One of the most fruitful benefits of seminary education was the ability to sit at the feet of academically gifted men and experience a few years of intellectual submission.
When I entered RTS, I had completed a degree in pastoral theology. I had a certain air of superiority over others who did not receive theological education in college or university. But after three months, I quickly realized that sitting in a room with John Frame, Richard Pratt and Simon Kistemaker was to sit in a room where my only solution was to listen, and my duty was to engage quietly. We were all equal as students because none of us had the enormity of these men’s biblical, theological, and systematic knowledge.
While formal training is not absolutely necessary to produce longevity and faithfulness among pastors, it offers intellectual humility. It prepares men to assume their jobs not as the smartest ones in the room but as those upon whom God has called to communicate truth with a gentle and contrite heart.
The best pastoral training is the one that puts you under others before you embrace the great responsibility of leading those under your care.
