An Article by Founder and CEO, Steven Loots
The emphasis on seminary or university training in the USA is a given. There are few churches with over 500 members that would even consider calling someone who does not have at least a Ph.D. Many smaller churches demand a master’s degree. Never in history has the clergy been so well-educated; however, the church is in decline. More churches close each year than new churches are planted. Attendance numbers are down, and the influence of the church is at a historic low. In addition to this, there is a swing toward Progressive Christianity, Catholisism, and the Prosperity Gospel is spreading globally, and cults and bad theology abound. Fewer people identify as born-again, and few believers consider themselves to be disciple-makers.
Ed Stetzer recently published a list of Full-Time Equivalent students at the top 16 seminaries in the U.S. The entire list totals 18,610 students. If we expanded the list to the top 25, it is doubtful we would reach 25,000. Not all of these students intend to become pastors, and many will drop out along the way. This is the future workforce that must fill existing posts as older pastors retire or pass away. This is the workforce that is supposed to take up the task of fulfilling the Great Commission.
In contrast, multiple non-academic institutions are producing tens of thousands of “less-qualified” ministers and missionaries. One example is Harvesters Ministries. Harvesters is a rapid-multiplication church-planting ministry that trains a pastor for each new church planted, using a “plant-and-train” model rather than the traditional “train-and-send” method. Harvesters alone has over 40,000 current students globally.
Let’s compare the two methods for a moment. On one hand, the academic model is far superior in terms of the level of education its students receive. No one doubts the important role seminaries play and how all denominations need highly trained theologians. On the other hand, the practical approach of the mission world requires each student to pay no tuition but mandates that they plant three churches in their four years of study.
The question is this: What does the church really need? What does the world really need? Do we need more certificates hanging on walls or more people winning souls for Christ and planting multiple new churches?
This is not a criticism of the individuals involved. They do what they are required to do. They study the required materials and complete the practical work assigned to them—on both sides of the equation. Whether you are at the top seminary or being trained by a “Hub Leader” somewhere in the Amazon jungle, you follow the guidance of your mentors. Thus, the problem lies within the system. The seminary system is heavily dependent on funding and student fees. It is expensive and must answer to accrediting agencies. It teaches what the denomination requires, and students are prepared to become maintainers of the status quo.
Here is an easy way to assess this. How many of the 25,000 seminary students will win even one person to Christ during their student years? How many churches—if any—will the 25,000 seminary students plant in the next three to five years or even in their lifetime? In contrast, Harvesters (and many other organizations’) students will evangelize many people and plant at least three churches each with new believers in the next four years. They will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. They will be prepared not to defend a thesis but to do the work the Kingdom requires, and they will have no student debt at the end of it.
Formal theological training requires a rethink. We need to ask, “What does the Kingdom and the Church need?” We must not focus on what the seminary needs, which invariably ends up being “more students.” Informal theological training should be viewed differently, especially when connected to outcome-based curricula such as those provided by Re-Forma. Instead of looking down on such training or trying to merely turn it into a feeder system for seminaries, we should learn from it. There will be no real gospel impact in the USA unless there is a return to a more biblical system for training future church leaders and infusing in them a passion for the Great Commission. There will always be a need for higher education; Masters and PhDs have a place, but they should not be entry level requirements to ministry.
