by Bret Capranica | Apr 30, 2006 | Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry
Between Two Worlds: Powlison, Counseling, and Seminary I agree with Dr. Powlison’s assessment that seminary is necessary for solid biblical counseling. However, I don’t necessarily think it is the primary discussion we should be having among evangelicals. We live in a day when many, if not most, won’t take a man serious in his counseling if he does not have some formal training. The world has created a professional field for such counselors and the church has embraced the mindset. Not that the world would ever come around to accepting theological training as adequate for counseling people with their problems. Only if we bow to their ideology, will they accept our credentials. The question evangelicals should be having, in my estimation, is not whether seminary is necessry for counseling, but whether training through the local church is essential for effective training. I think we need both in order to be thoroughly trained. In seminary I took the one required course in biblical counseling and a second course in marriage and family counseling. I’m thankful for my professor, Dr. Stuart Scott, and for the material we learned and thoroughly discussed. My theology classes were imminently relevant to the subject of counseling. The Masters’ Seminary placed a premium on not merely understanding theology in order to merely converse with the world of professional theology (though they trained us to be able to do so). We learned theology and the ramifications it has on daily living, congregational life and cultural trends. We also had to spend a day observing a pastor at Grace Community Church field calls from around the country and...
by Bret Capranica | Apr 21, 2006 | Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry
Challies Dot Com: Training For The Ministry Tim Challies writes on training for ministry. I agree with his assessment for the need for formal ministry training. He notes that we live in a day that tends to eschew formal theological training. I would say that we have lived in such a day for many moons in this country. Among Baptists of most flavors, formal training, from my own experience, has been strongly recommended, but certainly not required. The early ministry of Baptists in pioneer areas in the western U.S. did not necessarily require theological degrees of its preachers. It did require being sent by a local church who recognized the man’s call and giftedness, but not necessarily a degree. I would assume this was true of some other evangelical groups that were evangelizing the unconqurered...
by Bret Capranica | Apr 20, 2006 | Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry
Here are a few more thoughts regarding training for pastoral ministry (Note past articles HERE and HERE). In a few previous posts, I suggested that the local church was essential for adequate formal pastoral training. I don’t think local church involvement in formal theological training is merely a good idea. I believe it is essential. In other words, if all one has received is a degree from a formal theological institution without specific input, accountability, involvement and approval from a local church, more than likely, he is not ready to begin serving as a pastor. As I have stated before, I am pro-academy when it comes to theological training. There are areas of ministry of which the academy can train to a deeper degree than the local church. However, in my estimation, the number of such areas is few. Just to throw a few more bones out to gnaw on, I want to propose some areas of ministry training that the academy can serve best and those they can not and should not assume for themselves: WHAT THE ACADEMY DOES BEST Training in the biblical languages. Use of the biblical languages in the details of exegesis. Equipping a student for a ministry of professional scholarship (a teacher in a theological institution). Providing an environment of concentrated study and academic evaluation. WHAT THE ACADEMY IS NOT DESIGNED TO DO Determine if a man is qualified for, or called to the ministry. Even the best of theological institutions is not designed for (and should not be) evaluating a man’s life in terms of character and overall preparedness for pastoral ministry. Perhaps...
by Bret Capranica | Apr 19, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pastoral Ministry
Biblical Foundations » Children of Elders: What Are the Requirements? Dr. Kostenberger gives a brief discussion of what can be a very difficult issue. It seems that he indicates that pastors are not required to have “believing” children in order to be qualified, but “obedient” children. Would not the latter be the sign of the former? Or is it fair to say that Paul is not definitely making a comment on the salvific nature of the child but on the child’s outward behavior. Determining if this deep seated rebellion to parental authority is in fact an expression of unbelief may be the consequent consideration, but not the defining one for whether a man is qualified to serve as a pastor. Just a...
by Bret Capranica | Apr 19, 2006 | Pastoral Ministry
Together for the Gospel What is your plan to read and study? Written primarily to pastors, but beneficial in part for anyone, C. J. Mahaney points out that we need to attack our week before it attacks us by planning ahead of time when we will study and read. As always, the material on reading and study from the T4G guys has been...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 25, 2005 | Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry
Always hot on the trail of the latest good reads and tidbits, Justin Taylor points us to the Christianity Today interview with Mark Dever on the subject of church discipline. I am eagerly anticipating his new book, The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the...
