Training is Crucial

How often have you witnessed a young person being thrust into a crucial leadership position before he or she is ready for the task? I typically witness this happening with the role of Youth Pastor. Perhaps the church is desperately seeking to fill the position and out of desperation they place someone in this role in hopes that the program would remain on life support just a little longer before it finally dies. Most of the time, I see this happen with members within the church. They show up on a weekly basis, therefore, they are automatically qualified to be a pastor (and then we wonder why the sermons suck and kids stop coming?) On the job is not always the best place to learn how to preach. Am I saying you should not preach unless you can communicate like Andy Stanley? No. Am I saying your first sermon will not suck if undergo training beforehand? No, it will still suck. But, you will have a better understanding of the Biblical roles of a pastor by undergoing training underneath another qualified leader. I wholeheartedly belief in some type of internship & mentoring program. We repeatedly see this throughout the Bible: such as Jesus and the 12, Paul and Titus/Timothy. And I believe this should be a lengthy process before you actually serve as a pastor. It should take longer than it takes for you to learn how to bag groceries at Kroeger. Jesus and Paul each spent years with their young mentorees. Becoming a pastor should be a lengthy process. You need the proper training. You need to understand what you are getting yourself into (the dropout rate for pastors is astounding). You need to know how to prepare sermons, counsel, deal with various issues, and learn to work with people. You need to have deep rooted doctrine which only comes with time.

I understand this post does not make much sense coming from a 23 year old. I began serving as a youth pastor at just 22 years of age. Do I believe I was ready for this? Yes. Here's why.... I served as an intern at 3 churches. I began training in sermon preparation at 17 years of age and preached my first sermon shortly after turning 18. I had four years of preaching experience before I took my first job/position as a pastor. I had the opportunity to run the services, counsel students, and teach at the churches I interned for. Most importantly, I was able to sit under the leadership of many godly men who cared for me. Their commitment to my training and my personal growth as a leader was amazing. My ability to lead is a direct result of their commitment to the Kingdom.

Is seminary necessary? No. I do believe you can be a great pastor without ever taking any seminary courses. With that being said, I highly recommend you go to seminary. I fancy myself an educated man, but I still have the desire and need to continue my education so that I can lead my people well. I'm preparing to begin my first semester as we speak. I believe you should be actively involved in ministry as you take classes. Nobody needs an idealist that doesn't know how to actually practice their theories in the church. My advice: If you are not currently seeking to grow your knowledge concerning theology and doctrine, there is not point in going to seminary. You must have the personal desire to grow in your knowledge. You must be disciplined with your studies outside of demands of an institution of higher learning.

But what if they're passionate about leading? All the passion in the world doesn't make it O.k. They're a lot of passionate people who just got it wrong due to ignorance. We need young men who are willing to serve as pastors. We need young men who are willing to put in the time it takes to learn how to serve.

And please don't message me asking if I am talking about you personally. Chances are, I'm probably not. If you're reading this, you're probably not the type of people I'm referring to. But if you are, go find a pastor and train under him for a long time. Shut up and do it. Don't send me a long email telling me how much you know about Max Lucado books or how you just learned what TULIP stands for. If you've never had a job before, pastoring probably shouldn't be your first. If you can't shave yet, pastoring probably shouldn't be your first job. If you can't hold a job, failed out of college because you were lazy, or play XBOX all day while eating Cheetos, pastoring probably shouldn't be your first job. If you are a coward and afraid of people, pastoring is not the job for you. If you constantly seek to please people, if you refuse to tell the truth even if it means you may hurt someones feelings and they never come back, pastoring probably isn't the job for you. As Paul Washer would say, "Gospel ministry isn't for cowards. Preaching may be a job for wild men and crazy people, but it's not for cowards."

Serve well and die slowly. We need a few good men.

-Daniel