15 Things Seminary Couldn't Teach Me

by Jeff Robinson Sr. (Editor), Collin Hansen (Editor), R. Albert Mohler Jr. (Foreword by), Daniel L. Akin (Contribution by), Matthew Z. Capps (Contribution by)

Overview

Some lessons can’t be learned in a classroom.

A seminary education is immensely valuable, offering theological preparation, spiritual formation, and wise mentoring. But many new pastors are discouraged when the realities of their first call don’t line up with what they came to expect from assigned readings and classroom discussions.

Bridging the gap between seminary training and real life in a local church, fifteen veteran pastors and ministry leaders offer advice and encouragement related to a host of real-world issues, such as leading congregations through seasons of suffering, handling conflict, accepting a call, leaving a church, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433558177
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	03/15/2018
Series:	The Gospel Coalition
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	813 KB

About the Author

Jeff Robinson Sr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition and serves as the lead pastor for Christ Community Church of Louisville. He also serves as adjunct professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coauthor of To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Vision and Legacy.

Collin Hansen (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as vice president of content and editor in chief for the Gospel Coalition. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and coauthored Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age. He serves as an elder for Redeemer Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and also on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School. You can follow him on Twitter at @collinhansen.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the ninth president and the Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology of Southern Seminary. Considered a leader among American evangelicals by Time and Christianity Today magazines, Dr. Mohler hosts two programs: The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview, and Thinking in Public, a series of conversations with today’s leading thinkers. He also writes a popular blog and a regular commentary on moral, cultural, and theological issues.

Daniel L. Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Matthew Z. Capps (MDiv, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; D.Min. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, North Carolina. Matt has written various articles for websites and blogs, such as the Gospel Coalition, the Gospel Project, and For the Church. Matt and his wife, Laura, have three children.

Jeff Higbie (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is pastor of Faith Evangelical Church in Underwood, North Dakota. He is the chairman of the EFCA Northern Plains District Board of Ministerial Standing and serves as president of the Underwood Ministerial Association.

John Onwuchekwa (MA, Dallas Theological Seminary) serves as pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Harry L. Reeder III earned an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary and a DMin from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is senior pastor of the 4,000-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. He is also the author of From Embers to a Flame.

Juan R. Sanchez (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, and the cofounder and president of Coalición. He is the author of The Leadership Formula: Develop the Next Generation of Leaders in the Church and a contributor to Faithful Endurance.

Scott Sauls is the senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of five books, including Jesus Outside the Lines and A Gentle Answer. Sauls and his wife, Patti, have two daughters.

Jay Thomas (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the lead pastor of Chapel Hill Bible Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was previously the college pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Jay and his wife, Rebecca, have four children.

Mark Vroegop (MDiv, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis and the author of the ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament and Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation. He’s married to Sarah, and they have four children and three daughters-in-law.

Table of Contents

Foreword R. Albert Mohler Jr. 11

1 Knowledge and Credentials Aren't Enough Jeff Robinson Sr. 15

2 What to Do When My Church Is Dying Mark Vroegop 23

3 How to Shepherd My Wife Daniel L. Akin 31

4 How to Pastor People Who Are Different from Me Jeff Higbie 39

5 How to Follow My Lead Pastor When We Disagree Matt Capps 47

6 How to Lead My Leaders Juan Sanchez 57

7 How to Raise My Kids to Love the Church Matt McCullough 67

8 How to Shepherd My Congregation through Seasons of Suffering John Onwuchekwa 75

9 When to Accept a Call or Leave My Church Harry L. Reeder 85

10 How to Handle Conflict Jay Thomas 93

11 The Need to Fight for My Relationship with God Vermon Pierre 101

12 The Time It Takes to Become a Shepherd Dale Van Dyke 107

13 The Temptation to Make a Name for Myself Scott Sauls 117

14 The Joy I Can Know over a Long Tenure Phil A. Newton 129

15 What to Do When No Church Hires Me Collin Hansen 139

Contributors 147

General Index 149

Scripture Index 153

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Many come to seminary thinking that it will teach them everything they need to know for ministry, but seminary is the foundation, not the entire building. Some things are learned only through on-the-job training; which is to say, some things are learned only in life and in ministry. Hansen and Robinson have brought together a number of essays that convey the struggles and joys of pastoral ministry. They remind us that all successful pastoral ministry is a miracle, that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. Here we find words of wisdom that will help prepare future and present pastors for the road ahead.”
—Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“What would it be like if you could sit down with a dozen or so veteran pastors who have learned from their own successes and failures? What would you ask them, as an aspiring pastor or other church officer? This book is very helpful for all who realize that seminary can’t teach them everything.”
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

“In the few years of instruction it offers, a seminary cannot do everything. Often what is missing is getting oriented to the relational things that come with ministry, something a classroom does not teach us. Here is a book that tackles those other, mostly relational things. It does so with sensitivity and wisdom. I commend this book for the heart it can give to your ministry.”
—Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director of Cultural Engagement, The Hendricks Center, Dallas Theological Seminary

“We are blessed in our modern day to have some wonderful seminaries. And yet even the strongest seminaries fall short of equipping men with the practical tools every pastor needs in ministry. That is one of the many reasons this book is a brilliant, needed resource. 15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me is a gift not just for every seminary-trained pastor, but also for every man laboring in the trenches of pastoral ministry. An all-star cast of pastors has been assembled to fill this long-exposed gap in the training of pastors.”
—Brian Croft, Founder, Practical Shepherding

“I’ve come to realize that no matter how much seminary teaches us, there remain some massive lessons that no number of degrees can impart. Since the first step to learning is finding out what we do not know, open this book and begin a ministry-long educational journey in fifteen of the most important subjects of your life.”
—David Murray, Senior Pastor, First Byron Christian Reformed Church

“Going to seminary is about more than picking up a few skills and getting an education. It is about getting a life. This book is about the contours of such a life, a life of ministry replete with swerves and curves, but sustained all the while by the grace of a God who calls and keeps. Every seminary student should read this book.”
—Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to receive seminary training. Learning from men who have spent years thinking about biblical and theological matters can be invaluable. Tools and disciplines that I took away from my years of formal education have served me well. But no amount of seminary training can completely prepare a man for pastoral ministry. This book, by faithful men who have both years and scars in gospel ministry, is full of wisdom. Every pastor and aspiring pastor should read and benefit from their experience.”
—Thomas Ascol, Executive Director, Founders Ministries; Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral, Florida