My Seminary Degree Doesn't Qualify Me for Ministry
A little over a week ago, I graduated from seminary.
This was the culmination of years of reading, researching, writing, thinking, praying, learning, and preparation for service to Christ’s bride. And this work was almost entirely visible and trackable. My friends and family could see me doing coursework and I possessed transcripts to see how far along I was.
And now—with degree in hand—I’ve completed the necessary requirements and am fully qualified to pastor.
Right?
Well….not quite.
Two types of preparation
My seminary education, like most of life, involves work that is highly visible to others.
We set goals, get degrees and certifications to meet criteria for various things. Once the necessary certifications are met, we’re handed a piece of paper to say we’ve arrived.
This is good and necessary.
But our souls are like icebergs—the deepest parts of us are below the surface.
What others see and what we can track is only about 10% of our being.
Therefore, in our concern for degrees and progress, we cannot neglect the deepest form of preparation the Holy Spirit works—the hidden preparation.
Moses’ education
One of the best examples of this hidden preparation is Moses.
When God spoke to him at the burning bush to commission him as his emissary to Israel, he’d been eligible to collect Social Security for almost two decades.
At 80 years old, Moses had spent the 40 years prior to his ministry loving his wife, raising his children, and playing his part in the family business.
This was his preparation for God’s calling.
This was his seminary.
Hidden preparation
I wonder how the Holy Spirit was quietly at work in the long days of caring for sheep and serving his family.
I wonder how this work prepared him for the task of leading Israel.
No doubt, these years were not wasted.
His ministry wasn’t easy—and it wasn’t a failure!
He spoke on behalf of God to Pharaoh, led Israel out of slavery, split the Red Sea, delivered the 10 Commandments, and navigated the desert wilderness with an extremely grumpy group of people.
He did all of this and more without an MDiv or a PhD. His resume was almost laughable (and scandalous) by our standards.
We’re all in this together
The reality is my seminary degree doesn’t mean I’ve arrived or I’m suddenly ready to lead a church.
Just like an iceberg, this is only 10%.
What really makes someone ready to live wholly into the calling of God isn’t a degree—it’s the Holy Spirit’s hidden work.
It’s the work which takes place deep within our souls, molding and shaping us into Christ-likeness.
And this work isn’t reserved only for people who desire to serve the church as pastors.
By our common baptism and profession of Jesus as Christ we are all commissioned to ministry.
We’re all sealed with the Holy Spirit who is at work deep within us.
It’s for all of us.