The church requires that itenerant Elders be in possession of both Bachelor and Masters degrees. Some say that this is a proper and correct request others say that it should not matter ones educational qualifications. What do you think?

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001

Answers

Education is good. The more the better usually. But it can also be a source of pride and pastors may look to there school books more than the Bible. I have also heard people preach with no degree who were more annointed than other preachers with lots of degrees.

In Christ, Nathan Paujo

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001

I support the reqiurement with a little tweaking. The Elders must have a theological degree that would encompass among other things administrative skills and strong instruction on essential Christian doctrine. Simply having a degree(s) in another area should not be enough, as it gives no clear indication of a person's qualification to lead and teach His people. Obviously neither does seminary, but it's an another effective way of testing worthiness.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001

This is one issue where I confess my position is complex. While I support an educated clergy, I nonetheless am leary of the trend of "creeping credentialism" as prerequisites to preach the Gospel. I am not the least impressed with individuals who profess to be "learned" yet have never mastered the fundamentals of either Greek, Hebrew or Arabic languages. I look with near scholarly contempt on the dossiers of individuals who boast about their academic pedigree yet upon closer examination their "degrees" were conferred by institutions which were nothing more than diploma mills. I fully support the concept of a MDiv as a terminal degree for AME clergy seeking to obtain elder status. This credential from a reputable seminary communicates scholarship, academic rigor and peer respectability. The bottom line is an MDiv coupled with a BA [born again] results in a well-rounded minister. QED

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001

Ah, a sticky question fraught with challenges and pitfalls but here goes: It is necessary to institute standards. It is also necessary to improve the qualifications of the ministers who serve. Some skills learned in secular institutions (not necessarily schools, but workplace also) are transferable to the religous arena. I believe the church needs both, those educated in the school of life and those educated in the formal institutions. May I suggest that the Apostle Paul was chosen for his seminary background whereas Peter for his business and get the job done attributes; John for his great love, and we could go on. In Texas, we have perhaps a unique situation. Some of our smaller rural churches would not need the seminarian rather they need the person educated in the school of hard knocks. Likewise in some of our inner city churches. And we have churches in the suburbs that need the person with both skills. We also have the small churches where the pastor must do most of the administration and the mega-church where the staff does much of the hand-on administration. Seems I have arrived at the conclusion that all of us are needed. Indeed, we are called into this ministry by God, Himself. He knows what we need better than we do in spite of our standards. Some are called to challenge and initiate change in the standards.

Pastor Paris

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

It is very wise for the clergy to have several degrees other than a theology degree because it gives them an alternative means of supporting themselves. It is also an advantage to the congregation to have a minister with a broad range of skills. Some of your prestigious divinity schools like Harvard,Princeton,and Yale train their graduates in nonprofit management so that they can perform like former congressman Bill Gray and be the leader of the UNCF or any other charity. It was great forethought on the part of Bishop Daniel Payne to emphasize trained ministry in the AME church. JazzMan

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

The question prompts me to think of an old black preacher woman, an AME pastor in Jamaica. She pastors two churches in conditions of abject poverty--has more wisdom, and energy than people half her age. She just turned 90 years old. She has literaly been feeding the hungry and clothing the naked for years in obscurity. People in her community refer to her as mother, not simply out of respect, but because over the years she has taken many into her own home and nurtured them to wholeness. She is not seminary trained, no credentials that would cause alleged intellectuals to give a nod of approval. She probably never heard of Barth or Bonhoffer, Nouwen or Cone. But my guess is that she knows something about lessons at the foot of the cross. My guess is that her life is stamped with the imprimatur of His Grace, against which no earthly credential can compare. Whether she would have been a better pastor had she gone to seminary, is something that is speculative and rendered irrelevant in light of the work she has done. But what is not and should never be debated is that with or without seminary her contributions stand at the very pinnacle of ministry. Nor is my entry here anti seminary; it is not (some of my best friends are seminarians:). It is to say however that the important ecclesiastical function of discerning who should and should not be ordained is too profound to be reduced to the clerk like activity of checking off how many credits someone has in Church History, Old Testament etc. God's standards are much higher.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

This is a very relavent and a timely question. My approach would thus be two fold. The reason for the standards set by the church is not to exclude a certain person from that rank and file of itenirant ministry. No not at all. What the church however, tried to recognize is that times have change. AME does no more have that many illiterate members. So, as the members themselves raise their standards, in terms of education, clergy should also do the same. But do we think that pastors that are already serving would find time to study as well ? I for one don't think so. Instead what the church did was to put a certain standard in order to make sure that their pastors too are well equipped for the future. And since we are part of the itinerant ministry all pastors should be on an equall footing in order to prevent embaressment. For instance if a less qualified or say a pastor with high school qualifications only is send to a church where you have the majority of the congregation degree holders then whether that pastor will live up to the standard is questionable. Another area is whenthere are interdenominational pastor's retreats, how are some of the "less qualified" pastors gonna participate at such a forum. Against this backiground, AME church is one of the few churches that doesnot want to stand in the way of a person who has been called. Thus the church has diffrent faculties, e.g. the church has local orders as well as itinirant orders. So if you think your call is for the itinirant ministry, then surely you should sacrifice something. The son's of Subidee, sacrificed a lucrative fishing business to answer the call, Matthew sacrificed his money collectiing bussines and answered the call, so why can't we sacrifice a few years of study to achiev academic excellence which in any case is beneficial to you as a pastor. "People without vision, normally perish". God bless! Rev. A. Eberhardt Biwa Senior Pastor

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

Rev. Byrd, You said it as powerfully and eloquently as it could be said. All that's left is for the saints to say AMEN

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

If Brother Byrd's post doesn't make one shout HALLELUJAH, I'll shout for you!!! It is satisfying to know that we can be cerebral in our thinking without compromising the essence of our spiritual being. Theologians may indeed win academic battles, but in the "battle" to win souls for Jesus, only prepared and anointed preachers need apply. QED

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001

This is indeed a great question. And I am happy that I am part of a denomination that strives for excellence without comprimising the movement of the "Holy Spirit" in the sense that some clergy will not have a Seminary degree. Seminary is definitely hard work, I went to school nine years straight, including summers to get my B.A and Seminary Degree, raised a child by myself, and worked two jobs. Was it worth it YES!!!! I feel called to Rural Ministry, and there is so many unchurched people where I live. But the more fundamentalists churches in the area, have Bible Colleges adjacent to the churches. And our requiring Seminary degrees, they also pay for Continuing education classes. AS I look at our Bishops credentials they have Seminary degrees and Doctorates.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2001