Home | The Church's Reponsibility

The Church's Reponsibility

Individuals who think that they are called into full time Christian ministry take one of two paths. On the one hand, there are men who immediately rush off to Bible college or seminary thinking that one day they will pastor a several hundred person congregation. Unfortunately, simply going to a seminary does not provide all its graduates the skills necessary for pastoring a church. Because of this, many quickly burn out and leave the ministry with the thought that they have failed themselves, their familes, their church, and even their Lord and Savior.

On the other hand, there are men who think that they do not need seminary training and immediately proceed to build a church upon their charisma and knowledge of the Bible. However, simply standing behind a pulpit does not give one the subtle nuances that were written in the original text. As a result, the truths these men are preaching may only be half truths that produce a disjointed dogma, rather than a systematic doctrine. Inevitably, there is then a danger of starting or potentially resurrecting the next heresy, which was dismissed by the Orthodox Church centuries ago.

This is not a condemnation of either group of men. They are acting very responsibly within the limits of their understanding. Their dedication to simply preach the Word is a testament to their faith. However, it raises the question as to the duty of the church body as a whole, and in particular, church elders.

A call into full time ministry or any type of ministry has two dimensions. There is the inner dimension, which the individual senses, and the outer dimension, which is affirmed by the church and elders. It is unfortunate that many people take either track of ministry without the deliberate confirmation of the church body from which they are sent. Just because someone can teach a Sunday school class does not mean that they are ready to deliver an expository sermon week after week after week, or minister to a sick, dying, or otherwise stressed individual.

Nothing much can be done about those lone rangers who forgo seminary training. However, those who enter seminary have a second chance through internships.

During this time, a church has the chance to question a person's calling, which by the grace of God, will clarify the call. The God-given attributes will be recognized and the intern will then be urged to serve the Lord in the manner that He desires.

Of course this is a selfless act. The church taking on the intern, whether it is for a day or a semester, can be certain that the intern will get more out of the time than the church will. The church is getting a diamond in the rough and the letting go of the cut stone, so that some other church can benefit from that individual's years of ministry.

But in another sense, the church is defining the future of the larger church. It may be sending missionaries off to various parts of the world, hearing the professors and theologians whose names will be known by all before they are professors and theologians, and turning away the full time ministry for those who need to serve God elsewhere. And even those who are turned away are success stories because God can use them where He has gifted them. An architect who can design churches in which people praise God needs to be turned away from delivering mediocre sermons that lull people to sleep. The buildings that are designed assist those who are gifted in delivering God's message on Sunday morning, to bring that message to the ears of those who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Specifically, the elders of each church are responsible for determining who should go to seminary and who should not. And they are the ones who should encourage some of those who are in seminary to continue in their pursuit, while gently encouraging others that they might be able to bring in a bigger harvest by using the skills that God has given them in some other manner. II Tim. 2:2 is a charge to every elder in every church: "These things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also". To do this the elders must first know the individuals, be competant in evaluating the individuals gifts and abilities, and also be willing for the local body of believers to suffer a little for the gain of the church body as a whole.

Churches assisting interns is a selfless endeavor; that is, unless the church keeps in mind the larger needs of the community, the world, and the cause of Christ. Churches that take in interns are saying that they are willing to continuously give of themselves Soli Deo Gloria (all to the glory of God).