I thought that candidates were in ministry to service the churches.
[/quote]
It seems possible that this is exactly the reason why pastor's are coming in to the denomination through other routes. A potential but unpopular cause may be that the Seminary isn't adequately training and equipping the Seminarians in a way that is acceptable to the local churches seeking candidates. Therefore, they look outside of the denomination for pastors who can serve their congregation in a way that meets their particular needs.
That was addressed on an ethnic/diversity level in the article. I wonder, though, how many of the candidates for ministry going through Art. 8 are serving in an ethnic church, or a church that looks substantially different from a traditional CRC church, thereby having different needs? Is it the majority?
As you noted, I don't think that it's the local churches role to provide a place for Seminarians to serve. It may be the Denominations role, though, at least to the extent that we are preparing them for ministry to the best of our ability and sending them out fully equipped to minister so that they stand out in a crowded field.
Posted in: Waiting Pastors, Counting Sheep and Counting Shepherds
[quote=John Zylstra]
I thought that candidates were in ministry to service the churches.
[/quote]
It seems possible that this is exactly the reason why pastor's are coming in to the denomination through other routes. A potential but unpopular cause may be that the Seminary isn't adequately training and equipping the Seminarians in a way that is acceptable to the local churches seeking candidates. Therefore, they look outside of the denomination for pastors who can serve their congregation in a way that meets their particular needs.
That was addressed on an ethnic/diversity level in the article. I wonder, though, how many of the candidates for ministry going through Art. 8 are serving in an ethnic church, or a church that looks substantially different from a traditional CRC church, thereby having different needs? Is it the majority?
As you noted, I don't think that it's the local churches role to provide a place for Seminarians to serve. It may be the Denominations role, though, at least to the extent that we are preparing them for ministry to the best of our ability and sending them out fully equipped to minister so that they stand out in a crowded field.