. Seminaries shape their students to think beyond superficialities, to apply the content they have learned to problem-solving, comforting the afflicted and helping people to grow in spiritual maturity.
While in-ministry alternatives to seminary may seek the same sorts of goals, local church leaders generally will not have the time and energy to match what concentrated study under many ministry-savvy professors can accomplish. Seminary is a crucial ramp-up to build servant leaders who can meet the complex spiritual needs of our society.
Seminary matters today. Just ask its graduates who serve here and around the world. They will tell you that their time at seminary has shaped the best years of their lives.
What do you think? Does seminary have a place in today's society? Is it still of benefit to our church leaders?
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