I wonder sometimes if some of this worry is fueled by the hidden curriculum of many North American theological institutions that seem to prepare students only for salaried position in large churches. The problem with this is, frankly, that most of the world doesn’t have multi-staff churches. To ease this worry, I think we need to disabuse ourselves of the notion that we will leave seminary and find a comfortable, salaried position. Even in North America, the typical church is only around 115 members—hardly the size to support much salaried staff!

Think about this: There are three requirements to go into ordained ministry: a genuine call from God, godly character, and study--as the New Testament says--to show thyself approved. And how you prepare may vary. However, the Bible doesn’t stipulate a two-year Master of Arts or a three-year Master of Divinity.

Well, in addition to teaching full-time at Wheaton College, I am the full-time pastor of Church of the Great Shepherd in Wheaton, Illinois. I take no salary from the church. We planted the church seven years ago, and today we have a couple of paid staff members. I’m trying to model that you can indeed serve and not be paid for it.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get ordained. But it may help you in considering your true calling to remember that the Apostle Paul made tents to support himself, and for years, D.L. Moody sold shoes, boots and real estate.

I’d love to see North American theological students start a revolution: pursuing a vision for ministry that the churches around the world already live out—an ordained but not salaried ministry.

No need to worry here, there will always be those kinds of positions.

Dr. Joe Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute and best-selling author, thinks that "balance" is not the right metaphor for getting it all done while you're in school. It's more about your values.

MinistryMentor™ editor Caryn Rivadeneira recently spoke with Dr. Stowell about the pressure of trying to make it all work while you're studying for ministry and what he thinks you really should be learning while studying the Holy Writ and the principles of ministry.

MM: Are there any disciplines that seminary students pick up that prove particularly useful once they transition into full-time ministry?

Joe Stowell: Seminary is a fabulous training ground—not just for theological and methodological education—but for life-perspective education.

One thing that seminary challenged me to do was to balance out my expectations so I could fulfill important priorities in my life. Seminary and the pressure of the academic schedule can rob you of your own personal time with the Lord. If you are married with a family, it can rob you of time with your spouse and your kids.

MM: So what do you do?

JS: You need to decide what you’re in seminary for. If you’re in seminary to get straight A’s, to be the prof’s favorite student, to be heralded as the “great grad,” and to write in theological journals, then I hope you’re single.

If you aren’t—and if you’re going to balance your total life, then you may have to say, “I may not be this prof’s favorite person and I may have to settle for a B average because I’m going to spend time with the Lord every day and I’m also going to spend time with my spouse and my kids. When I think I’ve got this test studied to a B level, if my kids need me that night to spend a half-hour wrestling on the floor, I’m going to do it.”

MM: And that … from the president of a college!

JS: Part of the discipline of seminary is learning to ask, “What am I after in life?” And then you need to define that clearly. For example, you might answer that by saying, “I’m going to be a godly man or woman, a godly spouse, a godly parent, and as good a student as I can to prepare myself for ministry in the seminary experience.”

MM: So is learning to balance it all the skill that students need?

JS: Actually, no. I don’t think “balance” is the right word. I think “values” is the right word. Ask yourself, “What are the values that I will not compromise? What are the principles that I’m going to live by?”

You know, life has issues: One issue is weighing down here and then another issue is weighing down here and then you’ve got to wrestle with one priority here and another emergency there.

I’d rather go by values and principles. I’ve had to ask myself, “What are the values that drive our family? What are the principles that will drive my behavior as a dad?” You need to work those out in every season of life. For example, what I do with my kids when they’re four to be a good dad is totally different from what I do with them when they’re 15 - but it’s the same value. All the applications will be different but the result will be consistent.

I was a short-term missionary in a predominantly Muslim country when I felt God leading me to attend grad school. God has given me a love for children, and I was using my undergraduate degree from a university to teach missionary kids. I entered graduate school in the fall of 2002 with an idea of what I wanted to achieve. I had expectations.

The difficult parts are the questions. I wonder now, "What comes next? Is this the right course of action?" and I wrestle with a myriad of other confused hypothetical questions.

Fixed Truths

There are some truths that have remained fixed, though: I love working with children, and I believe God is leading me to learn more about groups of people who have little access to the gospel.

Perhaps the deepest truth is that I've learned that God will provide for me, even though I can't fully see the next step. That's the hope of the Psalmist - "It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Ps. 118:9, NLT). I concur. No doubt I've been called by God to serve him. And the faith I needed to come to graduate school - which God has honored - is no different than the faith I need to trust him for what's next in my life. As the Psalmist writes later in 118 - "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithfulness endures forever" (Ps. 118:29, NLT).