Accredited or Non-Accredited, What for the Pastor?

[A Baptist in Slidell]

==A degree does not mean that someone will make a good pastor, true. However if a pastor wants to be a well educated person, in general, a degree will do him a lot of good. It will give him more options occupationally, it will give him a better understanding of subjects other than theology, and it will give him more material for sermon examples :smilewinkgrin:




==I don't know how long ago that was but things have changed. Today pastors need to know how to preach against complex errors (evolution, the Jesus Seminar, etc). Having a background in those subjects (science, history, etc) gives a person more knowledge of those subjects. If a person has a undergraduate degree that have at least dealt with each of those subjects even if those subjects are not his focus. As for a pastor who can't read, while not that unheard of historically, I would want a pastor who could preach from the text of Scripture and dig deeply into it's grammer and historical context. That has nothing to do with the cover, as you suggest. That has to do with wanting a pastor who has a right (close) relationship with Jesus Christ and who is well educated. Those two things go much deeper than the cover.

Edit to add:

Most of the "uneducated" pastors who I hear on our local radio station make dangerous theological mistakes. What I hear from them is tradition. This what their grandpa believed, what their pa believed, and thus what they believe. The Biblical truth really does not matter to them, though they claim it does and I don't doubt their honesty. However they are reading their traditions into Scripture and anyone who does not agree with their tradition is labeled a heretic. These same type pastors often make major historical mistakes as well. What's the big deal about that? The big deal is that such historical blunders are used to teach against being part of a church that is connected with a denomination, to promote KJV-Onlyism, to promote tradition over Scripture, to confuse people about church history in general, and to invent and promote the fictional idea of a "Christian nation" (even though the New Testament knows of no such entity). They maybe very sincere, and I know many of them are, and they may love the Lord (and that is wonderful), but their lack of knowledge hurts their ministry and outreach.

How true, and such a pity. A pity, because the people they preach to know no better and believe them. So their lies become others lies and they tell others the lies and on and on it goes, pure ignorance. What a shame it is for good God fearing people who want to know the Lord to fall prey to their own beliefs and how they were brought up. These poor people cain't think for themselves, their "Pastor" lacks credibility, poor misled souls. How we pity them.

 

[Jkdbuck76]

== I think pastors need a BA in a "secular" field such as history or sociology before they attend seminary or Bible college. Why? Because it gives them a broader base of knowledge. Then they need to attend a seminary or Bible college that is accredited and has a good reputation for godliness and academics. Getting an easy degree is not getting an education. More than ever, pastors need to be knowledgable on a whole host of issues. There is nothing worse than a pastor who gets behind the pulpit only to display his ignorance of history, Bible, or some other field. That is why a secular degree is a good idea. It gives the person a broader base of knowledge. Those who wish to be pastors should major in a field like history. In fact I think history is the best subject. The study of history teaches people how to think critically, how to examine evidence, and how to write out their findings.

You're scaring me. By bachellor's is in sociology.... and I can't get graduate school out of my head! LRU has a master's online in church leadership and I keep looking at it and looking at it and looking at it.