Too many hurdles?

The shortage of good candidates for nonconformist pastoral ministry is well known.

And the remedy prescribed by our Lord seems simple: to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers into his harvest field.

Yet while we pray and look to the Lord to act, might we also ponder the enormous hurdles faced by potential candidates for ministry? We might consider the situation of men and women gifted for a variety of roles in the church, but here I focus on the situation of men called to full-time preaching and teaching in the local church.

Hurdle 1: the call?

The first hurdle is to be sure that you are indeed called to ministry. How can your character and gifts be tested and developed? There may be help available in some churches, but not others. Some will give too much encouragement - pushing forward men from their own local church who are not sufficiently gifted for the work. Others will be too cautious. There are some 'apprenticeship' schemes, like 9:38 in Beeston, which offer a year of practical experience and assessment, but this requires the flexibility to take a year out of paid employment.

The candidate will then be aware of his need for special training if he is to enter full-time work. The responsibility of regular expository Bible ministry demands careful study and preparation if the preacher is to 'correctly handle the word of truth'. There are not many of us who would choose help from a medical doctor or lawyer who had avoided formal training and just plied his trade on the basis of his personal interest and occasional reading. So how much more should we seek high standards from those who preach and teach the Word of God. Of course we do not want sermons to become academic lectures. But we need those who are skilled in knowing how to handle and apply the Scriptures both in the pulpit and in personal counsel. There are a few outstandingly gifted servants of God who received no seminary education, and such exceptions prove the rule. But most of us ordinary mortals need formal training.

Hurdle 2: finance?

So the conscientious candidate begins to gather information about possible courses of study. The first obstacle he faces is financial. There is the considerable expense of giving up employment to engage in full-time study. But then, in addition, there are the fees to be considered. For the single man these might be around £4,000 pa for colleges like the Evangelical Theological College of Wales (ETCW) or London Theological Seminary (LTS), rising to £7,000 for Oak Hill, all including some meals and term-time accommodation. For a three year course this sum is not inconsiderable. But for the married man, and particularly for those with families, the costs soon become prohibitive. College accommodation for families is very limited, and the option of renting a house has to be considered. One man considering study at Oak Hill estimated a realistic budget of £25,000 pa for him and his family to live in London to enable him to study for a degree. Renting a house in Bridgend (for ETCW) costs considerably less than London, but at this point some men look further afield to North America or beyond.

Here they can take attractive courses, enjoy the benefits of cross-cultural experience, and take advantage of generous scholarships and subsidies for overseas students. Institutions like Westminster Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Trinity International University and others beckon. This can be a more attractive proposition than studying in the UK (certainly it was for my wife and myself at Toronto Baptist Seminary). But generally speaking the costs can be considerable.

Some men, especially those with families, give up the unequal struggle. Part-time and correspondence courses look much more manageable, and some turn to the FIEC course 'Prepared for Service', or to Cornhill. Both of these courses (and others like them) are helpful, but were never intended as complete training for full-time ministry. If we are concerned for the future of our churches we need to provide our pastors with adequate preparation for the work.

Hurdle 3: finding a church

While we ponder this difficulty, we need to move on and think of what will happen to our promising candidate after training. What system is in place to guide him towards a suitable sphere of future service? At this point those of us in nonconformist churches may well be tempted to a hollow laugh. There is, of course, no 'system' at all. My own case is not untypical, of a friend who knew my wife recommending to a pastorless church that perhaps they might invite me to preach. I can testify of the guiding hand of God in all of this. But it can be too easy to justify a chaotic system with super-spiritual justifications that 'the Lord can overrule'. Even when a pastorless church is found, it might make extraordinary demands of 'preaching with a view', sometimes extending over many months. Is there not a better way? The FIEC is to be applauded for its efforts in this regard, not only in seeking to link candidates with churches but also in welcoming trainee or prospective ministers to its Pastors' Association. But such systems need to be much more widely developed.

Sadly, at this point some men find that no church will call them. This can be either because churches are unrealistic, or because the man's gifts were never properly assessed before he commenced training. If the latter is the case, the man may yet enter ministry and only some years later realise he was mistaken.

Hurdle 4: assistantships?

There is yet another hurdle here. Many men entering ministry humbly admit their own youth and inexperience and ask for a church which will call them as an assistant or trainee for at least an initial period of time. This is surely a commendable step. Yet how many nonconformist evangelical churches in the UK are able and willing to take on an assistant? For the vast majority, one salary is all they can afford. A single man may be willing to serve for a while for nominal pay in temporary accommodation, but the married man with children needs housing and a salary to sustain his family.

The danger is simple; the problems are so great that the prospective candidate may just give up hopes of entering full-time ministry. Or perhaps at university he will attend an Anglican church with a fine preaching ministry; he will be advised that if only he will sacrifice his principles the CofE has a system all laid on, and seminary training free of charge.

What's the answer?

So what is the answer to these needs? A number of avenues can be suggested. But all require a degree of co-ordination among the churches. The need is great, and will only be met by concerted effort. If there are men with families for whom full-time study is unrealistic, perhaps apprenticeship schemes can be developed which provide practical experience alongside seminary-level training. Such courses might be funded by a number of local churches working together. If there is a shortage of vacancies for assistants, perhaps a young man can be called as pastor but with the commitment of other local pastors to co-ordinate the help, guidance and support he needs in the early years of ministry.

We must keep praying for the Lord to raise up workers for his field. But we also need to be practical in giving the support and help such men need in serving Christ and his church.

Bill James is pastor of Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Leamington Spa.

© Evangelicals Now - February 2005
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