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This has stirred in us not a pessimism, but a resolve. We believe in the call, so much so that we want to help guide men through it. We want to make it more practical, and less mysterious. We desire to see more involvement from the local church in this process, not less. We want slower, more deliberate steps to be taken, and less radical whims.

Because this is a weighty call, and because you are considering a calling that would make you accountable for souls, our desire is to help you think well about it. Ministry is not a calling for those who don't know what else to do, it is for those who can’t do anything else. If that is you, then our prayer is that this guide would be helpful to you.This is a complicated and lengthy journey. We hope you'll find this guide useful.

Do I Need to Go to Seminary to be a Pastor?

Every seminary-trained pastor who emphasizes the helpfulness of seminary for those aspiring to ministry, at some point, will receive questions like these: “Do I really have to go to seminary to be a faithful pastor? Can’t I just stay home and read books? After all, isn’t that what Spurgeon did?”

These are not bad questions. I even get the skepticism toward an expensive, often residential degree. Put simply, one does not have to go to seminary to be a faithful pastor. After all, seminary training—as we know it today—is not explicitly in the Bible.

There have been faithful pastors for centuries who had no formal training. For many throughout church history, such training was simply not an option. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, pastors who have letters behind their names will receive a crown no more glorious than those who do not (cf. 1 Peter 5:4). At the end of time, what is required of stewards—seminary trained or otherwise—is that they be found trustworthy (cf. 1 Cor. 4:2).

Having said that, however, if a man wants to be faithful to the weighty calling of a shepherd and all that this sacred office entails, then yes, he must be trained by someone, somewhere! Because while seminary is not explicitly in the Bible, pastoral and theological training is (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2). In our context, seminary is often where that much-needed training is given. And in a day such as ours, with cultural chaos and complicated ecclesiological issues, perhaps the time has come when self-study will simply no longer do.

Thoughts for Those Considering the Call to Ministry

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Stewardship and the Call to Ministry

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The First Seminary

How to Choose a Seminary

How to Fail Seminary in 10 Easy Steps

Why Learn the Biblical Languages?

What I Wish I Had Known Before Starting Seminary

Pastors as Men Accountable for Souls

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