Consumerism Overtaking Gratefulness

As shocking as the above picture may be, it clearly portrays the truth of that which I am writing today.  Consumerism is overtaking gratefulness.  Instead of being grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ and all He has done, things of this world can often take the place of the Son of God.

As the Indianapolis Colts had one of the greatest seasons in the history of their franchise, they were greeted by merely eleven fans upon their return home from their Super Bowl loss from Miami to Indianapolis.  Read this story for more details about their sparse crowd.

As I read this story, it frustrated me.  How ungrateful were those fans for only showing support to their team if the team came home with the Lombardi Trophy in-tote.  With my reflection upon this story, it reminded me of how each and every one of us can allow ungratefulness to steal our joy.

In my humble (but accurate) opinion, consumerism is a major reason for ungratefulness.  This especially is true in the lives of local churches across the western world.  Instead of allowing joyousness to overflow out of one’s life from seeing a vast multitude of new converts splash through the waters of a baptistery, it is easy to instead complain about musical styles, colors of carpet in a worship center, the attire of those gracing the platform, and the list goes on ad infinitum ad nauseum.

The following quote clearly demonstrates how consumerism should not be allowed in our local assemblies and in our personal walk with Christ:

“Consumerism is the god of this age.  I spend my days choosing between countless goods and services, all designed to cater to my preferences and whims.  I wake up in the morning and have my choice among an absurd number of breakfast cereals.  I can catch up on the news by either reading my choice of newspapers, by checking any number of Web sites, or by watching one (or more) of two hundred TV channels.  I stand in front of my closet looking at over thirty different shirts, thirteen pairs of shoes, pants, shorts – most of which I don’t need, let alone ever wear. . . I spend all day, every day, deciding what I want and what will be most pleasing to me . . . My life is based on my right to choose.  So it is no surprise that this mentality creeps into the church.
Erwin McManus, in his book Unstoppable Force, makes a distinction regarding the church, which has stuck with me.  McManus distinguishes between the church as a movement and the church as an institution.  A movement is concerned with its mission – it exists for a reason and will stretch itself to grow and accommodate to fulfill that mission.  An institution, on the other hand, exists for itself – it seeks to maintain the status quo and usually has a great deal of resistance to change.  A movement adapts and grows; an institution preserves and guards . . . God intended His church to be a movement.”

~ The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre, pp. 136-137

Asking the Wrong Question

With the big Ed Young story breaking a few days ago, it has caused me to ask the following question: Is tithing the only requirement . . . or the minimum expectation?  However, after pondering this thought, I’ve come to a bold conclusion: A follower of Christ should not be asking “How much must I give?”  The proper question is, “How much dare I keep?”

James 5:5 (ESV) states, “You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. “

The latter portion of this verse communicates well to me.  I grew up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  In Ft. Worth, they’re famous for their stockyards with some of the biggest longhorns in the world.

These steers are given some of the finest grain available to feed them.  They don’t realize they will soon face the slaughter.  Consequently, they eat and eat and eat, taking pleasure in the moment.  The more they eat, the quicker they will be led to the slaughterhouse.  After they’ve been fattened up enough, their steers are untied, and the cowboy will throw a little corn in front of the steer to lead him to the slaughterhouse.

James was saying many of us are like those stupid Texas steers.  We just keep fattening ourselves, not knowing that we are hastening the day of our own slaughter.  The slaughterhouse represents the judgment to come.  Those who guard their wealth are blind to the fact that they are headed toward a day of reckoning.  They follow their selfish appetites and are too blind to see that it will ruin relationships and ruin self-respect.

I am scared to be led to the slaughterhouse because I’ve fattened myself with overindulgence.
The question that Jesus drives us to ask again and again is not, “How much should I give?” but rather, “How much dare I keep?” One of the differences between the Old Testament and New Testament is the Great Commission. By and large the Old Testament people of God were not a missionary people. But the New Testament church is fundamentally a missionary people. The spiritual hope and the physical and emotional sustenance that Jesus brought to earth is to be extended by his church to the whole world. The task he gave us is so immense and requires such a stupendous investment of commitment and money.  The question is not, “What percentage must I give?” but, “How much dare I spend on myself?”

It is a biblical truth beyond all dispute: that all your money is God’s.

Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”

Money has been loaned to you as a steward to use in ways that maximize the glorification of God’s mercy in the world (Matthew 25:14-30).

Surely we who know Jesus should do no less than the Old Testament saints who did not know him. I urge everyone to tithe.  Tithing is the bare minimum.  Sometimes, we need to give even more than 10%.

To commend tithing as the only time and/or amount to give simply does not capture the New Testament view of discipleship.

Luke 3:11 (The Message), “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”  That’s 50% not 10%.

Luke 19:8, “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’” Again 50%.

Jesus said to the rich young man, Matthew 19:21, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” That’s 100%.

Luke 14:33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Again 100%.

Luke 9:57-58,  “[57]As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ [58]And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’”

Acts 2:44-45, “[44]And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45]And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

Acts 4:34-35, “[34]There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold [35]and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

2 Corinthians 8:2-3, “[2]for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. [3]For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,”

The best way that I know how to capture the spirit of the New Testament generosity is simply to say: the issue is not, How much must I give? but, How much dare I keep? Not: Shall I tithe? But: How much of the money that I hold in trust for Christ can I take for my private use?

The question whether the work of Christ in your life will be adequately supported is really the question of where your treasure is. And where your treasure is, there is your heart.

Humility

Who owns what I preach?

This morning I watched Dallas/Ft Worth’s ABC affiliate, WFAA, and their exposé of Pastor Ed Young (click here to see the story).

As I watched the video, that which surprised me was the following statement:

“News 8 has also learned that in 2007, Young sold the intellectual property of Fellowship Church’s marketing Web site, CreativePastors.”

I suppose this article exposes my naïveté, but I simply assumed that I own that which I preach.  What I mean is that I assumed that any mp3 floating around the internet with my best attempt at whimsical homiletic illumination was my property.  However, I have learned of tax laws that state that it is, in fact, the property of the place where the message is being preached.

If you’re interested in the tax intricacies involved in this subject, click here to read a great article by Paul Rivera entitled, “Pastors Do Not Own Their Own Sermons!”  As you are reading this, you may be thinking about transitioning this intellectual property from the church to the pastor.  Read the quote below from the Rivera article:

“Is There a Right Way For Me to keep My Own Sermons?

YES! As a matter of fact, getting this right is simpler than you might think.  A minister is described as a self employed individual under Section 3401(a)(9).  This section of the code allows for the minister to negotiate a creative license agreement with the church.  Under this agreement, the pastor retains his right to keep the copyright to his own intellectual property, and if the church records his sermons, he will be allowed to keep a copy.  In order to avoid an excess benefit transaction, the written agreement must describe how the church will transfer the recorded sermons to the pastor in a way that establishes that such transfer is in keeping with the purposes of the church.  Generally, churches have a clause in the purpose statement of their articles of incorporation which states that the church will spread the good news of the Gospel.  That clause is enough to allow for a sufficient agreement to be written which honors that clause.  Following are three different ways it can be done.

1.  Pastor that is on a salary: in order for the pastor to be on salary at the church, he must sign a compensation agreement.  As part of that compensation agreement you will want to include an article titled Creative License.  That article needs to state that the pastor retains his rights to any and all intellectual property he produces while employed by the church, and that he may use it as he sees fit in order to spread the good news of the Gospel.  It must also state that the pastor will reimburse the church X amount for each of the sermons of which he wishes to receive a copy.  As we teach in all of our conferences, the board of directors must hold a board meeting and approve the contract.

2.  Pastor that is not on a salary:  When a pastor is not on salary, an independent Creative License Agreement, covering the points in step one above, is signed between the pastor and the church.

3.  Pastor that is coming into an existing church:  When a minister is going to become the pastor of an existing church, at the time that an agreement is being signed for him to come, he has a little more negotiating power.  This is because he is not considered to be someone of substantial influence until he actually becomes the pastor and, therefore, at the time of signing the agreement he is not subject to the requirements of Section 4958.  As a result, the Creative License Agreement does not have to state that he will pay X amount for each of the sermons for which he wishes to receive a copy.  So long as that original contract is in place, he can continue to get copies at no charge.”

You also may be reading this and thinking, “Who cares who owns the intellectual property of a sermon?”  The reason I care is that I have goals of writing books and selling sermon series that I preached in a book format (basically serving as an exegetical commentary [similar to Warren Wiersbe]).  I do not have the legal right to do this if I do not go through the proper legal channels.

While this may not be the most exciting subject on Earth, it sure is an important one so that churches and pastors follow the law of the land.

Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pastors

The Future: Bookless Libraries

Recently, I read this article on CNN.com about the future of libraries.  As a pastor, professor, avid reader, and book collector, my library is of utmost importance to my life.  You may find some humor in the stamp (pictured below) I imprint on the title page of all books in my personal library.

I look at my library as an intricate part of my ministry and my life.  Click here to view my post from December entitled, “How to Build and Organize A Personal Library for Theology and Personal Growth.”

With that being said, I think that in the future, libraries will be completely digital.  A major stride in that direction is the launch of Apple’s new iPad.  The greatest feature I see from this amazing new piece of technology is the book reading capabilities available.  The first digital book device was the Amazon Kindle, but I played with it in the past, and did not find annotating it to be very simple.  However, with the new iPad, highlighting and taking notes on your digital book will be simple.

The way to build your library will be through iBooks. As you can see in the picture below, on the left is your iBook shelf, and on the right it shows what it will look like to have actual pages on the screen.

See the video below to get an idea of what it will be like to read digital books on the iPad.

I understand that some people will say that there will always be a place for handheld literal books, but I’m here to tell you that they will be few and far between.  Physical books have an unpleasant odor, they’re cumbersome, and are antiquitous.  Just as newspapers are dissipating around the world while news websites take over, so will digital books overtake physical books.

After I get my iPad, I will significantly decrease the amount of physical books I purchase, and will buy iBooks.  Why?  There are several advantages to this:

• Entire library at my fingertips
• Traveling with books will be way easier
• More room available in my study
• Easier to search a book with “Apple + F”

One last thought about digital books is this: When I was writing my dissertation, my greatest tool was Google Books (click here).  I was able to access a veritable potpourri of books through this free online resource.  Between Google Books and Apple’s iBooks, I believe libraries will eventually be bookless.

[If you would like to view my library on Library Thing, click here.]

How to Avoid Panic When Studying for A Seminary Exam

One of my professors a few years ago, at Southwestern Seminary, Berry Driver, Ph.D., handed each of his students a document entitled, “How to Avoid Panic When Studying for A Seminary Exam.”  Check this out . . .

HOW TO AVOID PANIC WHEN STUDYING FOR A SEMINARY EXAM

The first time a new seminary student realizes how very different graduate school is from college or university, it is usually during the first test of the term. Remember? As you stared at the intimidating list of questions, a few questions of your own started popping into your head, such as, “What happened to multiple choice?” “I never heard him mention this in the lecture”; or “Who is Xavier and Oecolampadius anyway?” And what was that strange theological vocabulary that Dr. Driver was using in his lecture?” “My mind is going blank!” “What am I doing here?” “Is there a volume button on my brain?” “The cacophony of contemporary Christian music sounds is so loud in my mind I can’t think!” “Is it too late to drop this class?” “Maybe if I pass out with this anxiety attack . . . . Get me out’ta [sic] here, somebody, please!”

All of a sudden, and little too late, reality struck. Now what? Drop out of seminary? Change your name and move to Zimbabwe? No, all you need is a crash course in how to study. Here are a few tips from veteran students who’ve taken exams and lived to tell about it.

Some Time-proven Axioms
1. Most important–don’t wait to study at the last minute. Your short-term memory can hold only so much. Once it hits maximum overload, you start losing information fast.
2. Use class time as study time. This doesn’t mean study for New Testament Survey in your Systematic Theology class. It means pay attention to the Systematic Theology lecture in that class and take good notes, while devoting yourself fully to New Testament Survey during that class segment. If you discipline your brain to focus on the lecture, studying will be review, not learning new material.
3. Learn to pick out what’s most important. If your professor writes something on the board, emphasizes a name or concept, or underlines it three times, those are clues that you may see it again somewhere on a test. Often he will tell you overtly the important exam material.
4. Highlight information in your textbook that clarifies material discussed in the class lectures; also, read carefully all chapter summaries–if you don’t understand the concepts, go back in the text and read for details that will assist your comprehension. This will clarify the lecture material.
5. Some people type or rewrite their notes after class. The benefits are two-fold: you can take more notes by abbreviating longer words, and rewriting is good review. In this class, your professor provided most of the lecture material in printed form via the web before the scheduled lecture; so, you simply need to highlight the material emphasized in class and write down only those things not mentioned in the printed lecture material. This makes note taking a lot easier and allows you to focus aurally more on what the professor is saying. This aids memory retention.

Study Mnemonically to Aid Short-term Memory
To remember lists of facts, “peg” them in a familiar place in your mind. For example, if you have to memorize 5 historical figures, first picture your house or apartment in your mind. Pick out 5 pieces of “furniture” in your kitchen. Open the refrigerator and picture Martin Luther eating his “Diet of Worms” off the first shelf; on the stove, John Huss is roasting marshmallows over the burner; in the sink Frederick II and Crusaders sail across the dishwater on the Fifth Crusade of A.D. 1229; Bloody Mary is chopping the tops off red peppers on the table with a big knife; and John Calvin is leaning against the counter reading a Betty Crocker recipe titled Institutes of the Christian Religion. The more unusual the mind pictures the better! lf the list is longer, move on to the living room. With vivid imagination like that, you can’t forget those important facts and details!

Studying with Others: a warning
Do not bother to quiz each other as a team effort until each one has mastered personally all of the study material; otherwise, it is a waste of time. Do this only as a final preparation, if at all.

Take this “True or False” quiz on test preparation methods:
1. A good way to study, is to reread all your reading assignments.
2. Making flash cards helps you remember names and dates.
3. It is better to wait till the last minute to study so the information is fresh on your brain.
4. Comparing notes with someone else in your class will help you fill in facts you might have missed during a lecture.
5. It is easiest to study in a place that is free from distractions.
6. The best place to study is in your bed.
7. Worrying about a test heightens your thinking power.
8. Eating a big lunch or breakfast gives you the energy you need to get through a test.
9. Late-night cramming and caffeine cola slamming are the only ways to get through a big test.
10. Writing test dates on your calendar helps you prepare ahead.

Answers:
1. False. You should only need to read your assignments once. Highlight important information and review only that. Rereading wastes precious study time.
2. True
3. False. This kind of cramming makes fact-learning obsolete when your mind goes blank. The only way to have good, consistent memory recall is to review several times over several days.
4. True
5. True
6. False. People who make a habit of studying in bed do more
studying of the inside of their eyelids than their homework.
7. False. Worrying creates anxiety, and anxiety makes the brain freeze up. Give your worries to the Lord. Praying before every, test reminds you that God is in control.
8. False. How do you feel after Thanksgiving dinner? Like sleeping, usually. Eating big before a test will make you feel sluggish and apathetic. However. not eating will disturb everyone else with your loud stomach rumblings! The ideal is to eat lightly.
9. False. That is the technique of a desperate person who
procrastinated too long. Also, the caffeine is often wearing off during a test, making you feel jittery and exhausted.
10. True

How to Know the Will of God [from Romans 12]

My 5 Favorite Younger Preachers & 5 Favorite Older Preachers

If you were to ask me what I typically listen to in my iPod (on my iPhone), my answer would be three things: sports talk radio, LOST podcasts, and tons of preaching.  I know.  I know.  I’m a nerd.

Today, I want to share with you my five favorite younger preachers & five favorite older preachers.  Now, the terms “younger” and “older” are relative.  I’ll allow you to interpret what they mean through your own hermeneutical vista.

So, without further adieu, in no particular order, here are my two lists . . .

My Five Favorite Younger Preachers

Dr. Nick Floyd, 26

Associate Pastor/Preaching Asistant

First Baptist Church of Springdale & The Church at Pinnacle Hills, Rogers, AR

[Bio - Media Page - Church]

Dr. David Platt, 31

Senior Pastor

The Church at Brook Hills

Birmingham, AL

[Bio - Media Page - Church]

Dr. Brandon Park, 28

Senior Pastor

Wayside Baptist Church

Miami, FL

[Bio - Media Page - Church]

Clint Pressley, 40

Co-Pastor

Hickory Grove Baptist Church

Charlotte, NC

[Bio - Media Page - Church]

Jarrett Stephens, 30

Teaching Pastor

Prestonwood Baptist Church

Plano & Prosper, TX

[Bio - Media Page - Church]

My Five Favorite Older Preachers

Dr. Joel Gregory

Professor of Preaching

George W. Truett Theological Seminary

Waco, TX

(I know Dr. Gregory has an “interesting” history and teaches at a moderate seminary, but I’ve never heard a single piece of theology that he personally preaches with which I disagree.  Furthermore, he’s the most talented homiletician I’ve ever heard.  IMHO, his fall is the greatest disappointment in 20th century clerical ministry.  I literally listen to antiquitous sermons of Dr. Gregory’s on a weekly basis.)

[Bio - Media Page - Seminary]

Dr. W.A. Criswell, deceased

Former Pastor

First Baptist Church

Dallas, TX

(Dr. Criswell’s website is my number one resource for sermon preparation.  I listen to him weekly, too.  In Heaven, after bowing at Jesus’ feet and seeing my family, he is the first person I want to meet.  Following meeting Dr. Criswell, I want to meet Jonah.)

[Bio - Media Page - Ministry Website]

Dr. Adrian Rogers, deceased

Former Pastor

Bellevue Baptist Church

Memphis, TN

(My parents and extended family are from Memphis.  I grew up attending Bellevue in the Summer, and around holidays.  Dr. Rogers is the “Apostle Paul of the Southern Baptist Convention.”)

[Bio - Media Page - Ministry Website]

Dr. Jay Strack

President and Founder

Student Leadership University

Orlando, FL

(Dr. Jay is the most talented preacher in tying current events, modern technology, humor, and historic anecdotes into the exposition of God’s Word.  He has been my mentor since the age of 11.  I served as his research assistant for his books published by Thomas Nelson in 2006.  This guy can straight up shuck the corn and shell the peas from the pulpit.)

[Bio - Ministry Website]

Dr. O.S. Hawkins

President

GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention

Dallas, TX

(Dr. Hawkins is probably the preacher with whom I am most similar.  I am not saying I am nearly as talented in my preaching as he, but I am saying that my style is very similar to his.  He’s a member of Prestonwood, and I was as giddy as an 11-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert whenever I got to hang out with him.  I spoke with him two weeks ago.  Let me tell you, he can preach.  Furthermore, his books are the most underrated texts I’ve ever read.  His writing is similar to Warren Wiersbe.)

[Bio - Sermon Outlines]

Futuristic Seminarian Pedagogy

Last November, I wrote an article entitled, “Change Must Happen in the American Seminary Educational Process.”  At the conclusion of the article, I stated, “I will offer my solutions to these problems in a future blog post.”  Well, this is the future post.  Not only is this the future post; it is a futuristic article.

Let me ask you something: Do you like movies or television programs pertaining to time travel?  I know I do.  The Back to the Future trilogy contains some of my favorite films, and LOST is, IMHO, the greatest television series in the history of the telly.

Just as I love to watch programs about time travel, I love to dream about it.  Well, today, I’m going to place you inside a proverbial academic Delorean and show you the future of seminarian pedagogy.  The purpose of this blog post is to explicably paint a picture of the future of seminarian pedagogy through the following four areas: (1) Rotational and Varied Interning/Residency, (2) Bivocational Pastoral Teaching, (3) Dissipation of the M.Div. and rise of the M.A., and (4) the iPad Revolution.

(1) Rotational and Varied Interning/Residency
In my previous article, I stated, “There is no way I would allow a surgeon to cut me open had he or she not been clinically trained in a surgical unit.  However, that is exactly what is done to young pastors.”  That is completely cuckoo to me.

The solution to this problem is that a varied and rotational interning/residency program needs to be implemented.  This would require recruiting a number of churches to come aboard the seminary’s vision, but it is completely possible.

Think of all of the different types of churches in the United States: small, medium, large, mega, and super mega;  liturgical, traditional, wannabe blended, blended, progressive, cutting-edge, and over-the-top ultra-modern; expositional, topical, carnal, and varied; post-modern, modern, antiquated, and intermediate; rural, suburban, and urban; multi-site, uni-site, and “internet church.”

Whatever the seminary’s theology is, and whatever types of pastors they want to develop, they should require their students to partner with churches to train them.  For example, with the rotational and varied interning/residency, the student would spend two years, serving four different churches, for six months per church.  Of the four churches served, for example, a student would learn how to pastor a small traditional rural church, a blended medium-sized downtown church, a contemporary suburban church, and a liturgical multi-site church.

You may ask: Who is going to teach them?  Good question!  That’s where number two comes into play.

(2) Bivocational Pastoral Teaching
I know multitudinous well-educated pastors of churches of all different sizes, locations, and styles.  I have an earned doctorate and pastor a blended, small, rural church.  I know of friends here in the greater Knoxville region who pastor a medium-sized traditional church in a downtown setting, and a large contemporary church in a suburban setting.  All of these pastors are educated to the point where accreditation standards would be met for the school to retain her credibility while still being in the classroom.

In my opinion, pastors need to be training pastors.  I’m sick of guys trying to tell me how to pastor a church when they’ve never spent a single week in my shoes, or it has been forty years since they led a flock.  However, I experienced that every day in my M.Div. process.  Sure, my professors knew a lot about what textbooks say, but most of them had a perspective of 1970s ecclesial methodology, but times have changed.  Pastors need to be training pastors!

This does not mean there is no place for full-time professors, but it does mean there should be less of them.  The pastor of the aforementioned varying churches would be able to bivocationally teach students and shepherd their respective flocks.

I had several professors who were adjunct faculty members who pastored full-time and taught one or two classes per semester.  My favorite Greek professor in seminary, Steve Patton, Ph.D., was a full-time pastor and part-time New Testament educator.  My favorite Pastoral Ministries professor, Michael Dean, D.Min., was (and still is) the full-time pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Ft Worth while serving part-time as an educator.  Men like this need to be hired by seminaries in order to ensure bivocational pastoral teaching occurs in the rotational and varied interning/residency.

(3) Dissipation of the M.Div. and Rise of the M.A. + MBA Joint Degree Programs

A. M.Div. Enrollees will Dissipate While the M.A. FTE Stats will Ascend

If you read my previous article, you may recall that I mentioned how ridiculously looooooong M.Div. programs are.  I have a feeling that the M.Div. will begin to dissipate and the Master of Arts in Theology will rise.

Why specifically a Master of Arts in Theology?  The reason I see is that an M.A. is significantly shorter, and the heart of seminary is theological training.  Some electives and peripheral classes serve as fat that can be trimmed from the bloated M.Div. program.

B. MBA Joint Degree Programs
I have graduated both from an independent seminary (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary [SWBTS]), as well as a seminary tied to a university (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary [LBTS]).  While having attended the two schools, I noticed LBTS students are more well-rounded than SWBTS students.  Is that judgmental?  No.  It is what it is.

Something interesting is that I know several LBTS friends who pursued both a graduate degree from the seminary, as well as an MBA.  Why?  Pastors need to know how to run the organization of the church.  I know this section of this article exposes me as some sort of a minister muddling through métier.  I’ve read Piper’s wonderful text, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals.  However, despite the fact that we are not professionals, it does not negate the fact that we need to be professional.

In the future, growing seminaries will offer joint degree programs for people to obtain an MBA.  This does not mean seminaries have to do this completely on their own.  Just as Criswell College currently partners with the University of North Texas in their Ph.D. program, so can seminaries across the USA partner with universities near them to offer joint programs either in residence or online.

Speaking of online education, I believe the newly-announced iPad will revolutionize the future of seminary education.

(4) The iPad Revolution

In my previous article, I mentioned how many seminaries lack change.  The first seminaries to jump into the iPad revolution will soar into another level of relevance and excellence.
Check out these articles about online education and the iPad.

• “What is the future of teaching?“
• “Study finds that online education beats the classroom“
• “5 Reasons Why the Apple iPad will Revolutionize Education“

In the next year or two, iPads will become available at $199.  iPads need to be required of all students, iBooks will need to be available for all textbooks, and interaction will be made easier with the second version of iPad that will have iChat so that video conferencing will be available with online professors.

You may be thinking, “I thought he said students would be taught by fellow pastors in their internships.”  Yes, but they could continue to teach the students even after they rotate to another location.  Furthermore, I said there is still a place for full-time educators.  Those full-time educators could teach from their basement in North Carolina and reach students in Malawi.

Another thought about the future of the iPad, online education, and futuristic seminary life is that since the New York Times reported the Department of Education’s study that online education is more effective than residential studies, there will be less need for a big campus for which tuition rates have to pay.  So, there will be less overhead and therefore cheaper tuition rates.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the purpose of this blog post has been to explicably paint a picture of the future of seminarian pedagogy through the following four areas: (1) Rotational and Varied Interning/Residency, (2) Bivocational Pastoral Teaching, (3) Dissipation of the M.Div. and rise of the M.A., and (4) the iPad Revolution.  Will this stuff ever happen?  I think so.  Why?  Because my dream is that in the future I will either become a seminary president or start a seminary.  My prayer is that God would assist the seminary process to be as efficient and excellent as possible to develop better pastors and, in turn, make a greater impact of equipping saints for the glory of God around the world.

(If you’ve read this article and wondered about my academic background, you may see my brief bio here.)