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Do I need to study ministry to preach to a congregation?

SpiritualBeing

Active Member
Hey all,

I'm thinking about my future career prospects, and I was toying with the idea of becomeing a minister/preacher. The only thing I have with this, is that I don't believe that you should "study" God.

I believe in an understanding of God, and a knowledge of the Bible, is enough for you to preach to others.

I've got a maths teacher, who is also a lay-preacher, and as far as I understand he didn't study ministry.

I was also thinking about becoming a Naval Chaplain, but again, you need to study ministry.

Would like to hear from any ministers out there who have gone through the process. Ant help would be much appreciated.

God Bless,

CB :cross:
 

Storm

ThrUU the Looking Glass
"All knowledge is worth having." ~ Jacqueline Carey

If you want to devote your life to something, why not study it?
 

SpiritualBeing

Active Member
Well, I like the idea of what Jesus did. I mean, he went up a hill and preached to his followers that way, so can't I do that?

But, if I want to follow the Naval career, then I'd need to study it in Uni.

So many choices, so little time (not).

CB
 

Storm

ThrUU the Looking Glass
Well, I like the idea of what Jesus did. I mean, he went up a hill and preached to his followers that way, so can't I do that?

But, if I want to follow the Naval career, then I'd need to study it in Uni.

So many choices, so little time (not).

CB
He was the Son of God, according to your beliefs. I think He gets a pass. ;)
 

Charity

Let's go racing boys !
I believe even for a lay minister preparation and study is very important. Doesn't the scriptures tell us to "study to shew thy self approved" and "lean not to our own understanding". I think the desire to learn is very important when becoming a minister of God. I don't think anyone ever reaches a point where they "know it all" . When you open your mouth as a minister you are responsible for every word from your mouth, so a nice foundation in bible theory and a good fundamental education is a good place to start. Teachers are also responsible for what they teach. Education, prayer and faith are essential......I love learning new things, finding out about other's beliefs, you can always learn something new.....;)
 

SpiritualBeing

Active Member
He was the Son of God, according to your beliefs. I think He gets a pass. ;)

Yeah, I suppose he does. I mean, you don't see that many sons of God out there.

Thanks Charity. I'll definitley take your advice on board, as it seems to make sense.

CB
 

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
Hey all,

I'm thinking about my future career prospects, and I was toying with the idea of becomeing a minister/preacher. The only thing I have with this, is that I don't believe that you should "study" God.

I believe in an understanding of God, and a knowledge of the Bible, is enough for you to preach to others.

I've got a maths teacher, who is also a lay-preacher, and as far as I understand he didn't study ministry.

I was also thinking about becoming a Naval Chaplain, but again, you need to study ministry.

Would like to hear from any ministers out there who have gone through the process. Ant help would be much appreciated.

God Bless,

CB :cross:

Why can't you do both? PICK UP YOUR CROSS AND GO TO SCHOOL.

I gotta tell you, there will be people in your congregation that can find scriptures faster than the best of ministers. If your going to lead a flock, you owe them to learn as much as you possibly can.
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
I think going to school to be a minister would be a great thing for you. You have already shown kindness and help to people on the forum, including me. When I went to college, I found it to be fun and exciting. I love learning new things and I am sure you do, too. Four years (or however long it takes) seems like a long time but really it isn't and it will pass quickly for you!
 

SpiritualBeing

Active Member
Many thanks to all who've posted. I'm glad to hear that I've helped someone on the forum. My Gran always said, 'If you help at least one person in your life, then you've done at least one good deed by God', and I like to take this saying everywhere.

I was having a look at the Universal Life Church website, but it looks too good to be true. I mean, how can you be legally ordained just like that? I believe that there are other strings attached, ones that we may not have been shown.

If there's anyone out there who's gained their ordination through the ULC, then can you post here or PM me the details about how it's done. I'm a bit suspicious about it just now. It seems very... American... no offence to any Americans out there.

Love and blessings,

CB :cross:
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Hey all,

I'm thinking about my future career prospects, and I was toying with the idea of becomeing a minister/preacher. The only thing I have with this, is that I don't believe that you should "study" God.

I believe in an understanding of God, and a knowledge of the Bible, is enough for you to preach to others.

I've got a maths teacher, who is also a lay-preacher, and as far as I understand he didn't study ministry.

I was also thinking about becoming a Naval Chaplain, but again, you need to study ministry.

Would like to hear from any ministers out there who have gone through the process. Ant help would be much appreciated.

God Bless,

CB :cross:

CB -

You need a good grounding in philosophy, religion, and ethics to be an effective preacher.

Your knowledge of God may be communicated in such a way that is unethical, inhumane, and inconsistent.
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
A minister also is used for counseling. I guess someone could counsel with no college, but I think that it would help to learn it in college. :)
 

Worshipper

Active Member
Well, I like the idea of what Jesus did. I mean, he went up a hill and preached to his followers that way, so can't I do that?
Remember Jesus didn't get paid for it, either. You can certainly preach that way and, I think, do much good in bringing people to Jesus. But if you spend all your time doing that, I think you have to be prepared for the kind of poverty Jesus enjoyed, too.

If you want preaching to be your occupation, and you want it to bring you enough remuneration to keep you in a modest but decent standard of living, then you have to convince people that what you're giving them is worth a bit of money now and again.

I think this sort of thing might be easier to do in America than in Scotland. I don't know anything about religiosity in Scotland, so I could be totally wrong. But here in America, I've met a lot of preachers who start up small but successful churches without having any formal, man-made training. They just have a gift of faith in Jesus and a gift to be able to transmit that faith to others. I've seen whole neighborhoods completely transformed by men like this, and it's absolutely beautiful to see. The preacher's influence is often not even known five blocks from where he preaches, but everyone within four blocks has powerful faith because of his ministry. It's incredible.

Being ordained by credible institutions makes it easier to convince people to compensate you for your time, but getting an ordination like that means you have to comply with the requirements of the credible institution ordaining you. That often means study.

I can understand your aversion to study. I've done a lot of studying in a lot of different fields, and I've found that unless I'm willing to put a whole huge amount of effort into studying, I almost invariably end up losing my own native intuitions about a topic and just become a blind follower of the latest fad theories in the field. I don't like that, but it's often just the way it goes. The first few years of study are devoted to tearing the student's preconceptions away and building a uniform foundation based on the prevailing theories of the time. Only in years of subsequent study do you get the chance to go beyond those prevailing theories, and that's when your native gifts finally resurface to inform your studies — and the marriage of those native gifts with the many years of study can be truly wonderful and far more fulfilling than even your native gift alone. But to get there, you have to go through years of being a carbon copy of your professors and man's limited wisdom while your natural talent suffocates.

If you're going to study, study long. Drink deep or touch not the Pierian spring, and all that. Otherwise the fire you feel now and the talent you have now will get snuffed out. If you study long enough, eventually your natural talent will be directed into an unbelievably powerful force for Christ.

If you can't commit to many long years of study, then you might be able to do well in the kind of situation I described earlier if Scotland is as easy an environment for it as America is. Or you could just preach part-time and have some other job that lets you live, so that you can live to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to his people.

If I were you, I'd get on my knees and ask God what He thought I should do. May God bless you in whatever you decide to do.
 

SpiritualBeing

Active Member
Thank you brother,

I have said a prayer asking God for guidance, and I like the thought of gaining an ordination from the ULC. I don't beilieve in all of the different denominations of Christianity, it's just too divided.

I believe that all people should unite in God and Christ. For, is that not what Christianity is, the belief in God, Christ and the Holy Ghost. This namby, pamby nonsense about one denomination being better than the other is absolute rubbish, and they all should write down what they believe in and agree on, to unite under the banner of God.

CB :cross:
 
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SpiritualBeing

Active Member
Ach, it's nothing, but I've decided. I'm going to eventually start up my own Church, using bits and pieces from all over Christianity that everyones agrees on. I'm going to write out the main beliefs of the church, then make an Online Church to begin with. If I have any success with that, then I may think about starting one up in my local area.

It's a start towards bringing the ever divided denominations back into balance, and into the one. I hope that you will all back me in this task, as it will probably take me beyond my lifetime to achieve.

Many blessings,

CB :cross:
 

Minister_E

Member
No...I'm a firm believer in if your called God will tell you what to say....Getting that education is a great thing....I started preaching in front of Congregations before I recieved higher education in ministry.....Look at a lot of these old time pastors and Bishops..they don't have this Seminary teachings.....but let me say this...I'm currently in College taking ministry class and planning to go to seminary...that education..helps with the background info...SO no yuo dont need it but but it helps
 

Dunemeister

Well-Known Member
I believe that all people should unite in God and Christ. For, is that not what Christianity is, the belief in God, Christ and the Holy Ghost. This namby, pamby nonsense about one denomination being better than the other is absolute rubbish, and they all should write down what they believe in and agree on, to unite under the banner of God.

This has been done ad nauseum. In fact, it's where fundamentalism came from. As denominations proliferated, several protestant churches got together and hammered out what they thought were the "fundamentals" of Christian faith upon which all sects and flavors could agree. If you wish to try to reinvent that wheel, you're welcome to it, but I have a feeling that you won't get very far unless you have some kind of insight the first group of fundamentalists didn't have.
 
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