Do I Need a Seminary Degree to Be a Pastor? | Doug Wilson

In this episode of Ask Doug, Pastor Doug Wilson answers the question, "Do I Need a Seminary Degree to Be a Pastor?"

Ask Doug is presented by Canon Press.

[JasonStephens]

The local church should certainly have the highest role in raising up preachers of the Word.

[JD-rxkh]

Very good. Loved when he said getting a degree in seminary isn’t like getting one in a secular school. Just bc you graduate seminary doesn’t mean you have a right to lead God’s people.

[jamesgorham]

I have been Pastor now going on 23 years, thank God I had a great mentor Dr L.K. Jones who Pastor 36 years in one Church ⛪️. Dr Jones always said God is the one that calls a person to Preach and Pastor

[alfredorolo]

A whole new field for me. Close to retirement and taking seminary classes after being a public servant for so many years. This is very good insight.

[davidward]

I’ve been preaching for 43 years, have several degrees, and glad I put forth the effort to attain them. That said, none of them were necessary to be able to preach. True, Godly mentoring is far superior to any academic pursuit, e.g. Jesus and the twelve, Paul and Timothy, et al.

[wolfman]

I like listening to Doug Wilson. He is often times - as he very much is in this video - fair, thoughtful, and articulate in the answers he gives.

[johnwarren]

I dont think there is such a more serious, more important, role or responsibility than that of a Pastor. Sometimes I really believe men jump into it too quickly without understanding its seriousness. I mean just reading the pastoral epistles makes it clear. I truly believe if the roles of Elder/Pastor are filled with biblically qualified men. Its a foundational necessity . God honoring and God will bless it.

[FaithfulNation]

Doug's approach and methods are by far the best among institutional churches that are not Anabaptist in nature. I very much respect the things he spoke about here.

[reydemayo]

Great counsel and advice from pastor doug....
Whose wants to start a Pastoral Ministry....

[BunnyWatson-kw]

I still remember two tenants of my sister and brother in law. They lived in a basement two bedroom apartment with two small children. Both the husband and wife had just finished MDiv degrees and were living a mountain of student loans. Both had no full time pastoral positions. I heard they eventually went into other careers just to survive financially.

[Airic]

this was great insight...i wish i lived in Pastor Doug's city to study under him, found out about Postmillennialism from him (which is a crucial conviction in my heart) so he's become a top 3 pastor in my book! Love his approach. Does anyone happen to know of any Pastors or Churches in Miami, FL that are similar to Pastor Doug's POV/style? I really want to get serious with my theological walk under a mentor similar to Doug's approach...

[therealkillerb]

There is much wisdom here. Having attended four different evangelical seminaries for various degree programs, I can state categorically that most of my fellow students, at the time, had no business being there. Almost none of them had ever shared the gospel with anyone, let alone led them through making a confession of faith. Almost none had ever lead even a Bible study. Some had helped out in children's Sunday school. Most had no prior significant theological reading. None of them knew, let alone had actually tried to help, someone in crises. In fact, most of my compatriots were men who sincerely loved the Lord, and had no clue as to what they would do for a life's work. Since they took their faith seriously, their family and friends recommended seminary; and usually, they came from families where Grandma or Grandad was willing to foot the bill for a graduate education. Upon graduation, because they had contacts within their denominations, they managed to find work; and as long as they made their congregations happy (by not making any waves), they would move up the chain of empty pulpits, until the Peter Principle kicked in... I have examined many such men at Presbytery over the years and long ago determined that the sad, sad state of the American church can be traced directly to how we prepare our ministers. So once again, Mr. Wilson has nailed it. Would that more would heed his counsel here.

[jamesgorham]

Thanks very much for those good Words of Wisdom and Encouragement on preaching the gospel 🙌. The key is being born again and call by God. Must also be a person of prayer 🙏

[imabeast]

Preach the word. You dont need a call from the ppl. God brings the ppl, you just need to preach, practice, and know what youre preaching.

[markchristian]

This is out-of-this-world and Im just shaking my head watching this wondering why no one hasn't come up with this before. Aside from the student loan debt theres so many other problems here and I think they all stem from an model thats been used thats nowhere found in Scripture and thats the parachurch ministries (in this case traditional seminaries). Canon Press, NSA, Logos School, and all of Doug's work is done through the local church-Christ's Church. Churches should be finding young men who have that calling then working with them through an internal church program for a mini-seminary and having them go alongside senior pastors for elder meetings, counseling sessions, visits to hospitals to see ailing church members, and things like that. I can see God blessing Christ's Church and even Moscow, Idaho to a certain extent.

[blackrse]

finally ... some HONESTY about this question

[richardosborne]

Just a shepherds heart a servant to your flock and nothing less

[tj.james.]

Get a marketable undergrad degree while also being involved in your local church and reading your Bible plus theology books. You will have a way to earn money if ministry doesn't work out and you'll learn just as much as someone who went to Bible college.

[rogerwalters]

The opening starts off with Doug acknowledging and recognizing a very profound paradox with the current system.
Most positions require a seminary degree and most seminaries require a secular bachelor's degree.
Biblically, teaching and being able to rightly divide the word requires training and Doug recognizes this.
I wish he would recognize the fundamental issues with seminary as seminary does jot adequately address the problem.
Jesus says GO OUT AND MAKE DISCIPLES.
Not STAY PUT.
There is a fundamental call to train people in places where the knowledge is lacking.
This is precisely the issues with the current seminary system.
It's so expensive because the seminaries are generally located in expensive neighborhoods and the expenses go into the cost of living for the professors and overall cost of the building and operations.
So at the root, seminary requires poor men to be able to afford travel and provisions along with cost of education in order to be trained.
This should not be so.
The same poor men, no matter how devout, are generally overlooked while more well off men from who knows where have more weight in getting pastoral positions in their hometowns.

The current seminary system is deeply flawed.
Doug makes some good patchwork trying to justify the system but I don't think this is exactly how it works.

Nobody was referring the man is ACTS 18:26.
And even more, the training came to him.
GO OUT AND MAKE DISCIPLES.
Seminary professors/teachers should be willing to travel to instruct individuals where they are.
But that would require sacrifice on part of the teacher, no one wants to do this.
But to whom much is given, much is required.

The pain and grief of trying to enter into ministry is absolutely staggering. More competition than any other profession in the history of mankind. With so much competition you would think that there would so many men teaching accurately, when that just isn't the case.
You can hardly talk to your neighbor concerning scripture because, YOURE NOT THE PASTOR and YOURE UNEDUCATED; much less can they get a paid position.

No, I have given that up completely.
It doesn't exist.

And seminary is a roadblock to anyone wanting to be a faithful minister while a stepping stone for unregenerate men to get these positions and teach anything they want.
"But seminary teaches Greek and philosophy"
Yes, for the sole reason of proper exegetical analysis of scripture.
A perfect understanding of church history is largely unnecessary.
Example: Seminaries have this perfect history available and people still walk out with a degree while remaining unregenerate.
This is because the act of regeneration is the act and will of God.
Perfect knowledge of church history just is not necessary for a pastoral position.

For example: I make things out of wood, I am a carpenter. I'm very capable of performing a great range of tasks beyond some men, and can handle myself on a jobsite, but at the same time, I will be learning for the rest of my life and someone is going to come along, hopefully my son, and expand on the skills I have learned.
I wouldnt have the occupation I have nor the skill, if I wasn't able to start out somewhere.
And to be sure I moved from California because of their idolatry of education.
Being "uneducated" lands you in a gutter no matter how skilled you are.
And if you are a white christian, you're in a bigger gutter because taking advantage of the government just isn't what you believe in.
Businesses require that you be able to back up your claim of experience with a paper trail or referral.
Churches do the same.
Why not back up the experience with demonstration?
I've done this.
To my own demise.
"I'm sorry but it still is this way"
The paper is much more than the skill.
And not many men want to invest anything in the untrained without payment.
The less risk the better says corporate greedy America and the seminaries have adopted the same views.
And this is the big issue with seminary.

[itwasrightthereinfrontofyou]

Many people say I should be a pastor because of the way I speak. They say its amazing and even I am amazed on how I can preach. I tell them unfortunately I am not qualified according to the requirements and rules set by man. I can not preach in a church, i even find myself preaching to pastors and once i was meant to be a the next pastor for a small town church. Again, the rules set by Man and the US Mystery Babylon the great will not allow me to to be so. I proclaim I am qualified and worthy to be a grants me this and man gets in the way like the Devil. I hold nothing against them and move on. The existing pastors shall preach and I to see my mission still. Bless you in the Name of the Word of Life thy Authority who is in Spirit and live forever.