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I thank God for the Paul Washers and Matt Chandlers of the world who humble students like me that think a Master’s degree is an extra badge that somehow thwarts the man of God with no such training. Not to mention, seminary does not qualify the future-minister over other pastors who have no seminary training, believe it or not. God does not owe the pulpit to the hard-working seminary student. We as students do not run this race that is called seminary, cross the finish line, and then automatically see the pulpit waiting for us their once we get our “degree”. God could search and see me sacrificing other activities such as video games, time with friends and family, along with numerous other things and still He could possibly never allow me the opportunity to become a pastor. If my mind is not filled with Him then my mind will be filled with myself.Įven with all these years of study, I find myself battling the reality of this question: What if I spend all this time training to be a pastor and God never allows me to become one? This question has crippled me for some time now. Hours are spent reading the Institutes of the Christian Religion and countless Greek words are parsed so that one day I can be a knowledgeable pastor, but training to be a pastor in and of itself is not glorifying to God if He does not consume my mind in these endeavors now. I know this because I myself have often lost sight of glorifying God in the middle of training for the pulpit. The goal of this article is to answer the question, “How is God glorified by the seminary student?” It is a simple thing for the seminary student to get so focused on the end goal, which is being a well-prepared pastor, that it is easy for him to lose sight of man’s chief end to glorify God.

The goal of this article, though, is not for the reader to pity the seminary student. This reality obliterates the ignorant assertion from the one who may say, “Oh if this other career doesn’t work out for me then I will just be a pastor!” Cutting corners becomes easier, and maintaining an excellent spirit becomes harder.

The responsibilities of the average student include hours of reading (mindless reading doesn’t get you anywhere in this world), numerous classes, research papers, theological discussion forums, modules, and summer intensives, all while usually working a full-time job. The studies of the seminary student are no light things.