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 reat news for second-career students
by George Hillman, Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation and Leadership, Dallas Theological Seminary
The next time you are in class, look around you: the typical seminary student of the twenty-first century is very different from the seminary student of a generation ago.
Numerous studies have shown that today’s entering seminary students are older and more experienced in other careers than previous generations. In fact, only one out of five seminary students comes to seminary straight from college. According to the latest research, over 60 percent of all seminary students are now over thirty years old, with thirty-five being the average age of entering students at many seminaries. Many of these students are second- and third-career individuals who have more practical ministry experience than even some junior faculty members at the seminary.
You are now more likely to see the mom with three kids, the retired engineer, the army captain, the sales manager, the restaurant owner, and the carpenter sitting in the classroom with the twenty-two-year-old student who is fresh out of college. The great news is that these second-career students have already learned or developed many of the transferable leadership and people skills needed in ministry, such as self management, interpersonal communication, team building, change mobilization, problem solving, vision casting, and time management.
|  | And many of these second-career students have already had significant ministry experience in their churches, serving as teachers, elders, deacons, volunteer directors, and sponsors. Many of these skills can never be taught in the classroom, but must be learned in the real world of life, work, and ministry.
This growing second-career student population offers a gold mine of ready-made leadership practitioners that all schools, not just seminaries, can develop. Unfortunately for some of these second-career students, school can be very intimidating. Typing research papers in Turabian format, cramming for Greek quizzes, researching the latest theological theory in the caverns of the library, and even finding a parking place on campus are all scary experiences for a person who has been out of school for several years.
Questions such as, “Am I crazy to think about a new career at my age with a family at home?” can flood the mind.
|  | Instead of being intimidated by the rigors of academia, these second-career students should be affirmed in their leadership abilities and shown how they relate to the ministry setting. All of life offers leadership experiences that can be beneficial to leadership development if seized by the individual. Seminary can provide a theological grid through which second-career students look at life’s lessons.
Another great benefit of the influx of second-career students is that the classroom begins to represent more of the demographics of life. The shared wisdom of the body of Christ is seen as students from a variety of backgrounds reflect together theologically. If you’re one of these second-career students, speak up and share your life wisdom with the other students in your class. Don’t be ashamed to ask questions. Maybe even take one or two of the younger students under your wing.
I know my classes have been invaluably enriched by the conversations and contributions shared by both my younger and my more seasoned students. |
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|  |  rwin McManus on why pastors need both an engineer’s and artist’s heart.
Church leadership: those two words might conjure up images of dull board meetings, being stuck in the midst of bureaucracy, and having to pull people by their teeth to get anything done. But according to author of Soul Cravings and lead pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles, a church known around the world for its spiritual creativity and cosmopolitan diversity, Erwin McManus says that church leadership shouldn’t be stultifying but the passion that drives your ministry. Here’s what he has to say about how to become an effective, heart-driven leader:
MM: You’ve argued that church leaders tend to be pragmatic. How do you keep church leadership spiritual?
Erwin McManus: The only way is by being a spiritual person: by staying connected to Jesus; by living a life that reflects His values; by being connected to His heart passions. As soon as it’s a job, I think you’re in the wrong place.
I came to Mosaic as a volunteer. Nobody called me here to be the pastor. In fact, every one of our paid staff members were volunteers at our church before they came on as paid staff. We had the hearts of lay people. For us, it’s about connecting to God, living out our passions, and using our gifts and talents to help people experience the reality of Jesus.
How do you find spiritual leaders at Mosaic?
We look for the people who are actually doing something; we circle them and say, “You’re the leader.” |  |
Most churches do it the other way around: they have positions and try to find people to fill them. At Mosaic, there isn’t a position that we will give you, but there is space that we’ll give you--you can go create something. You lead by affirmation of God’s presence in your life and the trust you gain in other people.
You’ve said that spiritual leaders are really cultural architects. What does that mean?
An architect is both engineer and artist. A pastor really needs to be an engineer who understands systems, processes, and methodologies, because when you’re working with people you don’t want to have to solve the same problem a hundred times. But pastors also have to be artists, who are capturing the ethos, values, heart, and beauty of your congregation.
As a cultural architect, you’re creating a community of faith, hope, and love. That takes real work.
How have you done that at Mosaic
The church owned property--¾ of an acre with only 40 parking spaces, and we had over a thousand people coming to Mosaic. So we sold the property. For the last ten years we’ve been homeless, in a sense, across the city of LA. Two years ago, we were in seven locations in one year. But that’s allowed us to be at critical epicenters all over LA.
To do this, we had to change our theological position. The church’s name was “The Church on Brady” The church name was a location that you came to. But the church isn’t a place that you come to--we are the church. We are sent out into the world.
How has this shift changed Mosaic?
There were people who were committed to coming to the building but were not committed to the missions of the church. They loved the church’s stability, its predictability, and the safety that was found there. Basically, we said, “No, it’s not going to be a place that’s defined by comfort and predictability. We’re going to be a place known by risk and faith and sacrifice.” |
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 he importance of mentors and how to get them
Brian Dowd, Fuller Seminary
During my third year of seminary, I couldn’t decide which classes to take. There were some great ones available, including one with a favorite professor of mine, Bobby Clinton. I realized that a lasting relationship with a professor like Bobby might be the most valuable thing I could gain from seminary, so I chose his class.
Since then I’ve become intentional about developing that relationship. I’ve taken every class he has taught, worked with him on a writing project, and been his TA. And his lessons have transcended the educational realm. Bobby has put me in touch with people working in similar ministries, recommended me for opportunities, and provided me with personal guidance.
Mentors are invaluable. Ask people you admire how they got to where they are today, and chances are “having a mentor” will be included in their response. But mentoring isn’t always at the top of the priority list for seminarians. While you’ll be glad you pursued it after the fact, it’s rarely something one has the “oomph” to initiate.
Mentoring is a relational experience through which one person empowers another through the sharing of resources. These resources may include wisdom, contacts, information, recommendations, and sponsorship. It doesn’t matter if you are eighty or eighteen years old, at the height of your career or just starting out. If you have goals and face challenges, you need mentors.
|  | Bobby, my mentor, is at the tail end of his formal teaching career—yet he still has his own mentors. Some are students in his classes mentoring him on computers, and others are missionary heroes and heads of state whose biographies he reads. Mentors don’t necessarily have to be older than you to teach a lesson. Nor do they need to be living to share their lives; biographies are excellent sources of mentoring.
It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how old you are, or how many degrees you have, you need mentors to maximize your leadership.
So How Do You Get One?
The greatest challenge of any mentor relationship is initiating it. When pursuing a mentor, there is one question not to ask: “Will you mentor me?” It’s a loaded request. If you have ever been asked that question, you know it comes with a little bit of flattery and lots of frightening expectations.
A better way to pursue a mentor is to ask, “Will you help me with this?” I have discovered four steps to initiating a mentoring relationship:
1) Make a request for specific help on something with a definite end point.
2) Give a compliment that explains why he or she is qualified to help.
3) Make a request that can be fulfilled within an available slice of time. Breakfast or lunch works well—and be sure to pick up the check.
4) Be profuse in your thanks afterwards.
|  | One positive experience lays the groundwork for the possibility of repeated experiences. This leads to incremental involvement which grows with time. Long-term relationships of any sort rarely begin with a long-term commitment, but are built from a series of small, positive steps. And small steps lead to perspective, personal encouragement, and opportunities. These are the things worth celebrating—along with the fact that you have mentors to celebrate with.
I know I’m indebted to a mentor who is indebted to his mentors. Thank you, Bobby. |
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