After spending time in seminary, there is no doubt in my mind that the institution can not fully prepare a man or woman for the calling to vocational ministry.
I’m beginning to believe that if those who are in seminary follow the lead of the One who called them, bad grades are highly possible.
Why? Because, in general, seminary is incomplete. The seminary has become a place of information and not transformation. The focus has been shifted from who you are to what you know. Spiritual formation has changed from a life lived before the cross to a 2 hour class on Thursdays. Prayer is not the air we breath but a formality to start a lecture.
<idle musing>
He goes on to list seven suggestions. While I don't think you will fail if you follow them, he is probably right that getting an A won't be as important to you.
But, I'm not so sure that seminary ever was about more than information transfer. For example, Charles Finney was complaining about the sad state of seminaries back in the early 1800's; he was convinced they didn't equip people properly for ministry. Perhaps on-the-job training would be better? After all, it seemed to work for the early church...and it seems to be working in the 2/3 world, with house churches being planted all over the place and the church growing exponentially.
Just an
</idle musing>
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