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The Education of the Pastor/Scholar
Ever since ATS shortened the M.Div. degree to 72 credit hours, down from 90, I have been collecting several elements that are lacking in the typical Seminary education of the Pastor. Some of these were incomplete before that change, but now gone in some programs. The Pastor needs to have a wider set of competencies and be trained in them to a deeper level, now more than ever before. The skill set of the successful Pastor is always needing to expand as the Church becomes more complex.
The M.Div. was already specialized into about five tracks: Biblical Studies, Theology, Practical Ministries, Worship Ministry, and Chaplaincy. Practical Ministries was further subdivided into Preaching, Counseling, and Youth Ministry. This means that a preaching minister could either be in Biblical Studies, Theology, or Practical Ministries and have a completely different skill set. While more gifts within a church are a great thing, the problem is too many ministers are isolated once they are in the pastorate, and having multiple pastors in a church with different strengths tends to happen only in larger churches.
The course guide I provide is designed to first show the gaps in educating ministers, and then to fill those gaps with adequate instruction. These courses of study may be taken by anyone, but are best suited for those in ministry, or perhaps those on a church board or other decision-making body. I am open to suggestions for improvements and seek only to serve other pastors.
Links under this tab will detail the courses I teach for training of Pastors and Scholars who are interested in either Biblical Studies, Theology, Hermeneutics, or Linguistics. Further links include a basic Seminary guide
Links to places where I've either taught courses, lectured, tutored, or moderated academic discussion groups
