In previous posts, I’ve given you 32 ways you can survive your first year of seminary.
And I’ve given you 13 reasons why your time in seminary is important to your vocation as clergy.
But what about life after seminary? How can we seminarians formulate a bridge between school life and real life? How can we translate academics into practical knowlege for the communities we will serve?
In this post, I’ll be presenting you with 22 life lessons that past seminarians wished they learned–or fully maximized–during their time in seminary.
Read and learn from the “mistakes” of our fellow seminarians. Follow along as we learn ways that we can enrich our seminary experience.
Source: “What I wish I’d known: six students on the seminary experience”, Christian Century, Feb 22, 2003
- Enter seminary with an open mind. Let go of rigidly-held ideas.
- Seminary is not a congregation, no matter how great everyone there may be.
- In seminary, you may subvert your spirituality in the very process of analyzing it.
- Seminary is not just about intellectual endeavors and personal growth.
- Investment in the larger faith community provides you with the roots and foundation for ministry.
- During seminary, always ask yourself “where in the church do I belong?” and “in what context can I best serve?”
- Subject matter connects you with the deepest, loveliest and most troubled places of the human spirit.
- Be prepared to grow and suffer.
- Have the courage to admit your own fears and weaknesses. You will find a comrade at every table.
- You will question all you held true. But you will also discover that God is truer and more faithful than you have ever imagined.
- Don’t fear those who differ from you. Listen for God’s Spirit speaking through them. Relish in the clashing of bright minds.
- Set up a counseling appointment for yourself two months into the school year–you will want it by then anyway, along with your peers.
Source: “5 Lessons I Did Not Learn in Seminary”, Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor, December 15, 2008
- Ministry can be lonely.
- You can’t please everybody.
- Not everyone sees your vision.
- There are not enough hours in a day.
- You have to manage yourself.
Source: “Seminaries: Not Just for Pastors Anymore”, Christianity Today, February 9, 2009
- Seminaries, in other words, are better at asking questions than answering them.
- Know the importance of networking during your school years. Attend a seminary that has a history of and commitment to connecting students to various forms of ministry during and after graduation
- Know the two main reasons why people leave or don’t go into full-time ministry: money and lack of emotional and spiritual support
Source: “No one cares what your grades are, part one and part two“, Seminary Survival Guide, February 4, 2008
- No one cares what your grades are.
- You should care what your grades are.
