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Minimum ability for professors?

Discussion in 'Baptist Colleges & Seminaries' started by El_Guero, Jul 22, 2006.

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  1. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    If you are not up to TIC humor and sarcasm, you might not be up to this thread . . .

    Since another thread brought up the concept of a union card level of education for Baptist pastors (SBC), I thought maybe we should see if there should be a union card level for seminary professors.

    The average church is 60 to 80 . . . so could we start with half that size for the minimum?

    Honestly, if we can think that a master's degree if required to pastor a church of 30, what should be the minimum requirement to teach a man that pastors a church of 30?

    I think I would agree that a Bachelor's in the field, an MDiv in the field, a PhD. in the field and years of pastoral experience would be a good start.

    Well while we set standards . . . what about teaching pastors that will pastor a church of 300? Now that is five times the size of an 'average', so would we require that the pastor have a better education? I think so, why not a better cadre of professors? Most certainly!

    Now it would be crazy to automatically require a professor to have five times the education, but would it be crazy to require a professor to have two (2) times the education? I would want a better professor. Maybe we could demand better professors.

    Now how about for churches of 3,000? Four times the education that we require for a professor of a church of 300?

    Why I think we have a GREAT minimum. 8 PhD's to teach in a Bible college. Why not 16 to teach in a Bible university. And why not 32 to teach at a seminary? And to make certain they are good Baptists, why not 64 years as a member of Baptist churches?

    Maybe I just took the other thread the wrong way, but at what time do we quit educating and start ministering?
     
    #1 El_Guero, Jul 22, 2006
  2. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    And we can't forget....if the professors don't want to spend the 50 years in seminary/university before they can teach...you should make sure that they know that we cannot feel tempted to have less education/experience than advanced astrophysicists with 30 + years of research! God demands the best!

    :D
     
    #2 StefanM, Jul 22, 2006
  3. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    On a serious note I think the SBC seminaries should require the highest academic standards of their professors. What would that be? At least a PhD in the field they are teaching. So New Testament professors should have a PhD in New Testament, Church History professors should have a PhD that allows them to focus on church history, Old Testament professsors should have a PhD in Old Testament, etc, etc. Of course there can be some flexability with that. A person who has a PhD in Ancient History could probably teach church history courses, maybe even a New/Old Testament(s) background course. However all academic (non-ministry) professors should have a PhD.

    As for ministry experience...well that depends. If they are teaching "ministry" classes then of course they should have experience. However if they are teaching academic courses (history, etc) then I don't know if ministry experience should be required. However I can see why most seminaries want men/women with ministry experience even for those positions. Like the more academic areas these should have a PhD or, at least, a DMin in the field they are teaching.

    My two cents worth...
     
    #3 Martin, Jul 24, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 24, 2006
  4. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    In all seriousness, I think Martin's standards are reasonable and proper.

    The seminary itself is such an odd duck. It can never seem to figure out whether it is an academic or professional institution.

    The MDiv is professional, and so is the DMin, but the PhD/MA/ThM aren't.

    To follow the example of other professional institutions, then maybe a DMin would be all that should be required to teach the MDiv....maybe even the DMin itself (on the model of JDs/MDs teaching JD/MD classes).

    To follow the example of academic institutions, then the PhD/ThD would be needed for all instruction.
     
    #4 StefanM, Jul 24, 2006
  5. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    I'm not budging.

    I do not believe that low standards honor God. If we can say that SS teachers should have a Master's degree (check it out *), then we can desire that professors have degrees significantly higher than our SS teachers.

    *
     
    #5 El_Guero, Jul 24, 2006
  6. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    Yes the schools get a bit carried away with their programs. I know that Liberty is starting several programs like the one you mentioned...

    Master of Arts in Children's Ministry

    Master of Arts in Worship Studies

    Offering a Master of Arts in Lay Ministry is over the line in my view. What happened to the day when the little old blue haired lady played the piano, when local farmers took care of the church building and grounds, children's ministry was taken care of by house wives, worship was singing hymns out of a book or off of a sheet of paper, a worship leader was a church member who could sing and volunteered to lead the choir/worship? The church has become too professional in my opinion. The seminaries are (a) responding to that change and (b) feeding that change. Seminaries/Bible Colleges should be places to prepare pastors and professors not a place to teach people how to do something volunteers have done for hundreds of years with no Masters degree.
     
    #6 Martin, Jul 24, 2006
  7. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Martin

    I cannot change what has happened, but I can respond the change.

    My responce is to ask for professors to take up the gauntlet and get a truly 'higher education.' A degree level removed from Sonday School teachers does not honor God IMHO.

    If we can expect preachers to have a Ph.D. & SS school teachers to have a Master's, then I think we need a triple PhD. for professors. Something like a ThM., DMin, PhD. in OT, PhD. in NT, PhD in the area taught and 10 years ministry experience would be honorable.
     
    #7 El_Guero, Jul 26, 2006
  8. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    Honestly I am being a little sarcastic, but I just think we have moved to far from the days when men were called by God to serve and they did the best tehy could with what they had.

    ;)
     
    #8 El_Guero, Jul 26, 2006
  9. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    O, I see your point and I agree totally! :thumbs:
     
    #9 Martin, Jul 27, 2006
  10. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    I have been told by professors that very few SBC seminary professors have actually discipled anyone. It does not take any college degree to do that.

    Too often the seminary is more political than academic or practical.
     
    #10 gb93433, Jul 27, 2006
  11. El_Guero

    El_Guero New Member

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    You are right, discipleship is lacking. Unfortunately, discipleship is placed on the curriculum as a 'required' course.

    Without abandoning the OP, how can you lecture discipleship? Should we require a professor to have a special degree (or certificate) in discipleship?
     
    #11 El_Guero, Jul 29, 2006
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